Portal:Current events/2021 April 7

April 7, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Darfur
- 2021 Darfur clashes
  - The death toll from tribal clashes, which started two days ago between Masalits and Arabs in Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan, increases to 87 people killed and 191 more wounded. (Al Jazeera)
Afar–Somali clashes
- About 25 to 100 people have been killed in ongoing clashes between the Afar and Somali Regions of Ethiopia. Fighting had begun on Friday when the Somali Region's special forces attacked the areas of Haruk and Gewane using heavy weapons including machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. (Reuters)
2021 Myanmar protests
- Security forces open fire on anti-coup protesters, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more. A Chinese-owned garment factory in Yangon is also set on fire by a mob. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says that the junta appears to be shifting its focus from the cities to rural areas, and is "losing control" of the country. (Reuters)
Syrian civil war
- ISIL militants raid the town of al-Saan in Salamiyah District, western Hama, kidnapping dozens of people, including eight soldiers. Several people are later released by the terror group, while one person is reportedly killed. (The Times)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The G20 finance ministers and central bank governors agree to extend the debt moratorium period for the least developed countries until December. (CNA)

Disasters and accidents

At least 16 people are killed in a head-on collision between two buses near Caborca in the Mexican state of Sonora. (USA Today)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Punjab, India
      - Chief Minister Amarinder Singh orders the extension of the curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. IST to the entire state, as well as banning all public gatherings, due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (India Today)
    - India reports a record 115,736 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Al Jazeera)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh reports a record 7,626 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 659,278. (Dhaka Tribune)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 20,954 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,984,348. (Middle East Online)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar
    - Qatar announces a re-imposition of the strict lockdown beginning April 9, which will close restaurants, cafés, cinemas, hairdressers, museums, and libraries and ban most indoor activities, in order to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. (MedicalXpress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
    - Pakistan surpasses 700,000 cases of COVID-19. (Geo News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, Lineage B.1.1.7
    - Thailand reports its first locally transmitted cases of the Lineage B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom. It found 24 cases in the Thong Lor cluster in Bangkok. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
    - Belgium temporarily restricts the use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine to people over 55 years old following a report from the European Medicines Agency that there is a "possible link" between the vaccine and very rare blood clotting cases. (The Brussels Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia
    - Estonia suspends the use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine by people under 60 years old following a report of a possible link with cases of blood clotting. (Eesti Rahvusringhääling)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Bavaria signs a "preliminary contract" to purchase 2.5 million doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, which is subject to approval from the European Medicines Agency. (Euronews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Castile and León suspends the use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine until the European Medicines Agency's security report is published. (Reuters)
    - The Ministry of Health restricts the use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine to people over 60 years old following a report of a "possible link" with very rare blood clotting. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey reports a record 54,740 new confirmed cases and 276 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Arab News)
  - COVID-19 vaccine
    - The European Medicines Agency announces that blood clotting should be listed as a "very rare" side effect of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine. It also insists that benefits of using the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks. (DW)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    - Argentina reports 22,039 new cases of COVID-19, a record for the second consecutive day. The country also reports 199 deaths. These numbers bring the total number of cases to more than 2.4 million and the total number of deaths to 56,833. (Minuto Uno)
    - President Alberto Fernández announces a three-week curfew from midnight to 6:00 p.m. beginning from April 9 to April 30 amidst a record number of COVID-19 cases. (Barron's)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, 501.V2 variant
    - Brazil reports its first case of the 501.V2 variant, which was originally detected in South Africa, in a person from São Paulo. (News24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
  - Morocco announces a nationwide curfew during Ramadan from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. to combat the spread of COVID-19. (North Africa Post)

International relations

Ukraine–NATO relations, War in Donbass
- Russia warns that having Ukraine join NATO "would exacerbate the Donbass conflict" after Ukraine urged NATO to "speed up" its membership application. (Meduza)
Myanmar–United Kingdom relations
- Myanmar's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Kyaw Zwar Minn, is dismissed by a military attaché and locked out of the embassy in London. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemns the "bullying actions" but says the UK has accepted the change. BBC News

Law and crime

2021 Northern Ireland riots
- In west Belfast, Loyalist youths hijack a bus and set it on fire. A photographer is also assaulted and his cameras are damaged. (RTÉ News)
Cannabis in Ukraine
- The Verkhovna Rada votes to legalize the use of medical cannabis products. (Kyiv Post)

Politics and elections

Politics of the Netherlands
- Vera Bergkamp of the Democrats 66 party is elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives, becoming the first lesbian legislative speaker in the Dutch legislature. (DutchNews)
Censorship in Italy
- The government formally repeals a 1913 law, which allows the government to censor or ban films, effectively outlawing film censorship in the country. (Variety)

Sports

FIFA indefinitely bans Chad from all global football competitions, citing government interference in the country's football federation. (BBC News)