Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Poster advertising trials of the RTS,S vaccine

• A magnitude-5.9 earthquake kills at least 20 people and injures 300 others in Balochistan, Pakistan.
• RTS,S becomes the first malaria vaccine (trial poster pictured) to be approved by the World Health Organization.
• Two tropical cyclones impact parts of India, Pakistan, Iran and Oman, resulting in at least 38 deaths.
• David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on biological temperature and touch receptors.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• Cumbre Vieja eruption

Recent deaths:

• Lissy Jarvik
• Eberhard Panitz
• Siran Upendra Deraniyagala
• John Chilcot
• Carlisle Floyd
• Nana Ampadu

Current events of October 8, 2021 (2021-10-08) (Friday)

Current events of October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Two teachers are killed by suspected Islamist terrorists inside a school in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The victims, who were members of the Hindu and Sikh minorities, are the 24th and 25th civilian victims killed by suspected militant groups in Kashmir this year. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah wins the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee". Gurnah's most renowned novel is Paradise, set in colonial East Africa during World War I. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economy of Venezuela
  • The U.S. State Department confirms accusations made yesterday by Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodríguez, who blamed an alleged U.S. veto for not allowing Venezuela to receive IMF COVID-19 relief funds. The State Department says that only recognized governments can access these funds. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Balochistan earthquake
  • At least 20 people are killed and around 200 more are injured as a 5.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Harnai, Balochistan, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
• An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 hits Tokyo, Japan, and surrounding areas, stopping train lines but without any immediate reports of damage. According to Japan's system, this was labeled as a "strong-5 earthquake". (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • India begins the use of commercial drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to remote areas of the country in order to increase the country's vaccination rate. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
      • The Indonesian Drug and Food Control Agency issues an emergency use authorization for the three dose Zifivax ZF2001 vaccine. (Antara News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, COVID-19 drug development
      • Malaysia signs an agreement with Merck & Co. to obtain 150,000 courses of the experimental drug Molnupiravir as part of a transition towards the endemic phase and "living with the COVID-19". (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea, International aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The World Health Organization begins shipping essential COVID-19 medical supplies into North Korea via the Chinese port of Dalian and quarantine facilities in the seaport of Nampo, a possible sign of easing one of the world's strictest pandemic border closures. (NPR)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Finland, COVID-19 vaccination in Finland
      • Finland suspends the usage of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people born since 1991 due to unpublished reports of rare cardiovascular side effects such as myocarditis. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
      • The Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends COVID-19 vaccine booster doses for people over the age of 70 and care home workers. The committee also recommends mRNA-based booster doses for people who previously received the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. (Deutsche Welle)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 27,550 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases this year. (AP)

Law and crime

• The trial against a 100-year-old former SS concentration camp guard begins in Germany. The man is accused of collaborating in the murders of 3,518 people at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp between 1942 and 1945, when he was employed as a standing guard in the watchtower. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Ukraine, 9th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada
  • Dmytro Razumkov, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, is dismissed following his disagreements with President Volodymyr Zelensky and his ruling Servant of the People party's stances on legislation which aimed to reduce the influence of Ukrainian oligarchs. (Kyiv Post)
• Politics of Norfolk Island
  • A political party named the Norfolk Island Party is formed to advocate for the islanders' self-determination from Australia. The party's goal is to achieve sovereignty for Norfolk Island. (RNZ)
• Poland and the European Union
  • The Polish Constitutional Tribunal rules that the Constitution of Poland takes precedence over EU laws, directly challenging the primacy of European Union law principle, escalating tensions around the Polish rule-of-law crisis and in particular around the country's controversial judicial reforms. (The New York Times) (Politico)

Current events of October 6, 2021 (2021-10-06) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
    • Taliban soldiers raid an IS–K hideout in Kabul, arresting four militants. Meanwhile, ISIL claims responsibility for the beheading of a Taliban soldier in Jalalabad. (Reuters)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Dozens of armed bandits on motorbikes storm a village in Zamfara, killing 18 civilians, burning shops and cars, and forcing many residents to flee. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • A battle between jihadists and Malian forces in the central Mopti Region leaves at least nine soldiers and 15 insurgents dead. The mayor of the nearby town of Bankass says that up to 16 soldiers were killed in the attack. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark, COVID-19 vaccination in Denmark
      • Denmark suspends the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people under the age of 18 after reports of myocarditis and meningitis, which are rare side effects of the vaccine. (The Local Denmark)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania reports a record 331 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 38,260. (Euractiv)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 929 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 212,685. (Gulf News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, COVID-19 vaccination in Sweden
      • Sweden temporarily suspends the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people born since 1991 for precautionary reasons after reports of possible rare side effects, such as myocarditis. (CBS News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan
      • Kazakhstan signs an agreement to purchase four million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine which will be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year. (KAZINFORM)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 3,577 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 113,381. (TODAY)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam surpasses 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. (VN Express)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Brazil lifts an air travel restriction that prevented travel from the United Kingdom, South Africa and India due to the pandemic. Travellers from these countries can now enter Brazil after showing a negative COVID-19 test result. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
    • Canadian federal government announces a nationwide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for rail and train passengers and will place unvaccinated core federal employees under unpaid leave as early as November 15 if they had not disclose their vaccination status by October 29. (CNN)
• The World Health Organization endorses the mass rollout of the malaria vaccine RTS,S across Sub-Saharan Africa and other countries affected by the disease after pilot programs with the vaccine in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi reduced malaria-related hospitalization and death rates among children by 70%. (The Guardian)

International relations

• Nuclear weapons of the United States
  • The U.S. State Department reveals that the current stockpile of nuclear weapons is 3,750 warheads. (State.gov)
• Russia–NATO relations
  • NATO expels eight members of the Russian Mission to NATO, accusing the Russians of secretly operating as intelligence officers. NATO also reduces the number of Russian positions at the organization to 10. (Military.com)
• Paris Agreement
  • Turkey ratifies the Paris Climate Accords, an international treaty on climate change, becoming the last G20 country to do so. (MSN)

Law and crime

• Timberview High School shooting
  • Four people are wounded as a gunman opens fire at an high school in Arlington, Texas, United States after a fight. The suspected attacker escaped from the scene, but was arrested several hours later. (The Daily Beast)
• Abortion in the United States
  • United States federal judge Robert L. Pitman issues an order to block the Texas Heartbeat Act. (AFP via The Times of India)
• Chilean opposition politicians agree to seek impeachment of President Sebastián Piñera due to potential conflict of interest and tax evasion, as revealed by the Pandora Papers which were released on Sunday. (Mercopress)
• Case Breakers, a group of former law enforcement individuals, claim to have identified the Zodiac Killer as Gary Francis Poste, an individual who had passed away in 2018. The finding is vehemently disavowed by the FBI, who assert the case is "still very much open". (The Independent)

Politics and elections

• Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announces the resignation of Prime Minister Guido Bellido. Mirtha Vásquez is sworn-in to replace Bellido. (Reuters) (Andina)

Science and technology

• Facebook Files
  • Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, tells U.S. lawmakers that the company's sites and apps "harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy". (BBC News)
• Chemists Benjamin List of Germany and David MacMillan of the United States are awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on molecular engineering through organocatalysis. (AFP via Gulf News)

Current events of October 5, 2021 (2021-10-05) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Three civilians are killed by suspected Islamist terrorists at three different locations in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, in a spike of killings targeting civilians in the area. The victims were a Hindu chemist, an Indian street food vendor from Bihar, and a Muslim taxi driver. Two other civilians were killed in Srinagar four days ago by a Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked group. (The Indian Express)
• Afghanistan conflict
  • A report by Amnesty International says that the Taliban has executed 13 Hazaras, including eleven former members of the government, shortly after the fall of Kabul. The Taliban denies that they were behind the killings. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Russian actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko launch into space onboard Soyuz MS-19 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan. They intend to film scenes for The Challenge, which will be the first feature-length movie filmed in outer space, on the International Space Station over one week before returning to Earth. (AFP via The Moscow Times)

Business and economy

• Evergrande liquidity crisis
  • Two further Chinese real-estate developers, Fantasia Holdings and Sinic Holdings, with liabilities of $12.8 billion and $14.2 billion respectively, both fail to make bond payments amid tightening resource availability after Evergrande raised investor concerns, and were both downgraded to "CCC" or "substantial credit risk". (CNBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania reports a record 15,037 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,289,156. (Romania Insider)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 895 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 211,696. (Interfax)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, COVID-19 vaccination in Spain
      • The Ministry of Health announces that the National Public Health Commission will offer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine beginning in late October to elderly people who received their second vaccine dose at least six months ago. (MedicalXpress)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
        • Victoria reports a record 1,763 new cases and four deaths in the past 24 hours, which is the highest daily total reported by any Australian state since the start of the pandemic. (ABC News Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
      • Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces the details of the COVID-19 vaccine certificates, which show full vaccination status, in order to make large-scale events safer. The vaccine certificate is expected to come into use in November. (TVNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    • Singapore reports a record 3,486 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 109,084. (The Straits Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia
    • Zambia lowers its vaccination target from 70% to 30% in December as the country will relaunch the nationwide vaccination program on Thursday. (Anadolu Agency)

International relations

• Afghanistan–United Kingdom relations
  • UK special envoy Simon Gass meets with Taliban Deputy Prime Ministers Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdul Salam Hanafi in Kabul for the first time since the takeover of the country to discuss Afghanistan's growing humanitarian crisis and terrorism, and to guarantee safe passage to those wishing to emigrate. Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi also said they discussed the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations, with Gass saying the foreign ministry wishes to "begin a new chapter of constructive relations". (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Two prison guards are taken hostage at a prison in Condé-sur-Sarthe, Normandy, France. One of the hostages is injured. The hostage-taker later surrenders. (Reuters)
• A court in the Holy See agrees to return to the investigative phase of an ongoing trial against Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu for alleged embezzlement, abuse of power and fraud, and other charges. Becciu was fired from his position in the Vatican City by Pope Francis in 2020 for alleged nepotism, which Becciu also denies. (Reuters)
• Nine barracks at the former Auschwitz concentration camp, now the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, are vandalized with Holocaust denial graffiti. (MSN)
• Prosecutor General of Moldova Alexandru Stoianoglo is suspended from his positions by President Maia Sandu, and is detained by security forces following allegations of corruption. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Romanian political crisis
  • The Romanian government is dissolved following a no confidence vote against the centrist government of Prime Minister Florin Cîțu. (Reuters)
• 2021 Libyan general election
  • The Libyan House of Representatives votes to postpone the parliamentary elections initially scheduled for December 24, alongside the presidential election, until January 2022. (AFP via Al Jazeera)

Science and technology

• Microsoft Windows version history
  • Microsoft launches Windows 11, its latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The upgrade to Windows 11 will be free for Windows 10 users. (BBC News)
• Climatologists Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann and theoretical physicist Giorgio Parisi are awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work towards the understanding of physical systems through climate models. (AFP via NDTV)

Current events of October 4, 2021 (2021-10-04) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest
  • Farmers vow to intensify their protest against laws aimed at liberalising agriculture, after four farmers were rammed and killed yesterday in Uttar Pradesh by a vehicle owned by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra. Three members of the party and the driver of the vehicle were then killed by protesters. A journalist was also found dead today near the scene of the violence. (Al Jazeera)
• Islamic State–Taliban conflict
  • The Taliban says it has "destroyed an IS–K cell" in Kabul following yesterday's bombing at a mosque during the memorial for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Mujahid says that a special Taliban unit carried out the operation and that the base was destroyed and everyone inside was killed. (Deutsche Welle)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Twelve Burkinabé troops are killed and five others are wounded in an attack in the northern Sanmatenga Province. No group has claimed responsibility for the ambush assault. (Reuters)
• Aftermath of the Second Libyan Civil War
  • A United Nations report blames all warring sides in Libya of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly against detainees, migrants and prominent women. (Al Jazeera)
• Police in Cyprus arrest a man suspected of "planning attacks against Israeli people". Israel has accused Iran of orchestrating the plot, although Iran has denied the allegations. Other reports suggest that the target of the plot was businessman Teddy Sagi and could be linked to business disputes involving Sagi. (BBC)
• Four ISIL terrorists and one security forces member are killed during clashes in southern Khartoum, Sudan. Four other suspected militants are arrested during the raid, while three more soldiers are wounded. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Evergrande liquidity crisis
  • Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times reports that Chinese property developer Evergrande Group will sell 51% of its property service arm to rival company Hopson Development for US$5 billion. The report comes as both Hopson and Evergrande suspended trading in their shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the morning, pending an announcement about a "major transaction". (CNBC) (AFP via The Jakarta Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • The death toll from the floods in Muscat, Oman, caused by Cyclone Shaheen, increases to 12 as nine more people are found dead. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption
  • The main cone of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma collapses, increasing the lava flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The main lava flow is now 1.2 km across at its widest point. (El Pais)
• 2021 Orange County oil spill
  • Authorities in Orange County, California, United States, blame a 41-year-old oil pipeline for yesterday's spill, so far releasing 3,000 barrels of oil into the Pacific Ocean and severely damaging the coast of Southern California. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 drug development
      • The Australian government signs an agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme to buy 300,000 courses of the antiviral drug molnupiravir, pending regulator clearance, which would be the first pill to treat COVID-19 patients. (9 News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
      • Fiji reopens businesses, places of worship and educational institutions at 70% capacity to those who have been fully vaccinated amid a decrease in the number of new cases and an increase in the vaccination rate. (Matangi Tonga)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • New Zealand drops the elimination strategy to combat COVID-19 in favour of a new model that contains vaccination rates amid the continued outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Isle of Man
      • The Isle of Man begins administering booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. (BBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, COVID-19 vaccination in Sweden
      • The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends that children between the ages of 12 and 15 be vaccinated against COVID-19 using the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (The Straits Times)
    • European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine
      • The European Medicines Agency approves a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people aged over 18-years-old. However, it was up to member states to decide whether to use them. (Deutsche Welle)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand
    • Thailand begins a vaccination programme for children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old using the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the government plans to resume face-to-face learning. (NHK World-Japan)
• Insulate Britain protests
  • Insulate Britain holds a sit-in protest in three major routes into London, including the Blackwall Tunnel. The group have stated that they will continue protesting until the government has concrete plans to retrofit around 29 million buildings which the group claims have insufficient insulation. (ITV News)

International relations

• 2021 North Kosovo protests
  • Kosovo and Serbia begin implementing stickers to cover national symbols and country abbreviations on their respective vehicle license plates when they are in the other country, with normal traffic on the border fully resuming. (Exit News)
• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • The North and South Korean governments reinstate the Seoul–Pyongyang hotline after North Korea suspended the connection in early August, in protest against South Korea's military exercises with the United States. (AFP via France 24)
• China-Taiwan relations
  • A total of 52 People's Liberation Army Air Force aircraft fly into Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone, the Ministry of National Defense says on Twitter. This amounts to 145 Chinese aircraft which have flown into Taiwan's air defense area this month (NBC News)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
  • Deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi asks to reduce her time in court appearances, stating that her health has deteriorated. The judge will make a decision on the request next week. Suu Kyi currently faces multiple charges ranging from corruption to money laundering. (The Guardian)
• A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent is killed and another is critically wounded, and a Tucson Police Department officer is wounded at a shooting involving two suspects, one of whom was a gunman who is believed to have killed himself, at the Tucson, Arizona Amtrak train station; the officers had boarded the just-disembarked Sunset Limited to do a drug check. (MSN/AP)

Politics and elections

• The parliament of Singapore passes a law aimed to outlaw foreign interference in domestic affairs. Opponents of the measure have expressed concerns regarding the broadness of certain provisions that may potentially hinder some civil liberties. (AFP via The Guardian)

Science and technology

• 2021 Facebook outage
  • Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus experience an extended global outage that began at 15:39 UTC. Some experts believe that the outage was caused by a BGP update from Facebook. (CNN) (Cloudflare)
• Scientists David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian are awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch". (Reuters)

Sports

• 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
  • Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. wins the rain-shortened YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, becoming the first African-American to win a NASCAR Cup race since 1963. (The New York Times)

Current events of October 3, 2021 (2021-10-03) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Five people are killed and four others are injured when a bomb explodes at the entrance to Id Gah Mosque in Kabul, during the funeral of Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid's mother. Three suspects are arrested. (Al Jazeera English)
• 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest
  • Four farmers are rammed and killed in Uttar Pradesh by a convoy of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Other farmers then attacked the convoy, killing three members of the party and the driver of the vehicle. (Al Jazeera)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Two children are killed when a Houthi missile hits their home in the city of Marib. Many others are wounded. (Reuters)
• Libyan peace process
  • Libyan foreign minister Najla Mangoush announces a "very modest start" to the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country following a permanent ceasefire of the Second Libyan Civil War. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Business and economy

• North Sea Link
  • The world's longest under-sea electricity cable interconnector begins transferring power between Kvilldal, Norway, and Blyth, Northumberland, United Kingdom. At its full 1,400 megawatt capacity, the interconnector is expected to supply at least 1.4 million homes with electricity. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • Six people are killed in Chabahar, Iran, and three more are killed in Muscat, Oman, as Cyclone Shaheen impacts the two countries. Shaheen is expected to make further landfalls in other parts of Oman later today. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Milan airplane crash
  • Eight people are killed when their Pilatus PC-12 plane crashes into an empty building in San Donato Milanese, Lombardy, Italy. (i)
• 2021 Orange County oil spill
  • An oil spill occurs off Orange County, California, U.S., amounting to 126,000 gallons (573,000 liters) of oil, which could affect popular Southern California locations such as Huntington Beach. (Deutsche Welle)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
    • Israel introduces a new rule that requires booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated for everyone aged 12 and older in "Green Pass", becoming the first country to do so. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand moves Hamilton, Raglan, and other Waikato towns to alert level 3 after the discovery of two Delta variant cases and the spread of the virus beyond Auckland. (New Zealand Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record for the fifth consecutive day of 890 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the nationwide death toll to 209,918. (Azeri Press Agency)

International relations

• Algeria–France relations
  • Algeria bans French military planes from using its airspace, and recalls its ambassador to France for consultations after accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of an "inadmissible interference" in its internal affairs. (Politico Europe)
• North Korean missile tests
  • North Korea warns the United Nations Security Council against criticizing the country's renewed missile launches. The Council had convened an emergency meeting two days ago to discuss concerns over North Korea resuming missile testing. North Korea further threatens the Council with unspecified "consequences" should they "encroach upon the sovereignty" of the country in the future. (MSN)

Law and crime

• Catholic Church sexual abuse cases
  • A commission to investigate sexual abuse by clergy in France reveals that since the 1950s, there have been about 3,000 pedophiles who have committed sex crimes. (France 24)
• Pandora Papers
  • 11.9 million leaked documents are published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which expose hidden wealth, tax evasion and money laundering among 330 politicians, including 35 national leaders, and numerous celebrities worldwide, including 130 billionaires, totaling 29,000 beneficiaries among 27,000 companies. This is the largest offshore data leak in history, surpassing the Panama Papers by nearly half a million documents. (BBC News) (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists)
• The United Arab Emirates changes the death toll of those who died while working at the Expo 2020 to six. However, the actual death toll is suspected to be higher. (Reuters)
• Police in Tunisia arrest a lawmaker and a TV presenter for calling president Kais Saied a traitor over his seizure of power in July. The arrests were ordered by the military judiciary for "conspiring against state security and insulting the army". (Reuters)
• The Chairman of Mitsubishi Electric resigns after the company published a report about long-term test data falsification, organized coverup of the falsification, and extended use of unapproved materials. An investigative committee at Mitsubishi Electric is currently examining 2,300 reports of issues with its manufacturing plants. (Asahi)

Politics and elections

• Native title in Australia
  • The Queensland Police Service refuses a request from the Adani Group to remove a group of Wangan and Yagalingu protesters occupying the Carmichael coal mine, saying that this would be a human rights violation. The Wangan and Yagalingu peoples previously held native title to the land before the Queensland Government extinguished it in 2019 in preparation for the contract with Adani. (The Guardian)

Current events of October 2, 2021 (2021-10-02) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Journalist Sayed Maroof Sadat, two Taliban soldiers and a civilian are killed by suspected ISIS-K gunmen in Jalalabad after opening fire against a vehicle. (La Repubblica)
  • Five Pakistani soldiers are killed by gunmen at the border with Afghanistan. (Ani News)
• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • Rajab Awadhi Ndanjili, one of the leaders of the ISIL-linked groups, has been killed by Mozambique security forces in Cabo Delgado during an operation a week ago. Seventeen other terrorists were also killed. (All Africa)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Clashes between government forces and the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Aden kill at least four people. The government has been battling the separatists of the STC and the Houthis. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • A United Nations peacekeeper is killed and three others are seriously injured when an IED detonates near where they were patrolling in the volatile north of the country, near the border with Algeria. (Dhaka Tribune)

Disasters and accidents

• Four people are dead and two others are injured in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy, after accidentally falling into a vat of grape must. (Gazzetta del Sud)
• A fire breaks out on Rome's Ponte dell'Industria, or Industry Bridge, due to an electrical fire near gas pipelines and causes portions of the structure of the bridge to collapse. (UPI)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore surpasses 100,000 cases of COVID-19. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam surpasses 800,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports a record 1,488 new cases and two deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The Victoria lockdown is also extended to Greater Shepparton after an increase in new COVID-19 cases in the regional community. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina receives a shipment of 1,673,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and has now received more than 70 million vaccine doses since the start of the vaccination campaign. Health minister Carla Vizzotti also announces that the country will receive a shipment of 7.2 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be used for teenagers. (DBSAS)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Nicaragua, COVID-19 vaccination in Nicaragua
    • Nicaragua authorizes the Cuban Abdala and Soberana COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use. (Reuters)

International relations

• 2021 North Kosovo protests
  • Protests in North Kosovo end with the protesters removing barricades and vehicles used to block the border crossings, according to an agreement reached in Brussels two days ago, which will end the ban on Serbian license plates on October 4. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Georgian local elections
  • Georgians head to the polls to elect the bodies of local government in the country. The election is being closely watched in the aftermath of yesterday's arrest of Mikheil Saakashvili, who returned from exile in order to support his party. The pro-Western former leader had a ruling in his favor when Interpol turned down a request for his arrest. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Qatari general election
  • Qataris head to the polls to elect 30 members of the Consultative Assembly in the country's first legislative elections. (Reuters)
• 2021 Madagascar food crisis
  • President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina visits the famine-hit southern region of the country and promises the prompt inauguration of a water pipeline from the Efaho River to the Ambovombe districts after the allocation of 322 million euros of a loan requested from the International Monetary Fund. Rajoelina also promises more food aid to those affected by the disaster. (Madagascar Tribune)

Time: 01:41 UTC|Day: 8 October

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Ongoing events

Business

• COVID-19 recession
• Lebanese liquidity crisis
• Pandora Papers leak
• United Kingdom natural gas supplier crisis
• United Kingdom motor fuel panic buying

Disasters

• Climate crisis
• COVID-19 pandemic
• 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
• 2021 Pacific typhoon season
• Madagascar food crisis
• Water crisis in Iran
• Yemeni famine
• 2021 La Palma eruption

Politics

• Belarusian protests
• Belarus−European Union border crisis
• Brazilian protests
• Colombian tax reform protests
• Eswatini protests
• Haitian protests
• Indian farmers' protests
• Insulate Britain protests
• Jersey dispute
• Libyan peace process
• Myanmar protests
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• Persian Gulf crisis
• Peruvian crisis
• Russian election protests
• Tigrayan peace process
• Thai protests
• Tunisian political crisis
• United States racial unrest (Stop Asian Hate)
• Venezuelan presidential crisis

Elections and referendums

Recent

• September
  • 23: Isle of Man, House of Keys
  • 25: Iceland, Althing
  • 26: Germany, Bundestag
  • 26: San Marino, Referendum
  • 26: Switzerland, Referendums
  • 30: Ethiopia, House of Representatives (2nd)
• October
  • 2: Qatar, Consultative Assembly

Upcoming

• October
  • 8–9: Czech Republic, Chamber of Deputies
  • 10: Iraq, Council of Representatives
  • 17: Cape Verde, President (1st)

Trials

Recently concluded

• Belarus: Maria Kalesnikava
• China: Sun Dawu
• France: Nicolas Sarkozy
• India: Shashi Tharoor
• Indonesia: Juliari Batubara, Edhy Prabowo
• Russia: Lyubov Sobol
• Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina
• United Kingdom: Apsana Begum
• United States: R. Kelly, Robert Durst, Ed Buck, Stephen Calk

Ongoing

• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• Belarus: Sergei Tikhanovsky
• Canada: Peter Nygård
• France: Brussels ISIL
• Indonesia: Nurdin Abdullah
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• Philippines: Leila de Lima
• Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
• United States: Elizabeth Holmes

Upcoming

• Canada: Raj Grewal
• Indonesia: Azis Syamsuddin, Alex Noerdin
• Kosovo: Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli
• Lesotho: Maesiah Thabane
• United States: Allen Weisselberg, Ghislaine Maxwell, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Peter Nygård, Lev Parnas
• Vatican City: Giovanni Angelo Becciu
• Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo
• ICC: Ali Kushayb

Sport

• Association football
  • 2021–22 UEFA Europa League
  • 2021–22 UEFA Champions league
  • 2021–22 Premier League
  • 2021–22 Bundesliga
  • 2021–22 Serie A
  • 2021–22 La Liga
  • 2021 Copa Libertadores final stages
  • 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
  • 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
  • 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
  • 2021 Major League Soccer season
• Women's association football
  • 2021 NWSL season
• American football
  • 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season
  • 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season
  • 2021 NFL season
• Baseball
  • 2021 MLB season
• Basketball
  • 2021–22 NBA season
  • 2021 WNBA Playoffs
• Cricket
  • 2021–23 ICC World Test Championship
  • 2020–23 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League
  • 2019–23 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2
  • 2019–22 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League 
• Golf
  • 2021 European Tour
  • 2021 LPGA Tour
  • 2020 PGA Tour Champions
  • 2021 Ladies European Tour
  • 2021–22 PGA Tour
• Ice hockey
  • 2021–22 NHL season
• Motorsport
  • 2021 Formula One Championship
  • 2021 Rally Championship
  • 2021 MotoGP
  • 2021 Supercars Championship
• Rugby league
  • 2021 Super League
• Rugby union
  • 2021–22 Premiership Rugby
  • 2021–22 United Rugby Championship
  • 2021–22 Top 14
  • 2021 Bunnings NPC
  • 2021 Super Rugby season
• Tennis
  • 2021 ATP Tour
  • 2021 WTA Tour
  • 2020–21 Davis Cup (Finals)
• Other sports seasons
  • 2021–22 International cricket season
  • 2021–22 snooker season
  • 2021–22 curling season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

October

• 4: Alan Kalter
• 4: Eddie Robinson
• 3: Todd Akin
• 3: Jorge Medina
• 3: Bernard Tapie
• 3: Lars Vilks
• 2: Matt Holmes
• 2: John Wes Townley
• 1: Frank LoCascio
• 1: Oğuzhan Asiltürk

September

• 30: Carlisle Floyd
• 30: John Rigas
• 28: Tommy Kirk
• 28: Princess Lalla Malika of Morocco
• 28: Dr. Lonnie Smith
• 28: Michael Tylo
• 27: Andrea Martin
• 27: Roger Hunt
• 26: George Frayne
• 26: Alan Lancaster
• 26: Bobby Zarem
• 25: Théoneste Bagosora
• 25: Patricio Manns
• 24: Robert Altman
• 24: Pee Wee Ellis
• 24: Jitender Mann Gogi
• 23: Jorge Urosa Savino
• 22: Abdelkader Bensalah
• 22: Roger Michell
• 22: Jay Sandrich
• 21: Willie Garson
• 21: Mohamed Hussein Tantawi
• 21: Melvin Van Peebles
• 20: Sarah Dash
• 19: James Bilbray
• 19: Sylvano Bussotti
• 19: John Challis
• 19: Jimmy Greaves
• 19: Allan Slaight
• 19: Dinky Soliman
• 18: Mario Camus
• 17: Abdelaziz Bouteflika
• 16: Jane Powell
• 16: Dušan Ivković
• 16: Casimir Oyé-Mba
• 16: Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi
• 16: Clive Sinclair
• 16: Silas Atopare
• 14: Norm Macdonald
• 14: Ida Nudel
• 14: David Yonggi Cho
• 13: Don Collier
• 13: Charlotte Johnson Wahl
• 13: Borisav Jović
• 11: Abimael Guzmán
• 11: María Mendiola
• 11: Phùng Quang Thanh
• 10: Charles Konan Banny
• 10: Michael Chapman
• 10: Jorge Sampaio
• 10: Dalal bint Saud Al Saud
• 8: Art Metrano
• 8: Yevgeny Zinichev
• 8: Neddy Smith

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

• Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Niger, and Tunisia
  • Maghreb insurgency
• Angola
  • Cabinda War
• Cameroon
  • Anglophone Crisis
• Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
  • Boko Haram insurgency
• Central African Republic
  • Civil War
• Chad
  • Insurgency in Northern Chad
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Kivu conflict
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Ituri conflict
  • Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
  • Kamwina Nsapu rebellion
• Ethiopia
  • Tigray War (spillover)
  • Oromo conflict
• Ethiopia and Sudan
  • Sudanese–Ethiopian clashes
• Ghana
  • Western Togoland Rebellion
• Mali
  • Mali War
• Mozambique
  • Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
• Nigeria
  • Communal conflicts in Nigeria
• Senegal
  • Casamance conflict
• Somalia
  • Civil war
• South Sudan
  • Ethnic violence in South Sudan
• Sudan
  • War in Darfur
  • South Kordofan conflict
  • Sudanese nomadic conflicts (incl. South Sudan)
• Tunisia
  • ISIL insurgency in Tunisia
• Western Sahara
  • Western Sahara conflict
    • 2020–2021 Western Saharan clashes

Americas

• Colombia
  • Colombian conflict
• Mexico
  • Mexican drug war
• Peru
  • Internal conflict in Peru
• Paraguay
  • Insurgency in Paraguay

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Panjshir conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
• India
  • Insurgency in Northeast India
    • Assam separatist movements
    • Insurgency in Manipur
    • Ethnic conflict in Nagaland
  • Khalistan movement
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
• India and Pakistan
  • Kashmir conflict
• Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
  • Moro conflict
    • Cross border attacks in Sabah
• Indonesia
  • Papua conflict
• Myanmar
  • Internal conflict in Myanmar
    • Kachin conflict
    • Karen conflict
    • Rohingya conflict
• Pakistan
  • Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgency in Balochistan
• Philippines
  • Communist rebellion
  • Philippine drug war
• Thailand
  • South Thailand insurgency

Europe

• Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
• Ukraine
  • War in Donbas
    • Russo-Ukrainian War
• Ireland and the UK
  • Dissident Irish republican campaign
• Turkey
  • Kurdish–Turkish conflict

Global

• War on terror

Middle East

• Egypt
  • Sinai insurgency
• Iran and the Persian Gulf
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
  • Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
  • Arab separatism in Khuzestan
  • Kurdish separatism in Iran
• Iraq
  • American-led intervention in Iraq
  • Iranian intervention in Iraq
• Iraq and Syria (map)
  • International military intervention against ISIL
• Israel and Gaza
• Israel and Syria
  • Israeli-Syrian border conflict
• Syria
  • American-led intervention in Syria
  • Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war
  • Turkish occupation of northern Syria
• Yemen and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

2021 events and developments by topic

Arts

Architecture – Animation – Anime – Comics – Film (Horror, Science fiction) – Home video – Literature – Music (Classical, Country, Rock, Hip hop, Latin, Metal, Rock, UK, US) – Radio – Television (UK, US, Italy, Scotland) – Video games

Politics and government

Elections – International leaders – Sovereign states – Sovereign state leaders – Territorial governors

Science and technology

Archaeology – Biotechnology – Computing – Palaeontology – Quantum computing and communication – Senescence research – Sustainable energy research – Space/Astronomy – Spaceflight

Environment and environmental sciences

Birding/Ornithology – Climate change

Transportation

Aviation – Rail transport

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain