Houthi forces continue to advance on the city of Maʼrib, capturing the village of al-Zor and reaching the Marib Dam. Yemeni government officials say that dozens of people have been killed in the past 24 hours as government forces counter the Houthi offensive. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock condemns the Houthi assault, warning of "unimaginable humanitarian consequences".
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February 16, 2021 (Tuesday)
4.3 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
A spokesperson for the rebel group Tigray People's Liberation Front claimed that an estimated 100,000 troops (both Tigrayan and Ethiopian) have been killed during the conflict. Three Ethiopian opposition parties previously claimed that an estimated 52,000 civilians have also died.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame stated that the reported deaths in Tigray were too high to let Ethiopia and the African Union handle the situation alone. He said that the UN should intervene in the Tigray War, explaining that when a state is not able to stop atrocities on its territory, such as genocide, the UN has a duty to intervene.
Business and economy
The White House announces that President Joe Biden will extend the foreclosure ban and mortgage forbearance through the end of June as an effort to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disasters and accidents
A tornado in Brunswick County, North Carolina kills 3 people and injures 10 others.
A winter storm kills at least 23 people and causes power outages for millions of people across the United States.
Health and environment
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirms that a phased return to school will begin on February 22, which will include pre-school children, pupils in primaries 1, 2 and 3, and secondary students who need to carry out practical assignments.
Palestine reports their first cases of the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom in 139 people from the West Bank.
India reports their first four cases of the 501.V2 variant from South Africa and one case of the Lineage P.1 variant from Brazil in people who travelled internationally.
Malaysia extends their movement control order in Selangor, Johor and Penang as well as the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur until March 4 but eases restrictions in other parts of the country.
South Korea signs an agreement with Novavax and Pfizer to secure additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for 23 million people in the second quarter of this year.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration approves the emergency use of the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca for people over 18 years of age in Australia.
The World Health Organization asks six African countries (Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia) to be alert for possible Ebola outbreaks after Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo reported new cases that signalled a resurgence of the outbreak.
Massachusetts reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant first detected in South Africa in a woman in her 20s from Middlesex County.
Health Minister Mai al-Kaila accuses Israel of blocking the delivery of 2,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine to the Gaza Strip, intended for ICU and emergency staff.
The first batch consisting 80,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine arrives at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, which is unapproved for general use in South Africa and worldwide.
The Dominican Republic begins to innoculate medical workers as part of a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 following the arrival of the first 20,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Law and crime
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces that there will be a probe following accusations of rape against his government in Parliament.
The Myanmar Police Force files new charges against ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi for violating COVID-19 regulations, which may allow her to be held indefinitely without trial.
Two men accused of leading a Christian-majority Anti-balaka group in the Central African Republic which targeted Muslims plead not guilty at the start of their trial at the International Criminal Court.
A lower court in The Hague orders the government to scrap its 9:00 pm to 4:30 am curfew, citing violations of freedom of movement and assembly. Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government appealed the court decision, which was overturned by a high court.
A court in Bangladesh sentences five men to death for murdering Avijit Roy, an American-Bangladeshi blogger critical of religious extremism, six years ago. The men belong to the al-Qaeda-inspired group Ansarullah Bangla Team. Another man was sentenced to life in prison.
Belarus authorities raid the offices of the Association of Journalists and Viasna Human Rights Centre as part of the latest move to end protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.
Footage obtained by the BBC programme Panorama reveals that Dubai sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum has been held in a private villa for at least a year after she attempted to escape from her family in February 2018. Latifa's close associates are calling for international intervention after they stopped receiving messages from her, fearing for her safety.
The NAACP and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson file a lawsuit accusing former President Donald Trump, Trump lawyer and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers of conspiring to incite the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol. The lawsuit, citing the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, also accuses the defendants of disrupting the certification of Biden's victory by Congress.
Politics and elections
Thousands of protestors defy COVID-19 restrictions and take to the streets in Kherrata to both commemorate the second anniversary of the protests and to repeat their demands for the ruling government to step down.
The Electoral Tribunal unanimously dismisses the electoral protest of former Senator Bongbong Marcos against Vice President Leni Robredo.
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