Portal:Current events/2021 February 3

February 3, 2021 (2021-02-03) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 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)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Wooroloo bushfire
  • Over 70 homes are destroyed by wildfires in Western Australia. (ABC Australia)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • 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 Singapore
      • The Health Sciences Authority approves the use of Moderna vaccine for those 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 3,977 newly confirmed cases and 12 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 313,626 and nationwide death toll to 878. (Al-Arabiya)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The Czech Republic surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • The first case of the 501.V2 variant is detected in Catalonia. Experts believe that it has no relation to South Africa and that it comes from Europe. (El Periódico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
      • Swedish government announces that all travellers will required to show a negative COVID-19 testing results within 48 hours beginning February 6 in order to prevent the spread of variants of SARS-CoV-2. Swedish citizens as well as foreign residents in Sweden are exempt from this rule. (The Local Sweden)
  • 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 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, with target to be introduced in 2022, subject to regulatory approval. (Marketwatch)
    • Preliminary tests indicate that the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may reduce transmission of COVID-19, and not simply prevent symptomatic infections. (US News on MSN)
• 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
  • Authorities in Brandenburg, Germany, cull 14,000 turkeys due to an outbreak of H5N8 bird flu on a farm in the Uckermark area. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announces that the American far-right group Proud Boys will be classified as a terrorist group. (Washington Post)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Italian government crisis
  • Mario Draghi accepts the order from President Sergio Mattarella to form an "emergency government" after the resignation of Giuseppe Conte. (The New York Times)

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February 2021

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