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March 17, 2021 (Wednesday)
2.2 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
Nearly 200 civilians, mostly Catholics, are forced to flee their villages due to renewed fighting between the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Myanmar’s conflict-stricken Kachin state.
Health and environment
The Palestinian National Authority receives 61,440 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. 37,440 of the doses are the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the other 24,000 doses are the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Uzbekistan receives its first shipment of 660,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and distributed through the COVAX initiative.
The Government of Poland announces a new national lockdown, which will close all cultural venues and non-essential shops for three weeks beginning on March 20 as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase.
North Dakota reports their first four cases of the California variant of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, the state also reports seven cases of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Kazakhstan suspends talks with AstraZeneca for purchasing its vaccine amidst fears of blood clots in many countries.
Lebanon suspends the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine pending a review from the international health agencies following fears of blood clots in vaccinated people.
Hungary reports a record 195 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 17,421.
International relations
UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay is expected to be reelected as head of the agency after no other candidates were nominated.
U.S. President Joe Biden says that Russian president Vladimir Putin "will pay a price" for reportedly leading efforts to influence the 2020 United States presidential election and that he has "no soul" and is "a killer".
Russia recalls its Ambassador to the United States in order to figure out what to do and where to move in terms of relations with the U.S.
Pope Francis expresses his concerns over the tense situation in Paraguay due to a deepening health and political crisis in the South American nation which have led to protests and instances of violence in recent days. In his message, the Pope appeals for dialogue to prevail over violence.
Law and crime
The Sapporo district court rules that prohibiting same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
Politics and elections
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy of incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte finishes first in the nation's general election. The liberal Democrats 66 party is projected to equal their best-ever result, finishing second with 24 seats. A record of 17 parties are also in track to enter the House of Representatives.
According to exit polls, turnout was at 82.6%, the highest since 1986.
President John Magufuli dies of heart complications, which are believed to have resulted from COVID-19. Vice President Samia Suluhu is expected to succeed him and become Tanzania's first female president.
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