Topics in the news
Hunga Tonga eruption
- Microsoft announces its intent to acquire video game company Activision Blizzard.
- A 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Qadis, Afghanistan, kills at least 28 people.
- The Hunga Tonga volcano erupts (satellite animation shown), causing damage in Tonga and tsunamis across the Pacific Ocean.
- An apartment fire in the Bronx, New York City, kills 17 people.
January 19, 2022 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Russia–NATO relations
- United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Kyiv, Ukraine, in a show of support for Ukraine. During a one-day visit, Blinken will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday that "Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine," and "No option is off the table." Blinken's next stop in Europe will be Berlin, Germany, this Thursday. (France 24)
- Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas warns that the presence of Russian troops in Belarus poses a "direct threat" to the country. (Politico.eu)
- 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Russia–NATO relations
Disasters and accidents
- A fire in a nursing home in Moncada, Valencia, Spain, leaves six people dead. (The Washington Post)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- Germany reports a record 112,323 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Deutsche Welle)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
- The Philippines reports its first two confirmed deaths related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in unvaccinated elderly people in their 60s that have underlying health conditions. (ABS-CBN News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
Politics and elections
- Westminster lockdown parties controversy
- Conservative Party MP Christian Wakeford defects to the opposition Labour Party saying Prime Minister Boris Johnson's behaviour has been "disgraceful". There are growing calls within the ruling Conservative Party for Johnson to resign amid public outrage over "Partygate". (Reuters)
January 18, 2022 (Tuesday)
Business and economy
- Argentine debt restructuring
- Argentine minister of economy Martín Guzmán warns that the International Monetary Fund will "lose legitimacy" if it fails in negotiations with the country, with Guzmán citing his country's growth of nearly 10 percent as an argument. (Ámbito)
- Puerto Rican government-debt crisis
- A federal judge signs a plan to restructure Puerto Rico's economy, allowing it to start repaying debt to creditors and lifting it out of bankruptcy. (AP News)
- Microsoft announces that it will acquire gaming company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. If the acquisition is successful, Activision Blizzard will become part of Xbox Game Studios, which will become the world's third-largest gaming company behind Tencent and Sony Interactive Entertainment. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 Antananarivo floods
- At least ten people are killed by floods in Antananarivo, Madagascar. (Africanews)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
- Hong Kong orders the culling of 2,000 small animals, such as hamsters, chinchillas and rabbits, closes pet shops, and sends 100 people to a quarantine camp after nearly a dozen hamsters imported from the Netherlands and sold at Little Boss pet shop were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant which also spread to two people. (Bloomberg)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- Japan reports a record 32,197 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Mainichi)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal
- Nepal reports a record 10,258 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 972,198. (La Prensa Latina)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
- Bulgaria reports a record 9,996 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 830,604. (Bulgarian Press Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in France
- France reports a record 464,769 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
- Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Yolanda Díaz and Minister of Science and Innovation Diana Morant both test positive for COVID-19. (El Periódico)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Vatican City
- The Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and his deputy Edgar Peña Parra both test positive for COVID-19. (The New York Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
- COVID-19 pandemic in Paraguay
- Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez tests positive for COVID-19. (Yahoo! News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
- Australia reports a record 77 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (SBS News)
- COVID-19 drug development
- Merck & Co. and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics sign an agreement with UNICEF to distribute up to 3 million courses of their COVID-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir to 100 low and middle-income countries in the first half of the year. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
January 17, 2022 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Russia–NATO relations
- Canada deploys a small contingent of special forces to Ukraine as part of a NATO response to deter Russian aggression. The unit is also being tasked with evacuating diplomatic personnel from the Canadian embassy in Kyiv in the event of a full-scale invasion. (Reuters)
- The United Kingdom begins supplying anti-tank guided missiles to Ukraine amid tensions with Russia, according to a statement from Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace. A small number of British military personnel will also be deployed to help train Ukrainian troops. (Reuters)
- Royal Air Force C-17 transport aircraft arrive in Ukraine with "light anti-armour weapons" as part of British military support for Ukraine. Germany reportedly denies the aircraft access to German airspace. (UK Defence Journal)
- 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Russia–NATO relations
- Spillover of the Yemeni Civil War
- 2022 Abu Dhabi attack
- Three people are killed in a drone attack on petrol tanks at a major oil storage facility near Abu Dhabi International Airport, United Arab Emirates. The Yemen-based Houthis claims responsibility, saying that they launched "five ballistic missiles and a large number of drones". (Hindustan Times) (CNN)
- 2022 Abu Dhabi attack
Arts and culture
- Capital of Indonesia
- The Minister of National Development Planning Suharso Monoarfa reveals that the name of the new Indonesian capital will be Nusantara. Nusantara is a term that has been used to describe the Indonesian Archipelago. (VOI)
- An independent investigation team identifies Arnold van den Bergh, a member of Amsterdam's Jewish Council, as the most likely person responsible for reporting The Diary of a Young Girl author Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis in 1944, leading to their deaths in a concentration camp. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 Badghis earthquake
- At least 26 people are killed by a magnitude 5.3 earthquake in Qadis, Badghis Province, Afghanistan. (France 24)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
- COVID-19 pandemic in Greece, COVID-19 vaccination in Greece
- Greece begins to introduce monthly fines for people over the age of 60 who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 amid an increase in the number of new cases in the country. The monthly fine will initially be €50 this month and will be €100 per month thereafter. (NPR)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
- The Netherlands reports a record 42,472 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (NL Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
- COVID-19 drug development
- Health Canada approves the use of Pfizer's anti-COVID-19 viral drug Paxlovid for people over the age of 18 years who are at risk of severe disease and death. (CBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
- Alberta Minister of Health Jason Copping tests positive for COVID-19 as the province reports 1,007 total hospitalizations. CBC News
- COVID-19 drug development
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
- COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila
- The Philippines begins to ban people who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 from riding public transport and entering commercial planes despite protests from labour and human rights groups. (Al Jazeera)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
International relations
- Canada–China relations, COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- The South China Morning Post reports that Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, stated that the first patient infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Beijing received a letter mailed from Canada on January 7 and does not rule out the possibility that the patient was infected via contact with the letter. (South China Morning Post) (CBC News)
- Leader of the Official Opposition of Canada Erin O'Toole responds to the report, calling it "comical". (National Post)
Law and crime
- A Parisian court fines far-right French television pundit and presidential candidate Éric Zemmour €10,000 for calling unaccompanied migrant children "rapists" and "murderers" during a September 2020 television broadcast. (BBC News)
January 16, 2022 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Somali Civil War
- Somali government spokesperson Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu is injured in a suicide bombing in Mogadishu. (Al Jazeera)
- Nigerian bandit conflict
- Dankade massacre
- Authorities say that gunmen have killed more than 50 people, including two soldiers and a police officer, in a raid on a village in Kebbi State, northwestern Nigeria. Security forces were forced to flee the area, leaving the militants to burn down shops and kidnap women and children. (Reuters)
- Dankade massacre
Business and economy
- Television licensing in the United Kingdom
- Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announces that the United Kingdom's state broadcaster BBC will be reformed, with the television licence fee being abolished in 2027. Funding of the BBC will also be frozen for the next two years. (The Guardian)
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption and tsunami
- Satellite imagery of Hunga Tonga shows that most of the volcanic island was destroyed by the eruption. (BBC News)
- The Australian Defence Force and New Zealand Defence Force send aircraft to assess the damage in Tonga as communications continue to be disrupted in the Pacific islands. (ABC News Australia)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
- Denmark reopens cinemas, zoos, museums and theatres as well as allowing limited number of spectators in indoor and outdoor sports despite the rising number of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant cases in the country. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
- Thailand reports its first confirmed death related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 86-year-old woman who died last month in Songkhla Province. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
Law and crime
- COVID-19 pandemic in France, Vaccine passports during the COVID-19 pandemic
- The French National Assembly votes 215–58 to give a final approval of mandatory vaccine pass that will require people aged above 16 years to be fully vaccinated in order to enter public places and long-distance public transport. The new law regarding vaccine pass will take effect in coming days once the law gets approved from the Constitutional Council. (Voice of America)
Sports
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2022 Australian Open
- The Federal Court of Australia confirms the lawfulness and legality of the visa cancellation and deportation order against Novak Djokovic issued by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Alex Hawke. Djokovic's lawyers are considering legal recourse while Djokovic himself has said that he is disappointed with the decision but will cooperate with Australian authorities. (ABC News Australia)
- Djokovic is deported from Australia, and disqualified from the Australian Open. He is replaced with Salvatore Caruso from Italy. (ABC News Australia)
- 2022 Australian Open
January 15, 2022 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2022 Kazakh protests
- The death toll from the civil unrest in Kazakhstan increases to 225, including 19 members of the security forces, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General's Office. (Reuters)
- Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis
- An armed man claiming to be the brother of Pakistani Al-Qaeda suspect Aafia Siddiqui holds congregants hostage at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, United States. He is later shot and killed by police. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) (Jerusalem Post)
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption and tsunami
- Tonga is hit by ashfall and a tsunami after the eruption of Hunga Tonga, destroying homes as locals struggle to find higher ground. Major flooding is reported in the capital Nukuʻalofa. Shock waves from the eruption are detected as far away as Alaska, United States. Other Pacific countries have also advised their citizens to seek higher ground. Internet access has reportedly been disrupted in Tonga. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (The Guardian) (VOA)
- King Tupou VI is evacuated from the Royal Palace by His Majesty's Armed Forces. (CNN)
- Two people are killed by a small tsunami in Lambayeque, Peru. (Bio-Bio Chile)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
- Iran reports its first three confirmed deaths related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in people from the cities of Tabriz, Yazd and Shahrekord. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
- The Philippines reports a record for the third consecutive day of 39,004 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,168,379. (Rappler)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
- COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
- France restricts the validity of health pass for fully vaccinated people to seven months after received their second dose and require them to receive booster dose. (Deutsche Welle)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
International relations
- 2022 Serbian constitutional referendum, Kosovo–Serbia relations
- In an extraordinary session, the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo votes to ban Kosovo Serbs from voting in Serbia's upcoming constitutional referendum on Kosovan territory. (Reuters)
Sports
- 2021 NFL season
- 2021–22 NFL playoffs
- In American football, the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Las Vegas Raiders, 26-19, ending their 31-year playoff drought and winning a playoff game for the first time since 1991. (BBC Sport)
- 2021–22 NFL playoffs
January 14, 2022 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption and tsunami
- The Hunga Tonga, an undersea volcano, erupts, sending ash and steam 20 kilometers into the air. The government of Tonga issues a tsunami warning and advises people in all islands of Tonga to avoid the coasts. (RNZ)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
- Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases issues a resolution stating that all foreign nationals entering the Philippines must present proof of full vaccination. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
- The Philippines reports a record for the second consecutive day of 37,207 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,129,512. (Rappler)
- Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Bhutan
- Bhutan reports its first 14 cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in people who travelled abroad. (The Economic Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia, COVID-19 vaccination in Cambodia
- Cambodia begins administering fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for high-risk groups, including healthcare workers, government ministers, and members of the armed forces. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- Germany reports a record for the third consecutive day of 92,223 new cases of COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
- Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson tests positive for COVID-19. (The New York Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil
- Brazil begins a COVID-19 vaccination program for children aged 5 to 11 years old with the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine despite objections from President Jair Bolsonaro. (France24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil
- COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, COVID-19 drug development
- Mexican health regulator COFEPRIS approves the emergency use of Pfizer's anti-COVID-19 oral drug Paxlovid. (The Hindu)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- Earthquakes in Indonesia
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake is felt in Java and neighbouring islands in Indonesia. (Antara News) (CNA)
Science and technology
- 2022 Ukraine cyberattack
- Up to 70 Ukrainian government websites are affected by cyberattacks. (BBC News)
Sports
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2022 Australian Open
- The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Alex Hawke, invokes his ministerial powers under the Migration Act 1958 to cancel Novak Djokovic's visa on "health and good order grounds". (ABC News Australia)
- 2022 Australian Open
January 13, 2022 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Russia–United States relations
- Talks between NATO and Russia over Ukraine hit a breaking point as Poland warns of possible war. (Al Jazeera)
- Vladimir Putin warns that Russia will cut ties with the United States if sanctions are placed upon him. (Business Insider)
- The U.S. Senate rejects a bill that would sanction the Nord Stream pipeline amidst fears of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. (The New York Times)
- 2019–2022 Persian Gulf crisis
- Unidentified militants launch several rockets at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, injuring a woman and a child. (CNN)
Disasters and accidents
- Maynaguri train accident
- At least nine people are killed and about 50 others injured when a train derails in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, India. (CNN)
- Six people are missing and three others are hospitalized following an explosion and subsequent fire at a commercial building in Ottawa, Canada. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
- The Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends that children between the ages of 12 and 17 years should receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least three months after having received their second dose, becoming one of the first countries to authorize booster doses for this age group. (Deutsche Welle)
- Germany reports a record for the second consecutive day of 81,417 new cases of COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- COVID-19 pandemic in England
- British health secretary Sajid Javid announces that the self-isolation period for positive COVID-19 patients in England will be reduced to five days in order to reduce the impact of absences caused by the Omicron variant on businesses and the health sector. This change will take effect on January 17. (Financial Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in England
- COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
- Finland reduces the quarantine period for positive COVID-19 patients to five days because the duration of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant's virus cycle is shorter than other variants. (Yle News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
- Sweden reports a record 25,215 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (U.S. News & World Report)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
- COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
- The Philippine Department of Transportation issues a memorandum banning unvaccinated individuals from using all forms of public transportation in the National Capital Region beginning on January 17. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
- The Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government issues an administrative order to all barangays in the Philippines to submit a list of unvaccinated residents in order to prevent their movement in response to the recent increase in cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (GMA News)
- The Philippines reports a record of 34,021 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,092,409. This is the highest reported number of cases in a day since the start of the pandemic. (GMA News)
- COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
- COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
- Bangladesh bans all public gatherings, restricts the capacity of public transportation to 50%, and mandates that face masks be worn in all public places in an attempt to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (The Business Standard)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 drug development
- South Korea receives their first shipment of Pfizer's Paxlovid anti-COVID-19 oral drug. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
- COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal
- COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
- Tunisia reimposes a nighttime curfew between 10 pm and 5 am for the next two weeks and also orders the suspension of all public gatherings due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. (France 24)
- COVID-19 drug development
- The WHO guideline development group of international experts recommends the use of rheumatoid arthritis drug Baricitinib for severe and critical COVID-19 patients in combination with corticosteroids. (The Times of India)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- Heat waves of 2022
- Onslow, Western Australia, reports the hottest day in recorded Australian history, reaching a high of 50.7°C (123.3°F). (The Guardian)
- African swine fever
Law and crime
- COVID-19 pandemic in France, Vaccine passports during the COVID-19 pandemic
- The French Senate votes 249–63, with 26 abstentions, to approve a bill that would ban unvaccinated people from entering bars, restaurants, and other public places and also from using long-distance public transport. However, the modified bill would only apply to people over the age of 18 years and would only be in effect if the number of hospitalized patients exceeds 10,000 nationwide. (The Independent)
- As part of the fallout from his ongoing civil sexual assault trial, Prince Andrew hands back all of his royal patronages and military titles to the Queen and drops the use of the title "His Royal Highness" in an official capacity. (BBC News)
