Portal:Current events/2021 March 8

March 8, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2021 Myanmar protests
- Two people are killed and three others injured in Myitkyina after being shot in the head, as security forces open fire on people protesting against the coup d'état in Myanmar. (Al Jazeera)
Multiple people are injured by a homemade bomb accidentally detonating in a classroom at Newaygo High School in Newaygo, Michigan, United States. (WWTV-TV)

Arts and culture

Aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- Myanmar's State Administration Council revokes the licence of five media companies, namely Myanmar Now, Khit Thit Media, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Mizzima, and 7Day, amidst the crackdown on press outlets covering anti-coup protests. (VOA)

Business and economy

EuroAsia Interconnector
- Cyprus, Greece, and Israel sign an agreement to build the world's largest and deepest submarine power cable that will connect the three Mediterranean countries' power grids at a cost of about $900 million. The project is expected to be completed by 2024. (Kathimerini)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Bata explosions
- The death toll from yesterday's explosions in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, rises to 98 people. More than 615 others are wounded. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in England, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
      - Millions of students across England return to primary and secondary schools after two months studying at home during the third lockdown as a first step towards a return to normality. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, becoming the second country in Europe to reach the milestone after the United Kingdom. (France 24)
    - The region of Campania enters a lockdown which is expected to end on March 21. (Euronews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
    - Austria reports its first case of the Lineage P.2 variant first detected in Brazil in a person from Salzburg state. (The Local Austria)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Greece reports its youngest death from COVID-19. The patient was a 37-day-old infant. (Times of Malta)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
    - Prime Minister Mark Rutte extends the country's strict lockdown until the end of the month and advises against foreign travel until April 15. The curfew from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. will remain in place through the election on March 17, but those working or visiting a voting booth will not be fined for breaching it. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in East Timor
    - East Timor imposes a "sanitary fence and mandatory confinement" in the capital Dili for the next seven days beginning at midnight. This is the country's first lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic. (The Canberra Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia receives its first shipment of 1.1 million doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine supplied through the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative. (The Jakarta Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
    - Mongolia reports a record 108 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,336. (Xinhua News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Syria
    - President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad both test positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the presidential office. They are both reported to be in good health with "minor symptoms". (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam begins a vaccination programme against COVID-19 starting with health workers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Duong Province using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. (VietnamPlus)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii, 501.V2 variant
    - Hawaii reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant that originated in South Africa in a person from Oahu with no known travel history. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan, 501.V2 variant
    - Michigan reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant that originated in South Africa in a child from Jackson County. (WOOD-TV)
  - The U.S. surpasses 29 million cases of COVID-19. (KIRO-TV)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - The government announces a deal with Pfizer to receive 14 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by June, and a total of 99 million doses by the end of the year. (The Rio Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
  - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces that the New Zealand Government has secured 8.5 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine, and that they have now secured enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population of New Zealand. (The New Zealand Herald)

Law and crime

Killing of George Floyd
- The trial of former Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin begins in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chauvin's trial is the first time that a judge in Minnesota has authorized cameras to show a full criminal trial. (The Independent)
Operation Car Wash
- Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Edson Fachin rules that all convictions of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva must be nullified. This ruling restores Lula's political rights and thus clears the way for his presidential candidacy in 2022. (France 24)
A judge in Senegal releases opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on bail, after days of protests as a result of his arrest. Eight people died during the protests. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2019–2021 Lebanese protests
- Protesters block all major roads leading to the capital Beirut amid continued unrest over the crash of the pound, increase in consumer goods prices, mass unemployment and delay of the formation of a new government. (The Independent)
Libyan Crisis, Libyan peace process
- Parliament meets in the central city of Sirte to vote on the approval of the interim Government of National Unity, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. Voting is expected to take place tomorrow. (Al Jazeera)