Mainland China reports 103 new cases in the past 24 hours, mainly in Hebeiprovince, which is the highest single-day total since July 30 and brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 87,536. (CNA)
The Philippines orders 25 million doses of Sinovac's vaccine. 50,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in the country by February. (Inquirer)
Lebanon declares a state of emergency and imposes a 24-hour curfew for 11 days beginning January 14 as part of a lockdown that began on January 7. All private and public companies as well as house of worships will be closed with few exceptions and travel restrictions will also be introduced. (The Daily Star)
Seychelles becomes the first African country to begin vaccination campaign against COVID-19. One of the first to receive the vaccine is the president Wavel Ramkalawan. (Africa News)
The government orders that victims of COVID-19 must be buried where they die, forbidding viewings and the transfer of corpses as the country experiences a significant increase in the number of cases. (Xinhua)
The leader of the Houthi movement, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, condemns a move by the United States to designate the group as "terrorists" saying that the group "reserves its right to respond to any designation" by the Trump administration. Iran and the Norwegian Refugee Council also condemn the designation, saying that it will create more devastation in the impoverished nation. (Al Jazeera)
Three police officers are killed, two by gunfire and one in a hit-and-run, after a carjacking in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. A fourth police officer is also injured. This is the first time in Puerto Rico's recent history in which multiple police officers were killed in one incident. The suspect remains at large. (AP)
An internal bulletin by the FBI warns of nationwide armed protests being planned from January 16 to 20, the day of Joe Biden's inauguration. The bulletin also warned of an armed group threatening to start a "huge uprising" if there is an attempt to remove Donald Trump from office via the 25th Amendment. (ABC News)(AP)