Disasters and accidents

• At an apartment construction site in Gwangju, South Korea, an outer wall of the building collapses, trapping six workers. (AP)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, COVID-19 vaccination in Quebec
      • Quebec announces plans to impose a "significant" tax on those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19, with exemptions for those who have legitimate medical exemptions from taking the vaccine. However, few additional details were revealed on a policy which would be a first in Canada. (The Globe and Mail)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France reports a record 368,149 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (CNBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports a record 220,532 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 7.77 million. (Agenzia Italia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, becoming the 15th nation to do so. (The Independent)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
      • Patriarch Porfirije, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, tests positive for COVID-19. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
      • Slovenia reports a record 5,164 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Slovenia Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey reports a record 74,266 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
      • Argentina reports a record 134,439 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 6,533,635. (Infobae)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia
      • Bolivian vice president David Choquehuanca tests positive for COVID-19 for the third time. Six government ministers also test positive for COVID-19. (France 24)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    • The Israeli Health ministry approves a reduction of the isolation period for asymptomatic positive COVID-19 patients from ten to seven days in order to keep the economy running despite an increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant cases. The changes will be in effect on January 13. (The Times of Israel)

Politics and elections

• President of the European Parliament David Sassoli dies in Aviano, Italy. (Politico)
• Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola becomes acting President of the European Parliament. Metsola is the first Maltese person to hold this position. (Politico)