Portal:Current events/2021 February 16

February 16, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War
- Ma'rib Campaign
  - Houthi forces continue to advance on the city of Maʼrib, capturing the village of al-Zor and reaching the Marib Dam. Yemeni government officials say that dozens of people have been killed in the past 24 hours as government forces counter the Houthi offensive. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock condemns the Houthi assault, warning of "unimaginable humanitarian consequences". (Al Jazeera)
Tigray War
- A spokesperson for the rebel group Tigray People's Liberation Front claims that an estimated 100,000 troops (both Tigrayan and Ethiopian) have been killed during the conflict. Three Ethiopian opposition parties previously claimed that an estimated 52,000 civilians have also died. (Europe External Programme with Africa) (Bloomberg)
- Rwandan President Paul Kagame says the reported deaths in Tigray were too high to let Ethiopia and the African Union handle the situation alone. He adds that the UN should intervene in the Tigray War, explaining that when a state is not able to stop atrocities on its territory, such as genocide, the UN has a duty to intervene. (Agence Ecofin)
War in Afghanistan, Afghan peace process
- New Zealand announces that it will withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by May. (Radio New Zealand)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - The White House announces that President Joe Biden will extend the foreclosure ban and mortgage forbearance through the end of June as an effort to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. (NBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Tornadoes of 2021
- A tornado in Brunswick County, North Carolina, kills three people and injures ten others. (The Washington Post)
2020–21 North American winter, February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm
- A winter storm kills at least 23 people and causes power outages for millions of people across the United States. (The New York Post)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
      - First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirms that a phased return to school will begin on February 22, which will include pre-school children, pupils in primaries 1, 2 and 3, and secondary students who need to carry out practical assignments. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - Hungary receives 550,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine. (DW)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy's first case of B.1525 variant found in Naples in a person who had recently travelled from a country in Africa. (The Local Italy)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malta, 501.V2 variant
    - Malta reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant first detected in South Africa. (Times of Malta)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts, 501.V2 variant
      - Massachusetts reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant first detected in South Africa in a woman in her 20s from Middlesex County. (Masslive)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Dominican Republic
    - The Dominican Republic begins to inoculate medical workers as part of a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 following the arrival of the first 20,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - Mexico surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea
      - South Korea signs an agreement with Novavax and Pfizer to secure additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for 23 million people in the second quarter of this year. (Yonhap News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
    - Palestine reports their first cases of the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom in 139 people from the West Bank. (Anadolu Agency)
    - Health Minister Mai al-Kaila accuses Israel of blocking the delivery of 2,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine to the Gaza Strip, intended for ICU and emergency staff. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India, Variants of SARS-CoV-2
    - India reports their first four cases of the 501.V2 variant from South Africa and one case of the Lineage P.1 variant from Brazil in people who traveled internationally. (NDTV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia extends their movement control order in Selangor, Johor and Penang as well as the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur until March 4 but eases restrictions in other parts of the country. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
    - Morocco receives its second shipment of 500,000 doses of China's Sinopharm vaccine. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
    - The first batch consisting 80,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine arrives at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, which is unapproved for general use in South Africa and worldwide. (SABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - The Therapeutic Goods Administration approves the emergency use of the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca for people over 18 years of age in Australia. (ABC Australia)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - Brazilian Environment Minister Ricardo Salles tests positive for COVID-19. (G1)
The World Health Organization asks six African countries (Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Liberia) to be on the alert for possible Ebola outbreaks after Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo reported new cases that signaled a resurgence of the outbreak. (Hindustan Times)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar
- The Myanmar Police Force files new charges against ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi for violating COVID-19 regulations, which may allow her to be held indefinitely without trial. (CBS News)
COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
- A lower court in The Hague orders the government to scrap its 9:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. curfew, citing violations of freedom of movement and assembly. Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government appealed the court decision, which was overturned by a high court. (Euronews)
Capital punishment in Bangladesh
- A court in Bangladesh sentences five men to death for murdering Avijit Roy, an American-Bangladeshi blogger critical of religious extremism, six years ago. The men belong to the al-Qaeda-inspired group Ansarullah Bangla Team. Another man was sentenced to life in prison. (Al Jazeera)
Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- The NAACP and U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson file a lawsuit accusing former President Donald Trump, Trump lawyer and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers of conspiring to incite the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol. The lawsuit, citing the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, also accuses the defendants of disrupting the certification of Biden's victory by Congress. (CNBC)
2020–2021 Belarusian protests
- Belarus authorities raid the offices of the Association of Journalists and Viasna Human Rights Centre as part of the latest move to end protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. (AP)
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces that there will be a probe following accusations of rape against his government in Parliament. (The Straits Times)
Two men accused of leading a Christian-majority Anti-balaka group in the Central African Republic that targeted Muslims plead not guilty at the start of their trial at the International Criminal Court. (Reuters)
Footage obtained by the BBC programme Panorama reveals that Dubai sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum has been held in a private villa for at least a year after she attempted to escape from her family in February 2018. Latifa's close associates are calling for international intervention after they stopped receiving messages from her, fearing for her safety. (BBC News) (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2016 Philippine presidential election
- The Electoral Tribunal unanimously dismisses the electoral protest of former Senator Bongbong Marcos against Vice President Leni Robredo. (The Philippine Daily Inquirer) (Rappler)
2019–2021 Algerian protests
- Thousands of protestors defy COVID-19 restrictions and take to the streets in Kherrata to both commemorate the second anniversary of the protests and to repeat their demands for the ruling government to step down. (Al Jazeera)