A United States convoy consisting of 40 trucks and armored vehicles enters northeastern Syria from Iraq via the Al Waleed crossing.
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January 21, 2021 (Thursday)
4.2 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
A suicide attack at an open market in Baghdad, Iraq, kills at least 32 people and injures 110 others. Attacks have been rare in the country since the 2017 military defeat of ISIL, making this incident one of the deadliest since then.
The Central African Republic government declares a 15-day state of emergency after rebels attempt to surround and blockade the capital Bangui. Pro-François Bozizé loyalists and anti-balaka militias now control around two-thirds of the war torn nation.
Arts and culture
Organisers announce that the Glastonbury Festival has been cancelled for the second consecutive year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disasters and accidents
Indonesian authorities, led by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, officially end the search for remaining victims and debris from Sriwijaya Air Flight 182, which crashed into the Java Sea on January 9, killing all 62 people on board.
A truck carrying sticks of gelatin explodes at a boulder-crushing facility in Abbalagere in Shivamogga district, Karnataka, India, killing eight workers.
Fifteen people are killed and eleven others wounded in a fire at a nursing home in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Five people are killed in a fire at a Serum Institute of India facility in Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Health and environment
Tennessee reports their first two cases of a more contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2 that was first identified in the United Kingdom.
Mexico reports a record 22,339 newly confirmed cases and 1,809 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Trinidad and Tobago reports their first case of the B.1.1.7 variant in a person returning from the United Kingdom.
The government announces the closure of all schools, kindergartens and universities for two weeks beginning tomorrow due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, as well as the emergence of the Variant of Concern 202012/01.
Hungary approves the use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine and Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, becoming the first European Union member state to approve the Russian vaccine.
The Dutch House of Representatives votes to impose a curfew from 9.00 pm to 4.30 am beginning January 23.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announces that as part of an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, museums and libraries will reopen beginning tomorrow, while theatres and cinemas will be allowed to accommodate more patrons. In addition, colleges, sports schools and children's clubs will resume in-person attendance, but university students will continue studying remotely.
Spain reports a record 44,357 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,456,675.
Indonesia reports a record 346 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 27,203.
Sri Lanka reopens to foreign tourists after a nearly 10-month pandemic closure, however tourists are required to receive multiple testings and follow quarantine measures that have been put in place.
Thailand's Food and Drug Administration approves the emergency use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. 50,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in February.
President Alberto Fernández receives a dose of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, a day after the usage of vaccines for people over the age of 60 was approved by the country's health regulator.
International relations
The European Court of Human Rights rules that Russia was responsible for a series of human rights violations during its 2008 war with Georgia.
Bashar al-Jaafari, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, called on Biden to change US foreign policy in Syria, which is nearing 10 years of civil war. During a session of the UN Security Council, Jaafari accused the United States of using the multi-sided war to steal the country's oil reserves and other natural resources.
Law and crime
The Tokyo District Court upholds a ban on dual citizenship of Japan and another country, rejecting appeals for damages claiming that the law was unconstitutional.
Politics and elections
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces six articles of impeachment against newly-inaugurated President of the United States Joe Biden, alleging an "abuse of power" when Biden served as Barack Obama's Vice President.
Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh resigns a day after thousands in Ulaanbaatar protested against the way authorities behaved with a COVID-19-infected mother and her newborn baby.
Julie Payette resigns as Governor General of Canada following a review that cites allegations of a toxic work environment at Rideau Hall. Chief Justice of Canada Richard Wagner will carry out the duties of that office as Administrator of Canada until the Crown appoints a new Governor General.
Science and technology
United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington Barbara Jacobs Rothstein rejects a lawsuit filed by Parler requesting reinstatement on Amazon.
House Oversight Committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney calls for the FBI to investigate Parler for their role in the storming of the United States Capitol.
Sports
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says that the Summer Olympics will be held in July, despite a state of emergency currently being declared in Tokyo.
FIFA warns top-division European football clubs and their players against participating in the proposed European Super League, threatening them with a ban from all FIFA-sanctioned competitions.
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