Armed conflicts and attacks
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Second Libyan Civil War
- Eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) say they have killed Abu Moaz al-Iraqi, leader of ISIL in Libya in the desert city of Sebha. (Reuters)
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Terrorism in Egypt
- Three Egyptian police officers and four convicted terrorists on death row are killed during a failed attempt to escape from Tora Prison in Cairo. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- A fuel tanker explodes on a highway in Kogi State, Nigeria, destroying several nearby vehicles, and killing at least 25 people. The victims include a number of Kogi State Polytechnic students whose school bus was destroyed in the blast. (Xinhuanet) (BBC)
Health and environment
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COVID-19 pandemic
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COVID-19 pandemic in India
- The number of deaths in India exceeds 90,000. In the past 24 hours, the country reported 83,347 new cases and 1,085 more deaths. (The Nation PK) (Deccan Herald)
- Railway Minister Suresh Angadi dies at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Dehli. (Khaleej Times)
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COVID-19 vaccine
- Johnson & Johnson enters a Phase III clinical trial for their potential vaccine, becoming the fourth vaccine company backed by Operation Warp Speed to do so. The trial is expected to enroll up to 60,000 volunteers across 215 locations in the United States and other countries. (CNBC)
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COVID-19 pandemic in India
International relations
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Iran–Saudi Arabia relations, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
- King Salman of Saudi Arabia calls for a "comprehensive and firm" response to Iran's nuclear program and condemns what he describes as "its expansionist activities, create its terrorist networks, and use terrorism", adding that it produces nothing but "chaos, extremism, and sectarianism". An Iranian official rebuffs the accusations as "baseless". (Al Jazeera)
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Mexico–United States relations, Immigration detention in the United States
- Mexico is investigating claims that six Mexican women were sterilised while in a migrant detention center, said Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. A whistleblower last week alleged hysterectomies were being performed on immigrants in the US without their proper consent. Mexico called such operations "unacceptable". (BBC)
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Foreign relations of Argentina
- President Alberto Fernández demands Iran to extradite the Iranian citizens accused to be responsible for the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires and states that the demand is of "vital importance". (Argentine Official News Agency Télam)
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Belarus–United States relations
- The United States formally no longer recognizes Alexander Lukashenko as President of Belarus, according to a U.S. Department of State statement. A State Department spokesperson calls for a new "free and fair election" in Belarus under independent observation. (Axios)
Law and crime
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LGBT rights in the Cook Islands
- Human rights campaigners urge Cook Islands' MPs to abolish Article 64 of the Crimes Act, which criminalises gay men with up to 14-year imprisonment. The activists call on the lawmakers to abide by the Constitution. The Cook Islands is a sovereign territory belonging to New Zealand. (RNZ)
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Shooting of Breonna Taylor
- A grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky indicts former police officer Brett Hankison on felony charges of wanton endangerment, but no officers were charged directly with Breonna Taylor's death. Large police presence are seen in Louisville as protests continue. (USA Today) (CNN)
- Two Louisville Metro Police officers are shot and wounded during protests over the Breonna Taylor indictment. One suspect is reportedly in custody. (AP)
- Hong Kong pro-democracy camp activist Joshua Wong loses a court case against his disqualification from running in last year's November election. The returning officer had disqualified him because she did not believe Wong had changed his stance on Hong Kong independence and his "subversive intentions". (South China Morning Post)
Politics and elections
- Aftermath of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, 2020 Belarusian protests
- President Alexander Lukashenko is sworn in for a sixth term in office at an unannounced inauguration at the Independence Palace in Minsk. The opposition and some foreign governments do not recognize the legitimacy of the inauguration, and call for continued civil resistance. (BBC)
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Death and funeral of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Deceased Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose in the United States Supreme Court Building. She is both the first woman and the first Jew in United States history to receive such an honor. (BBC)
- Ishmael Toroama is declared President-elect of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville following an election process that began six weeks ago. Toroama secured 48,766 votes cast and promised to solve the issue of independence. (RNZ)
Science and technology
- Astronomers announce the crescent shadow of Messier 87's supermassive black hole is wobbling. Back in April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope captured the crescent shadow of the black hole, making it the first image ever taken of a black hole. (Sci News)
- Archaeologists discover some Chromium Crucible Steel (Stainless Steel) that was first made in Persia as early as the 11th century. (Sci News)