Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution to support new ECOWAS sanctions against Mali after next month’s elections were delayed to 2026.
- AMERICAS: Colombian Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez said that her country’s consul in Haiti received threats after trying to provide humanitarian assistance to 18 former soldiers accused of assassinating President Jovenel Moise.
- ASIA: China accelerated settlement-building along its disputed border with Bhutan, with more than 200 structures under construction in six locations.
- EUROPE: Russia began to lay out its demands for security guarantees in Europe to NATO, following talks with the United States in Geneva that showed the two sides have major differences.
- MIDDLE EAST: A judicial official said Iran arrested an alleged “counter-revolutionary agent” on suspicion of conducting an arson attack on a memorial to a revered general killed in a US drone strike.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: A judge ruled that the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook can proceed.
Top Story
- Somalia: A large car bomb exploded outside Mogadishu Airport killing eight people.
- A car bomb exploded on a road leading to Mogadishu airport killing at least eight people.
- The founder of the Aamin ambulance service, Abdulkadir Adan, tweeted that he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries” in Mogadishu.
- The attack was claimed by Al-Shabaab which said in a brief statement that it was targeting “foreign officers”.
- Witnesses said a multi-vehicle private security convoy escorting foreigners was passing by the area when the explosion hit.
- Somalia is also in the midst of a political crisis due to a power struggle between the president and prime minister ahead of elections.
- Reuters, AP, AFP, AlJazeera, BBC
Africa
- Cameroon: An opposition lawmaker from the Social Democratic Front (SDF) has been gunned in Bamenda city in the north-west. (BBC)
- Mali: Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution to support new ECOWAS sanctions against the country after next month’s elections were delayed to 2026. (AP)
- Nigeria: At least three people, including two children, have been killed after a church collapsed in the Okpanam suburb of Asaba, the capital of Delta state. (AlJazeera)
- Tunisia: The UN is calling on authorities to either release or properly charge the country’s former justice minister Nourredine Bhiri. (BBC)
- Zimbabwe: The trial of journalist Jeffery Moyo, who is charged with smuggling two of his colleagues into the country in May, is expected to begin in Bulawayo city. (BBC)
Americas
- Region: Colombian Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez said that her country’s consul in Haiti received threats after trying to provide humanitarian assistance to 18 former soldiers accused of assassinating President Jovenel Moise. (AP)
- Colombia: President Ivan Duque announced that the waiting time to receive a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine would be reduced from six months to four. (Reuters)
- Honduras: A passenger broke into the cockpit of an American Airlines jet at an airport and damaged the plane as it was boarding for a flight to Miami before being taken into custody. (Reuters)
- Mexico: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he is doing well despite catching Covid-19 for a second time, reassuring the country that Omicron was a less severe variant. (AFP)
- United States: Five more detainees were cleared for transfer from Guantanamo Bay prison, bringing the total to 18 out of the 39 remaining prisoners. (WaPo)
Asia
- China: Beijing accelerated settlement-building along its disputed border with Bhutan, with more than 200 structures under construction in six locations. (Reuters)
- Indonesia: The country opened its coronavirus booster campaign to the public as it records rising infections driven by the Omicron variant. (AFP)
- North Korea: Pyongyang confirmed yesterday’s ballistic missile launch, claiming it was a successful “final” test of a hypersonic missile. (Yonhap)
- Philippines: The Transportation Department said Individuals who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 are not allowed to take public transport in Manila. (DPA)
- Taiwan: The island’s National Rescue Command Center said the debris of a missing Air Force F-16V fighter jet was found off the western coast, but its pilot remained unaccounted for. (DPA)
Europe
- Armenia: The Defense Ministry said that the number of its soldiers killed in border clashes with Azerbaijan rose to three in the most serious outbreak of fighting between the ex-Soviet adversaries in months. (AFP)
- Germany: The Health Ministry announced the acquisition of an additional 5 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. (DPA)
- France: EDF announced new delays and cost overruns for its troubled new-generation nuclear plant in the north as the Covid pandemic made the work more difficult. (AFP)
- Russia: Moscow began to lay out its demands for security guarantees in Europe to NATO, following talks with the United States in Geneva that showed the two sides have major differences. (Reuters)
- United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a high-stakes showdown in Parliament that could help defuse a crisis over claims that he and his staff broke coronavirus lockdown rules. (AP)
Middle East
- Iran: A judicial official said the country arrested an alleged “counter-revolutionary agent” on suspicion of conducting an arson attack on a memorial to a revered general killed in a US drone strike. (AFP)
- Lebanon: Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the government did not interfere with the judiciary’s work, after reports that he had put pressure on a judge seeking data from banks in an investigation into the conduct of the central bank governor. (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia: Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud said the transition away from fossil fuels towards clean energy is complicated and the world needs to be flexible to avoid sacrificing energy security. (Reuters)
- Syria: A German court will deliver a judgement on former colonel Anwar Raslan, the highest ranking official to be tried for atrocities committed in the country. (AlJazeera)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: A judge ruled that the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook can proceed. (NPR)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to Report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 12JAN22)
- Confirmed cases: 313,890,009
- Deaths: 5,506,984
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 12JAN22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (13JAN22)
- Global: UN World Economic Situation and Prospects report.
- Global: Orthodox Christianity New Year’s Eve.
- Event: Paul Simon Public Policy Institute conversation with Swedish Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter.
- Event: Brookings discussion on US-Jordan relations.
- Austria: OSCE Permanent Council Meeting, inauguration of Poland as OSCE chair.
- France: EU foreign and defense ministers’ informal meeting in Brest. (to 14JAN)
- France: President Emmanuel Macron video conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
- Belgium: Visit by Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
- Cabo Verde: Democracy Day.
- Mongolia: Constitution Day.
- Togo: Liberation Day.
- United Kingdom: Meeting between Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic in London.
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