Portal:Current events/2021 March 25

March 25, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Afghan peace process
  - U.S. President Joe Biden warns that the country will not meet the May 1 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan. However, he also said that it is unlikely that troops will remain in the country next year. (Reuters)
- The Bundestag approves a new mandate to let Germany continue to station up to 1,300 Bundeswehr soldiers in Afghanistan until January 31, 2022. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The 2021 redesign of the £50 note, featuring British mathematician Alan Turing on the reverse, is officially unveiled by the Bank of England. It is slated to enter circulation on June 23, Turing's birthday. (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

Tornado outbreak of March 24–26, 2021
- Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declares a state of emergency for 46 counties as the National Weather Service predicts a severe weather outbreak and possible tornado outbreak. (WBMA-TV)
- The National Weather Service issues a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch after level 5 "high risk" watches are issued for parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. (AL.com)
- A tornado emergency was issued by the National Weather Service near Hoover, Alabama. Another emergency was also issued for Brent and Centreville. (Alabama WX)
2021 Suez Canal obstruction
- The Suez Canal Authority suspends navigation through the Suez Canal until the grounded container ship Ever Given can be refloated. The waterway has now been blocked for three consecutive days. (France 24)
February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm, February 15–20, 2021 North American winter storm, 2021 Texas power crisis
- The official death toll from the major winter storms that struck Texas and triggered statewide blackouts last month rises to at least 111, more than double the previous reported numbers. It is also believed that the storms could become the costliest weather disaster in the state's history. (NBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq
    - Iraq receives 336,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine distributed through the COVAX vaccine sharing initiative. (Arab News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines reports a record 8,773 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 693,048. (ABS-CBN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea surpasses 100,000 cases of COVID-19. (Yonhap News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - The Thailand Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, thereby becoming the third vaccine to be made available for local use. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Albania
    - Albania receives their first shipment of 192,000 doses of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine. (Albanian Daily News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - The Government of France extends the partial lockdown to the departments of Rhône, Aube, and Nièvre due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections. The restrictions will begin at midnight tomorrow. (Euronews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - Hungary reports a record 272 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 19,224. (Daily News Hungary)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
    - Poland will close barbers, hairdressers, and beauty shops from March 27 until April 9, as well as kindergartens and nurseries, while restricting the capacity at essential shops, churches, public markets, and post offices amidst the rising number of the COVID-19 cases. (The First News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
    - Ukraine reports a record 16,669 new confirmed cases and 362 deaths in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,596,575 and the nationwide death toll to 31,135. (Ukrinform)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    - Brazil reports a record 100,158 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Global News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
    - Chile reports nearly 50,000 active cases of COVID-19, a new record for the country. The country also announces that the entire Santiago Metropolitan Region will be put under lockdown beginning next Saturday. (BíoBíoChile)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
    - Colombia grants emergency use authorization for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Europa Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
    - Peru reports a record 11,260 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,492,519. (The Rio Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia, variants of SARS-CoV-2
      - Virginia reports its two first cases of the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant first detected in California. (U.S. News and World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - Mexico surpasses 200,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
    - AstraZeneca announces that the efficacy rating of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been lowered to 76%, following new analyses of the trial run in the United States. Earlier in the week, the company had been criticized for advertising its vaccine with a 79% efficacy rating using what critics claimed was outdated data. (Forbes)
  - Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
    - Pfizer and BioNTech begin a clinical trial testing of their COVID-19 vaccine on healthy children between the ages of six months and 11 years, which is considered a crucial step towards vaccinating children. (CNBC)

International relations

Andorra–Spain relations
- King Felipe VI of Spain makes the first ever state visit by a Spanish king to Andorra. (El Periódico)
Aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- The United States and the United Kingdom impose sanctions on Burmese conglomerates Myanma Economic Holdings and Myanmar Economic Corporation, citing the crackdown and human rights violations committed by the military junta since taking power on February 1. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020–2021 Belarusian protests
- Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya calls for a "Freedom Day" and renewed protests against President Alexander Lukashenko in order to mount pressure for him to resign amidst a disputed election last year. (Reuters)