Portal:Current events/2021 April 12

April 12, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass
- Two Ukrainian soldiers are killed in front line clashes with separatist forces in the Donbass, thereby bringing the total number of troops killed in action this year to 29. Both died due to small arms fire. (The Defense Post)

Arts and culture

Death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- The BBC receives a record 110,994 complaints over their coverage of Prince Philip's death, mostly due to the extent of the coverage. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Peru bus crash
- At least 20 people died in a bus crash in the Ancash Region in Peru. (ANI)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Ireland
      - The National Immunisation Advisory Committee recommends that the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given to people over 60 years old following concerns about rare blood clots. (Thejournal.ie)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - Lockdown restrictions are relaxed in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales as the number of cases continues to reduce, with non-essential shops, pubs, gyms, restaurants, hairdressers, community centres, libraries, and theme parks permitted to reopen. Domestic holidays are also permitted again in England with members of the same household. A "stay at home" order is ended in Northern Ireland, and secondary school pupils from years 8–11 return to school. (BBC News)
    - Apple and Google reject an update by the National Health Service to their contact tracing app because it breaches their privacy rules. (The Daily Telegraph)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
    - Schools, libraries, zoos, and some stores in the Czech Republic reopen after months of closure as the six-month state of emergency expires and restrictions of movement are lifted. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - High schools in Greece reopen after five months of closure, with precautions such as wearing masks and COVID-19 testing for all teachers and students twice per week. (France 24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 vaccination in India
      - India approves Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. (Reuters)
    - India reports a record for the seventh consecutive day of 168,912 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of cases to 13.52 million and surpassing Brazil to become the country with the second-highest total of infections. (Hindustan Times) (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh issues new lockdown rules that order the closure of all government, semi-government, autonomous, and private offices for one week beginning April 14, as well as suspension of all public transport. However, the government will allow factories to remain open. (Bdnews24.com)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Hong Kong announces that restaurants will be permitted to remain open until midnight and seat more customers, provided that all staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 and all patrons use a government tracking app. (The Hong Kong Standard)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record for the second consecutive day of 985 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of cases to 33,610. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces that all schools across the province will remain closed after April break and students will be forced to shift into online learning amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. (CP24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 drug development
    - The U.S. government terminates a deal with Eli Lilly and Company for 350,856 remaining doses of the single antibody bamlanivimab that were scheduled to be delivered by the end of March. The deal will instead be focused on a supply of combined antibodies with etesevimab. (Bloomberg)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana
  - COVID-19 vaccination in Ghana
    - The Ghana Health Service says that over 700,000 people in the country has received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. (Ghanaweb)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Solomon Islands
  - Solomon Islands receives 50,000 doses of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine from China. (Solomon Times)
China reports new cases of highly pathogenic H5N6 avian flu in wild birds in Liaoning, which is the country's first report of the disease since February 2020. (Reuters)
French lawmakers vote to ban airlines from offering domestic flights if the same journey could be made by train in less than two and a half hours. (The Guardian)

International relations

Philippines–United States relations, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the military
- Philippine and U.S. troops resume their annual Balikatan military exercises following last year's cancellation of the event due to the pandemic. (Reuters)
War in Donbass, Ukraine–NATO relations
- Ukraine triggers Article 15 of the Charter on a Special Partnership, initiating an emergency meeting with NATO to discuss the Russian escalation in Donbass and the build-up of Russian forces on its border. The article was last triggered in 2018 during the Kerch Strait incident. (Ukranews)
Cross-Strait relations
- Taiwan reports the largest incursion into its air defence identification zone to date by People's Liberation Army Air Force warplanes. Twenty-five aircraft entered its airspace, including nuclear-capable H-6K bombers and anti-submarine aircraft. The Chinese fleet flew in an area close to the disputed Pratas Island, according to Taiwan's Defence Ministry. (Reuters)

Law and crime

2020–21 United States racial unrest, Daunte Wright protests
- Tensions between protesters and police intensified for the second night after the killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old man who was shot by police at a traffic stop. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz imposes a curfew, and police begin firing gas canisters and flash-bang grenades. Some protesters, wearing gas masks, pick up smoke canisters and throw them back at police. About 40 arrests are made, ranging from curfew violation to rioting. (USA Today)
A gunman on a motorcycle opens fire in front of a COVID-19 vaccination centre at a hospital in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, killing a man and wounding a female security guard before riding away. (Reuters)
A serving officer with London's Metropolitan Police is sentenced to over two years in prison for an unprovoked attack on a black member of the public that left his victim with a broken leg, in what the judge described as "a clear case of racial profiling." (CNN)

Politics and elections

2021 Peruvian general election
- Far-left candidate Pedro Castillo is expected to win the first round of the presidential election. His opponent in the runoff election in June is still to be determined, amidst a political and economic crisis. (Reuters)