Portal:Current events/2021 May 3

May 3, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in the Maghreb
- 2021 Niger attacks
  - Sixteen Nigerien soldiers are killed and six others wounded when their patrol is ambushed in Tahoua. (Al Jazeera)
- Kodyel attack
  - At least 30 civilians are killed and 20 more wounded as several armed men assault a village in Foutouri, Burkina Faso. It is one of the deadliest attacks in the country's history. (Al Jazeera)
War in Afghanistan
- 2021 Afghanistan attacks
  - A bomb explodes near a school in Farah, injuring 21 people, including ten students. (ABC News)
2021 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan conflict
- Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan complete the withdrawal of their forces from the border. (The Times of Central Asia)
- Tajikistan says the border clashes left several people dead on their side. The death toll for Kyrgyzstan reaches 36 following the death of a four-year-old boy. (Al Jazeera) (AKIPress)
- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon orders that all residential buildings destroyed in Chorkuh be restored. (Asia-Plus)
- Kyrgyzs in Germany and the United Kingdom organize rallies and protests at Tajik embassies. Additionally, citizens living in San Francisco protest in support of the residents of Batken and call for international institutions to "bring Tajik President Rahmon to justice". (Kabar)
Internal conflict in Myanmar
- The Kachin Independence Army says that it shot down a military helicopter of the armed forces. The separatist group's information department head reported that they were attacked with airstrikes and that they shot back. In a separate incident, a junta-appointed local administrator is stabbed to death in Yangon. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage, COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- Bavarian minister-president Markus Söder announces that the annual Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich, scheduled for late September to October, will be cancelled for a second consecutive year due to the pandemic. (ABS-CBN News)

Disasters and accidents

Mexico City Metro overpass collapse
- A viaduct collapses in the Tezonco–Olivos elevated interstation of Line 12 of the Mexico City Metro. At least 23 people are killed and at least 70 others injured a train subsequently fell onto the road below. (BBC News)
At least 26 people are killed when a speedboat collides with a vessel transporting sand on the Padma River in Bangladesh. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Telangana, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on animals
      - Eight Asiatic lions in Hyderabad Zoo test positive for COVID-19, the first such case in India. (Times of India)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Haryana, COVID-19 lockdown in India
      - Haryana imposes a seven-day complete lockdown due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases across the state. (The Hindu)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi
      - Authorities in Delhi request help from the Indian Armed Forces amidst shortages of medical oxygen and a lack of beds in intensive care units in the city's overwhelmed hospitals. The local government wants the army to formally take over the administration of COVID-19 care facilities and intensive care units. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, Variants of SARS-CoV-2
    - Indonesia reports its first two cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, first discovered in India, in two people from Jakarta. The country also reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.351 variant, first discovered in South Africa, in a person from Bali. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      - President Rodrigo Duterte receives his first dose of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine. (CNBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record 31 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 276. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria, Lineage B.1.617
    - Algeria reports its first six cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, first discovered in India, in people from the coastal province of Tipaza. (Al-Arabiya English)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco, Lineage B.1.617
    - Morocco reports its first cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India, in two people from Casablanca. (Morocco World News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania, Variants of SARS-CoV-2
    - The Government of Tanzania announces that all travellers will be required to present negative COVID-19 test results at border points in order to reduce the spread of new variants. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Denmark becomes the first country to exclude the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from its vaccination programme over a potential link to a rare but serious form of thrombosis. (The Copenhagen Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Cafés, restaurants, and bars in Greece reopen for the first time in six months as the government begins to ease its COVID-19 restrictions. A nightly 9:00 p.m. curfew is also changed to 11:00 p.m. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut
    - Governor Ned Lamont announces that Connecticut has fully vaccinated 50% of its adult population, thereby making it the first state to do so. (Connecticut Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
    - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces that, on July 1, the state will suspend all local COVID-19 emergency measures. (CBS News)

International relations

Iran–United States relations, Iran–United Kingdom relations
- Iran denies yesterday's reports of an agreement to exchange prisoners with the United States and the United Kingdom. (PressTV)

Law and crime

2021 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan conflict
- The prosecutor general's office of Tajikistan launches a criminal investigation into servicemen and citizens of Kyrgyzstan for "unleashing an aggressive war". (Trend News Agency)
- The Kyrgyz Prosecutor General's Office accuses the Tajikistan Armed Forces of invading the country and seizing their sovereign territory. (Katkus Media)
German police say that they have dismantled one of the world's largest child pornography networks on the dark web, with over 400,000 registered users. Four people have been detained in raids, including a man from Paraguay, on suspicion of running the network. Europol also says that several paedophile chat sites were taken down in the German-led intelligence operation. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2021 Colombian protests
- Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez says that he is withdrawing a controversial tax reform proposal after thousands of predominantly working-class people took to the streets to protest against the plans, which they say unfairly target the poor. Seventeen people were killed in the protests. (BBC News)
Asylum in the United States
- U.S. President Joe Biden raises the cap on the number of refugees accepted each year, from 15,000 to 62,500. The move follows criticism from members of his party and refugee agencies over his prior proposal to retain the Trump-era cap. Biden also announces that he plans to further raise the cap to 125,000 next year. (BBC News)

Sports

2021 Indian Premier League, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cricket
- A match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore is postponed amidst a breach of the IPL's biosecure bubble as Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, as well as a senior coach, all tested positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)