Portal:Current events/2021 February 19

February 19, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2021 Myanmar protests
- Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, a young protester who was shot in the head last week, dies from her injuries, the first death since the opposition to the coup began and as pressure on the military mounts. (Reuters)
Kashmir conflict
- Two policemen are killed by unidentified gunmen at close range in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. (The Indian Express)

Arts and culture

Megxit
- Buckingham Palace announces that Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will be stripped of their royal patronages and honorary military appointments following a review of the royal couple's position within the British royal family. The couple will retain their HRH titles but will no longer use them. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

Uber BV v Aslam
- The UK Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, orders Uber to classify its drivers as employees, entitling them to minimum wage and paid leave. (Wired)
Bitcoin reaches a US$1 trillion market cap for the first time. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
    - Health Minister Jan Blatný announces that shops will not be allowed to reopen on February 22, unlike what was previously promised. He also announced that residents will be required to wear FFP2 respirators, nanotowels, or two surgical masks in indoor places and on public transport due to the spread of the B.1.1.7 variant. (BRNO Daily)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, Lineage P.1
    - Ireland reports its first three cases of the Lineage P.1 variant in people who travelled from Brazil. (RTÉ)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
    - Senators vote 45–13 to approve legislation that underpins the curfew, ensuring that it will continue until March despite an initial court order to end it. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, 501.V2 variant
    - Poland reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant first detected in South Africa. (TVN24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Hong Kong receives one million doses of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine, a day after it was approved for emergency use in the city. (South China Morning Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan detects a new variant from 91 cases in the Kanto region and two cases at airports. In addition, an infection cluster is detected at a Tokyo immigration facility. (ABC Australia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines reports 157 deaths in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total in five months, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 11,829. (ABS-CBN News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia
    - Zambia surpasses 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Xinhua)
  - Africa surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, Lineage P.1
    - Florida reports their first case of the Brazil variant of SARS-CoV-2, making it the fourth state to do so after Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Maryland. (WFTS-TV)
    - Florida surpasses 30,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Miami Herald)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Idaho, 501.V2 variant
    - Idaho reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant in a person from Southwestern Idaho who previously travelled internationally. (Idaho Statesman)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Johnson & Johnson submits an application of its experimental single-dose vaccine to the World Health Organization for emergency authorization. (Marketwatch)
2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
- Hong Kong suspends the import of poultry meat and products from bird flu-affected areas in South Korea, Germany and Poland due to spread of highly pathogenic H5N8 in those areas. (The Straits Times)

International relations

47th G7 summit
- U.S. President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi make their first global appearance at a virtual G7 meeting as the countries discuss COVID-19 recovery, trade, social media, free speech, and their approach to China. The countries also commit to offer $7.5 billion in funding for vaccination rollouts in poor countries. (France 24)
- President Biden, in a reversal of the Trump administration's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, says that the United States will contribute up to $4 billion to COVAX. (CBS News)
Environmental policy of the Joe Biden administration
- The United States formally rejoins the Paris Agreement, 107 days after it left the climate accord. (The Guardian)
Equatorial Guinea–Israel relations
- Equatoguinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo announces that his country will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Anadolu Agency)

Law and crime

In a 6–1 decision, the Federal Court of Malaysia rules that news portal Malaysiakini can be held in contempt of court over its users' comments against the Malaysian judiciary. Co-founder and editor-in-chief Steven Gan is personally absolved of the charge. The portal will be required to pay RM500,000 (about US$120,000) in fines next week. (Malaysiakini) (CNA)
A Sudanese asylum seeker stabs an immigration official to death at a refugee centre in Pau, France. The attack is not thought to be linked to terrorism. (BBC News)
Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council secretary Oleksiy Danilov announces sanctions on pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk for allegedly using coal mines in the Luhansk Oblast to finance separatists. The government also announced that it would nationalize a pipeline that transports Russian oil into the rest of Europe, which Medvedchuk was suspected of owning. (Reuters)
The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies votes 364–130 to confirm the Supreme Federal Court-mandated arrest of congressman Daniel Silveira (PSL-RJ) for posting videos online threatening the judges of the Court, calling for the Court's extinction and for a new AI-5 – considered the most repressive legal instrument of the former Brazilian military government. His party is also considering his expulsion. (EN24) (O Globo)

Politics and elections

2021 Turks and Caicos Islands general election
- The opposition Progressive National Party wins 14 of the 15 seats in the House of Assembly, with Washington Misick slated to become the next premier. Outgoing Premier Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson of the People's Democratic Movement loses re-election to her seat. (Turks & Caicos Sun)
COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- Argentine Health Minister Ginés González García resigns amid scandal over preferential treatment for the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to his close friends, including journalist Horacio Verbitsky. (The Washington Post)