Capital punishment in the United States The federal government carries out its final execution under the Trump administration, after executing convicted murderer Dustin Higgs by lethal injection at USP Terre Haute. President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to end the federal death penalty after taking office.
COVID-19 pandemic Malaysia reports a record 4,029 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 155,095.
Indonesia reports a record 14,224 new cases and 8,662 recoveries in the past 24 hours, brings the nationwide totals to 896,642 confirmed cases and 727,538 recoveries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the world's largest vaccination programme against COVID-19 in India, which aims to vaccinate more than 1.3 billion people. A sanitation worker is the first person to receive the vaccine.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football FC Barcelona postpones its presidential election originally scheduled for January 24, following an increase in COVID-19 cases in Catalonia.
Lao People's Revolutionary Party The Lao People's Revolutionary Party elects Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith as its new General Secretary, replacing retiring chief Bounnhang Vorachit. Sisoulith was elected for a five-year term as leader of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the top post in the country, and part of the country's Politburo.
Third Rutte cabinet The Third Rutte cabinet of the Netherlands falls after negotiations regarding the childcare allowance scandal.
Presidential transition of Joe Biden United States Vice President Mike Pence congratulates incoming Vice President Kamala Harris, 73 days after the presidential election.
2021 Ugandan general election Bobi Wine tweets that the military has "taken control" of his home and placed him under house arrest, just hours after claiming victory in the disputed election.
Opposition activist Bobi Wine claims victory in the presidential election, despite early results giving incumbent President Yoweri Museveni a wide lead, and calls the results "a joke".
Pan Am Flight 103 The family of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, loses a posthumous appeal at a top Scottish court against his conviction. Al-Megrahi was the only person convicted for the terrorist attack, whereas his family say that he was the victim of a "miscarriage of justice".
Russia–United States relations Russia says that it will withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies, following the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the U.S. withdrawal has "significantly upended the balance of interests of signatory states".
2020–21 H5N8 outbreak Authorities in Namibia suspend the importation and transit of poultry from European countries where an outbreak of the Avian influenza subtype H5N8 has been reported.
COVID-19 pandemic Tunisia reports a record 4,170 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours as the country enters a four-day lockdown and also closes all schools until January 24 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Paraguay approves the emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, becoming the fourth South American country to approve the use of the vaccine against COVID-19, after Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela. Supply of the vaccine will be facilitated by the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces the closure of all travel corridors beginning January 18 at 4:00 am GMT. He also announces that all travellers must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test from the previous 72 hours and quarantine for 10 days upon arrival, unless they test negative after five days.
Spain reports a record 40,197 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,252,164.
Portugal reports a record 159 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,543.
Malaysia extends their movement control order to Kelantan beginning at midnight as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
China reports 144 new cases, the majority in Hebei and Heilongjiang provinces. This is the highest number of daily cases in the past 10 months and brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 87,988.
Indonesia reports a record 12,818 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, including 3,095 in West Java, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 882,418.
Uttarakhand reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a 44-year old man who was in close contact with people who travelled to the United Kingdom.
Mexico reports a record 21,366 new confirmed cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 1.61 million.
Utah reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated from the United Kingdom in a man from Salt Lake County with no travel history who tested positive last month.
Oregon reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated from the United Kingdom in a man from Multnomah County with no travel history.
Illinois reports their first case of a more contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a person who traveled to the United Kingdom and the Middle East and was later diagnosed with COVID-19.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to deploy the United States National Guard and FEMA resources to distribute vaccines across the United States when he takes office. He also says that he will invoke the Defense Production Act to produce vaccines.
2021 Sulawesi earthquake A magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes the Majene Regency in West Sulawesi, Indonesia, killing at least 42 people and wounding more than 820 others. It was preceded by a foreshock measuring 5.7 a few hours before.
Central African Republic Civil War A Burundian UN peacekeeper is killed in a rebel ambush near Grimari in Ouaka, Central African Republic, acccording to MINUSCA. Two Bangladeshi peacekeepers are also wounded in the attack.
War in Afghanistan At least nine security personnel are killed in Kunduz, near the border with Tajikistan, when Taliban insurgents simultaneously attack two checkpoints.
2021 Ugandan general election Voters head to the polls to elect their next president and parliament. The two main presidential candidates are incumbent President Yoweri Museveni and opposition activist and musician Bobi Wine. The election has been widely criticized as being unfair, with both the United States and European Union cancelling their observations of the election.
Flint water crisis Eight more Michigan officials are charged along with former Governor Rick Snyder for their roles in the Flint water crisis. Former health director Nick Lyon and former state medical executive Eden Wells are also charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of nine people who contracted Legionnaires' disease during the crisis.
Corruption in South Korea The Supreme Court upholds former President Park Geun-hye's 22-year prison sentence for corruption.
Crime in Australia A mother and three children are found dead in a suspected murder–suicide in Tullamarine, Victoria, in the second case of suspected familicide in Victoria in the past week.
Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol The Department of Justice announces that Robert Sanford, a retired firefighter from Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, has been arrested for allegedly throwing a fire extinguisher at Capitol Police officers during the storming of the Capitol.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announces the arrest of Kevin Seefried, a Delaware man who was seen carrying the Confederate flag during the storming of the United States Capitol. His son, Hunter Seefried, is also arrested.
Nuclear program of Iran The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that Iran has informed them that it has begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal, another violation in kind in response to Western violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The IAEA says that Iran now has enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon, but still possesses less than it had before the deal was signed.
Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announces a ban on all travellers from South American countries, as well as Portugal, Panama and Cape Verde due to a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that was identified in Brazil. The ban will come into effect tomorrow at 4:00 am GMT.
COVID-19 pandemic The Federal Ministry of Education announces that schools in Nigeria will reopen on January 18. Parents have appealed to the ministry to rescind the decision following a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
The Gambia reports their first two cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a 34-year-old man who travelled to the United Kingdom and an 82-year-old woman who also tested positive.
The Food and Drug Administration approves the Pfizer–BioNTech tozinameran vaccine for emergency use in the country.
Malaysia reports a record 3,337 new cases, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 147,855.
Indonesia reports a record 11,557 new cases, bringing the nationwide total to 869,600 confirmed cases.
China reports 138 new cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest single-day increase in more than 10 months, bringing the total number of cases since the beginning of the outbreak to 87,844. In addition, the country also reports its first death from COVID-19 since April, bringing the nationwide death toll to 4,635.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan receives the first dose of the CoronaVac vaccine in a hospital in Ankara as Turkey begins its nationwide vaccination campaign.
Portugal reports a new record for the second consecutive day, of 10,698 new daily cases, bringing the nationwide cumulative total of confirmed cases to 517,806.
Germany reports a record 1,244 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, bringing the nationwide death toll to 43,881.
Prime Minister Jean Castex announces that the French government will impose a nationwide 6:00 pm curfew for at least 15 days beginning January 16 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announces that the state will distribute the vaccine to seniors, including people aged 65 or older.
Governor Larry Hogan announces that the state will distribute the vaccine next week to teachers, people 75 or older, child care providers, residents of assisted living facilities, people in group homes, and high-risk inmates.
Automotive Automotive manufacturer Toyota announces that it will pay a civil penalty of US$180 million minimum for violating United States vehicle emission standards by not reporting emissions defects to authorities.
Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States President-elect Joe Biden unveils a $1.9 trillion relief package to bolster the United States economy. If passed in Congress, the relief package will increase the direct payments from $600 to $2,000, an increase of $1,400. The plan to increase the direct payments to $2,000 was endorsed by Biden himself, outgoing President Donald Trump, and Democrats.
Insurgency in the Maghreb A roadside bomb kills five civilians and wounds three others in Tebessa Province, Algeria. It is the deadliest attack on civilians in Algeria in recent years. In a separate incident, a militant is shot dead by the military in neighbouring Khenchela Province.