Portal:Current events/2021 February 22

February 22, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Assassination of Luca Attanasio
- Six gunmen open fire on a World Food Programme convoy in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio, a carabiniere and their driver. (The Guardian)
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Four female development workers are killed and their driver wounded when gunmen open fire on their vehicle in Mira Ali, North Waziristan, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
Rwandan opposition politician Seif Bamporiki is killed in his car by a single bullet fired by a gunman in Cape Town, South Africa, where he lived in exile. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state), COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that movie theatres in New York City can reopen with 25% capacity on March 5, in line with rules currently in place for locations in the rest of the state. (CNBC)
French electronic music duo Daft Punk announce their split after 28 years. (The New York Times)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in England
      - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces a new four-step plan for easing lockdown restrictions in England, starting with the reopening of schools on March 8 and the lifting of the stay-at-home order on March 29. (ABC Australia)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
      - Students in P1 to P3 return to school in Scotland for the first time since the Christmas holiday as part of a phased school reopening. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - French authorities announce that 90% of residents in the southeastern region of Alpes-Maritimes, which includes Nice, will be placed under a weekend lockdown for the next two weeks following an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Euronews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
    - Elementary students and pre-school children in more than half of Germany's 16 states return to schools and kindergartens in the first major easing of restrictions since December. (ABC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy extends their ban on non-essential travel between regions with the exception of business trips and emergencies until March 27 due to the spread of COVID-19 infections. (The Brussels Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      - The White House orders United States flags to fly at half-staff for the next five days in order to honor those who have died from COVID-19. (The Independent)
    - The United States surpasses 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, just five weeks after the country passed 400,000 deaths. (CBS News) (NPR)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico
      - Mexico receives the first shipment of 200,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine. (VOA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Maharashtra
      - Maharashtra imposes a ban on all political, social, and religious gatherings, as well as all processions and public demonstrations in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Business Today)
    - India surpasses 11 million cases of COVID-19, becoming the second country to do so after the United States. (Hindustan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      - The Philippines approves the emergency use of the Sinovac Biotech CoronaVac vaccine for non-healthcare workers. (Bloomberg)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand
      - Thailand's Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for the Sinovac Biotech CoronaVac vaccine. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other government officials receive their first doses of the Sinovac Biotech CoronaVac vaccine as Hong Kong begins its vaccination campaign. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - Sri Lanka surpasses 80,000 cases of COVID-19. (Ada Derana)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia
  - Somalia closes all schools and universities for the next two weeks due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi begins new clinical trial of their protein-based vaccine candidate and aim to reach the final testing stage in the second quarter after setback last year. (CNBC)
- Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  - The Vatican Press Office announces that all journalists to accompany Pope Francis on his March trip to Iraq must receive a Covid vaccination. Certificates of vaccination are required for reporters seeking press credentials for the trip. (Catholic Culture)

International relations

Uyghur genocide, Canada–China relations
- Canada's House of Commons approves a motion by 266 to zero votes, formally recognizing that China is committing genocide against its Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and most of his Cabinet did not participate in the vote. An amendment to the bill also calls for the 2022 Winter Olympics to be moved from Beijing if the genocide continues. (The Globe and Mail)
Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama urges the leaders of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, and Palau to reconsider their decision of leaving the Pacific Islands Forum and says that this is an opportunity to fight climate change. Bainimarama also invites U.S. President Joe Biden to the next forum meeting in August. (RNZ)

Law and crime

Cannabis in the United States
- Cannabis in New Jersey
  - Enabling legislation for Public Question 1 is signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy, making New Jersey the 14th state to legalize recreational cannabis. (NBC News)
2021 Myanmar protests
- A general strike begins in Myanmar despite warnings by the Tatmadaw that further confrontations could cost lives. (DW)
Gambling in Australia
- The Victoria State Government establishes a royal commission into Crown Melbourne after New South Wales revoked Crown Resorts' gambling license over money laundering concerns. (The Guardian)
Personal and business legal affairs of Donald Trump
- The United States Supreme Court, by a 7–2 vote, declines to block the subpoena of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. for former President Donald Trump's financial records, including his tax returns. (CNN)

Sports

2021 Russian protests, 2020–21 NHL season
- In ice hockey, New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin takes a personal leave of absence after the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda publishes a story in which former Kontinental Hockey League coach Andrei Nazarov accuses him of sexually assaulting a 18-year old Latvian woman in Riga. The team releases a statement calling the allegations against Panarin a “intimidation tactic” against him after speaking out against “recent political events”, most notably being critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressing his support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained upon return to Russia from Germany. (Axios) (The Guardian)