Portal:Current events/2021 April 5

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • Battle of Palma
    • Mozambique's military says that it has regained full control of the town of Palma, more than a week after it was captured by ISIL-linked militants. Several militants are killed during the counter-offensive. (BBC News)
• War in Darfur
  • 2021 Darfur clashes
    • Tribal clashes between Masa and Arabs in the Sudanese city of Geneina, West Darfur, kill at least 40 people and injure 60 others. Residents report the use of heavy weaponry and rocket-propelled grenades. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria, prison breaks in Nigeria
  • Owerri prison break
    • Authorities say that heavily-armed gunmen attacked a prison in Owerri, Imo, freeing more than 1,800 prisoners. Police accuse the banned separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra of being the attackers. The group denies the allegations, calling them "lies". (BBC News)
• War in Afghanistan
  • The Afghan Army Special Operations Division reportedly says that 110 Taliban members have been killed in the last 24 hours in Afghanistan. (Mehr News Agency)

Business and economy

• South Korean electronics company LG says that it will discontinue producing smartphones, citing poor sales and stiff competition from both flagship and budget brands. It becomes the first major smartphone brand to exit the market. (BusinessWorld)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 26 people are killed when a ferry sinks after colliding with a cargo ship in the Shitalakshya River, Narayanganj, Bangladesh. (The Times of India)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India reports a record 103,558 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby making it the second country after the United States to report more than 100,000 new cases in a single day. (The Times of India)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran receives over 700,000 doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine manufactured by SK Bioscience and supplied through the COVAX initiative. (Tehran Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines surpasses 800,000 cases of COVID-19. (ABS-CBN News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Hajj
      • The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah says that only vaccinated pilgrims will be allowed access to Mecca's Great Mosque during Ramadan. (Al Jazeera)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Restrictions in Byron Bay, New South Wales, and surrounding areas are lifted following a decline in cases. This was the last area of Australia to be under any form of lockdown. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• The Turkish government arrests at least ten former admirals under suspicion of initiating a coup d'état, after 104 retired admirals issued an open letter opposing the proposed Istanbul Canal. (The News International)
• The United States Customs and Border Protection agency announces the separate arrests of two Yemeni nationals on the FBI's terrorism watchlist attempting to enter the country from Mexico earlier this year. (The Times)
• A relative of Red Crescent worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan says the Saudi Arabian Specialised Criminal Court has sentenced al-Sadhan to 20 years imprisonment, followed by a 20-year travel ban, in a secret trial. Rights groups allege the sentence is connected to an anonymous Twitter account on which al-Sadhan questioned Saudi positions on human rights issues. (Middle East Eye)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Vietnam
  • Nguyễn Xuân Phúc is elected as the 11th President, with 97.5% of the vote. He is the country's first former Prime Minister to be elected President. (VnExpress)
  • The National Assembly of Vietnam elects Phạm Minh Chính as the country's 10th Prime Minister, with 96% of the vote. (Zing)
• 2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia
  • President Vladimir Putin signs a law extending the presidential term of office to a total of four consecutive six-year terms. The law would allow Putin, who is on his second consecutive term, to serve as president until 2036. (ABS-CBN News)

Sports

• 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
  • The Baylor Bears defeat the Gonzaga Bulldogs, 86-70, handing Gonzaga their first loss of the season and winning the NCAA men's basketball tournament. (CBS News)