Portal:Current events/2021 March 7

March 7, 2021 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Gaza–Israel conflict
- Three Palestinian fishermen are killed in an explosion off the coast of Gaza. The blast is caused by an unknown weapon, suspected to be a rocket. (Al Jazeera English)
2021 Myanmar coup d'état
- Khin Maung Latt, a campaign manager from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, dies in police custody after being arrested yesterday. (South China Morning Post)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- In retaliation for yesterday's drone attacks against the kingdom, the Saudi-led coalition conducts airstrikes against the Houthis in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. There have been no reports of any immediate casualties. (Reuters)
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that the United States will continue to defend troops and interests. He also says that those who carried out the rocket attack in Iraq will be held accountable. (CNBC)
Nine activists are killed in police raids in the northern Philippines two days after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered government forces to kill communists in the country. (Al Jazeera English)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Bata explosions
- A series of explosions kill 20 people and injure more than 600 others in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. The cause is suspected to be negligence related to use of dynamite at a local military base. Almost all buildings in the city are heavily damaged. (Al Jazeera English)
A fire occurs at a detention center for migrants in Sanaa, Yemen, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 170 others. (ABC News)
At least one person is killed and 40 others are injured when a train derails in Sindh, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera English)
A Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil crashes in Normandy, France, killing National Assembly member and businessman Olivier Dassault and the aircraft's pilot. (The Guardian)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
      - Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and current Health Minister Greg Hunt receive their first doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine. (Nine News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Caledonia
    - New Caledonia orders a strict lockdown for two weeks beginning at midnight tomorrow following the detection of nine COVID-19 cases among non-quarantined travellers arriving from Wallis and Futuna. (Radio France Internationale)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - Auckland is downgraded to alert level 2 while the rest of New Zealand moves to alert level 1 following confirmation that there are no more community cases. (Stuff)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - Israel reopens restaurants, bars, and other entertainment venues for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Middle-school students return to school in some areas and university classes also resume for those who have been vaccinated. Israeli citizens are also allowed to return to Israel without any special permissions. (Haaretz)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - At age 95, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad becomes the oldest person in Malaysia to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Langkawi, Kedah. (Malaysiakini)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal
    - Nepal receives 348,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine supplied through the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative. (The Kathmandu Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - Sri Lanka receives its first shipment of 264,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine supplied through the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative. (The New Indian Express)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
    - Austria suspends vaccinations using the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine as a precaution while investigating the death of a person who received it. (The Irish Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia
    - North Macedonia grants emergency use authorization for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. (Yahoo! Finance)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia, 501.V2 variant
    - Slovakia reports its first seven cases of the 501.V2 variant first detected in South Africa. (The Slovak Spectator)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, Lineage P.1
    - Ohio reports its first cases of the Lineage P.1 variant first detected in Brazil. (The Cincinnati Enquirer)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia
  - Ethiopia receives its first shipment of 2.2 million doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India supplied through the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative. (Barron's)

Politics and elections

2021 Swiss referendums
- Swiss voters approve a ban on full-facial coverings in public, known popularly as a so-called "burqa ban", and a free trade agreement with Indonesia, while rejecting a government proposal to introduce nationwide electronic IDs, which would be required to open a bank account or request official documents. (NPR)

Sports

2020–21 Scottish Premiership
- Rangers wins the Scottish Premiership, the top-flight league in Scottish football, for the first time since 2011 after their rivals Celtic failed to win against Dundee United. It is Rangers manager and former England captain Steven Gerrard's first trophy as a manager, and the win also denies Celtic a record 10th consecutive Premiership title. (BBC Sport)
2021 FC Barcelona presidential election
- Former FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta wins the club's 14th presidential election with 54.2% of the votes. (Sky Sports)