Portal:Current events/2021 April 6

April 6, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iran–Israel proxy conflict
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy reconnaissance vessel Saviz is struck by several limpet mines off the coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea. A Pentagon spokesperson denies any U.S. involvement in the attack on the Iranian ship. (Al Jazeera) (Al Arabiya)
- An unnamed U.S. official says that Israel has informed the United States that its forces struck the vessel at about 7:30 a.m. local time in retaliation for earlier Iranian strikes on Israeli vessels. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

A Norwegian rescue coordination centre says the crew of MV Eemslift Hendrika was evacuated by helicopter overnight, with some having jumped into the North Sea, after the vessel began listing heavily. The ship, which specialises in transporting luxury yachts, has lost power, may sink, and is drifting towards the Norwegian coast. (The Independent)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado, Lineage P.1
      - Colorado reports its first cases of the Lineage P.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in two people from Boulder County. (The Denver Post)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts
      - Governor Charlie Baker receives his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. (WWLP-TV)
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      - President Joe Biden announces that the deadline for all states to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine will be moved up from May 1 to April 19. (CNN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto
        Toronto will close schools for in-person learning from tomorrow until April 18 and shift students into remote learning due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. (CP24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Haiti
    - The Haiti government rejects an offer from the World Health Organization to receive 756,000 doses of the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. (EFE)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago
    - Prime Minister Keith Rowley tests positive for COVID-19. (Trinidad Express)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi
      - The Delhi government imposes a curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. IST until April 30 due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the union territory. (The Economic Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh reports a record 7,213 new confirmed cases and 66 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 651,652 and the nationwide death toll to 9,384. (Business Standard)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports its first case of a more transmissible new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 nicknamed "Eek", which contains the E484K mutation that can reduce vaccine protection. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
    - Mongolia reports a record 831 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 11,651. (AKIPress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines reports a record 382 deaths in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 13,817. (ABS-CBN News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
    - The government approves a plan to reopen selected stores and lower grades at elementary schools, as well as lifting the 9:00 p.m. curfew and limits of movement between districts beginning April 12. (U.S. News and World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey reports a record 49,584 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3.5 million. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
    - Ukraine signs a deal with Pfizer to supply 10 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. (UNIAN)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    - Argentina reports a record 20,870 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide cumulative total to 2.4 million cases. (Olé)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    - Brazil reports a record 4,195 deaths in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 336,947. It was the first time that the country surpassed the mark of 4,000 deaths in a single day. (The Rio Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
  - The New Zealand government announces that it will allow quarantine-free travel from Australia beginning April 19, thereby reestablishing two-way, quarantine-free travel between the nations. (BBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
  - South Africa signs a deal with Pfizer to supply 20 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. The first shipment is expected to arrive in late April. (Independent Online)

International relations

Ukraine–NATO relations, War in Donbass
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy calls on NATO to hasten the country's accession to the military alliance in response to a growing build-up of Russian troops and military hardware on its borders, and to help bring an end to the ongoing conflict in the Donbas with pro-Russian separatists. (The Guardian)
Israel–Sudan relations
- The cabinet of Sudan repeals a 1958 law that prohibits establishing relations with Israel, nearly five months after the two countries agreed to normalize ties. (Radio France Internationale)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in the United States
- Arkansas becomes the first U.S. state to ban transitional care for transgender minors after the Legislature overrides Governor Asa Hutchinson's veto of the bill. (The Independent)

Politics and elections

2021 Dutch general election
- Minister of State Herman Tjeenk Willink of the Labour Party is appointed as informateur for the next cabinet formation. (DutchNews.nl)
The National Assembly elects Võ Thị Ánh Xuân as Vietnam's 15th Vice President, with 93.1% of the vote. She is the sixth consecutive woman to hold the post. (VnExpress)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, 2020 Summer Olympics
- North Korea announces that the country has withdrawn from participating in the Summer Olympics in Japan, citing COVID-19 concerns. (The New York Times)