Portal:Current events/2021 January 6

January 6, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2020–21 United States election protests
- January 6 United States Capitol attack
  - Thousands of pro-Donald Trump protesters storm the United States Capitol, causing it to be evacuated. Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser proclaimed a citywide nighttime curfew. Shots were fired, and at least six people were injured. A woman died from gunshot wounds by Police, according to police. Multiple members of Congress called this an attempted coup d'état. The FBI, police, and National Guard from Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. itself were deployed to stop the riot. Smoke bombs and pepper spray were also used. Multiple suspected pipe bombs were reported, including at the Republican Party headquarters. (Yahoo! News) (The Washington Post) (CNN) (WREX-TV)
  - The United States Senate chamber and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office are also breached by pro-Trump protesters. (ABC News) (WIVB-TV)
  - President-elect Joe Biden says "It's not a protest, it's an insurrection", and calls on President Donald Trump to "demand an end to this siege" by his followers. In response, President Trump released a video saying, "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!" (BBC News) [1]
  - At least seven Democratic members of Congress, including Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Seth Moulton, and Republican Vermont Governor Phil Scott, call for Trump's immediate resignation or impeachment and removal by Congress, when it can reconvene, for insurrection against the United States. (The Independent) (WGBH-TV) (The Atlantic) (The Wrap)
  - The United States Capitol Police says that the Capitol was secured by 6 p.m.. The Electoral College certificates were also secured. (USA Today) (WHNS-TV)
  - Three more people die during the United States Capitol riots during "separate medical emergencies", bringing the total death toll to four. (CNN)
  - Stephanie Grisham resigns as the Chief of Staff to the First Lady as a result of the riots. Matt Pottinger resigns as deputy national security adviser; Mick Mulvaney, former chief of staff, resigns from his remaining duties as special envoy to Northern Ireland and Anna Cristina Niceta resigns as White House social secretary. (CNN) (CNN²)
Syrian civil war
- Israel's role in the Syrian Civil War
  - Israel launches airstrikes against IRGC and Hezbollah bases near Damascus, Syria. (Al Arabiya) (Ya Libnan)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in China
    - Members of the World Health Organization investigating the origins of the pandemic are denied entry into China. (Al Jazeera)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 8,854 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 788,402. (detikHealth)
    - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto announces two-week restrictions in parts of the islands of Java and Bali beginning January 11. These restrictions include limiting operating hours for malls, an advisory for 75% of workers to work from home, and capacity restrictions for restaurants and places of worship. (Okezone.com)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo claims a record 1,591 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the prefecture to 66,343. (The Japan Times)
    - Nationwide, a record of more than 6,000 new cases are reported in the past 24 hours. (NHK World)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 2,593 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 125,438. (Malay Mail)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
    - The Czech Republic reports a record of 17,278 new cases in the past 24 hours, 7,965 of which are from Prague, bringing the nationwide total of cases to 776,967. (Prague Morning)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Denmark bans travel to non-residents from South Africa over concerns of the 501.V2 variant. (The Local)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - Ireland reports a record 7,836 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 121,154. (Independent.ie)
    - The government also agrees to tighten the lockdown measures including keeping schools closed but allowing Leaving Cert students to attend three days per week and also suspending non-essential construction projects. These measures will remain in place until the end of January. (The Irish Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malta
    - Malta reports a record of 224 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. (Times of Malta)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
    - The Netherlands begins a vaccination programme against COVID-19 with a nurse becoming the first person to be vaccinated with Pfizer's Tozinameran vaccine. (RTL Nieuws) (Swiss Info)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portugal reports a record of 10,027 new daily cases, bringing the nationwide cumulative total of confirmed cases to 446,606. (DGS)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in San Marino
    - San Marino announces that bars and restaurants will close at 5 p.m. until January 15, and that a curfew will begin at 10 p.m. local time. (San Marino TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
    - Slovenia reports a record of 3,354 cases in the past 24 hours. The country also surpasses 130,000 total cases. (RTVSLO)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom reports a record 62,322 new cases of COVID-19 and a further 1,041 deaths. This is the first time since April that the daily death toll has exceeded 1,000. Major outbreaks are declared at hospitals in Surrey and Sussex. (BBC News)
  - The European Medicines Agency approves the emergency use of Moderna's vaccine. (CNBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Morocco approves AstraZeneca's vaccine. (The Washington Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal
    - President Macky Sall declares a state of emergency and imposes a curfew at 9:00 p.m. local time in Dakar and Thiès in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (RFI)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
    - Premier Francois Legault announces a curfew from 8:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. EST for whole province except the Nord-du-Quebec administrative region from January 9 until February 8. Pharmacies and gas stations will be permitted to remain open during curfew hours. (CFCF-DT)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Health officials in Australia announce that the country will bring forward their vaccination rollout plans by two weeks to early March. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay
  - Uruguay reports a record 946 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 23,048. (gob.uy)

International relations

Israel–Sudan normalization agreement
- Sudan formally signs the Abraham Accords as part of an agreement to normalize relations with Israel. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Hong Kong national security law
- Hong Kong Police arrest 53 pro-democracy activists and politicians for criminal charges under the national security law. Those arrested include James To and Lam Cheuk-ting of the Democratic Party, activist Lester Shum, and Leung Kwok-hung and Jimmy Sham of the League of Social Democrats. (Reuters) (RTHK) (BBC News) Kickstart Wan Chai [zh] announces to disband, effective immediately. (SCMP)
2020 Mississippi flag referendum
- The Mississippi State Senate passes a bill to make the state flag chosen in the November referendum official. The Mississippi House of Representatives passed the bill on Tuesday. (AP)
Shooting of Breonna Taylor
- The Louisville Metro Police Department announces the firing of Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes, the two officers involved in the botched raid of Breonna Taylor's home. (CBS News)
A judge in the United Kingdom denies bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange days after his extradition to the United States was blocked. The judge cited the risk of Assange escaping the extradition process or refusing to surrender to court if asked to do so. Assange's lawyers will appeal the decision whereas the U.S. Department of Justice continues to seek his extradition. Assange's partner urges the US to pardon him. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 United States elections
- 2020 United States Senate elections
  - 2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia, 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia
    - News networks project that Democrat Raphael Warnock will defeat Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler, making him the state's first African-American Senator. Warnock claims victory, while Loeffler refuses to concede the race and vows to "fight on". (CNBC) (BuzzFeed News)
    - The Democrats will take control of the Senate after Jon Ossoff defeated Republican David Perdue, leaving incoming Vice President Kamala Harris with the tiebreaking vote. (CNN)
- 2021 United States Electoral College vote count
  - A joint session of the United States Congress attempts to certify the Electoral College vote results and affirm the election of Joe Biden before being interrupted by the storming of the US Capitol. (CNN)
  - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence releases a statement stating that he won't reject electoral college votes despite pressure from President Trump and his allies to do so. He reaffirms that his role in the Congressional joint session is ceremonial. (NPR)
  - Senator Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar object to the state of Arizona, making it the first time a vote is forced to accept or reject the objection since 2004, when Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Senator Barbara Boxer objected to George W. Bush's victory in Ohio against John Kerry. The objection failed 6-93 in the Senate and 121-303 in the House. (National Review) (KTVZ-TV) (Gwinnett Daily Post)
  - Lawmakers say that they will continue certification of Biden's victory tonight. (The Hill)
Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The European Union withdraws their recognition of Juan Guaidó as the interim President of Venezuela, instead resolving to delegate to individual member states to make their own decisions on who to recognize. (Europapress)

Science and technology

Donald Trump on social media, Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- Twitter locks the personal account of President Donald Trump for the first time, citing the president's "incitement to violence", and "false claims about the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election". The social media site warns that further attempts to violate the company's rules could result in a permanent suspension of Trump's account. (CNBC)
- Facebook locks President Trump's account for 24 hours in response to the violence in Washington, D.C.. In a blog post, the social media site says today's events are an "emergency" for the platform and will be rolling out new rules in response. (TechCrunch)