Key Storylines
- AFRICA: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged global solidarity in the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and warned against “vaccine nationalism”.
- AMERICAS: The US House of Representatives delivered the impeachment case against former President Donald Trump to the Senate.
- ASIA: Indonesia’s Coast Guard said the Iranian and Panamanian-flagged vessels that were seized for suspected illegal oil transfers are to dock at Batam island in the country’s Riau Islands Province for further investigation.
- EUROPE: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is set to hand in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, deepening Italy’s ongoing political crisis.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran warned the new Joe Biden administration that the US will not have an indefinite time period to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Google says it discovered an “ongoing” hacking campaign backed by the North Korean government which is targeting cyber security researchers.
Top Story
- India: Farmers and police clash in capital New Delhi.
- Thousands of protesting farmers, unhappy with the government’s new agriculture laws, breached police barricades on their tractors and entered the historic Red Fort complex in capital city New Delhi.
- The protesting farmers then hoisted flags in the Red Fort complex and clashed with the police, who fired tear gas at them, resulting in at least one death.
- The protesting farmers were part of a planned rally coinciding with the country’s Republic Day, with the clashes taking place when some protesters diverted from agreed routes.
- Tens of thousands of farmers are continually camping around the capital city New Delhi since November 2020, demanding the repeal of the government’s new agriculture reforms that they claim will benefit big corporations and negatively impact their livelihoods in the process.
- Farmer groups and the government held eleven rounds of talks so far but failed to reach a breakthrough so far, and it’s become one of the biggest challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hold on power in India since 2014.
- Reporting: AP, NYT, BBC, WaPo, DPA, Reuters
Africa
- Region: Pirates kidnapped 15 sailors from a Turkish-crewed container ship near Nigeria’s coast in the Gulf of Guinea. (Reuters)
- South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa urged global solidarity in the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and warned against “vaccine nationalism”. (DPA)
- Tunisia: Young protesters and police clashed with each other in the Kasserine region after a person reportedly died during the recent protests. (AP)
- Uganda: Opposition leader Bobi Wine’s house arrest ended after the country’s security forces withdrew from his house. (Reuters)
Americas
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro thanked China for fast-tracking the export of supplies needed for the local production of coronavirus vaccines. (Reuters)
- Mexico: The country’s population is now 126 million, according to the government’s newly-completed census. (AP)
- United States: The House of Representatives delivered the impeachment case against former President Donald Trump to the Senate. (AP)
Asia
- Australia: The government said it is still expected to distribute doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in March despite threats by the European Union to block exports of the vaccine due to a lack of supply. (Guardian)
- China: A relative of one of the country’s coronavirus victims demanded to meet with a visiting World Health Organization expert team, saying the team should speak with families who allege they are being suppressed by Beijing. (AP)
- Indonesia: The Coast Guard said the Iranian and Panamanian-flagged vessels that were seized for suspected illegal oil transfers are to dock at Batam island in the country’s Riau Islands Province for further investigation. (Reuters)
- New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country’s borders are likely to remain closed for much of 2021 as health officials assess global coronavirus vaccine rollouts. (AFP)
Europe
- Region: The European Union warned it will tighten rules around coronavirus vaccination exports, amid a row with AstraZeneca over a cut in planned supplies to the 27-member bloc. (BBC)
- Germany: The country’s domestic security agency is set to announce if the far-right AfD party will be placed under surveillance. (AFP)
- Italy: Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is set to hand in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, deepening the country’s ongoing political crisis. (Reuters)
- Netherlands: Protesters angry with the government’s coronavirus curfew clashed with riot police for a third consecutive night. (BBC)
- Russia: The Kremlin said that vigorous efforts were needed to reach a deal with the US on the extension of the New START nuclear arms control treaty before its expiration next month. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Iran: Tehran warned the new Joe Biden administration that the US will not have an indefinite time period to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal. (AP)
- Israel: Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen led a delegation to Sudan, marking the first time one of the country’s cabinet ministers headed a delegation to Khartoum. (AFP)
- Lebanon: Protesters angry over the government’s coronavirus lockdown clashed with security forces in the northern city of Tripoli. (AFP)
- Yemen: The new Biden administration said it will exempt select transactions involving the Houthis from sanctions that former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo imposed on the country’s Houthi rebels. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Cybersecurity: Google says it discovered an “ongoing” hacking campaign backed by the North Korean government which is targeting cyber security researchers. (FT)
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 26JAN21)
- Confirmed cases: 99,786,313
- Total recovered cases: 55,151,913
- Deaths: 2,142,224
- Countries with confirmed cases: 191
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 26JAN21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (27JAN21)
- Global: The UN’s International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust – 2006
- Global: The CORE Group will hold its annual Global Health Practitioner Conference, with WHO Chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus scheduled to speak. (to 28JAN)
- Global: The World Economic Forum’s “Davos Agenda” will be held virtually, with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva expected to speak during the event. (to 29JAN)
- Global: The International Olympic Committee board will meet to discuss the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
- Asia: China will conduct military exercises in the South China Sea just days after a US aircraft carrier group entered the sea. (to 30JAN)
- Asia: The UN Security Council will hold a meeting to discuss Central Asia.
- Middle East: Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash will speak at the 14th International Conference of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel. (to 28JAN)
- Armenia: Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif will visit.
- Chile: Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez will visit and meet with President Sebastian Pinera.
- France: The Senate is expected to hold a debate on extending the country’s coronavirus state of health emergency.
- Ghana: The funeral of former President Jerry Rawlings will be held.
- Estonia: The country’s new government will take questions from Parliament for the first time.
- United States: The Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee will hold a meeting to consider the nomination of Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be the country’s Representative to the United Nations.
- United States: The Federal Reserve will make an interest rate decision.
- Vietnam: The 13th National Congress of the country’s ruling Communist Party will be held. (to 02FEB)
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