Portal:Current events/2021 February 8

February 8, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War
- Houthi forces resume an offensive against Maʼrib, the last stronghold of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government in northern Yemen. A government source says that 20 pro-government fighters have been killed and 28 others have been injured repelling five attacks in the past 24 hours. (Middle East Eye)

Disasters and accidents

Twenty-four workers die in a flooded illegally-run textile workshop in a private house in Tangier, Morocco, which occurred as a result of intense rains that hit the region. Ten others were rescued and hospitalized. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      - COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
        New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that restaurants can bring back their indoor dining from February 12, three days ahead of originally schedule on Valentine's Day Sunday. (The Wall Street Journal)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, 501.V2 variant
      - The Houston Methodist Hospital reports Texas' first case of the 501.V2 variant in a man from Fort Bend County who recovered several weeks ago. This makes it the fourth state known to have this variant. (The Houston Chronicle)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg quarantines for 14 days after a member of his security detail tests positive for COVID-19. (The Daily Telegraph)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - President Andrés Manuel López Obrador resumes morning news conferences two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 13,038 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 963,028. (detikHealth)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
    - Laos receives 300,000 doses of China's Sinopharm vaccine. (Bangkok Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 24 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 896. (Malay Mail)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - Seoul metropolitan government launches COVID-19 test for pet cats and dogs, which comes after South Korea reported its first case of COVID-19 infection in an animal (kitten) on January 24. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
    - France introduces new measures to ban homemade masks in educational institutions, requiring school children over the age of six to only wear category 1 masks in schools. (RFI)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - The Netherlands extends its nationwide curfew until March 3 in order to prevent the spread of the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Cyprus, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - Northern Cyprus reports its first case of B.1.1.7 variant in 16 samples that contracted SARS-CoV-2 variant first detected in the United Kingdom. (Anadolu Agency)
  - The European Commission finalizes a deal to secure 300 million additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. (DW)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Lineage P.1
  - Argentina reports its first cases of two different Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 variants in two people infected with the P.1 variant and two others infected with the P.2 variant. (Semana)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda
  - Rwanda eases its lockdown in the capital Kigali and allows businesses to resume operations with up to 30% of essential staff. (Anadolu Agency)
The government of Vietnam reports that it has culled more than 100,000 poultry in 14 provinces so far this year in a bid to contain the spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 and H5N6 bird flu strains. (Reuters)

International relations

Greece–Israel relations, COVID-19 pandemic in Greece, COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sign an accord that would allow vaccinated travellers to visit freely between the two countries without any restrictions in order to revive their battered tourism sector. (Ekathimerini)
Russia–European Union relations, 2021 Russian protests
- The governments of Germany, Poland, and Sweden each expel a Russian diplomat to reciprocate the Russian government's expulsion of three European Union diplomats on February 6. (AFP via The Moscow Times)

Law and crime

Trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, corruption in Israel
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleads not guilty to charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud at the Jerusalem District Court. (Reuters)
Venezuelan refugee crisis
- The government of Colombia announces the legalization of undocumented Venezuelan migrants currently in the country, making them eligible to receive 10-year residency permits. (AP)
Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, Trump–Raffensperger phone call
- Georgia officials launch an investigation into former U.S. President Donald Trump for several phone calls made urging officials such as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn Joe Biden's win in the state. (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

2021 Myanmar protests, aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- A nationwide general strike takes place in Myanmar in response to the military coup with thousands marching in the capital Naypyidaw, where they clashed with riot police. Several injuries have been reported. (BBC News)
- The military junta declares martial law in the country's second largest city Mandalay amid protests against the coup. Public gatherings of more than five people are banned, and a curfew from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. has been imposed. (Channel News Asia)
2021 Somali presidential election
- An alliance of opposition parties ceases recognising Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed as the President of Somalia, and propose the creation of a "national council of lawmakers, opposition leaders and civil society" to govern the country as the President's term expires with no clear plan for succession. (Reuters)
2018–2021 Haitian protests
- Haitian opposition names judge Joseph Mécène Jean-Louis from the Supreme Court the new interim President of Haiti to lead a "transitional government" after arguing that incumbent Jovenel Moïse's term has expired and calling on him to step down. The Organization of American States considers that Moïse's five-year term ends in 2022 as he took office in 2017. (CNN)
The Palau National Congress passes a joint resolution supporting the decision made by President Surangel Whipps Jr. to leave the Pacific Islands Forum. The National Congress says that the "gentleman's agreement was not honored". (RNZ)

Sports

2021 Australian Open, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- The Grand Slam of the Australian Open begins in Melbourne Park, three weeks later than originally scheduled due to the pandemic, with daily attendance capped at 30,000 people per day. (7 News)