Portal:Current events/2021 February 21

February 21, 2021 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in the Maghreb
- 2021 Tillabéri attacks
  - Seven members of the electoral commission are killed and three others are wounded in a land mine explosion in Tillabéri, Niger. The attack is carried out on the same day as the second round of the presidential election. (BBC News)
Libyan Crisis
- UN-backed Libyan Minister of the Interior Fathi Bashagha escapes a motorcade shooting in Tripoli. One of his guards is wounded and the others chase the assailants, killing one of them and arresting two others. The ministry calls the attack an assassination attempt. (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

A Nigerian Air Force King Air 350 military plane crashes on approach to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria, killing all seven people on board. (Reuters)
A Mexican Air Force Learjet 45 jet crashes in Emiliano Zapata Municipality, Veracruz, killing six crew members. (Reuters)
Israeli authorities close off access to its Mediterranean beaches following an offshore oil spill that has devastated more than 100 miles (160 km) of the country's coastline. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority calls the spill "one of the most serious ecological disasters" in the country’s history. The cause of the spill is currently under investigation. (The Independent)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - Israel reopens many sectors of their economy as part of an easing of lockdown restrictions. However, while shops are open to all residents, access to leisure sites is limited to people who have received a vaccine or who have recovered from COVID-19. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia receives its first shipment of 312,390 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. This allows the starting date of the vaccination campaign to be brought forward to February 24. (Malay Mail)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, Lineage B.1.1.7
    - The Philippines confirms 18 new cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 first detected in the United Kingdom. (CNN Philippines)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, Lineage P.1
    - Taiwan confirms their first three cases of the Lineage P.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 first detected in Brazil, prompting the government to impose a 14-day quarantine for all travelers arriving from Brazil at a centralized facility beginning February 24. (The Straits Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New York, 501.V2 variant
    - New York reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant from South Africa in a person from Nassau County. (CNBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - Australia begins a mass vaccination campaign with the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is one of the first people to receive a vaccine. (ABC Australia)
  - Australia and New Zealand reopen their maritime borders after recent outbreaks in both countries have been contained. (The Guardian)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
  - Argentina approves the emergency use of Sinopharm's vaccine. (La Tercera)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
  - Serbia receives their first shipment of 150,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, making it the first country in the Western Balkan region to receive vaccines. (N1)

International relations

The International Atomic Energy Agency reaches an agreement with Iran to allow inspectors to resume monitoring their nuclear program for up to three months. However, the agreement bars inspectors from doing snap inspections and also prohibits them from reviewing footage taken at the nuclear sites. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

2020–21 Nigerien general election
- Nigeriens vote in a runoff to select a new president, in what is considered to be the nation's first potential peaceful transition of power since gaining independence in 1960. The two candidates are the ruling Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism's leader Mohamed Bazoum, and former president Mahamane Ousmane. (Reuters)
2021 Ecuadorian general election
- The National Electoral Council confirms that CREO candidate Guillermo Lasso will face the winner of the first round Andrés Arauz in the runoff. (CNN in Spanish)
2021 Laotian parliamentary election
- Laotians vote in a parliamentary election to elect the members of the ninth National Assembly. (Xinhuanet)

Science and technology

2021 Myanmar protests, aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- Facebook takes down the main page of the military of Myanmar a day after two protesters were killed. The social media site said that the account violated its policies of "incitement to violence and coordinating harm". Earlier, the military had blocked Internet access in many parts of the country. (BBC News)

Sports

2021 Australian Open
- Novak Djokovic defeats Daniil Medvedev in the final to win the Men's Singles competition of the tournament. (The New York Times)
- Ivan Dodig and Filip Polášek win the Men's Doubles by defeating Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- Rwanda will allow individual and non-contact outdoor sports activities to resume on February 23 due to a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. (New Times)