U.S. President Joe Biden warns that the country will not meet the May 1 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan. However, he also said that it is unlikely that troops will remain in the country next year.
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March 25, 2021 (Thursday)
3.2 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
The Bundestag approves a new mandate to let Germany continue to station up to 1,300 Bundeswehr soldiers in Afghanistan until January 31, 2022.
Arts and culture
The 2021 redesign of the £50 note, featuring British mathematician Alan Turing on the reverse, is officially unveiled by the Bank of England. It is slated to enter circulation on June 23, Turing's birthday.
Disasters and accidents
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declares a state of emergency for 46 counties as the National Weather Service predicts a severe weather outbreak and possible tornado outbreak.
The National Weather Service issues a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch after level 5 "high risk" watches are issued for parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
The Suez Canal Authority suspends navigation through the Suez Canal until the grounded container ship Ever Given can be refloated. The waterway has now been blocked for three consecutive days.
A tornado emergency was issued by the National Weather Service near Hoover, Alabama. Another emergency was also issued for Brent and Centreville.
The official death toll from the major winter storms that struck Texas and triggered statewide blackouts last month rises to at least 111, more than double the previous reported numbers. It is also believed that the storms could become the costliest weather disaster in the state's history.
Health and environment
The Philippines reports a record 8,773 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 693,048.
Iraq receives 336,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine distributed through the COVAX vaccine sharing initiative.
Ukraine reports a record 16,669 new confirmed cases and 362 deaths in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,596,575 and the nationwide death toll to 31,135.
AstraZeneca announces that the efficacy rating of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been lowered to 76%, following new analyses of the trial run in the United States. Earlier in the week, the company had been criticized for advertising its vaccine with a 79% efficacy rating using what critics claimed was outdated data.
Chile reports nearly 50,000 active cases of COVID-19, a new record for the country. The country also announces that the entire Santiago Metropolitan Region will be put under lockdown beginning next Saturday.
The Government of France extends the partial lockdown to the departments of Rhône, Aube, and Nièvre due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections. The restrictions will begin at midnight tomorrow.
Poland will close barbers, hairdressers, and beauty shops from March 27 until April 9, as well as kindergartens and nurseries, while restricting the capacity at essential shops, churches, public markets, and post offices amidst the rising number of the COVID-19 cases.
Pfizer and BioNTech begin a clinical trial testing of their COVID-19 vaccine on healthy children between the ages of six months and 11 years, which is considered a crucial step towards vaccinating children.
The Thailand Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, thereby becoming the third vaccine to be made available for local use.
Virginia reports its two first cases of the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant first detected in California.
International relations
The United States and the United Kingdom impose sanctions on Burmese conglomerates Myanma Economic Holdings and Myanmar Economic Corporation, citing the crackdown and human rights violations committed by the military junta since taking power on February 1.
Politics and elections
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya calls for a "Freedom Day" and renewed protests against President Alexander Lukashenko in order to mount pressure for him to resign amidst a disputed election last year.
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