Portal:Current events/2021 February 27

February 27, 2021 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict; Yemeni Civil War
- 2021 missile attacks in Saudi Arabia
  - Saudi Arabia intercepts a ballistic missile attack over its capital Riyadh and bomb-laden drones targeting the southern province of Jizan, both of which were launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels backed by Iran. (ABC News)
2021 Myanmar protests
- Police launch the most extensive crackdown since the protests began, critically wounding a woman and detaining hundreds of people across the country. (Reuters)
- The junta leaders fire Myanmar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Kyaw Moe Tun after he called for their removal in a UN General Assembly meeting on Friday. (BBC News)
Kagara kidnapping
- All 42 people, including 27 students, who were kidnapped from a boarding school in Kagara, Niger State, Nigeria, on February 17 are released by their captors. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Wales
      - First Minister Mark Drakeford announces that Wales will ease their COVID-19 restrictions to allow households with an infant below the age of one to form a bubble with one other household. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - The government tightens restrictions in five regions in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For the first time since January, Basilicata and Molise are moved into a lockdown, while Lombardy, Piedmont, and Marche are moved to stricter orange zones. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Romania, COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova
    - Romania donates 21,600 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine to Moldova for use in their vaccination program which will begin next week with frontline health workers. (U.S. News and World Report)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Hong Kong receives a shipment of 585,000 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. (South China Morning Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia receives its first shipment of 300,000 doses of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine. (New Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
    - The Palestinian National Authority announces new lockdown restrictions in the West Bank for the next 12 days, which include the closure of universities, a ban on gatherings for weddings and funerals and nighttime restrictions on travel and non-essential commerce. (The New York Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The government extends the General Community Quarantine in Metro Manila, Davao City, and eight other areas until the end of March due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (ABS-CBN News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Nebraska, Variants of SARS-CoV-2
    - Nebraska reports their first case of California's B.1.429 variant in a man in his 60s in Lancaster County. (The Lincoln Journal Star)
  - The Food and Drug Administration approves the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use in the United States. (The Guardian)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19-related restrictions in Victoria are eased in line with the rest of Australia after a recent outbreak was contained. Private gatherings of up to 30 people and public gatherings of up to 100 people are allowed, masks will only be mandated in shopping centres and on public transport, and offices are allowed to return up to 75% of their workforce. (7 News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
  - South Africa receives its second shipment of more than 80,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (News24)

Law and crime

Corruption in Indonesia
- Indonesia's anti-corruption agency arrests South Sulawesi Governor Nurdin Abdullah and several other people for alleged corruption in Makassar. Abdullah's arrest came as a surprise to many with his track record as an anti-corruption champion. (Jakarta Globe)
Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Province has reported internet outages in the past week, following a series of violent clashes between protestors and the police. (Voice of America)
Cuba approves its first animal welfare law after pressure from animal rights movement groups. The decree will regulate scientific experiments on animals, the handling of stray cats and dogs, and veterinarian practices in the country. Some civil society groups say the decree doesn't go far enough, as it doesn't outlaw animal sacrifice or cockfighting. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2021 Armenian coup d'état attempt, 2020−2021 Armenian protests
- President Armen Sarksyan refuses an order from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to dismiss the military's Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan, saying parts of the decree were in violation of the constitution. More than 15,000 protest in the capital Yerevan calling for Pashinyan to resign. (ABC News)