Members of Congress certified President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election and President Donald J. Trump for the first time agreed to an orderly transition of power (NYT) after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol building yesterday.

Rioters, urged on by the president earlier in the day, pushed past police (WaPo) and ransacked a bastion of U.S. democracy, as senators and representatives halted the final electoral count and took shelter. Before the incursion, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned pledges by some Republicans to vote against certifying Biden’s victory, warning that doing so would push U.S. democracy into a “death spiral.” One person was shot and killed, and three others died of medical emergencies. DC police said twenty-six people were arrested (Reuters) on the Capitol grounds. Former U.S. presidents and world leaders expressed alarm (WSJ) at the chaos in Washington, while Biden described the mob as an “insurrection.” Meanwhile, Democrats gained narrow control of the Senate after Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won their bids for Congressional seats in Georgia’s runoff elections.

Tokyo will enter a state of emergency (Kyodo) tomorrow due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Residents are asked to avoid nonessential trips outside the home, and restaurants will be forced to close by 8 p.m., among other restrictions.

China: The New York Stock Exchange will delist three Chinese companies (WSJ)—China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom—on Monday to comply with an executive order from the Trump administration, reversing a decision from earlier this week not to delist them.

This CFR timeline examines U.S.-China relations.

Thousands of people throughout Pakistan have joined protests (Reuters) over the killings of eleven miners from the Shiite Hazara minority. Demonstrators have held a five-day vigil (Dawn) with the miners’ coffins in Quetta and asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit. The self-proclaimed Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killings.

India: Hundreds of farmers have joined a so-called tractor march (Indian Express), driving their tractors onto expressways near New Delhi. Farmers have been protesting since November against three agricultural laws passed by the government.

Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari signed an agreement (AP) with the United States that paves the way for Sudan to normalize ties with Israel. President Trump had previously announced that Sudan would become one of several Arab states to normalize ties with Israel as part of a U.S.-brokered deal known as the Abraham Accord.

Iran: France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement that they are “deeply concerned” (Middle East Eye) over Iran’s decision to boost uranium enrichment to levels prohibited by the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. They called on Iran to “refrain from further escalatory steps.”
 
This CFR Backgrounder breaks down the Iran nuclear deal. 

Newly elected members of Ghana’s Parliament clashed during a vote for the body’s speaker. The military intervened and restored order (AFP) after one lawmaker tried to snatch the ballot box. The new members will be sworn in today.

Kenya: Medical laboratory workers have restarted a strike (Nation) after the government failed to meet their demands.

The European Medicines Agency and the European Commission approved a COVID-19 vaccine (Guardian) created by Moderna, making it the second COVID-19 shot to be cleared for general use in the European Union.

This CFR Backgrounder explains what the world is doing to distribute COVID-19 vaccines.

Kosovo: Acting President Vjosa Osmani said that parliamentary elections will be held on February 14 (RFE/RL). The announcement follows a ruling by Kosovo’s top court to overturn the parliamentary vote held in June.

The EU revoked its recognition (FT) of opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. Guaido lost his title as head of Venezuela’s National Assembly after allies of President Nicolas Maduro gained control of the body in December elections that observers condemned as fraudulent. 

Canada: The country’s second-most populous province, Quebec, will lock down for four weeks (CBC) in hopes of preventing hospitals from being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Restrictions will go into effect on Saturday.