Portal:Current events/2022 January 4

Armed conflicts and attacks

• A blast hits a vehicle for the Sodicars Racing team as it leaves a hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, two days prior to the Dakar Rally, critically injuring French driver Philippe Boutron, who is in a medically-induced coma. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage
  • Rio de Janeiro cancels the 2022 edition of its world-famous carnival street parade, which was scheduled to be held from February 25 to March 1, amid the surging COVID-19 cases and the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Radio France Internationale)

Business and economy

• The Cyberspace Administration of China announces that, beginning on February 15, all companies with at least one million users will be required to undergo cybersecurity reviews before they can be listed on foreign stock exchanges. Companies that are deemed to have an impact on national security will be barred from being listed. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• Eight people are killed, 14 more are injured and two are missing during flash floods in southern Iran, primarily in Fars Province. (Al Jazeera)
• A search continues for 14 people missing at sea in the Solomon Islands, after their boat failed to reach the Shortland Islands. Efforts were called off yesterday due to bad weather. (RNZ Pacific)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France reports a record 271,686 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News)
      • France reports the first discovery of a new variant called the Lineage B.1.640.2 IHU variant in 12 patients near Marseille which contains 46 mutations. (Firstpost)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
      • King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden test positive for COVID-19. (The Hill)
      • Sweden reports a record 11,507 new cases of COVID-19 on December 30 due to delayed records of additional cases that were added in the previous days. (The Local Sweden)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
      • Cyprus reports a record 5,457 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 183,178. (Cyprus Mail)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece reports a record 50,126 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,344,923. (Kathimerini)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports a record 170,844 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 6.57 million. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom reports a record 218,724 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which includes backlog data from Northern Ireland for the past four days and from Wales for the past two days. (The Independent)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • China orders 1.1 million people in Yuzhou, Henan to stay at home after three asymptomatic COVID-19 cases were reported. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
      • Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces that the "vaccine bubble" will be expanded to restaurants, leisure venues and schools beginning on February 24, which will require people over the age of 12 years to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination of at least one dose in order to enter those venues. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mauritania
      • Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani tests positive for COVID-19 and is displaying mild symptoms. (News24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
      • Morocco reports its first confirmed death related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in an elderly woman who had not received the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Morocco World News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina reports a record 81,210 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 5.82 million. (Buenos Aires Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Australia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 47,738 new cases of COVID-19 and surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19. (Nine News) (SBS World News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    • Mexico surpasses four million cases of COVID-19. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

International relations

• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
  • The South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff say that North Korea has launched an unidentified projectile ballistic missile. No confirmation has been given. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2021–2022 social unrest in the French West Indies
  • A series of small roadblocks and fires are set up by protesters in the municipality of Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe. Some hospital workers are also attacked. (Yahoo! News Singapore) (MSN)
• 2022 Kazakh protests
  • Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev imposes a two-week state of emergency in Almaty, the country's largest city, and in Mangystau District due to violent protests that have been occurring in the region over an increase in the price of gasoline. (The Guardian)