Portal:Current events/2021 June 3

June 3, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2021 Kebbi massacre
- Across eight villages in Kebbi State, Nigeria, 88 people are killed. (CNN International)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
    - The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signs a deal with Biological E. Limited to buy 300 million doses of their locally-made COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently in phase III clinical trials. (Hindustan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 11,092 new recoveries from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 1,691,593. (Asian News International)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia surpasses 3,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Malay Mail)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, COVID-19 vaccination in Italy
    - Italy opens vaccinations for anyone over the age of 12 after the European Medicines Agency approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people between the ages of 12 and 15. (Medical Xpress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
    - Prime Minister Boris Johnson receives his second dose of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine. (Sky News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - The government announces a new disaster payment available to casual workers who are not getting shifts due to COVID-19 lockdowns, replacing the earlier JobKeeper program. Victorians have been in lockdown for one week without any form of support payments. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    - Fiji reports a record 28 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 508. The Ministry of Health confirms that most cases were linked to the Navy cluster, when an officer attended a funeral and later infected his co-workers aboard the ship. (RNZ International)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
  - Chile reports their first case of the "black fungus" infection. (The Times)

International relations

Holy See–Israel relations, Holy See–Palestine relations
- Pope Francis appoints Archbishop Tito Yllana as the new Apostolic Nuncio in Israel and Cyprus, and Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine. (Vatican News)
Norway–United States relations, United States intelligence operations abroad
- The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence summons United States chargé d'affaires to Norway Richard Riley following a report that the U.S. National Security Agency had been spying on Norwegian officials, in addition to other European officials. (The Local Norway)
China–United States relations
- U.S. President Joe Biden signs an executive order banning Americans from investing in nearly a dozen Chinese companies and their subsidiaries, such as China General Nuclear Power Group, either for their ties to the People's Liberation Army or for selling surveillance technology that is used to spy on the country's religious minorities or dissidents. The ban will go into effect on August 2, and current investors have a year to fully divest from these companies. (South China Morning Post)
France–Mali relations, 2021 Malian coup d'état
- The French Ministry of Armed Forces suspends combined operations between the French and Malian Armed Forces under Operation Barkhane following the second coup d'état in Mali within nine months. (Deutsche Welle)

Law and crime

George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, 2020–2021 United States racial unrest
- Unannounced and early in the morning, Minneapolis officials had cement barricades and other objects removed from George Floyd Square. Demonstrators gathered to protest the removals and after city crews left, activists quickly restored the barricades and other objects around the intersection. Several activists later spoke at a press conference in opposition to the city's action. Jaylani Hussein, director of the Minnesota Council on American-Islamic Relations, said it was an attempt to "delete history". (The New York Times)
Blasphemy in Pakistan; Capital punishment in Pakistan; Persecution of Christians
- The Lahore High Court in Punjab, Pakistan, overturns convictions of illiterate married couple Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar, who were convicted and sentenced to death in 2014 for sending a blasphemous text message to a local imam in 2013. Prosecutors state that they will appeal the verdict. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2019–2021 Israeli political crisis
- A Likud source says that incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will leave office on June 9, the day Naftali Bennett is scheduled to be sworn in. (The Jerusalem Post) (The Jewish Press)