Portal Current events 2021 March 27

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • Battle of Palma
    • In the fourth day of a siege in Palma, Mozambique, several people are killed by ISIL-linked militants. Local civilians are killed in streets and buildings, with reports of beheadings. A South African man and a British citizen are murdered after a hotel and an evacuation convoy are attacked; other foreigners are also suspected to have been killed. At least 21 soldiers are shot dead while responding to the hotel attack. (The Times) (The Telegraph)
    • Islamist militants have taken control of Palma after outnumbered government forces withdraw from the town, according to security forces. (The Guardian)
• War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
  • 2021 Afghanistan attacks
    • Three people are killed in a car bombing in Kandahar Province. (Lokmat)
• 2021 Myanmar protests
  • More than 114 anti-coup protesters are killed by the military as junta leader Min Aung Hlaing celebrates Armed Forces Day and promises to "protect people and strive for democracy". The protests erupted across the country despite a warning by state television that protesters could be "shot in the head and back". (Reuters) (WGAU)
• Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano accuses FARC splinter group Dagoberto Ramos Mobile Column of being responsible for yesterday's car bombing in Corinto, Cauca Department, that injured 43 people, eleven of whom were public officials. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 18 people are killed and 24 others are injured when an apartment complex building collapses in Cairo, Egypt. (Al Jazeera)
• A Eurocopter AS350B3 helicopter crashes into a glacier near Anchorage, Alaska, killing five people, including Czech billionaire Petr Kellner. One crew member survived and has been hospitalized. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 community quarantines in the Philippines
      • Enhanced community quarantine in Luzon
        • The government announces that the Greater Manila Area will be placed under enhanced community quarantine, which includes a curfew from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time, for one week from March 29 to April 4. (Inquirer)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bhutan
      • Bhutan launches their largest vaccination campaign against COVID-19 using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that was received from India. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia reports a record 179 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,157. (Khmer Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
        • First Minister Arlene Foster receives her first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. (The Irish Times)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Wales
        • Wales lifts their "stay local" rules that have been imposed since December, allowing people to travel freely within the country. They also allow up to six people from two different households to meet and exercise outdoors, as well as resumption of organised outdoor activities and sports for people under the age of 18. (The Independent)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey reports 30,021 new cases in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total this year, thereby bringing its cumulative case total to 3,179,115. (Arab News)

International relations

• China–Iran relations
  • Iran–China 25-year Cooperation Program
    • China and Iran sign a 25-year cooperation agreement at a live televised ceremony in Tehran, following a two-day state visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The accord is expected to significantly increase Chinese investment in Iran, especially in the energy and infrastructure sectors. (Reuters)
• War in Afghanistan
  • Afghanistan–United States relations, Afghan peace process
    • United States envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad visits Turkey in an effort to encourage parties to accelerate negotiations and end the conflict. (Voice of America)
• China–United States relations, Canada–China relations
  • China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs places sanctions against the chair and vice-chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and Canadian MP Michael Chong. Beijing’s sanctions followed those imposed by the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada earlier this week for what they say are violations of the rights of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• One person is killed and six others are wounded in a mass stabbing in and around a public library in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (CBC News)
• List of mass shootings in the United States in 2021, Crime in Virginia
  • A series of shootings occur on the oceanfront of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Friday night. They consist of a mass shooting that left eight people injured; a subsequent, fatal shooting by a police officer; and an unrelated fatal shooting that occurred nearby. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• Voter suppression in the United States, 2020–21 Georgia state elections
  • Changes to Georgia voting laws which have been called voter suppression results in the MLB looking to proposals to move the MLB All-Star Game this July in Atlanta. Civil rights groups also urged the PGA to pull the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Newsweek)

• Thousands of women protest in Istanbul over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. (Reuters)
• Scottish National Party MP Kenny MacAskill defects to the newly formed Scottish nationalist Alba Party, becoming the party's first MP in the House of Commons. (BBC News)

Science and technology

• COVID-19 misinformation by governments
  • Facebook blocks the account of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro for spreading fake news related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as alleged miraculous remedies to combat the disease. (El Mundo)