Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Algerian authorities released at least 35 pro-democracy activists from jail in the past 24 hours under presidential pardons given ahead of the second anniversary of a popular uprising, rights groups said.
- AMERICAS: Former US President Donald Trump announced that he will speak before an audience next week for the first time since his presidency ended, local media reported.
- ASIA: Protesters gathered across Myanmar a day after security forces killed two people at a demonstration in the country’s second-biggest city, and a funeral was also held for a young woman killed earlier by police.
- EUROPE: Russia would only consider releasing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny if its leadership were affected by painful personal sanctions, a close ally said ahead of a meeting with European policymakers in Brussels reported.
- MIDDLE EAST: The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog met with Iran’s atomic chief ahead of plans to partly suspend United Nations inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, state TV reported.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Facebook has deleted the Myanmar military’s main page for breaking its standards, banning the incitement of violence, as police arrested a well-known actor wanted for opposing the military coup.
Top Story
- Global: Countries across the world are gaining traction in purchasing vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
- S. Korea to start administering 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine this month.
- The Senegalese government began to distribute the first doses of China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine across the country for the imminent vaccination campaign, Senegalese Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr announced.
- Malaysia moved up its COVID-19 inoculation drive by two days as the first vaccines arrived in the Southeast Asian nation, with hopes of achieving 80% herd immunity within the year.
- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, calling the start of the nation’s vaccination program a “massive step” that will enable it to return to normal.
- A shipment of 150,000 COVID-19 vaccines created by AstraZeneca and Oxford University arrived at Belgrade airport, making Serbia the first country in the Western Balkan region to get supplies of the vaccine.
- The British government announced that it seeks to give every adult in the country the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by July 31, a month earlier than its previous target.
- Reporting: YNA, Xinhua, Reuters, BBC, Reuters, AP,
Africa
- Algeria: Authorities released at least 35 pro-democracy activists from jail in the past 24 hours under presidential pardons given ahead of the second anniversary of a popular uprising, rights groups said. (AFP)
- Ethiopia: The nation recorded 841 additional COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 151,857, the country’s Ministry of Health reported. (Xinhua)
- Libya: More than 200 illegal migrants, including women and children, were saved off the coast, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported. (Xinhua)
Americas
- Argentina: The new health minister took office in the aftermath of the resignation of her predecessor who was caught helping friends skip the line for Covid-19 vaccinations. (AFP)
- United States: President Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general, Merrick Garland, says the Justice Department must make sure laws are “fairly and faithfully enforced” and all Americans’ rights are protected. (AP)
- United States: Former US President Donald Trump announced that he will speak before an audience next week for the first time since his presidency ended, local media reported. (DPA)
Asia
- Myanmar: Protesters gathered across the nation a day after security forces killed two people at a demonstration in the country’s second-biggest city, and a funeral was also held for a young woman killed earlier by police. (AP)
- Myanmar: The military junta has summoned a notorious infantry unit in Mandalay, where two people were killed, in what campaigners described as a worrying escalation of the crackdown on peaceful protests against the junta’s rule. (FT)
- South Korea: The nation’s daily new COVID-19 cases stayed below 500 for the second straight day, but health authorities remained wary of a potential flare-up in virus infections amid eased social distancing rules. (YNA)
- Taiwan: The government reported that it had confirmed three cases of the COVID-19 variant first discovered in Brazil and that all arrivals from that country would undergo centralized quarantine this week. (Reuters)
Europe
- France: The mayor of Nice called for a weekend lockdown to stop an increase of visitors and reduce a sharp spike in COVID-19 infections. (Reuters)
- Germany: Berlin’s newly opened airport BER will shut one of its terminals due to the sharp fall in passenger traffic caused by the pandemic. (DPA)
- Russia: The nation would only consider releasing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny if its leadership were affected by painful personal sanctions, a close ally said ahead of a meeting with European policymakers in Brussels reported. (Reuters)
- Turkey: The president says mutual interests with the United States outweigh their differences and has expressed a desire for more cooperation with the Biden administration. (AP)
Middle East
- Iran: The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog met with the atomic chief ahead of plans to partly suspend United Nations inspections of the nation’s nuclear facilities, state TV reported. (AP)
- Israel: The rollout of ‘green passports’ in Israel will allow vaccinated citizens to visit gyms, swimming pools, and hotels. (Telegraph)
- Israel: The Covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech is overwhelmingly effective after the second jab is administered, the Health Ministry reported. (DPA)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Facebook has deleted the Myanmar military’s main page for breaking its standards, banning the incitement of violence, as police arrested a well-known actor wanted for opposing the military coup. (The Guardian)
World
- Cyclones:
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 21FEB21)
- Confirmed cases: 111,133,590
- Total recovered cases: 62,674,761
- Deaths: 2,461,688
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 21FEB21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (22FEB21)
- Global: Secretary of State Blinken participates in EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
- Global: U.N. Human Rights Council tri-annual session.
- Global: United Nations World Food Programme Executive Board First Regular Session.
- Asia: Takeshima Day on islets contested between Japan and South Korea.
- Europe: European Semester Conference. (virtual)
- United States: Senate Judiciary Committee begins considering Merrick Garland to be AG.
END
