Portal:Current events/2021 February 13

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • 2021 Afghanistan attacks
    • At least four security forces personnel, including a commander, are killed in eastern and southern Afghanistan as clashes with an unidentified terrorist group intensify. Separately, in Kandahar, a Humvee containing explosives detonates, injuring seven police officers. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Egyptian and American archaeologists discover an ancient mass-production brewery in the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos, likely dating back to the Early Dynastic Period. Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, believes it to be "the oldest high-production brewery in the world". (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Fukushima earthquake
  • A 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off the Tōhoku coast of Japan, injuring at least 110 people. (The Japan Times)
• A series of severe weather-related incidents in Northern Italy leaves four people dead and 25 others injured. (Il Messaggero)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon
      • Lebanon receives its first shipment of 28,500 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from Belgium. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
      • Two 11-week-old white tiger cubs that died in Lahore Zoo on January 30 are believed to have died of COVID-19. (Hindustan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • The government decides to lower social distancing levels to level 2 in the Seoul Capital Area and level 1.5 in other regions beginning February 15, allowing nightclubs to reopen and extending the operating hours of restaurants, coffee shops and gyms in the Seoul Capital Area until 10:00 p.m. local time. However, gatherings of more than five people continue to be prohibited, but theatres, libraries, and other types of businesses will no longer be subject to operating hours restrictions. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • The United Arab Emirates surpasses 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Khaleej Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Prince Edward Island, Lineage B.1.1.7
      • Prince Edward Island reports its first case of the B.1.1.7 variant in a man in his 20s who had travelled internationally. (CBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, Lineage B.1.1.7
    • Victoria returns to Stage 4 restrictions in a five-day "circuit breaker" lockdown due to an ongoing outbreak of the B.1.1.7 variant at the Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn. All non-essential businesses are closed, masks are mandatory in all public places, and people are only permitted to leave their homes for essential work, education or care-giving, or for up to two hours a day for essential shopping and outdoor exercise within a radius of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of their homes. All international flights to Melbourne have also been cancelled for the duration of the lockdown. (ABC Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Cyprus
    • Northern Cyprus extends its full-scale curfew until February 22 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
    • The cabinet announces that 20 of South Africa's land borders with Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe will reopen on February 15. (TimesLIVE)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
    • Venezuela receives its first shipment of 100,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. (Reuters)
• Guinea's health ministry reports the country's first deaths from the Ebola virus disease since the 2013–2016 epidemic. (AFP via Hindustan Times)

Law and crime

• Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump
  • The United States Senate votes to acquit former President Donald Trump for the second time when the 57–43 vote in favor of conviction fails to reach the necessary two-thirds majority. Seven Republicans join the entire Democratic caucus in voting for conviction, making it the closest trial vote since the Andrew Johnson impeachment trial of 1868. (The Hill)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Italian government crisis, Draghi Cabinet
  • Prime Minister Mario Draghi and the ministers of his cabinet are officially sworn in at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, ending the government crisis. (ANSA)
• Presidency of Joe Biden
  • White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo resigns after making threats towards Politico journalist Tara Palmeri. (BBC News)

Sports

• 2021 Australian Open, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • Spectators at a late-running tennis match are ordered to leave as Victoria's 5-day "circuit breaker" lockdown comes into effect. Matches at the Melbourne tournament will continue without any spectators for the duration of the lockdown. (9 News)