Portal:Current events/2021 March 18

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Mexican drug war
  • Gunmen ambush a police convoy in Coatepec Harinas, State of Mexico, killing eight police officers and five prosecution investigators. It is the deadliest attack on law enforcement in the country since October 2019. The National Guard has been deployed to search for the killers. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Maharashtra
        • Maharashtra reports a record 25,833 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. (NDTV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announces that the government will lift the COVID-19 state of emergency in the Greater Tokyo Area on March 21 after approval from an expert panel due to a decrease in the number of cases. (Kyodo News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
      • Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan receives his first dose of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine. (ANI News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • The Bulgarian Ministry of Health announces that it will ban gatherings of more than 15 people and will close theatres, cinemas, and gyms on March 22 as well as kindergartens, schools, and most non-essential shopping malls due to an increase in deaths from COVID-19. (Bulgarian News Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • Prime Minister Jean Castex announces a new month-long lockdown in 16 departments across the country, including Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, and parts of Normandy, beginning tomorrow night, in order to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. (The Independent)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Gibraltar
      • UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces that Gibraltar has vaccinated its entire adult population against COVID-19, thus becoming the first in the world to do so. (ITV News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, Variants of SARS-CoV-2
      • Andalusia reports its first case of the A.23.1 COVID-19 variant that originated in Uganda. (ABC.es)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announces a three-week lockdown in the city beginning on March 20 which will close all cultural institutions and many non-essential shopping and entertainment malls due to an increase in COVID-19 cases. (Ukrinform)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
      • São Paulo Senator Major Olímpio dies from COVID-19, becoming the third member of the Brazilian Senate to die from the virus. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
      • Chile reports a record 6,200 cases in the past 24 hours, which is the largest single-day total since June. (T13)
      • Due to the large number of cases, several cities are put under lockdown, including downtown Santiago. Almost 9 million people will be under quarantine as of March 27. (La Tercera)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Antarctica
    • The Chilean Air Force announces that part of its staff in Antarctica has been vaccinated against COVID-19, making them the first people on the continent to receive a vaccine. (U.S. News and World Report)

International relations

• Russia–United States relations
  • Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachyov says Russia wants an apology or explanation from the United States after President Joe Biden referred to Vladimir Putin as a soulless killer and may retaliate with a reasonable next step unless it gets one. (CTV News)
• China–United States relations
  • Representatives from China and the U.S. meet in Anchorage, Alaska, for diplomatic talks. (CNN)
• North Korea–United States relations
  • North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hu says his country will continue to reject talks with the United States until the latter stops "its hostile policy". (Yonhap News Agency)
• Malaysia–North Korea relations
  • North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will sever ties with Malaysia after a Malaysian court ruled a North Korean national, Mun Chol Myong, could be extradited to the United States to face charges of money laundering. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Legality of euthanasia
  • The Spanish Congress of Deputies votes 202–141 to definitively approve the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide for people with serious and incurable diseases who want to end their lives, making Spain the fourth country in the European Union to do so. (RTE)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Dutch general election
  • Annemarie Jorritsma of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Kajsa Ollongren of the Democrats 66 party are appointed as scouts (informateur) for the next cabinet formation. (DutchNews.nl)