Portal:Current events/2021 February 2

February 2, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- Burmese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw after the military coup that overthrew her government. (Financial Times)
Tigray War
- Three Ethiopian opposition parties say that at least 52,000 civilians have died in Tigray. (Bloomberg)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, American Rescue Plan
- The United States Senate votes 50–49 to pass a budget resolution that would allow Democrats to pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package without support from Republicans. (Business Insider)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announces he will step down as CEO during the third quarter. Current Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy is set to replace him. (CNBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in England
      - Captain Tom, a British Army veteran who served in World War II who donated to charities during the lockdown, dies from COVID-19 at the age of 100. (The Guardian)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
      - Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces a phased return to school for Scotland’s youngest children, with nurseries and all primary pupils from P1 to P3 planned to be back in the classroom from February 22. (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain will restrict travel to South Africa and Brazil due to fears of the new variants of SARS-CoV-2. (Reuters)
    - With 724 dead, Spain reports the highest daily increase in COVID-19 victims since the month of April. (El País)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
    - Prime Minister Mark Rutte extends all of the country's tough lockdown measures for at least a month due to spread of more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants. (ABC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - Ireland reports a record 101 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 3,418. (The Irish Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 21 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 791. (The Star)
    - Malaysia extends their movement control order in all states and territories except Sarawak until February 18. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 12,848 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 896,530. (detikHealth)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - The Japanese government extends an ongoing state of emergency in 10 prefectures, including Tokyo, which surpassed 100,000 cases a day prior. (UPI)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
    - Prime Minister Imran Khan launches a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Pakistan, with the first jab administered to a doctor in Islamabad. (DAWN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - The Ministry of Health confirms that 276 people are currently infected with the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in 10 provinces and cities. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick
    - New Brunswick confirms the first two cases of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2. (Toronto Star)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
    - A peer-reviewed results published in the journal The Lancet finds the Russian COVID-19 vaccine to be 91.6% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 infection. It is the third major vaccine candidate to succeed 90% efficacy, along with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. (CBS on MSN)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- Police in Washington, D.C. announce they have not uncovered sufficient evidence to charge an unidentified United States Capitol Police officer who shot and killed a rioter during the incident. (The Hill)
2021 Sunrise, Florida shootout
- Two FBI agents are killed and three others wounded during a shootout in Sunrise, Florida, while serving an arrest warrant. The gunman is later found dead. The incident is the deadliest day in the FBI's history since 1986. (BBC) (Orlando Sentinel)
Muskogee home shooting
- Five children and one adult are killed, and another person is wounded, during a shooting at a home in Muskogee, Oklahoma. A 25-year-old male suspect who had been living with the victims has been taken into custody. (Associated Press)

Politics and elections

Cabinet of Joe Biden
- The United States Senate votes to confirm Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary, making him the first openly gay person to be confirmed to a Cabinet post (Richard Grenell, who served in the Trump administration, was an acting director and was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate). (ABC News)
- The Senate also confirms Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security, making him the first Jewish person, first Latino person and first immigrant to head the Department of Homeland Security. (The Hill)