Portal:Current events/2021 February 2

February 2, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- Burmese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw after the military coup that overthrew her government. (Financial Times)
Tigray War
- Three Ethiopian opposition parties say that at least 52,000 civilians have died in Tigray. (Bloomberg)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, American Rescue Plan
- The United States Senate votes 50–49 to pass a budget resolution that would allow Democrats to pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package without support from Republicans. (Business Insider)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announces that he will step down as CEO during the third quarter. Current Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy is expected to replace him. (CNBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in England
      - Captain Tom, a British Army veteran who served in World War II and who donated to charities during the lockdown, dies from COVID-19 at the age of 100. (The Guardian)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
      - First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces a phased return to school for Scotland's youngest children, with nurseries and all primary pupils from P1 to P3 planned to be back in the classroom beginning on February 22. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain will restrict travel to South Africa and Brazil due to concerns about new variants of SARS-CoV-2. (Reuters)
    - Spain reports 724 deaths in the past 24 hours, the most since April. (El País)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
    - Andorra surpasses the 10.000 COVID-19 cases. (Diari d'Andorra)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - The French National Authority for Health approves the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged under 65. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - Ireland reports a record 101 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 3,418. (The Irish Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
    - Prime Minister Mark Rutte extends all of the country's tough lockdown measures for at least a month due to the spread of more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2. (ABC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in San Marino
    - Former Captain Regent Fausta Morganti dies from COVID-19 at the age of 76. (Corriere Romagna)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick, Variant of Concern 202012/01
      - New Brunswick reports its first two cases of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2. (Toronto Star)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan, Variant of Concern 202012/01
      - Saskatchewan reports its first two cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the Regina area. (CBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - Mexico approves the use of Sputnik V vaccine in the country. (CTV News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 21 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 791. (The Star)
    - Malaysia extends its movement control order in all states and territories except Sarawak until February 18. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 12,848 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 896,530. (detikHealth)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - The Japanese government extends an ongoing state of emergency in 10 prefectures, including Tokyo, which surpassed 100,000 cases yesterday. (UPI)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Kyrgyzstan is expected to receive 504,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in March. (24.kg)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
    - Prime Minister Imran Khan launches the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Pakistan, with the first dose of Sinopharm's vaccine administered to a doctor in Islamabad. (DAWN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
    - Palestinian Authority begins a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 starting with healthcare workers in the occupied West Bank. (Daily Sabah)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - The Ministry of Health confirms that 276 people in 10 provinces and cities are currently infected with the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2. (The Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
    - A peer-reviewed result published in the journal The Lancet finds Russia's Sputnik V vaccine to be 91.6% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 infection. It is the third major vaccine candidate to exceed 90% efficacy, along with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. (CBS on MSN)

International relations

2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- China blocks a United Nations Security Council statement formally condemning the military coup in Myanmar. (BBC News)

Law and crime

2021 Sunrise, Florida shootout
- Two FBI agents are killed and three others are wounded during a shootout in Sunrise, Florida, while serving an arrest warrant. The gunman is later found dead. This is the deadliest incident involving FBI agents since 1986. (BBC News) (Orlando Sentinel)
2021 Muskogee shooting
- Five children and one adult are killed, and another person wounded, during a mass shooting at a home in Muskogee, Oklahoma. A 25-year-old male suspect who had been living with the victims is taken into custody. (Associated Press)

Politics and elections

Cabinet of Joe Biden
- The United States Senate votes to confirm Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary, making him the first openly gay person to be confirmed to a Cabinet post. (ABC News)
- The Senate also confirms Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security, making him the first Jewish person, first Latino person and first immigrant to head the Department of Homeland Security. (The Hill)
2021 Italian government crisis
- President Sergio Mattarella invites former President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi to form a new government following the resignation of Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister. (AFP via RTE)

Sports

2020–21 Premier League, Manchester United F.C. 9–0 Southampton F.C.
- Manchester United defeats Southampton 9–0 to equal the record for the largest winning margin in a Premier League match, equalling that of Leicester City's 0–9 victory against the same team in the previous season and their own 9–0 win against Ipswich Town in 1995. (ABC Australia)