February 3, 2021 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Syria missile strikes (February 2021)
- Israel launches airstrikes in Syria, Syrian forces responded late on Wednesday to "Israeli aggression" in the south of the country, according to state news agency SANA. (i24 News)
- Syria missile strikes (February 2021)
- Mali War
- Nine soldiers are killed and six others are wounded during an ambush near the village of Boni, Mopti, Mali. Twenty attackers are also killed. (Al Jazeera)
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Four Tunisian soldiers are killed by a land mine during a counter-terrorism operation in Mount Mghila, central Tunisia. (AFP via Barron's)
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- General Motors announces the suspension of operations at its Fairfax, Ingersoll, and San Luis Potosí assembly plants due to a global shortage of semiconductors. (AFP via RFI)
Disasters and accidents
- 2021 Wooroloo bushfire
- Over 70 homes are destroyed by a large wildfire in Western Australia. (ABC Australia)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
- Spain reports its first case of the 501.V2 variant in Catalonia. Experts believe that it has no relation to South Africa, the variant's country of origin, and that it originated in Europe. (El Periódico)
- Spain surpasses 60,000 deaths from COVID-19. (MedicalXpress)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
- The Czech Republic surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (Arab News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
- The Swedish government announces that all travellers will be required to show a negative COVID-19 testing result within 48 hours of arrival beginning February 6 in order to prevent the spread of variants of SARS-CoV-2. Swedish citizens as well as foreign residents living in Sweden will be exempt from this rule. (The Local Sweden)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom
- The number of people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United Kingdom surpasses 10 million. (ITV)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- The Japanese House of Councillors passes a law that will introduce fines for people and businesses that do not comply with restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (The Japan Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait
- Kuwait will suspend entry for non-citizens for two weeks beginning February 7, due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the country. (Gulf News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
- The Health Sciences Authority approves the use of the Moderna vaccine for people aged above 18 in Singapore, becoming the first country in Asia to do so. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
- The United Arab Emirates reports a record of 3,977 new confirmed cases and 12 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 313,626 and the nationwide death toll to 878. (Al-Arabiya)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kansas
- Kansas reports its first case of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Ellis County. (The Wichita Eagle)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kansas
- COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
- Medsafe provisionally approves the use of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine in New Zealand with certain conditions. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 vaccine
- GlaxoSmithKline and the German biotech firm CureVac sign an agreement worth 150 million euros ($180.7 million) to develop a vaccine to counter many variants of SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be introduced in 2022. (MarketWatch)
- Preliminary tests indicate that the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may reduce transmission of COVID-19 and not simply prevent symptomatic infections. (U.S. News & World Report via MSN)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
International relations
- Guyana–Venezuela relations, Guayana Esequiba dispute
- The Venezuelan government releases the crew of two Guyana-flagged fishing vessels detained by the Venezuelan military in January for alleged illegal fishing in the disputed Guayana Esequiba region. (AFP via France 24)
Law and crime
- 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- The police file criminal charges against overthrown de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment and seek her custody until February 15 as part of investigations. (Al Jazeera)
- Terrorism in Canada
- Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announces the designation of 13 groups as terrorist organizations, including the American far-right group Proud Boys and white supremacist organizations such as the Russian Imperial Movement, Atomwaffen Division, and The Base. In the process, Canada has become the first country to designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization. (The Washington Post) (USA Today)
- Fifteen people are arrested in Ethiopia over a plot to attack the United Arab Emirates' embassy in the capital Addis Ababa. Several other suspects, who were planning attacks against the UAE's diplomatic mission in Sudan, are also arrested. (Al Jazeera)
Politics and elections
- 2021 Italian government crisis
- Mario Draghi accepts the order from President Sergio Mattarella to form an "emergency government" after Giuseppe Conte's resignation. (The New York Times)