Portal:Current events/September 2021

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September 2021 was the ninth month of that common year. The month, which began on a Wednesday, ended on a Thursday after 30 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from September 2021.

September 1, 2021 (2021-09-01) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Operation Allies Refuge
    • U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price announces that 23,876 Afghan refugees have arrived in the United States. He also says that the efforts did not end on August 31 and that Americans who are still in Afghanistan will be provided with "tailored" evacuation plans. (CNBC) (Fox News)
    • U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson tests positive for COVID-19 following the evacuation from Afghanistan. (Politico)
  • Panjshir conflict
    • Taliban senior member Amir Khan Muttaqi says that the group has now surrounded the Panjshir Valley, the last stronghold of anti-Taliban resistance, and calls for the rebels to "put down their weapons" saying that the Taliban wants an Islamic Emirate for all Afghans and adding that there is "no need to fight". The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan is led by self-proclaimed president Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud. (Reuters)
  • Aftermath of the Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
    • The Taliban holds a military parade in the Afghanistan city of Kandahar showing equipment used by the U.S. military. A Black Hawk helicopter is also shown at the parade. (Business Insider)
• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • ADF militants ambush a convoy carrying civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing four people and kidnapping dozens more. (Reuters)
• Seventy-three children are abducted by armed men at a rural secondary school in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The government of Zamfara State has closed all public schools in order to prevent similar attacks. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 pandemic in India
  • It is reported that India's economy rebounded at a record rate of 20.1% in the three months from April to June despite being devastated by a second wave of COVID-19. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Hurricane Ida
    • New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announces a state of emergency due to widespread flooding from Ida's remnants. In New York City, a flash flood emergency warning is declared for the first time. (NJ.com) (ABC News)
    • The death toll from Ida reaches six after two Alabama electricity workers are killed while repairing power lines. (CBS News)
    • The upcoming New Orleans Saints matchup against the Green Bay Packers will be moved from New Orleans to Jacksonville's TIAA Bank Field following damage from Ida. (Forbes)
• An oil spill that originated from Syria's largest refinery continues to spread across the Mediterranean Sea, potentially reaching Cyprus by Wednesday. Syrian officials report that a tank containing 15,000 tonnes of fuel began to leak on August 23 in Baniyas while satellite imagery indicates that the spill covers an area of around 800 square kilometers and is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the Cypriot coast. (9 News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
        • Over 2.4 million children in Israel return to school on the start of the new academic year with mandatory masks and COVID-19 testing aimed at reducing an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the highly-vaccinated country primarily caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant. (Israel Today) (Al-Arabiya English)
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
        • The head of Israel's Biological Institute, Professor Shmuel Shapira, reveals that midway through vaccine development, its office was requested by the government of then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend development of a locally developed vaccine. (Ynet News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Japan
        • Moderna, the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, and Spanish drug maker Rovi issue a joint statement indicating that they have found particles of stainless steel in some vaccine vials, but that the particles did not pose any additional health risks. The companies also state that they are working with the Japanese government to recall three suspended batches of the vaccine. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran surpasses five million cases of COVID-19 after reporting 33,170 new cases in the past 24 hours. (Trend News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports a record 3,726 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 217,546. (UrduPoint)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Oman
      • Oman restricts the entry of public and private establishments as well as attendance of cultural, sports, and other group events to only those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The country is also mandating two doses of any government-approved vaccine for travelers who want to enter the country. (Times of Oman)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (Radio France Internationale)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
        • The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation announces a recommendation that 500,000 people with severe immunosuppression should receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (The Daily Telegraph)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • COVID-19 vaccination in France
        • France begins to administer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to people over the age of 65 and people with underlying health conditions, provided that they have received both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago. People who received the single-dose Janssen vaccine can also receive a booster dose of either of the two other vaccines at least four weeks after they first received a vaccine. (Euronews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Spain
        • Spain reaches a target of fully vaccinating 70% of the population. (El País)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • Andorra begins administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the most vulnerable groups. (Europa Press)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy expands the mandatory usage of "Green Pass" health certificates to some forms of public transport, including long-distance trains, domestic flights and ferries. The pass is now also mandatory for school and university staff, as well as university students. (The Local Italy)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
        • The Australian state of Victoria records 120 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the state's highest daily total in nearly a year. (ABC News Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Kiribati
      • Kiribati says that it has now enough vaccines to immunize all its eligible citizens against COVID-19 after receiving a shipment of 90,000 doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by the People's Republic of China. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      • Ontario will become the fourth Canadian province to require proofs of vaccinations in restaurants, theatres, gyms and other indoor public venues. The vaccination certificate program will begin on September 22. (AP)

International relations

• China–Holy See relations
  • Pope Francis defends the dialogue with China via the appointment of new Catholic bishops. Francis says that uneasy dialogue is better than no dialogue at all and compared the talks with China to those with Eastern European countries during the Cold War. The Vatican and China have had strained relations since the communist party took power in 1949. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack
  • Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
    • The U.S. Department of Justice secures its 50th guilty plea in its criminal investigation of the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol. (CNN)
• Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    • Protests occur in front of hospitals across Greece to oppose compulsory vaccination for healthcare workers which takes effect today and could result in the dismissal of up to 10,000 unvaccinated workers. (Daily Sabah)

Politics and elections

• Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîțu dismisses justice minister Stelian Ion, stating that he would "not accept ministers in the Romanian government who oppose the modernisation of Romania." The removal creates a political crisis within the coalition government. (Reuters)

September 2, 2021 (2021-09-02) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
    • Operation Pitting
      • Former Royal Military Police soldier Ben Slater is briefly arrested for questioning by the Taliban while trying to evacuate 400 Afghans and 50 staff members. (The Independent)
  • Aftermath of the Fall of Kabul, Capital punishment in Afghanistan, LGBT rights in Afghanistan
    • Afghan LGBT rights activist Nemat Sadat and an unnamed gay man in Kabul both report that the Taliban beheaded the man's boyfriend on the same day that they entered the city. Sadat said that while women are only executed if they commit adultery, homosexuals face an "automatic death sentence based on their mere existence". (ABC News Australia)
  • Panjshir conflict
    • The Taliban enters the Panjshir Valley and clashes with National Resistance Front of Afghanistan forces led by Ahmad Massoud. The Taliban reports gaining some territory as both sides also claim heavy casualties. (Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Israeli soldiers open fire on Palestinians protesting against Israel's 14-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, killing one person and injuring 15 others. (Al Jazeera)
• Kashmir conflict
  • Indian authorities deploy security forces in the Kashmir Valley in order to restrict public movement and impose a near-total internet blackout following the death of senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. (France 24)

Disasters and accidents

• Hurricane Ida
  • At least 41 people are killed by flash flooding and tornados in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey as the remnants of Ida pass over the Northeastern United States. (BBC News)
• Twelve people are dead and 4,500 are sick in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following a toxic leak from a massive diamond mine in Angola. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports a record 3,805 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 221,351. (AKI Press)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports 191 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including 187 locally transmitted cases. It is the highest number of locally-transmitted cases since August 7, 2020. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan
      • Taiwan receives its first shipment of 932,000 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (The Asahi Shimbun)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Abu Dhabi will lift its quarantine requirements for all vaccinated foreign travellers on September 5 as long as they show a negative PCR test result as the UAE reported no COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours for the first time since November 14, 2020. (Barron's)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • King Philippe and Queen Mathilde cancel or reschedule their attendance at all public events and engagements, in addition to placing all members of the Royal Family into quarantine, after a Royal Family member tested positive for COVID-19. (The Globe and Mail)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • The Bulgarian government announces nationwide restrictions that would require restaurants, bars, and casinos to close at 10 p.m., restrict the capacity of gyms, theatres, and cinemas to between 30% to 50%, and ban all mass gatherings from September 7 until October 30 amid the spread of COVID-19 and the low percentage of vaccinated people. (See News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Norway, COVID-19 vaccination in Norway
      • Prime Minister Erna Solberg announces that children aged 12 to 15 years old in Norway will be offered the single-dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, only the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that is currently recommended for this age group. (Norwegian Institute of Public Health)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya
    • Kenya receives a shipment of 358,200 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Canada as part of the COVAX initiative. (Anadolu Agency)

International relations

• 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis
  • Poland declares a state of emergency on its border with Belarus amid an increase in illegal migration. The Polish Border Guard says that there were around 3,500 attempts to illegally cross the border in August, 2,500 of which were not successful. (Reuters)
• Afghanistan–United Kingdom relations
  • British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announces that there is no "foreseeable recognition" of the Taliban government in Afghanistan although he asserts that the United Kingdom will nevertheless directly engage the group in necessary talks. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the Dar es Salaam shooting
  • Authorities in Tanzania have confirmed that the gunman who killed three policemen and a security guard in Dar es Salaam on August 25, was motivated by Islamic extremism. (Reuters)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  • President Jair Bolsonaro signs a law allowing vaccine and medication patents to be broken in situations of public health emergency in Brazil, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)

September 3, 2021 (2021-09-03) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Panjshir conflict
    • The Taliban says that it now controls the Panjshir Valley, and thus all of Afghanistan. Resistance leader Amrullah Saleh denies leaving the country and says that the resistance, also led by Ahmad Massoud, continues. (Reuters)
• 2021 Auckland Countdown stabbing
  • Six people are injured, three critically, in a mass stabbing at a supermarket in LynnMall, Auckland, New Zealand. The attacker, a man who had been under surveillance since 2016 for following ISIL online, is shot dead by police. (BBC News) (RNZ)
• Aftermath of the Second Libyan Civil War
  • Rival armed groups clash in Tripoli, in what is described as the worst confrontation since the ceasefire reached in 2020 between the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army forces. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      • The Philippine Food and Drug Administration approves the emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. (Rappler)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore
      • The Singaporean health ministry will administer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 60, people who are immunocompromised and residents of nursing home facilities beginning later this month. (CNBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea
      • North Korean leader Kim Jong-un demands that officials wage a tougher epidemic prevention campaign in “our style” after he rejects a donation of three million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the U.N. COVAX initiative. (NBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record 14,922 new cases in the past 24 hours. (The Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
        • New South Wales reports a record 1,431 new cases and 12 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in French Polynesia
      • French Polynesia extends their COVID-19 lockdown to September 20 following the deaths of more than 200 people over the past two weeks. The lockdown extension will apply to the Society Islands and the Tuamotus archipelago as the number of cases increase in those regions. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba
    • Cuba begins a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign for children aged two to 18 years old as a condition to reopen schools for in-person learning using Abdala and Soberana vaccines. (France 24)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
    • The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommends that healthy children between the ages of 12 and 15 should not be given a COVID-19 vaccine due to children being at low risk for COVID-19 and the vaccine only offering a marginal benefit. (BBC News)
• Bangladesh has reported a total of 10,981 dengue fever cases and 48 related deaths since the beginning of the year. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• Foreign relations of the European Union
  • The European Union says that it will not currently recognize a Taliban government in Afghanistan and that the government will be "subjected to conditions". However, the EU also states that it will still engage the group in diplomatic talks. (Reuters)
• Foreign relations of Chile
  • China and Chile jointly announce the opening of a Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine production plant in the Santiago Metropolitan Area. Health minister Enrique Paris says that "it is a happy day for Chile and Latin American countries" because Chile would now be able to export vaccines. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack
  • Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
    • Jake Angeli, also known as Jacob Chansley and "the QAnon shaman", pleads guilty to obstruction of the electoral college vote count during the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol. His sentencing is scheduled for November 17. (CBS News)
• Catholic Church sexual abuse cases
  • Defrocked Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick pleads not guilty to three counts of indecent assault and battery on a 16-year-old boy at a wedding reception in Massachusetts in 1974. The statute of limitations paused when he left the state shortly after the alleged incident. McCarrick is the first American cardinal to be charged with a sex crime. (DW)
• COVID-19 pandemic in New Caledonia
  • The Congress of New Caledonia votes to make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for all adults, including anyone visiting New Caledonia, and set December 31 as a deadline to vaccinate them. (Radio France Internationale)
• European Commission–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine dispute
  • The European Union and AstraZeneca reach a settlement to end a legal battle over slow delivery of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, with an agreement that requires AstraZeneca to deliver the remaining 200 million doses of its vaccine to the EU countries at the end of March 2022. (Euronews)
• The president of Vanuatu, Obed Moses Tallis, pardons former prime ministers Charlot Salwai, Joe Natuman and Serge Vohor, all of whom were convicted of political and financial crimes, including bribery and corruption. (RNZ)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election
  • Yoshihide Suga, the Prime Minister of Japan, announces that he will not seek re-election after one year in office. Suga had replaced former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who resigned for health reasons in September 2020. (CNN)

September 4, 2021 (2021-09-04) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Panjshir conflict
    • The leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan Ahmad Massoud announces that resistance against the Taliban will continue despite reports indicating that the Panjshir Valley fell to Taliban control yesterday. Yesterday, Massoud's ally Amrullah Saleh denied leaving the country and also vowed to continue to resist the Taliban. (Deutsche Welle)
  • LGBT rights in Afghanistan; Violence against LGBT people
    • Afghan LGBT rights activist Hamid Zaher reports that a young Afghan man seeking support on social media to leave the country was tricked by Taliban members who raped and beat him. Zaher says that this violence was already common under the governments of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani and that the Taliban will use the same tactics to persecute homosexuals. Zaher also expressed concern that many other gay men in the country could be similarly deceived by the Taliban. (Business Insider)
• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • ADF militants, armed with knives and guns, storm a village in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 30 civilians. (Al Jazeera)
• Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict
  • Two ballistic missiles that targeted the cities of Najran and Jizan are intercepted by Saudi Arabia. A third missile is intercepted over the city of Dammam, with shrapnel from the third missile injuring two children and damaging 14 homes. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Economy of Lebanon
  • Syria welcomes Lebanon's request to import energy through Syrian territory. The energy would be generated in Jordan using Egyptian gas before being transmitted to Lebanon through Syria's power grid. Lebanon has been dealing with shortages of energy due to its ongoing economic crisis. However, the deal is complicated by sanctions against Syrian officials. (Reuters)
• Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul reopens to domestic flights and aid after it was closed due to NATO evacuations from the country. (NBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Maharashtra
        • Maharashtra reports a single-day record of 1,191,921 vaccines administered. State officials also announce that 80% of adults in Mumbai have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Hindustan Times) (CNN-News18)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bahrain
      • The Bahraini government approves booster doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, becoming the first country to approve booster doses of this vaccine. (Gulf News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
      • The Therapeutic Goods Administration grants provisional approval for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for use in children between the ages of 12 and 17. (9 News)
      • Australia reports a record 1,756 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including a record 1,533 new cases in New South Wales and a record 32 new cases in the Australian Capital Territory. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • New Zealand reports its first death from the Lineage B.1.617.2 Delta variant and its first COVID-19-related death since February in a woman in her 90s with underlying health conditions who died in the North Shore Hospital in Takapuna. (New Zealand Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • New York Governor Kathy Hochul announces that 80% of adults in the state has received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (WCBS-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
      • Washington's vaccine mandate will move forward following an agreement between the Washington Federation of State Employees union agency and Governor Jay Inslee. However, the agreement will need to be ratified and employees will still be required to be vaccinated by October 18. (Seattle Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil
    • Brazilian federal health regulator Anvisa suspends the use of over 12 million doses of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine that were produced in an unauthorized plant. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia
    • Slovakia reverses its ban on unvaccinated people attending public events and will instead allow a negative test or proof of recovery from COVID-19 during a visit by Pope Francis on September 12 to 15 due to low vaccination numbers. (Barron's)

International relations

• Iran–United States relations
  • Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi announces that the country is ready to resume nuclear talks and to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Raisi also called on the U.S. to lift its sanctions against Iran. (Middle East Eye) (VOA)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 Auckland Countdown stabbing
  • New Zealand vows to toughen its anti-terror laws after seven people were stabbed and wounded yesterday by an ISIL sympathizer in Auckland. (BBC News)
• 2021 Montenegrin episcopal ordination protests
  • Thousands of protesters take to the streets of Cetinje, Montenegro, after President Milo Đukanović urged protesters to disrupt the enthronement of Joanikije II to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral. Đukanović alleged that the Serbian Orthodox Church was undermining the nation's independence. (BBC News)

Sports

• 2020 Summer Paralympics
  • Italy at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Athletics at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
    • Italian athlete Ambra Sabatini sets a new world record for women's 100 metres T63 of 14.11 seconds. (ANSA)

September 5, 2021 (2021-09-05) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
    • Operation Allies Refuge
      • White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain says that around 100 Americans remain in Afghanistan following the August 31 withdrawal deadline. He also says that the Biden administration will still try to rescue them. (Politico)
  • Panjshir conflict
    • Taliban spokesperson Bilal Karimi says that Taliban forces have entered Bazarak, the capital of Panjshir Province, after gaining more territory in the surrounding areas. (Reuters)
    • Mohammad Fahim Dashty, a chief and spokesperson of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, is killed by the Taliban during a fight. (The Week)
• 2021 Guinean coup d'état
  • Heavy gunfire is heard in Conakry, Guinea, as soldiers seal off and block the main bridge connecting to the Kaloum neighborhood, which houses the Presidential Palace. President Alpha Condé is arrested and taken away by special forces soldiers but appears to be unharmed. Three soldiers are reportedly killed. (BBC News) (Reuters) (Europa Press)(The Economist)
  • The military seizes state television and announces on air that the government has been dissolved and that all land borders are closed. (ABC News)
• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • Three soldiers are killed and 15 more are injured as a suicide bomber blows himself up at a checkpoint in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claims responsibility for the attack. (Al Jazeera)
• ISIL insurgency in Iraq
  • Twelve police officers are killed and three others are wounded as ISIL militants open fire and bomb a security checkpoint in Kirkuk. (Al Jazeera)
• Mapuche conflict
  • Violence intensifies during a four-day clash in the Mapuche Araucanía Region in Chile, between Chilean forces and the Mapuche people. A presidential delegate has called on the Congress to speed the arrest and prosecution of what he called "terrorists". (MercoPress)
• A knifeman stabs and seriously wounds two women in Berlin, Germany. Authorities are investigating if the attacker was motivated by Islamic extremism. He targeted the first victim claiming that "he didn't like that a woman was working". (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
  • The death toll from Hurricane Ida in the Northeastern United States increases to 50. (CNBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • The number of population who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Cambodia surpasses 70%. (The Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • Sri Lanka surpasses 10,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Adaderana)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam
      • The Vietnamese health ministry announces that Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bình Dương, Dong Nai and Long An provinces must vaccinate all of their adult residents with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by September 15. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany surpasses four million cases of COVID-19. (Daily Sabah)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia surpasses seven million cases of COVID-19, becoming the fourth country to do so after the United States, India, and Brazil. (Kyiv Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, COVID-19 vaccination in Peru
    • Peru begins vaccinations for people aged 30 in Lima, Callao, and the Ica Region. (Andina)

Law and crime

• 2021 Montenegrin episcopal ordination protests
  • Police fire tear gas and remove barricades in Cetinje, Montenegro, as anti-Serb Montenegrin nationalist protesters attempted to impede the enthronement of Joanikije II to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church. (Deutsche Welle)

Politics and elections

• 2021 São Toméan presidential election
  • Carlos Vila Nova, from the Independent Democratic Action, wins the second round of the presidential election. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2020 Summer Paralympics
  • Afghanistan at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
    • Afghanistan athletes Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli carry the Afghan flag during the closing ceremony of the 2020 Summer Paralympics after being unable to attend the opening ceremony due to the withdrawal of American troops from the country. (The Washington Post)
  • The closing ceremony for the Summer Paralympics is held. China leads the Olympic medal count with 207 medals, including 96 gold medals. (CNN)
• 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football, COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  • The qualification match between Brazil and Argentina at the Arena Corinthians in São Paulo is suspended after officials from the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency entered the pitch and attempted to deport four Argentine players whom they allege to have violated pandemic-related self-isolation guidelines. (The New York Times)

September 6, 2021 (2021-09-06) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Panjshir conflict
    • The Taliban repeats its claim of having captured all of Panjshir Province, releasing footage of Taliban militants in front of the gubernatorial palace in Bazarak, the capital of the province. The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan continues to deny the Taliban's claims. (Reuters)
    • Anti-Taliban forces in Panjshir claim to have been bombed by Pakistan Air Force drones, accusing Pakistan of directly supporting the Taliban offensive. (The Hindustan Times)
• Tigray War
  • War crimes in the Tigray War
    • In a single day, 11 more dead bodies of Tigrayans wash up along the Setit River, most likely coming from Humera. According to refugees from Humera, Amhara militants have rounded up thousands of Tigrayans and forced them into makeshift mass detention camps while those of other ethnicities were safe, particularly those of the Amhara ethnicity. Inside these detention camps, people were crammed together on the floor without rooms or partitions to create privacy. These people were also not given food and sometimes did not even have access to a toilet. (CNN)
• 2021 Guinean coup d'état
  • The military junta led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya announces an indefinite nightly curfew in the country, and says that Guinea's governors will be replaced by regional commanders of the military. The junta also refuses to issue a timeline for the release of deposed President Alpha Condé, saying that the former leader still has "access to medical care and his doctors". (AP)
  • Doumbouya announces the formation of a new government soon and says that there will be no "witch-hunting" of ministers or former ministers of the Condé government. (BBC News)
• Police in Algeria arrest 27 members of the separatist group MAK, which has been blamed for two recent attacks in northern towns. The group is known for seeking independence for the Berber-speaking region of Kabylie. Algeria cited Morocco's support for the group as a reason for suspending diplomatic relations last week. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announces that the historic Monument to Christopher Columbus in Paseo de la Reforma will be permanently replaced by a statue of a woman from the indigenous Olmec civilization. Sheinbaum says that the move is not an attempt to "erase history" but to instead deliver "social justice". The Columbus statue is reportedly being moved to a small park in the Polanco neighborhood. (BBC News) (USA Today)

Business and economy

• Venezuelan presidential crisis
  • The government of Colombia, through the Superintendency of Corporations, ceases its control of the petrochemical firm Monómeros S.A. that had been under the management of the Venezuelan transitional government. This intervention takes place one week after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called for the opposition to return control of the enterprise to Venezuela. (Semana)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 17 people are killed at a hospital during heavy floods in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico. (BBC News) (Milenio)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 vaccination in India
        • India administers 10,576,296 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past 24 hours, setting a new record for the third time in the past 11 days. (Hindustan Times)
      • An industry executive says that India will increase its medical oxygen capacity to 15,000 tonnes in preparation for a third wave of COVID-19. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines reports a record 22,415 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,103,331. (GMA News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnamese authorities launch a plan to conduct COVID-19 testing of up to 1.5 million people in higher-risk areas of Hanoi in order to contain an outbreak of COVID-19 infections as the capital extends its COVID-19-related restrictions for two more weeks. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark, COVID-19 vaccination in Denmark
      • The Danish governmment cancels its plans for a national vaccine production tender after they agreed to support Bavarian Nordic's vaccine development with financial aid of DKK 800 million (US$128 million). (Medwatch)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Kosovo
      • Kosovo receives a shipment of 503,100 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine donated from the United States through the COVAX initiative. (Gazeta Express)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey begins to require a negative PCR test result from the previous 48 hours for those who have not been fully vaccinated or who have not recovered from COVID-19 in order to enter theatres, cinemas, or other crowded events as well as to travel by plane, train or bus. (Daily Sabah)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Peru
        • Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announces that the Peruvian government has reached an agreement with Russia to create a plant that would produce a Sputnik V vaccine in the country. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
      • The Public Health Institute of Chile approves the usage of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine for children over the age of six. (Bloomberg)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • New York Governor Kathy Hochul signs the HERO Act, a legislation that would provide protection to state workers in their workplaces. (New York Daily News)

International relations

• Germany–Russia relations
  • The German government calls on Russia to cease its cyber-attack operations, alleging phishing attacks against members of the Bundestag. Those accused are believed to be "cyber-actors of the Russian state" and specifically from the GRU. (Washington Post)

Law and crime

• 2020–2021 Belarusian protests
  • A court in Minsk, Belarus, finds opposition activist Maria Kalesnikava guilty of "trying to seize power and extremism" and sentences her to 11 years in prison. Kalesnikava had destroyed her passport to avoid being expelled from the country. Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya promises to release Kalesnikava "much earlier than these 11 years" and condemns the verdict. (Reuters)

September 7, 2021 (2021-09-07) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
  • Duwa Lashi La, leader of the anti-junta National Unity Government, calls for a national revolt and uprising against the military government led by Min Aung Hlaing and for a "defensive war" in "every corner of the country; every village, town and city". (Deutsche Welle)
• Aftermath of the 2021 Guinean coup d'état
  • As the military consolidates power in the country, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya vows to free all "political prisoners" without mentioning any specific people or referring to deposed president Alpha Condé. Condé opposition groups welcome the news but say that no prisoners have been released. (Deutsche Welle)
• 2021 Afghan protests
  • Around 300 to 500 protesters, including women, took to the streets of Kabul. The Taliban used gunfire, detentions and beatings to disperse the crowds. (CNN)
• Kidnapping in Nigeria
  • Gunmen kidnap 18 villagers in Kaduna State, Nigeria, including seven children, according to a community leader. (Reuters)

Businesses and economy

• El Salvador becomes the first country in the world to adopt the cryptocurrency Bitcoin as legal tender as well as the national currency as the Bitcoin Law comes into effect. However, a small but growing number of people opposed to the new law protested against it in the capital, San Salvador. (Al Jazeera English) (The Wall Street Journal)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Guerrero earthquake
  • A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck just outside the tourist city of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, killing at least one person and leaving more than 1.6 million without electricity. (Reuters) (The Guardian)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
      • The Indonesian Drug and Food Control Authority issues emergency use authorizations for the single-dose Janssen vaccine and the CanSino Convidecia vaccine. (detikHealth)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, COVID-19 vaccination in Japan
      • The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare signs a agreement with the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company to purchase 150 million doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine that will be manufactured and distributed domestically by Takeda beginning next year. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports a record 3,963 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 240,042. (Montsame)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports 328 new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total in more than a year. (The Straits Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, COVID-19 vaccination in Spain
      • The Spanish Public Health Commission approves the administration of a third "booster" dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for severely immunosuppressed people. (Euro Weekly News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey reports its first two cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant, which was originally detected in Colombia. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • The number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Africa surpasses 200,000. (Radio France Internationale)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Caledonia
    • The French overseas department of New Caledonia enters a two-week lockdown after three community transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
    • Venezuela receives their first shipment of 693,600 doses of the Sinovac Coronavac vaccine supplied through the COVAX initiative. (Bloomberg)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. surpasses 40 million cases of COVID-19. (U.S. News & World Report)

Law and crime

• Abortion in Mexico
  • In a unanimous vote, the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation rules that criminalizing abortion is unconstitutional, setting a precedent for the legalization of abortion. (The New York Times)
• Human Rights Watch accuses security forces in Egypt of killing 755 people, mainly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, during extrajudicial executions, between 2015 and 2020. Security forces claimed that the deaths only occurred during "shootouts". (BBC News)
• The Supreme Court of Cape Verde approves the extradition of Alex Saab to the United States for alleged money laundering on behalf of the Venezuelan government. Saab was arrested in Cape Verde in June 2020, when his plane stopped there for refuelling while flying to Iran. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro
  • On Independence Day, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and his main opponent, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, hold rallies in different cities to mark the anniversary. (MercoPress)
  • During the rallies, Bolsonaro alleges that next year's presidential election would be a "farce" and criticizes the Supreme Federal Court for investigating him and his allies. (Reuters) (CNN Brazil)
  • Gettr CEO and former Donald Trump 2020 campaign adviser Jason Miller is detained following a CPAC event in Brazil. (The Washington Post) (The Independent)
• Politics of Afghanistan
  • The Taliban names Mohammad Hassan Akhund as the leader of Afghanistan and Abdul Ghani Baradar as the deputy leader of the country. Akhund was an associate of the late Mullah Omar. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

September 8, 2021 (2021-09-08) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War
  • Battle of Marib
    • Sixty Houthi militants and 18 pro-government soldiers are killed during a 48-hour battle over the control of Marib. (Arab News)
• Aftermath of the Fall of Kabul
  • Former president Ashraf Ghani apologizes to the Afghan people and reiterates that he left the country in order to avoid "bloody street fighting" for control of Kabul and also vehemently denies stealing from the country's treasury. (Al Jazeera)
• War crimes in the Tigray War
  • Local officials in the Amhara Region report that rebellious forces from the Tigray Region killed 120 civilians in a single village in two days. Tigrayan forces later issue a statement rejecting what they call a "fabricated allegation" and deny any involvement in the killing of civilians. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Tangerang prison fire
  • A fire at a prison in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, kills 44 inmates and injures at least 80 others. (AFP via RTL)
• Seven people are killed and at least 15 are injured by a gas explosion in an apartment in Noginsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. (Ruptly) (TASS)
• A fire at a field hospital catering to COVID-19 patients in Tetovo, North Macedonia, kills at least 14 people. (BBC News)
• President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta declares the state of disaster due to the strong drought affecting the country. (Anadolu Agency)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Ireland
    • The Irish Department of Health announces that people aged 80 or older and residents of nursing homes aged 65 and older will receive a booster MRNA COVID-19 vaccine regardless of which vaccine they first received. The booster rollout will begin at the end of September or the start of October. (Independent.ie)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand moves to Alert Level 2 outside Auckland with mandatory scanning in bars, restaurants, churches, and close-contact businesses, social distancing increasing to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in public places, and masks being mandatory in indoor public places. (TVNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Singapore begins to implement Vaccinated Travel Lane first flight from Germany containing 100 passengers arrived at Changi Airport. The travellers are required to take PCR test and self-isolate until they have received a negative result for their on-arrival test. (Today)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The United States has had over 40 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 with four million of those cases occurring in the last four weeks. (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
      • The Alohilani Resort in Honolulu will require vaccinations for workers, becoming the first resort hotel in Hawaii to do so. The mandate will take effect on October 15. (KITV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada
      • Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announces that all 17 counties in the state will be subjected to a mask mandate. (Las Vegas Sun)

International relations

• 2021 Guinean coup d'état
  • The Economic Community of West African States suspends Guinea's membership in the bloc until further notice, in response to the coup d'état in the country. (AFP via The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Hong Kong national security law
  • Police in Hong Kong arrest four members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the pro-democracy organization in charge of the Tiananmen Square protests anniversary vigils as police say that the group refused to submit information on national security grounds. Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemns the group and welcomes the arrests. (CNN)
• November 2015 Paris attacks
  • The trial against those accused of the Paris attacks in November 2015 begins, being described as the biggest trial in the history of modern France. (BBC News)
• A court in Milan, Italy, orders a medical examination of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi as his trial on alleged bribery continues to be delayed due to his hospital visits since it began in 2017. Berlusconi's lawyers welcome the decision of the court. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2022 Winter Olympics, North Korea at the Olympics
  • The International Olympic Committee announces that they have suspended North Korea from participating in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing after the country failed to send a delegation to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The suspension will last until the end of 2022. (AP)

September 9, 2021 (2021-09-09) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
    • Qatar Airways conducts the first evacuation flight from Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport since the August 31 deadline. (RTÉ)
  • 2021 Afghan protests
    • Former president Hamid Karzai says in a series of tweets that the announcement of a caretaker government by the Taliban was "necessary" and urges the Taliban to include women in the government in order to address "shortcomings of the new caretaker-announced cabinet". (India Today)
• Tigray War
  • The Tigray Defense Forces confirm their withdrawal from the Afar Region, saying that they are re-deploying soldiers to the neighboring Amhara Region. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• On the 20th anniversary of his assassination, the Taliban vandalizes the tombstone of Afghan mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. The footage has sparked outrage among Afghans. (India Today)

Business and economy

• Shell declares force majeure legal defense in order to forestall liabilities on some oil deliveries due to damage from Hurricane Ida. Damage discovered shortly after the storm to Shell's West Delta-143 shallow water platform, which serves as a hub for numerous offshore production pipelines, is still being assessed. The damage has caused significant issues with deliveries from the Mars, Olympus, and Ursa platforms. (Argus) (Reuters)
• China releases its strategic oil reserves for the first time in an effort "to ease the pressure of rising raw material prices", according to a statement from the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration. (Al Jazeera)
• American multinational financial services company Wells Fargo is fined $250 million for "unsafe or unsound practices" related to its home-lending practices by the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. (The Charlotte Observer)

Disasters and accidents

• The Italian Coast Guard rescues 125 migrants stranded on an islet near Lampedusa after two of their boats partially sank. (AP via ABC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia surpasses 2,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Khmer Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • The Japanese government announces the extension of its state of emergency in 19 prefectures until September 30 with Miyagi and Okayama prefectures being downgraded to a quasi-state of emergency after the expiry of their current orders on September 12. (The Asahi Shimbun)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines reports a record 22,820 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,161,892. (Rappler)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports 450 new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since August 2020. (The Straits Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
        • The Scottish Parliament approves a requirement for people who want to attend nightclubs and large events to show an immunity passport declaring that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, despite opposition from businesses leaders and opposition parties. The requirement will take effect on October 1. (The Guardian)
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
        • The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approves booster doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, COVID-19 vaccination in Italy
      • The Italian Medicines Agency approves the administration of a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to clinically vulnerable people using the MRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. (ANSA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Turkey surpasses 100 million. (Daily Sabah)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • President Joe Biden announces new wide-ranging requirements for federal employees and employees of companies with more than 100 workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or undergo regular testing at least once a week, with no option of testing for unvaccinated federal employees. These mandates apply to over 100 million people, which represents two-thirds of all U.S. employees. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in California
      • The Los Angeles Unified School District approves a vaccine mandate for children over the age of 12 in Los Angeles schools. (CBS News)
• French health minister Olivier Veran announces that the country will offer free birth control to all women under the age of 25, which will also include free contraception-related medical visits, starting in 2022. This measure will cost the government about 21 million euros (US$24,828,552) per year. (AP via NPR)

International relations

• Belarus–Russia relations
  • Russian president Vladimir Putin and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko agree to multiple terms that will bring the two nations' economies closer together. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Moroccan general election
  • Preliminary results show the National Rally of Independents party led by Aziz Akhannouch winning a plurality in the House of Representatives, defeating the ruling Justice and Development Party of Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. (The Guardian)
• U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announces that the Justice Department has sued the state of Texas over its new abortion law, asking a federal judge to declare the law invalid, in order "to enjoin its enforcement, and to protect the rights that Texas has violated". (AP via ABC News)

September 10, 2021 (2021-09-10) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • War in Afghanistan
    • 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
      • Operation Allies Refuge
        • American flights carrying evacuees from Afghanistan are temporarily suspended following four cases of measles in Afghan refugees arriving in the United States. (U.S. News & World Report)
        • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces that 21 Americans have been evacuated from Afghanistan. (CBS News)
    • List of drone strikes in Afghanistan
      • Footage released by The New York Times shows that a U.S. drone strike conducted on August 29 targeted an aid worker named Zemari Ahmadi instead of ISIS-K militants. The report also confirms that 10 Afghans were killed in the drone strike, including seven children. (Business Insider)
  • 2021 Afghan protests
    • The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights says that the Taliban response to the peaceful marches has been increasingly violent, with authorities using live ammunition, batons and whips, which has resulted in the deaths of four civilians. A spokesperson for the rights office says that the response from the Taliban has been "unfortunately severe". (Reuters)
• 2021 Guinean coup d'état
  • The African Union suspends Guinea in response to last week's military coup. (Africanews)
• Iran–PJAK conflict
  • Iranian IRGC Ground Forces strike "terrorist positions" in northern Iraq with suicide and combat drones as well as precision-guided artillery. (Tehran Times) (Iran International)

Arts and culture

• LGBT rights in Africa
  • A forum for the promotion of LGBT rights is hosted in Kigali, Rwanda, in order to address minority rights. At the forum, a Rwandan man describes being assaulted by family members when he came out as gay. The forum also documented and urged the governments of Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Kenya to decriminalize homosexuality and protect the minority. (The EastAfrican)

Business and economy

• 2021 Guinean coup d'état
  • In response to Guinea's expulsion from the Economic Community of West African States, the military junta freezes all government assets in the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea in order to "preserve the country's interest". (The Washington Post)
• Epic Games v. Apple
  • United States District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rules that Apple Inc. cannot stop mobile app developers from directing users to third-party payment options, issuing a permanent injunction against the company. (BBC News)
• Russia's Gazprom says that it has completed the construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline to Germany. Gazprom says that gas flows to Europe through the pipeline cannot begin until they have received approval from German regulators. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Guerrero earthquake
  • A landslide occurs at Tlalnepantla, State of Mexico, on the hill known as Cerro del Chiquihuite, killing one person and leaving three more missing. It is said that the landslide was triggered by the earthquake in Guerrero three days earlier, which weakened soil conditions on the hill. (U.S. News & World Report) (ABC News)
• Two people are killed and nine others are injured after a powerful whirlwind hits Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy. (BBC News)
• A 44-year-old firefighter dies during efforts to contain a wildfire in Málaga, Spain, which has triggered the evacuation of 939 people from Estepona and Benahavis. Residents of Jubrique and Genalguacil are ordered to stay indoors and close their windows due to the risk posed by an overhead fire cloud that could rain down hot matter in the area. (ITV News) (El País)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia surpasses 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. (AKIpress News Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports 568 new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since August 2020. (Today)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • Visitors to the upcoming Expo 2020 event in Dubai will not be required to show proof of vaccination or be tested for COVID-19. (Al Jazeera English)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam
      • The Vietnamese Ministry of Health issues a conditional approval of the Hayat-Vax COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country. (VietnamPlus)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
      • Denmark becomes the first country in the European Union to lift all of its COVID-19-related restrictions, with the lifting of the requirement to show a digital pass in order to enter nightclubs, as the country no longer considers COVID-19 to be a "socially critical" disease and the vaccination rate has surpassed 80%. (The Guardian) (Associated Press)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
      • The Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends that pregnant or breastfeeding women in Germany should be vaccinated two doses against COVID-19 using mRNA-based vaccines from the second trimester of pregnancy. (U.S. News & World Report)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      • New South Wales reports a record 1,542 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Seven News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mauritius
      • Former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam is airlifted to India for treatment of COVID-19. (Etemaad)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Togo
      • Togo closes all places of worship and bans all cultural, sporting and political events, including weddings and funerals, following an increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. (Barron's)
• France raises its bird flu alert level to "moderate" after a severe strain of the virus was reported this week at a private household in the Ardennes department, near the border with Belgium. (Euronews)

International relations

• Brexit and the Irish border
  • The European Union rejects a request from the United Kingdom to renegotiate the deal governing the trading position of Northern Ireland. The EU adds that renegotiating the deal, which agreed to leave some EU rules in place in Northern Ireland and to accept checks on goods arriving from elsewhere in the UK following Brexit, would result in "instability, uncertainty and unpredictability in Northern Ireland". (Yahoo! News)

Law and crime

• Trump–Ukraine scandal
  • Former Rudy Giuliani associate Igor Fruman pleads guilty to one count of soliciting a contribution by a foreign national. (USA Today)
• COVID-19 pandemic in France
  • Former French health minister Agnès Buzyn is charged by the Cour de Justice de la République with "endangering the lives of others" over her handling of the pandemic. (The Straits Times)

Politics and elections

• A new government is formed in Lebanon, with Najib Mikati becoming Prime Minister of Lebanon for the third time. (CNN)
• Venko Filipče, the health minister of North Macedonia, resigns, claiming moral responsibility for the fire that occurred at a field hospital in Tetovo. (Anadolu Agency)

Religion and politics

• 2021 Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference
  • The 2021 Dismantling Global Hindutva conference, or the DGH, held between 10-12 September, apparently started out as a small group of academics planning a modest gathering to explore the dangers of Hindutva ideology. [1] [2]

September 11, 2021 (2021-09-11) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Internal Conflict in Myanmar
  • 2021 Myanmar protests
    • A gunfight between militias and Myanmar's security forces result in the death of 20 people. The fight erupted after the militias called for an armed resistance against the military regime. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• LGBTQ bishops
  • The Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) installs the Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer as Bishop. They are the first openly transgender and non-binary Bishop in any major Christian denomination. (The Advocate) (NPR)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
      • Indonesia receives the first batch consisting of 500,000 doses of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Netherlands. (Jakarta Globe)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports a record 592 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including 492 backlogged deaths, bringing the nationwide death toll to 20,419. (The Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines reports a record 26,303 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.206 million. (ABS-CBN News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, COVID-19 vaccination in South Africa
      • The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority approves the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children over the age of 12. (Sowetan Live)
    • The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa surpasses eight million. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
    • Argentina surpasses 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered, with 28.6 million Argentines having received one dose and 17.7 million being fully vaccinated. (Télam)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Australia reports a record 2,070 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including 1,599 new cases in New South Wales. It is the first time that the country has reported more than 2,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. (The West Australian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova
    • Moldova restricts the entry of restaurants, bars, and cultural events to people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 until October 31 due to a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. (Reuters)

International relations

• Saudi Arabia–United States relations, Alleged Saudi role in the September 11 attacks
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation releases its first document of the September 11 attacks and allegations of Saudi Arabia support for the hijackers following an executive order signed by President Joe Biden. (Reuters)
• China–Vietnam relations
  • Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh that both countries should refrain from unilateral actions regarding the South China Sea disputes that could complicate the situation and magnify the dispute. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• A knifeman stabs and wounds two bus controllers in Rimini, Italy. After exiting the bus, he stabbed and wounded three passersby, including a 6-year-old child who is in a critical condition, before being arrested. Authorities ruled out terrorism as a possible motive behind the attack. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
  • In Gaelic football, Tyrone defeats Mayo in the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final at Croke Park in Dublin. In doing so, Tyrone wins a fourth title and denies Mayo their first title since 1951. (RTE)
  • Conor McKenna, who set up one of Tyrone's goals, becomes the fourth former AFL player with an All-Ireland medal. (Extra.ie)
• 2021 US Open
  • In tennis, Emma Raducanu of Great Britain defeats Leylah Fernandez of Canada, 6–4, 6–3, in the final of the women's singles to become the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title. (CNA)

Religion and politics

• 2021 Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference
  • The 2021 Dismantling Global Hindutva conference, or the DGH, held between 10-12 September, apparently started out as a small group of academics planning a modest gathering to explore the dangers of Hindutva ideology. [3] [4]

September 12, 2021 (2021-09-12) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Mali War
    • Five Malian soldiers are killed in an ambush by "an as yet unidentified armed terrorist group" in the Macina Cercle of the Ségou Region, according to the army. (Anadolu Agency)
• War in Donbas
  • Two Ukrainian soldiers are killed by separatists in the Donetsk region, after intense artillery shelling by pro-Russian militants which began overnight. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Aftermath of the Fall of Kabul
  • Taliban education minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani announces a series of restrictions on education for women and girls, including gender-segregated classrooms and mandatory hijabs. (Deutsche Welle)

Disasters and accidents

• Four passengers are killed when a Let L-410 Turbolet carrying 14 passengers and two crew makes an emergency landing in southeastern Siberia, Russia. The aircraft was flying from Irkutsk to Kazachinskoye. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
      • Schools are reopened in Bangladesh after an 18-month closure due to the pandemic. (VOA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq
      • Iraq receives a shipment of 100,800 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Italy through the COVAX initiative. (Radio France Internationale)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, COVID-19 vaccination in Japan
      • The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Japan surpasses 50%. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand
      • The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand surpasses 40 million. (The Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
    • New Zealand signs an agreement with Denmark to receive an additional 500,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (Stuff)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, COVID-19 vaccination in South Africa
    • SAPRAH approves the Pfizer vaccine for minors aged 12 to 18 IOL
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    • The British government reverses its decision to use vaccine passports for nightclubs, cinemas, and large events in England. (BBC News)

International relations

• Qatari foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani becomes the first foreign diplomat to meet with the governing Taliban after arriving in Kabul today. Al Thani met with Taliban prime minister Hassan Akhund, former president Hamid Karzai and former chief negotiator Abdullah Abdullah. (Al Jazeera)
• Pope Francis begins his four-day apostolic journey to Hungary and Slovakia, his 34th apostolic journey outside Italy during his eight-year pontificate. At Budapest Pope Francis met with President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The Pontiff then met with other Christian and Jewish leaders. Pope Francis celebrated the concluding Mass of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress at Heroes’ Square in Budapest. (Catholic World News)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Argentine legislative election
  • Argentines head to the polls for the primaries of the election, with the ruling Peronist center-left government expected to suffer losses. The general midterm election will occur on November 14, where 127 seats of the Chamber of Deputies and 24 seats of the Senate will be contested. Right-wing political parties are expected to win most of the seats. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2021 US Open
  • In the men's singles tournament, Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev defeats Novak Djokovic of Serbia in straight sets, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4, to win his first Grand Slam title. (AFP via France 24)

Religion and politics

• 2021 Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference
  • The 2021 Dismantling Global Hindutva conference, or the DGH, held between 10-12 September, apparently started out as a small group of academics planning a modest gathering to explore the dangers of Hindutva ideology. [5] [6]

September 13, 2021 (2021-09-13) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Aftermath of the War in Afghanistan and Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
    • The United States will contribute $64 million to the United Nations' famine prevention effort in Afghanistan. (The Hill)
    • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken defends the U.S. withdrawal during a testimony congressional hearing. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • 2021 Niger attacks
    • A report by Amnesty International citing other organizations says that an increasing number of children are being killed and abducted as the conflict in Niger, mainly in the Tillabéri Region, worsens near the border with Mali and Burkina Faso. The report says that "a generation is growing surrounded by death and destruction" and denounces "gross abuses" by ISIL and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. The report urges the government and international partners to "take action". (Al Jazeera)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Bello Matawalle, the Governor of Zamfara State, Nigeria, announces that 68 children who were abducted two weeks ago have been rescued by Nigerian forces and reunited with their families. (AP via ABC News)
• Panjshir conflict
  • The BBC documents and reports that the Taliban deliberately targeted civilians in Panjshir Province despite promises to avoid retaliatory attacks on local civilians. One of the documented cases was that of a shopkeeper as the news agency says that up to 20 civilians were killed by Taliban fighters during their advance on the last anti-Taliban stronghold. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• Aftermath of the Fall of Kabul
  • Pakistan International Airlines operates the first international commercial flight to Kabul International Airport since the city's takeover by the Taliban on August 15. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)
  • The United Nations begins a fundraising event to collect $600 million in emergency funds for various Afghani agencies by the end of the year. (UPI)
• A Dutch court rules that Uber drivers are entitled to the same employee benefits afforded to taxi drivers. The court also orders the company to pay a €50,000 fine for damages. (AP via U.S. News and World Report) (CNBC)
• American international consumer credit reporting agency TransUnion agrees to purchase American technology company Neustar for $3.1 billion. (Fox Business)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Greece
        • The Greek Health ministry approves booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 60 years and people with a compromised immune system. (Ekathimerini)
      • Greece begins to implement mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated people. Public and private employees are required to pay for tests for their unvaccinated employees while unvaccinated high school students will be given test kits distributed at the government's expense. (Euronews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
        • The United Kingdom cancels a deal to purchase vaccines developed by Valneva SE following accusations of breaching the agreement. (BBC News)
        • The four Chief Medical Officers recommend universal COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 12 to 15 years using the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in order to reduce the possible disruption to schools. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania
      • Lithuania restricts the access of non-essential shops, gyms, beauty services, or events attended by more than 500 people, to only those who have a National Certificate proving that they have been vaccinated, have tested negative, or who have recovered from COVID-19. (Delfi)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo
      • President Félix Tshisekedi receives his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (News24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
      • South Africa moves to adjusted level 2 restrictions that will allow licensed establishments to serve alcohol until 10 p.m. Additionally, the curfew will begin one hour later at 11 p.m. (Business Insider South Africa)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement
      • Indonesia moves the level of the PPKM in Bali to level 3 and will also allow visitors to enter parts of the island as long as they adhere to strict health protocols. (Reuters via The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports 607 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since August 2020. (Today)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. surpasses 41 million cases of COVID-19. (WFTV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
        • Schools in New York City reopen for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      • New South Wales eases its lockdown rules for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 where people outside LGAs of concern are allowed to gather in groups of up to five people in a person's LGA or within 5 km (3.1 mi) from their home. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone
    • Sierra Leone ends its nationwide 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. curfew that had been in place since July due to declining number of COVID-19 cases. (Switsalone)

International relations

• North Korean missile tests
  • North Korea confirms it has tested a new long-range cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The missiles are a "strategic weapon of great significance", according to state media. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Emily Claire Hari, the leader of an Illinois-based, anti-government militia group, is sentenced to 53 years in prison for masterminding the August 2017 bombing of the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2020–21 Malaysian political crisis
  • Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the Leader of the Opposition Anwar Ibrahim of the main opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan sign a confidence and supply agreement ending the 18-month political crisis that has led to the fall of two successive governments. (CNA)
• 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election
  • Norwegians go to the polls to elect the new Storting. The opposition Labour Party led by Jonas Gahr Støre wins the most seats and is expected to form a left-wing-dominated government. The Centre Party, Red Party, Socialist Left Party and Green Party also gained seats. Prime Minister Erna Solberg concedes defeat. (Reuters)

September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War
  • An al-Shabaab suicide bomber blows himself up at a tea shop near a military base in Mogadishu, killing six soldiers and three civilians and injuring 11 others. (Al Jazeera)
• Aftermath of the assassination of Jovenel Moïse
  • Prosecutor Bed-Ford Claude asks a judge to forbid prime minister Ariel Henry from leaving Haiti "by air, sea or road" due to "serious presumption relative to the assassination of the former president". (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Seven people are killed when a King Air 360 crashed shortly after takeoff in Piracicaba, Brazil. Among the victims is the Brazilian energy company Cosan shareholder Celso Silveira Mello Filho and his family. (Nasdaq)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy surpasses 130,000 COVID-19-related deaths. (Il Messaggero)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte announces that the 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) social distancing requirement will be lifted on September 25 and instead, a "Corona pass" will be required in order to enter bars, restaurants, and large-scale events and festivals as the number of COVID-19 cases declines. (MedicalXpress)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • President Vladimir Putin enters self-isolation after several members of his inner circle tested positive for COVID-19. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore
        • Singapore begins a nationwide campaign to administer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 60 and people with a compromised immune system who received their second dose at least six months ago amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Nikkei Asia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan
      • South Sudan receives its first shipment of 152,950 doses of the single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. (APO Group via The Guardian Nigeria)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe
      • The Parliament of Zimbabwe bans anyone who is unvaccinated against COVID-19 from attending church service in order to increase the vaccination rate. (AFP via Barron's)
• Dolphin drive hunting
  • More than 1,400 atlantic white-sided dolphins are killed during hunting in the Faroe Islands, the biggest ever slaughter in the history of the annual hunt known as the Grindadráp. (The Guardian)

International relations

• LGBT rights in Hungary, LGBT rights in Poland
  • At the end of a European Union summit, representatives threaten to fine Poland on a daily basis and withhold part of the EU's budget from Hungary over their laws against the gay and LGBT communities. (Bloomberg)
• China–United Kingdom relations
  • Chinese ambassador Zheng Zeguang is banned from entering the Parliament of the United Kingdom while sanctions remain in place on a number of British MPs and officials. Zheng was due to attend a Commons reception on Wednesday. China says that this was a "despicable and cowardly" decision. (BBC News)
• France–Mali relations, Mali–Russia relations
  • France says that a planned deal between Mali's military junta led by Assimi Goïta and the Wagner Group to bring Russian private military contractors into Mali was "incompatible" with the current French military presence. (Reuters)
• North Korea demonstrates two short-range ballistic missiles that land just outside Japan's territorial waters and then only hours later South Korea demonstrates a submarine-launched ballistic missile. Comments made during the South Korean launch immediately draw condemning remarks from North Korea's Kim Yo-jong. (AP)
• Continuing his apostolic journey, Pope Francis arrives in Slovakia, meeting with President Zuzana Čaputová who were joined by civil leaders, members of the diplomatic corps and religious leaders. After a meeting with the Jewish community, the Pope went to the apostolic nunciature, where he met with the Speaker of the National Council (parliament), Boris Kollár, and with Prime Minister Eduard Heger. (Catholic World News)

Law and crime

• COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona
    • Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich files a lawsuit against President Joe Biden and his administration over the vaccine mandate. (KTAR)
• Mexican drug war
  • A Mexican court sentences Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, a former leader of the Juárez drug cartel, to 28 years in prison on the charges of organized crime and drug trafficking. (AFP via RFI)

Politics and elections

• 2021 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 2021 California gubernatorial recall election
    • California voters head to the polls to determine whether to remove or keep incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom. This will be the first gubernatorial recall election in California since 2003. (AP)
    • Governor Gavin Newsom survives the recall election, making him the second governor to survive a recall after former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in 2012. (Business Insider)

September 15, 2021 (2021-09-15) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• A gunfight during a security operation in North Waziristan District, Pakistan, result in the death of seven security forces and five terrorists. (Dawn)

Business and economy

• Property giant China Evergrande Group admitted it is under "tremendous pressure" and may not be able to meet its crippling debt obligations. Angry protesters have been gathering outside the real estate firm's headquarters, demanding to know about its future. Evergrande is holding $305 billion in liabilities on $147 billion in assets reported in 2020. (DW)

Disasters and accidents

• Three people are killed and at least 60 more injured during a 6.0 earthquake in Yongchuan, Sichuan, China. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      • The percentage of people who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in New South Wales surpasses 80%. (7 News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
        • Alberta premier Jason Kenney declares a public health emergency and introduces vaccine passport system that will give businesses the choice between tough restrictions or demanding customers show proof of vaccination or a negative test due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. (The Globe and Mail)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • One in every 500 Americans have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic in the U.S. (CNN)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Chile, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • The Chilean health ministry announces that beginning from October 1, Chileans, resident and non-resident foreigners will be able to leave and enter the country. (Aviacionline)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
    • Mongolia reports its first animal death from COVID-19 in two beavers from the Beaver Breeding Center at the Environmental Department of the capital Ulaanbaatar last month. (Xinhuanet)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
    • Slovenia begins to implement a mandatory COVID pass for people aged over 12 years old, containing proof of vaccination, a negative test, or have recovered from COVID-19 in the previous six months in order to enter all service establishments and workplaces with the exception of emergency medical service, grocery stores, and chemists. (Euractiv)

International relations

• U.S. president Joe Biden, U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson, and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announce the formation of a new security alliance, named AUKUS, aimed at countering China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. They also announce, as part of the alliance's first initiative, the Royal Australian Navy will be acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Philippine drug war
  • The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court authorizes the Prosecutor to launch an investigation into the Philippine government under President Rodrigo Duterte for possible crimes against humanity committed during the drug war. (The Washington Post)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Russian legislative election
  • Allies of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, especially Leonid Volkov, call to vote for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in the upcoming parliamentary election in order to hurt the ruling United Russia party. Navalny and his allies' party was barred from the election after being branded as "extremist" last June. (Reuters)
• Aftermath of the 2021 Argentine legislative election
  • Interior minister and vice president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's ally Eduardo de Pedro offers his resignation following the defeat of the ruling center-left government in last Sunday's midterm primaries. Culture minister Tristán Bauer, environment minister Juan Cabandié and science and technology minister Roberto Salvarezza, all close to Kirchner, also resign. (Reuters)
• USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal
  • Simone Biles and three other U.S. gymnasts testify before Congress about the long-term sexual abuse of women in USA Gymnastics by team doctor Larry Nassar and the lack of investigation by the FBI after the abuse was initially reported in 2015. (AP News)

Science and technology

• Russia demonstrates the use of unmanned ground vehicles in combat formations during the weeklong Zapad joint military exercises with Belarus. The two vehicles demonstrated were the Uran-9, a tracked vehicle equipped with a 30 mm autocannon, machine gun, anti-tank missiles and a flamethrower; and the Nerekhta, equipped with a mounted machine gun and a grenade launcher as well as cargo capacity. (Military.com)
• TikTok announces that they have banned the devious lick challenge, which saw videos of students stealing items from schools, such as soap dispensers. (Business Insider)

September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War crimes in the Tigray War
  • Human Rights Watch accuses Ethiopian and Eritrean forces of raping and killing refugees in northern Ethiopia and also of looting. The director of the organization for the Horn of Africa says that there are "horrific war crimes" taking place in the region. The Tigray People's Liberation Front distances itself from the accusations, saying that the war crimes are committed by local militias. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Northern Chad; Libyan Crisis
  • According to both the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), LNA forces attacked FACT positions in southern Libya. FACT also claimed that the LNA received support from Sudanese mercenaries and French troops. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• A newly discovered sketch by Vincent van Gogh entitled "Worn Out", depicting an old man (believed to have been a friend, Jacobus Zuyderland) sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, is shown for the first time at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. (RTÉ)

Disasters and accidents

• Nine swimmers drown in the Mediterranean Sea off Southern France when the water turns choppy in high winds, and five are rescued. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, COVID-19 vaccination in mainland China
      • The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in China surpasses one billion, or 71% of its population. (The New York Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
      • A panel of health experts advising the Hong Kong government recommends that children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old should only receive a single dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after reports of heart inflammation as a side effect. (CTV News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, COVID-19 vaccination in Iran
      • The Iranian Food and Drug Administration approves the usage of the single-dose Janssen and Sputnik Light vaccines. (RFE/RL)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports 910 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since May 2020. (The Straits Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports 514 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since the peak of the second wave in 2020. (7 News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina
      • The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in South Carolina surpasses 50%. (WCIV-TV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
      • France suspends 3,000 healthcare workers because they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, a day after mandatory vaccination for health-related sector employees was implemented. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • The Italian government approves a decree that would make the usage of a digital "Green Pass" mandatory for all public and private sector employees, becoming the first country in Europe to mandate a COVID-19 health pass for all workers. This requirement will be in effect from October 15 until the end of the year. (Euronews)

International relations

• AUKUS
  • China condemns yesterday's formation of a new security alliance between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying that the alliance risks "severely damaging regional peace... and intensifying the arms race". (BBC News)
  • The French embassy in Washington, D.C. cancels a gala commemorating the Battle of the Chesapeake on September 18 amid the announcement of the security pact. (AFP via Deccan Herald)
  • Indonesia's foreign affairs ministry expressed unease about Australia’s dramatic expansion of its navy and using U.S. technology to build eight nuclear-powered submarines. A statement issued stated “Indonesia is deeply concerned over the continuing arms race and power projection in the region”. (Brisbane Times)
• Aftermath of the 2021 Guinean coup d'état
  • During a summit in Accra, the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States announce that it will impose individual sanctions on members of the Guinean military junta and their family members, including travel bans and asset freezing, until the junta restores constitutional rule. (Anadolu Agency)
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • The Armenian government files charges against Azerbaijan at the International Court of Justice for violating the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. (AFP via New Straits Times)

Law and crime

• Philippine drug war
  • President Rodrigo Duterte repeats that he will not allow the International Criminal Court (ICC) to enter the country in order to investigate alleged extrajudicial executions of drug dealers during his war on drugs. The Philippines had withdrawn from the ICC in 2018. (Reuters)
• A district court in Jakarta rules that the Government of Indonesia, under President Joko Widodo, failed to uphold the right to a healthy environment, a violation of the country's environmental laws, in a case filed by 32 Jakarta citizens in 2019. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• Aftermath of the 2021 Argentine legislative election
  • More ministers resign in a mass resignation in the center-left government of Argentina after the defeat to more rightist parties in the primaries. Among the ministers to resign today are Luana Volnovich, Fernanda Raverta, Pablo Ceriani, and Martín Sabbatella. (MercoPress)
• Norfolk Island representatives threaten to create a government in exile in protest to the loss of autonomy five years ago. (RNZ)
• Sigrid Kaag, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, resigns following a motion of censure for her handling of the Dutch evacuation during the Fall of Kabul. (DW)
• Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed suspends Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble's powers to hire and fire officials, in an ensuing and escalating tension between the two men which began when the president extended his term in office. Roble has said that he will abide by the president's decision. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• A recent paper in the journal Nature reports that although the 2019–20 Australian brushfires produced 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, they also resulted in a massive phytoplankton bloom larger in size than all of Australia that absorbed carbon dioxide as part of the photosynthesis process. The smoke also deposited approximately three times the amount of iron normally found in the ocean. (9 News) (Nature)

September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • War in Afghanistan
    • 2021 drone strikes in Afghanistan
      • Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. acknowledges that a drone strike conducted by the U.S. military on August 29 near Kabul International Airport killed 10 civilians instead of ISIL-K militants. (The New York Times)
• Internal conflict in Myanmar
  • Eighty telecommunication towers owned by Mytel have been destroyed in Myanmar, leaving 700,000 people without communication. The People's Defence Force has claimed responsibility for the destruction. (CNA)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore
        • Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong receives a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (The Straits Times)
      • Singapore reports 935 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since April 2020. (U.S. News and World Report)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia, COVID-19 vaccination in Cambodia
      • Cambodia begins a COVID-19 vaccination rollout for children over the age of 6 using the Chinese-made Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine. (Bangkok Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • India reports a new single-day record of 22.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered. (Livemint)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 drug development
      • South Korea approves the Celltrion antibody COVID-19 treatment for infected adults in high-risk groups and adults with severe symptoms. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in American Samoa
      • American Samoa reports its first case of COVID-19 in a resident who returned from travelling to the U.S. mainland and Hawaii earlier this week. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
      • Fiji lifts its containment area borders on the main island of Viti Levu as 60% of the targeted population has been fully vaccinated. However, a curfew remains in effect and inter-island travel remains suspended. (RNZ)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • New Zealand extends the suspension of the travel bubble agreement with Australia for a further eight weeks as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to remain high and also due to the spread of the Delta variant. (Al Jazeera)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
    • The Slovenian government announces that all public sector employees, with the exception of employees working in the education sector, will have to show a proof of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 beginning on October 1 or they risk losing their jobs. (AFP via Barron's)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    • Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration vote to reject a wider COVID-19 vaccine booster dose and to only recommend booster doses for people over the age of 65 and people who are at high risk of severe illness. (CNBC)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • A five-month survey finds that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective vaccine against hospitalization due to COVID-19. The study found that Moderna’s vaccine candidate had a 93% effectiveness in reducing hospitalizations, compared to 88% for Pfizer’s, and 71% for Johnson & Johnson’s. (CBS News)
• 2021 Marburg virus disease outbreak in Guinea
  • Guinea declares an end to the outbreak of the Marburg virus disease in the country. (CNN)

International relations

• AUKUS
  • The Australian Defence Minister announces that the new strategic partnership will also include increased numbers of U.S. bombers and airplanes being based out of Australia. In addition, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace notes that the deal has revealed a loophole in nuclear policy that does not bar states without nuclear weapons from obtaining nuclear technology for submarines and that this falls outside of IAEA inspections. (ABC News Australia) (Foreign Policy)
  • France recalls its ambassadors from the United States and Australia in protest of the security pact, which also includes the United Kingdom. The French Foreign Ministry says that the "exceptional decision" was justified by the seriousness of the pact, which has replaced its own security agreement with Australia. (BBC News)
• Foreign relations of Iran
  • The Shanghai Cooperation Organization grants membership status to Iran. (Nikkei Asia)
• Libya–Tunisia relations, Libya–Tunisia border, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Libya and Tunisia reopen their borders with stringent health protocol requiring travellers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and PCR tested negative, two months after the closure on July 8 due to an explosion of COVID-19 cases in the latter country. (AFP via France 24)
• North Korea–United States relations
  • In escalating tensions over the past week, North Korea accuses the United States of double standards when it comes to condemning missile tests, saying that the U.S. only condemned North Korea the same day that South Korea also tested missiles. North Korean state media cited its chief as saying that the American response was a "vivid revelation of the American-style double-dealing attitude" and also says that unless "the U.S. drops its hostile policies towards North Korea, denuclearization can never be put on the table" of negotiations. (Reuters)
• Djibouti–Somalia relations
  • Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed condemns Djibouti for detaining and forbidding a Somali security advisor from leaving the country. The president accused Djibouti of "destabilizing" relations amid a political feud between the Somali president and prime minister. (Reuters)
• Ukraine–United States relations
  • Ukraine and the United States announce that they will begin joint military exercises involving 15 other countries in western Ukraine next week. (VOA)

Politics and elections

• Aftermath of the 2021 Argentine legislative election
  • President Alberto Fernández reshuffles his cabinet, as demanded by Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, following the poor turnout of their Peronist and Kirchnerist Frente de Todos coalition in the legislative primary election. Among the appointed ministers include Santiago Cafiero, Julián Domínguez, Aníbal Fernández, and Daniel Filmus. (AFP via Radio France Internationale)
• Ank Bijleveld, the Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, resigns following a motion of censure for her handling of the Dutch evacuation during the Fall of Kabul, a day after the resignation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigrid Kaag. (NOS) (Radio France Internationale)
• President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele says that the proposed constitutional reforms he sent for review will not include the legalization of abortion or same-sex marriage. El Salvador has one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world. (Reuters)

September 18, 2021 (2021-09-18) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Two bombings in Jalalabad and two more in Kabul kill seven people and injure 30 others: one of the attacks targeted a vehicle carrying Taliban members. (Al Jazeera)
• Aftermath of the 2021 Guinea coup d'état
  • A Guinea junta spokesman for leader Mamady Doumbouya says that Doumbouya shrugged off threats of economic sanctions by ECOWAS when confronted with them, saying that "as soldiers, their work is in Guinea and there is nothing to freeze in their accounts." Talks are also ongoing to allow ousted president Alpha Condé to leave Guinea, a petition to which the junta has refused permission. (Reuters)
• Operation Madago Raya
  • Indonesian soldiers and police kills the East Indonesia Mujahideen leader Ali Kalora and commander Jaka "Ikrima" Ramadhan during a joint operation at a village in Sulawesi. (Al Jazeera)
• One person is killed and seven more injured during a grenade attack at a volleyball match in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, Philippines. (Manila Standard)
• ISIL claims responsibility for an attack on a gas pipeline and power station in Deir Ali, Syria, that caused power outages in Damascus and other areas of the country. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Notre-Dame de Paris fire
  • French authorities say that the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris will reopen in 2024. (France 24)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
        • The Singaporean Ministry of Education announces that all primary schools will begin full online learning for Primary 1 to 5 students from September 27 until the end of the Primary School Leaving Examination sitting on October 6 amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (The Straits Times)
      • Singapore reports 1,009 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since April 2020. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam
      • Vietnam approves the Abdala COVID-19 vaccine developed by Cuba, becoming the eighth vaccine to be approved for use in the country. (VIR)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in American Samoa
      • American Samoa announces the first recorded case of COVID-19 in the territory. The patient tested positive after returning from Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 13. In response, the American Samoan government suspends all flights to Pago Pago International Airport. (RNZ)(Samoa News)(Civil Beat)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
        • Restrictions are eased slightly in Melbourne and Ballarat as the vaccination rate surpasses 70%. Small outdoor gatherings for vaccinated people are permitted and outdoor exercise can now occur within a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) radius, instead of a 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) radius. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji, COVID-19 vaccination in Fiji
      • Fiji announces the beginning of the vaccination campaign for children between the ages of 15 to 17 using the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
    • Finland reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant, which was first detected in Colombia. (Yle)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. surpasses 42 million cases of COVID-19. (WFTV)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack
  • Justice for J6 rally
    • A rally is held near the United States Capitol to express solidarity with the people arrested for their roles in the January 6 riot. A fence is erected outside the building amid fears of violence, with four participants being arrested for various felonies. (WRC-TV)
• Illegal immigration to the United States
  • Over the last 48 hours, Del Rio, Texas, sees an increase in border crossings with approximately 10,000 migrants, primarily from Haiti who traveled through Central and South America. The migrants are currently being kept in a camp underneath an overpass bridge and provided emergency supplies before being sent to either a Border Patrol station or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Migrants are reportedly using instructions circulated on WhatsApp to evade border security based on interviews conducted at the camp. (Reuters)
• Houthis in Yemen execute nine men by firing squad over their connection with the death of Saleh Ali al-Sammad, who was killed in a Saudi airstrike on Yemen's west coast in April 2018. (Reuters)
• The Taliban replaces the Ministry of Women's Affairs with a new ministry named the Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, in what analysts say is a setback for women's rights in the country. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• Cannabis in Italy
  • Activists in Italy say that they have gathered enough signatures in order to trigger a referendum on liberalising the use of cannabis. (Reuters)
• The 2021 Hungarian opposition primary's first round has started. (Deutsche Welle)

Science and technology

• SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission lands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida, completing the first all-civilian orbital spaceflight. (AFP via Mint)

Sports

• 2021 U.S. Open Pool Championship
  • In nine-ball pool, Carlo Biado of the Philippines defeats Aloysius Yapp of Singapore, 13–8, in the final to win the championship held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (ESPN)

September 19, 2021 (2021-09-19) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Kabul Airlift
    • A Qatar Airways charter flight carrying 200 passengers, including Afghans and Americans, departs from Kabul International Airport to Qatar. (Reuters)
  • ISIL–Taliban conflict
    • Three Taliban members and two civilians are killed when a bomb, planted by ISIL–K, explodes near a Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad, Nangarhar. (The Guardian)
• Papua conflict, Australia–Indonesia relations
  • A recently declassified Australian intelligence report from 1998 reveals that the government was fully aware that the Indonesian military had massacred peaceful protesters from the Free Papua Movement, which was not publicly acknowledged or condemned by Australia at the time. Guardian Australia speculates that supporting photographic evidence may have been destroyed by Australian authorities. (The Guardian)
• Killamarsh murders
  • Police officers have discovered the remains of three children and one adult inside a residential property in Killamarsh, near Sheffield, England, after being called out to reports of a disturbance. A 31-year-old man has been arrested and a murder inquiry has been launched. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards
  • The 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards takes place at the Event Deck in Los Angeles, with Ted Lasso winning four Emmys. Brett Goldstein, Jason Sudeikis, and Hannah Waddingham win their first career Emmys. (Deadline) (CNBC)
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage, COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
  • Iran reopens museums in Tehran and other large cities with sanitary protocols after a year-long closure due to the pandemic. (AFP via Radio France Internationale)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 La Palma eruption
  • The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, erupts for the first time in fifty years. A few hours later, the first preventive evacuations of people with reduced mobility from nearby towns took place after the declaration of a state of pre-eruption. (Reuters) (elDiario.es)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
      • Laotian capital Vientiane enters in a strict lockdown for two weeks as the city reported a record number of COVID-19 cases. Travel between the hard-hit provinces is also banned and anyone wishing to enter the city must be quarantined for 14 days. (Bangkok Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, COVID-19 vaccination in Malaysia
      • The Malaysian government approves a plan to administer a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for high-risk groups once the nationwide vaccination rate surpasses 80% of the adult population. (The Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports 1,012 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since April 2020. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Abu Dhabi lifts the requirement for people from other emirates to receive COVID-19 testing before they enter the capital due to a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. (The National News)
• Sixty-three African penguins are dead after being stung by a swarm of bees in Simon's Town, South Africa. The African penguin is an endangered species. (BBC News)

International relations

• Mexico–United States border crisis
  • The United States closes the Mexico–US border near the Texas city of Del Rio after thousands of Haitian migrants arrived at the International Bridge near the city. The U.S. will also begin flying the migrants back to Haiti. (AP)

Law and crime

• Gilboa Prison break
  • The Israel Defense Forces announces that all six Palestinian fugitives have been recaptured, after the last two, who are part of the Islamic Jihad Movement, were arrested in the Palestinian city of Jenin through a joint operation with the Yamam. (AFP via The Times of India)
• Women's rights in Afghanistan
  • The new Taliban mayor of Kabul, Hamdullah Nomani, asks women to stay at home in case their job can be filled by a man. Nomani also added that the Taliban "finds it necessary to stop women from working for a while" and instead urged them to work in places where men cannot go due to gender segregation. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations
  • Australian Industry, Science and Technology Minister Christian Porter resigns amid criticism for receiving anonymous donations in his defamation case against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, who reported on historical rape allegations against him. (The Guardian)
• 2022 Philippine presidential election, 2021 PDP–Laban dispute
  • A faction of the ruling PDP–Laban party that is in conflict with incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte nominates Senator Manny Pacquiao as the party's presidential candidate. (Reuters)
• 2020–2021 Thai protests
  • Hundreds of protesters call to "kick out" prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on the 15th anniversary of the 2006 Thai coup d'état, which ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. (Al Jazeera)

September 20, 2021 (2021-09-20) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Aftermath of the Rwandan genocide
  • A court in Rwanda finds Paul Rusesabagina, a former hotel manager portrayed as a hero in the Hollywood film about the genocide, guilty of terrorism-related charges. Rusesabagina, who remained handcuffed in court, denounced president Paul Kagame and said that he was abducted from exile in Dubai in order to stand trial in Rwanda. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • ISIL-linked militants raid a village of Kagera, Tanzania, after crossing the border from Mozambique, killing four people. Three of the victims were beheaded. Between 18 and 33 people have been kidnapped. (Cabo Ligado)
• Anglophone Crisis
  • Fifteen soldiers and civilians are killed during two bombing and shooting attacks in the Northwest Region, Cameroon. The attacks had been carried out several days ago but were not reported until today. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Volkswagen submits an offer of €2.5 billion for French car rental firm Europcar. The deal, which would give Volkswagen 66% of Europcar's shares, has been accepted by the board but still needs to be accepted by regulators in France. Volkswagen previously owned Europcar and sold it to French investment firm Eurazeo for €3.3 billion in 2006. (RTE)
• Twitter agrees to pay $809.5 million to settle a shareholder class action lawsuit that accused the social media company of painting an overly rosy picture of its future. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 La Palma eruption
  • More than 100 homes on the island of La Palma in the Spanish Canary Islands are destroyed by lava flows, and 5,000 people are evacuated. Several schools on the island suspend classes. (El Mundo) (Europa Press)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in England, COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
        • England and Scotland begin the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for children between the ages of 12 and 15 as part of an expansion of their vaccination programme in order to protect more people from COVID-19 during the winter. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • The Austrian government announces that it will require protective face masks and COVID-19 passes for users of ski lifts this winter in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the country will allow foreign skiers for the first time in two years. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, COVID-19 vaccination in Italy
      • Italy begins administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to clinically vulnerable people using mRNA-based vaccines. (ANSA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Switzerland begins to implement a mandatory negative COVID-19 test result for travellers who have not been vaccinated or who have not recovered from COVID-19 upon entering the country in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Schengen Visa Info)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vatican City
      • The Vatican City issues a decree that would require visitors who enter the city state to show an Italian Green Pass or its international immunity passport equivalent, providing proof that they have been vaccinated, tested negative in the previous 72 hours, or have recovered from COVID-19, beginning on October 1. (The Washington Post) (Catholic News Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
        • Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announces that COVID-19 vaccines will be required for all teachers and students in the district by November 1. (The Washington Post)
      • The Biden administration announces that travel restrictions will be lifted for international travellers who are fully vaccinated and show a negative COVID-19 test. These rules will be in effect beginning in November. (Euronews)
    • The CDC releases a study, which finds that 99.4% of all current cases of COVID-19 in the United States are of the highly transmittable Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant. (The New York Times)
    • The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. surpasses the total number of deaths from the Spanish flu in the U.S. from 1918 to 1919. (ABC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan
    • Uzbekistan lifts some COVID-19-related restrictions, allowing the reopening of theatres, cinemas, and concert halls, as well as allowing mass events to be held indoors and outdoors due to a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. (AKI Press)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Pfizer says that their vaccine candidate is effective for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (CBS News)

International relations

• El Salvador–United States relations, Guatemala–United States relations
  • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces that the department has included five judges of the Supreme Court of El Salvador as well as the Attorney General of Guatemala María Consuelo Porras in a list of "undemocratic and corrupt" officials. (Swissinfo)

Law and crime

• Perm State University shooting
  • Six people are killed and around 20 more are wounded in a mass shooting at Perm State University in Perm, Perm Krai, Russia. The gunman, an 18-year-old student at the university, has been arrested. (BBC News)
• 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis
  • Poland accuses Russia and Belarus of "orchestrating a wave of illegal immigration" after four people were found dead yesterday at the Polish–Belarusian border. (Al Jazeera)
• Three former U.S. intelligence operatives, who worked as senior managers at a United Arab Emirates–based company, have been ordered by the Department of Justice to pay $1,685,000 in fines for "leveraging zero-click exploits to illegally obtain and use access credentials for online accounts issued by U.S. companies, and to obtain unauthorized access to computers globally, including in the United States". (Fox Business News)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Canadian federal election
  • Voters in Canada go to the polls to elect members of the House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament, with pollsters predicting a tight race between Justin Trudeau's incumbent Liberal Party and Erin O'Toole's opposition Conservative Party. (CTV News)
  • The Liberal Party is projected to retain their minority government. (CTV News)
  • O'Toole speaks to supporters and announces that he has made a phone call to Trudeau to concede the election. (National Post)
  • The Conservative Party win a plurality of the popular vote for the second consecutive election. (Yahoo! News Canada)
• Aftermath of the 17 October Revolution
  • The parliament of Lebanon approves the government formed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati. (AFP via France 24)
• COVID-19 protests in Australia
  • Members of Melbourne's far-right violate lockdown laws and riot at the office of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, damaging windows and assaulting state secretary John Setka before being dispersed by police. The rioters were dressed in the high-visibility clothing associated with the construction industry and presented themselves as Union rank-and-file protesting a bureaucracy which they claimed was working to impose mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. Setka said that the Union opposes mandatory vaccinations and blamed the riots on "outside extremists", stating that only a minority of those in attendance were Union members. (The Guardian)

September 21, 2021 (2021-09-21) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Boko Haram militants raid and burn the village of Kadjigoroum, Chad, killing nine civilians. (Voa News)
• Korean conflict
  • Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, South Korean president Moon Jae-in asks for a formal end to the decades-long conflict between the two Koreas. (Reuters)
• 2019–2024 Sudanese transition to democracy
  • Sudanese forces thwart a coup attempt against the ruling civilian-military government by supporters of former president Omar al-Bashir that began overnight. According to sources close to the government, interrogation of instigators would begin today. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announces that Michigan will build an electrified road to charge wireless vehicles, becoming the first U.S. state to do so. (USA Today)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • Harbin bans visits to retirement homes, closes spas, cinemas and mahjong salons, reduces the capacity of tourist attractions by half, and suspends religious activities in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in poorly ventilated spaces after one community transmitted case was reported. (Al-Arabiya English)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • The number of recovered COVID-19 patients in Indonesia surpasses four million. (detikHealth)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • The number of adult population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Malaysia surpasses 80%. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports 1,178 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since April 2020. (Business Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Hanoi reopens non-essential services and removes travel permits for inner-city commuters. The city also allows food and drink establishments to reopen with takeaway only and a 9:00 p.m. closing time, due to a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Sify.com)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
        • Several regional areas of New South Wales enter a lockdown after an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. At the same time, due to reaching statewide vaccination targets, lockdown measures are relaxed slightly across New South Wales, with children under the age of 18 years old able to form a "friends bubble" with one other household. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Solomon Islands
      • The government announces that public servants will soon be a target of the "no jab, no job" policy and that they will have to either resign or receive half-pay if they refuse to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in California
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area
        • San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces that the San Francisco International Airport will mandate COVID-19 vaccines, making it the first U.S. airport to do so. (Los Angeles Times)
• African Swine Fever
  • Haiti reports the first outbreak of the African swine fever in 37 years when an operation in Anse-à-Pitre near border with the Dominican Republic suffered an outbreak that began on August 26. (Reuters)

International relations

• Australia–European Union relations, Australia–France relations
  • President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen suspends negotiations for a free trade agreement with Australia over Australia's recent cancellation of a submarine contract with France, demanding that Australia must apologise to France before the agreement can continue. (The Guardian)
• Foreign relations of Argentina
  • Argentine President Alberto Fernández asks Iran to "cooperate with the Argentine justice" regarding an investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires and demands that countries where wanted Iranian officials are residing should comply with its Interpol red notices. (Infobae)
• Recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Foreign relations of Afghanistan
  • In a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs requests representation at the seventy-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Emirate's Foreign Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqi also requests that Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations Ghulam Isaczai be replaced by Mohammad Suhail Shasheen. The Taliban also note that former President Ashraf Ghani had been "ousted and [countries across the world] no longer recognize him as president." (CNN)
• Russia–United_Kingdom relations
  • British police announce a third Russian had been charged in absentia with the 2018 Novichok murder attempt on former double agent Sergei Skripal, saying they could also now confirm the three suspects were military intelligence operatives. (Straits Times)

Law and crime

• Death of Gabby Petito
  • A coroner in Teton County, Wyoming, confirms that the remains found on September 19 were that of Petito, who disappeared from Grand Teton National Park on August 27, and rules her death a homicide. (AFP via Today)
• The European Court of Human Rights rules that agents acting on behalf of the Russian government were responsible for the fatal poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. (BBC News)
• The Court of Justice of the European Union imposes a daily fine of €500,000 (2.31M zł) on Poland for its refusal to close the Turów Coal Mine, which was declared illegal by a temporary injunction from the court in May. (WIAT-TV)

Politics and elections

• COVID-19 protests in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
  • Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces a two-week suspension of construction work in the state after yesterday's riot at the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) office. Rioters claimed that they were construction workers, although CFMEU officials and others claim that there were few construction workers present. (ABC News Australia)
  • Protesters return to the Melbourne CBD for the second consecutive day, assaulting journalists and blocking the West Gate Freeway. Riot police responded with rubber bullet rounds. (New Zealand Herald)
• Women's rights in Afghanistan
  • Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says that girls will return to school soon, adding that "We are finalizing things ... it will happen as soon as possible". The announcement came as the Taliban banned girls from grades 6 to 12 from attending school, to which Mujahid said that this was only "temporary" and that new announcements would be made soon. (Deutsche Welle)

Sports

• 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, Racism in association football
  • FIFA sanctions the Hungarian Football Federation with a US$216,000 fine and orders the Hungarian national team to play their next two World Cup qualification home matches behind closed doors, following incidents of racist behavior among their fans during a match against England on September 2. (CNN)

September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • ISIL-K militants open fire against a Taliban vehicle at a gas station in Jalalabad, killing two Taliban members, a gas station attendant, and a child. Two bombs also explode nearby to two more Taliban vehicles, killing another child and injuring three more Taliban members. (First Post)
  • ISIS-K militants kill four Christian Afghan men after stopping their vehicle and then shooting the victims. (Mission Network News)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Houthi forces capture the Bayhan District in Yemen's Shabwah Governorate where oil fields are located and continue their advance into neighboring Usaylan District. (Xinhua via The Manila Times)
• Authorities in Germany link a belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and far-right extremism as motives behind the killing of a cashier in Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, four days ago. The 20-year-old student employee was murdered at the shop where he worked by a man who refused to wear a mask. Far-right extremists praise the killing and make denigratory comments about the victim. (BBC News)
• Gunmen open fire against a vehicle carrying Serhiy Shefir, an official close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, near the village of Lisnyky, outside of Kyiv, wounding the driver of the car. The attack is deemed an assassination attempt against Shefir. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Mansfield earthquake
  • A magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes the Alpine National Park in Victoria, Australia, with tremors felt throughout the state and in parts of New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Tasmania. Some buildings in Melbourne are damaged but no casualties are reported. (ABC News Australia)
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes off the coast of Nicaragua, measuring 40 kilometres (25 mi) in depth. (Reuters)
• UNICEF reports that most infants in at least 91 countries suffer from malnourishment and food insecurity. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimated last week that about 811 million people globally are affected by hunger. (The Guardian)
• A Russian An-26 transport aircraft, believed to have six people on board, disappears while flying at an ultralow altitude of 600 meters. The plane went off radar some 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Khabarovsk airport in southeastern Russia. (DW)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia
      • Georgia surpasses 600,000 cases of COVID-19. (Azeri Press Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India reports its lowest number of active COVID-19 case in 186 days with the daily positivity rate recorded at 1.69%. (Khaleej Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 1,457 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 1,426 cases set in April 2020, and thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 81,356. (Yahoo! News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      • Michigan surpasses one million confirmed cases of COVID-19. (WDIV-TV)
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • The Food and Drug Administration officially authorizes the usage of a third dosage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot for individuals still considered vulnerable to COVID-19. Among those eligible are health care workers and senior citizens who have been fully inoculated with the vaccine for at least six months. (CNET)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazilian Health minister Marcelo Queiroga tests positive for COVID-19 while in New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly. (CBS News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    • Mental health organizations urge the government to address suicide prevention and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on mental health, as an advisor to the government warns that Fiji faces a "mental health epidemic". (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda
    • Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni eases COVID-19-related restrictions, including allowing churches and many sports and social activities to resume, due to a decline in the number of infections. The President will also allow universities and other post-secondary education institutions to reopen on November 1. (Swiss Info)
• Eight hatchlings from one of the world's rarest crocodile species are found in the Sre Pok Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Cambodia, raising hopes for the continuing survival of the species in the wild. Conservationists found the baby Siamese crocodiles in a river earlier this month, according to a statement from Cambodia's Environment Ministry and the World Wildlife Fund. (9 News)

International relations

• Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
  • King Salman of Saudi Arabia insists on the "importance of keeping the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction ... and support international efforts aiming at preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons". Salman also accused Yemen's Houthis of launching attacks against the kingdom despite proposed ceasefires by Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
• France–United States relations
  • French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden agree to meet in Europe soon to repair the strained relations following the security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. France also agrees to send back its ambassador to the United States. (Al Jazeera)
• Algeria–Morocco relations, Western Sahara conflict
  • Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune orders the prohibition of all Moroccan-registered aircraft in Algerian airspace after the two countries broke off diplomatic ties on August 24. (AFP via The Times of Israel)

Law and crime

• Killamarsh killings
  • The Derbyshire Constabulary charges a 31-year-old man with four counts of murder following a suspected mass murder in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, England, on Sunday. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• COVID-19 protests in Australia
  • Protesters return to the Melbourne CBD for the third day straight, albeit in lesser numbers than yesterday. The protests end with a three hour stand-off with riot police firing non-lethal rounds and teargas at the Shrine of Remembrance. Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemns the protests. (The Guardian)
• 2021 Tunisian political crisis
  • President Kais Saied declares that he will rule by decree. (AFP via Radio France Internationale)
• 2022 Philippine presidential election
  • Mayor of Manila Isko Moreno announces his candidacy for the President of the Philippines in the upcoming 2022 elections. (Rappler)
• Germany nominates current World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom for a second five-year term as the head of the United Nations body. He appears to be the sole candidate, but at a news conference he declines to state whether or not he will accept the nomination. Ethiopia has withdrawn its support for his candidacy, accusing him of openly supporting the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the ongoing Tigray War. (France 24)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • 2022 Winter Olympics, United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics
    • The United States will require athletes to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to compete in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. (Axios)

September 23, 2021 (2021-09-23) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
    • Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid downplays the presence of ISIL in Afghanistan, as analysts say that ISIL is using the same urban warfare tactics previously used by the Taliban to fight the Western-backed Afghan government's forces. After the attack against Kabul airport last month, the Taliban has vowed to capture the leader of ISIL in Afghanistan. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Evergrande Default Crisis
  • China's largest property developer Evergrande misses the payment deadline of 83.5 million USD in offshore bonds, increasing its chances of a bankruptcy. (Financial Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
      • Laos surpasses 20,000 cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record 694 new cases in the past 24 hours. (The Laotian Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Nepal removes its quarantine requirement and resumes issuing visas on arrival for foreign travellers that have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (La Prensa Latina)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 1,504 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 82,856. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
        • Victoria reports a record 766 new cases and four deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
      • Papua New Guinea announces a four-week lockdown in parts of the country including Eastern Highlands as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to increase, primarily due to the Delta variant. Prime Minister James Marape had anticipated the move before leaving the country to attend the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York City. The country also struggles with its vaccination campaign, as only 2% of the population has been vaccinated. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Prime Minister António Costa announces that all remaining COVID-19-related restrictions will be lifted on October 1, allowing nightclubs to reopen and restaurants to operate without capacity limits as more than 80% of people have been fully vaccinated. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 820 deaths in the past 24 hours, matching a single-day record set in late August, bringing the nationwide death toll to 201,445. (The Times of Israel)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Panama
    • In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, President Laurentino Cortizo says that Panama is expected to reach herd immunity in the coming weeks after vaccinating 4.2 million people. (Reuters)
• Foot-and-mouth disease
  • Namibia reports the new strain of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the country that has infected thousands of cattle. (Reuters)

International relations

• Haiti–United States relations, Haitian deportation in the United States
  • United States Special Envoy for Haiti Daniel Lewis Foote resigns, citing his dissatisfaction with the Biden administration's policy of deporting illegal Haitian immigrants. (AFP via France 24)
• Foreign relations of the Philippines, Foreign relations of Palau
  • Philippine foreign affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. meets with Palauan president Surangel Whipps Jr., with Locsin reiterating that the Philippines has a commitment to resolve a maritime dispute with Palau regarding a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone which both countries currently claim. (Phil Star)
• France–United States relations
  • French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian tells U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that it will take "time and actions" in order to restore confidence and good relations between France and the United States after France condemned the security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced last week. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2017–2018 Spanish constitutional crisis
  • Fugitive former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is arrested at an airport in Alghero, Sardinia, by the Italian police in compliance with a search and arrest warrant issued by the Supreme Court of Spain. He is accused of sedition for his role in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and the subsequent failed declaration of independence. (Cadena SER)
• Collierville Kroger shooting
  • A gunman opens fire at a Kroger supermarket in Collierville, Tennessee, United States, killing one person and injuring 12 others before killing himself. (CNN)
• LGBT rights in Mexico
  • Same-sex marriage is legalized in the state of Sonora, Mexico. (Reuters)
• Ukraine passes a law ordering oligarchs to stay out of politics, a day after the failed assassination attempt to kill an aide of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, which officials said could have been a response to the reform. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• The European Commission announces plans to require the USB-C connection to become the standard port for wired charging of all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles. (The Hill)

September 24, 2021 (2021-09-24) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • The Taliban-appointed defense minister of Afghanistan Mohammad Yaqoob orders a crackdown on those members of the Taliban who commit abuses following reports by Kabul residents who complained about abusive treatment by certain Taliban members. Yaqoob says that "We direct you to keep them out of your ranks, otherwise strict action will be taken against you," and added that the Taliban does not "want such people in our ranks." (Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Israeli soldiers open fire using rubber bullets against Palestinians allegedly throwing rocks towards soldiers during a protest against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, killing one person and injuring eight others. (Al Jazeera) (Ynet News)
• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • Rwandan president Paul Kagame announces during a press conference in Pemba, Mozambique, that Rwandan troops will continue to be stationed in Mozambique for the reconstruction of areas affected by the extremist insurgency. Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi thanks Kagame for the country's commitment to fight terrorism in the region. (Al Jazeera)
• Mali War
  • A French serviceman, Maxime Blasco, is killed in a shootout with jihadists in a forest near Mali's border with Burkina Faso. The gunman who shot Blasco was also killed during the clash, according to the Ministry of Armed Forces. (France 24)

Business and economy

• Legality of bitcoin by country or territory
  • The People's Bank of China rules that all financial transactions and activities involving cryptocurrency are illegal in the country. (AFP via NDTV)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 La Palma eruption
  • The Cumbre Vieja volcano enters a more explosive and extreme phase, forcing the evacuation of three more neighborhoods. Currently, 390 buildings and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) of roads have been destroyed by lava flows. (El Mundo)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 1,650 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 84,510. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • South Korea reports a record 2,434 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 295,132. (The Korea Herald)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka
      • Sri Lanka begins administering the COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 19 years old with special health needs and disabilities using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. (Xinhuanet)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
      • Argentina and Brazil jointly announce that they will be producing COVID-19 vaccines after being selected by the Pan American Health Organization. Two manufacturing plants will be built, one in each country, to produce both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. (Voz de América)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
      • Brazilian Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of President Jair Bolsonaro, tests positive for COVID-19. Agricultural Minister Tereza Cristina and Solicitor General Bruno Bianco also test positive for COVID-19. (Reuters) (The Hill)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, COVID-19 vaccination in Italy
      • The Italian National Institute of Health recommends that pregnant women should receive a COVID-19 vaccines after the first three months of their pregnancy due to growing evidence on the safety of vaccines during pregnancies for both the fetus and mother. (The Economic Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 828 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 202,273. (Euronews)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
    • The number of Australians who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 surpasses 50% after a record 347,796 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the past 24 hours. (7 News)

International relations

• Algeria–Morocco relations
  • In escalating tensions, Algerian foreign ministry official Amar Belani says that Algeria "may escalate its dispute" with Morocco, adding that the "adoption of additional measures cannot be ruled out". Both countries suspended diplomatic relations in August 2020 and have had strained relations due to Algeria's support for the Polisario Front in Western Sahara and alleged Moroccan support for the MAK, a Berber separatist group in Algeria. (Reuters)
• Mexico–United States border crisis
  • U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says that the Haitian migrants have been cleared from the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas. Around 2,000 of the migrants were deported to Haiti. (NBC News)

Law and crime

• Arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, Canada–China relations
  • Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou reaches a deferred prosecution agreement, pleading not guilty to multiple fraud charges. Meng's extradition case was subsequently dropped and she was released after spending nearly three years under house arrest in Vancouver, Canada, reportedly travelling to Shenzhen, China. (CBC News)
  • Several hours after Meng Wanzhou was released, Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are also released after spending more than 1,000 days in detention in China and will return to Canada. (CBC News)
• Jitender Mann Gogi, a major Indian gangster, is shot dead inside a courtroom in Rohini, Delhi, where a case was being heard against him. The two attackers, who both posed as lawyers, are killed by police. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Insurgency in Northern Chad
  • Military junta leader and de facto president Mahamat Déby appoints 93 new members to the junta, which serves as Chad's interim parliament ahead of a proposed election. Déby says that the new parliament comprises parties previously represented in the dissolved parliament, as well as members of the armed forces. (AFP via TRT World)

Science and technology

• In an article for Science, a team of researchers based at Bournemouth University conclude that a series of human footprints preserved at White Sands National Park in the U.S. state of New Mexico date back between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum, suggesting that humans lived in the Americas 5,000 years earlier than previously thought. The team also determined that most of the footprints came from children and teenagers. (NPR)

September 25, 2021 (2021-09-25) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Four men who kidnapped a businessman and his son in Herat are shot dead by Taliban police during a gunfight. The bodies of the kidnappers have been hanged in public, in an apparent warning to others to not commit similar crimes. (BBC News)
  • A Taliban soldier is killed and seven more injured in Jalalabad when their convoy hits a roadside bomb planted by ISIL-K. (Hindustan Times)
• Somali Civil War
  • A suicide car bombing near the presidential palace in Mogadishu kills eight people and injures seven others. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the attack, saying they targeted a convoy of cars traveling to the palace. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • Mali recruits Russia's PMC Wagner Group to fight Islamic terrorism in the country, according to a news outlet citing Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Panic buying of fuel is reported at petrol stations in the United Kingdom amidst a shortage of lorry drivers. A fuel purchase limit of £30 per customer is introduced at many locations due to "unprecedented" demand. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Montana train derailment
  • An Amtrak passenger train derails near Joplin, Montana, U.S., killing at least three people and injuring at least 50 others. (CBS News) (The New York Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • The Netherlands begins to require a COVID-19 pass for people over the age of 13 years old as a precondition to enter hospitality venues and arts and cultural events. The COVID-19 pass replaces most social distancing and mask requirements. (NL Times)
      • State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Mona Keijzer is dismissed from the Cabinet by Prime Minister Mark Rutte after publicly criticising the cabinet's position on COVID-19 measures. (Politico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Norway
      • Norway lifts its social distancing rules and capacity limits on business, sport, and cultural venues, and other COVID-19-related restrictions, and also allows the reopening of nightclubs, as 67% of people have been fully vaccinated. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports a record 847 new cases and one death from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    • South Korea reports a record for the second consecutive day of 3,273 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 298,402. (The Asahi Shimbun)
• Climate change
  • Vanuatu launches a global campaign to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Vanuatu bases its decision on being incapable with its own decisions to address rising sea levels and other challenges linked to climate change and wants the ICJ to establish responsibilities for climate change under international law. (Al Jazeera) (RNZ)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • Kim Yo-jong, sister of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, says that North Korea is open to holding another summit in South Korea if mutual respect between the two countries can be assured. (The Korea Times)
• Foreign relations of Afghanistan
  • Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says that the international recognition of the Taliban government "at present juncture is not on the table". The comments come after Taliban-appointed foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi appointed Suhail Shaheen as the representative of the Taliban to the United Nations. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Icelandic parliamentary election
  • Icelanders head to the polls to elect the members of the Althing, the oldest surviving parliament in the world. (The New York Times)
  • Early election results show that the three-party coalition led by Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir of the Left-Green Movement is expected to retain their majority. (AFP via NDTV)

Sports

• 2021 AFL Grand Final
  • The Melbourne Demons win the 2021 AFL premiership against the Western Bulldogs, winning 140–66. They also end their 57-year premiership drought, last winning the premiership in the 1964 VFL Grand Final. (Seven News AFL)

September 26, 2021 (2021-09-26) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • War in Afghanistan
    • 2021 Kabul Airlift
      • The Taliban calls for international commercial flights at the Kabul International Airport to resume after the airport was closed for evacuations. (UrduPoint)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Five Palestinians are killed in Biddu, Jerusalem, and two more are killed in Burqin during overnight military raids by Israeli soldiers. Two soldiers are also injured during one of the raids. According to Israeli officials, the Palestinians were members of a Hamas cell who were planning large-scale kidnappings and murders across the country. (Al Jazeera) (Times of Israel)
• Communal conflicts in Nigeria, Boko Haram insurgency
  • Gunmen raid the village of Madamai in Kaduna State, killing 34 people and wounding seven more. Two suspects are arrested. In Sokoto State, 22 security personnel are killed by ISWAP terrorists during an attack on a remote army base. Other gunmen in Kaduna then also attacked a church, resulting in the death of a person and the wounding of others. (Al Jazeera)
• Colombian conflict
  • Five people are killed and six more are injured during a mass shooting at a public venue in Tumaco, Colombia. A military commander has blamed the attack on FARC dissidents. (BBC News)
• 2020–2021 Ethiopian–Sudanese clashes
  • Sudan claims that it has repelled an advance by Ethiopian troops into Umm Barakit District, al-Fashaga. However, Ethiopia denies any movement of its forces on the Ethiopia–Sudan border. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• 74th Tony Awards
  • Moulin Rouge! wins 10 Tony Awards at the 74th Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Additionally, The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez wins Best Play and A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller wins Best Revival of a Play. (NPR)

Business and economy

• 2021 United Kingdom fuel panic buying
  • UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announces the oil industry will be exempted from the Competition Act 1998 so that companies can coordinate and deliver petroleum products easier in light of fuel shortages brought on by panic buying. (BBC News)
• Peruvian prime minister Guido Bellido warns companies which drill for gas in the country to either pay higher taxes or face nationalization. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Occidental Mindoro earthquake
  • An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 strikes Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana
      • Ghana receives 1.5 million doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Germany. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
      • Tunisia lifts its nighttime curfew, but imposes vaccine certificates for public events as the number of cases declines. (The North African Journal)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
      • Texas surpasses four million cases of COVID-19. (The Dallas Morning News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    • Singapore reports a record 1,939 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 87,592. (The Straits Times)

International relations

• Human rights violations by the CIA
  • Yahoo! News reports that members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), including then-Director Mike Pompeo, planned in 2017 to kidnap or potentially assassinate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for leaking documents describing hacking tools used by the CIA. (Yahoo! News) (Rolling Stone)
• Kosovo–Serbia relations
  • 2021 North Kosovo protests
    • The Serbian government accuses Kosovo of "provocations" after it mobilized its special police units to the border, and places the Serbian Army on a heightened state of alert. The police units were mobilized after hundreds of Kosovo Serbs staged daily protests and blockaded roads connected to the two border crossings between the two countries after the Kosovar government passed a law requiring that Serbia-registered vehicles wear temporary license plates when entering the country. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Palestinian Legislative Council member Khalida Jarrar is released from Israeli prison after nearly two years in detention. She was charged for her affiliation with the left-wing political party Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is considered an illegal organization in Israel. (Al Jazeera)
• The Taliban's religious police orders barbers in Afghanistan's Helmand Province and Kabul to stop trimming beards. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2021 German federal election
  • Germans head to the polls to elect the new Bundestag, as well as a new Chancellor to succeed Angela Merkel, who is stepping down after 16 years in power. (Al Jazeera)
  • Projections show the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) narrowly beating the governing centre-right Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) in the popular vote by 1.7 percentage points, with the latter on course for its worst showing since the end of World War II. Both parties claim the mandate for the Chancellorship. (Politico.eu)
  • The Greens and Free Democratic Party made enough gains to form a possible coalition government with either the CDU or the SPD. (NPR)
• 2021 Icelandic parliamentary election
  • The final results of yesterday's election in Iceland show that the ruling left-right coalition strengthened its majority despite Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir losing ground. The Independence Party won the most seats, with 16. (Reuters)
• 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum, LGBT rights in Switzerland
  • Citizens in Switzerland cast their final vote on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in the country. Although civil unions have been legal since 2007, recent polls showed a solid backing for the proposition. (France 24)
• 2021 Sammarinese abortion referendum, Abortion in San Marino
  • San Marino citizens vote in a referendum on the legalization of abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy or in cases where the health of the mother or fetus is at risk. (The Guardian)
• 2021 Tunisian political crisis
  • Around 2,000 Tunisians protest in front of the National Theatre in the capital of Tunis to demand the resignation of President Kais Saied. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

• 2021 Formula One World Championship
  • British racing driver Lewis Hamilton becomes the first driver to win 100 races in Formula One after winning the 2021 Russian Grand Prix for Mercedes. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• 2021 NFL season
  • In American football, Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker kicks a 66-yard field goal during the team's 19–17 victory against the Detroit Lions, making it the longest field goal in National Football League history. (The Baltimore Sun)

September 27, 2021 (2021-09-27) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
    • ISIL–K leader Mawlawi Ziya ul-Haq is killed and more than 80 fighters are arrested during Taliban raids in the eastern Nangarhar Province. The raids are carried out as ISIL-K has killed several people during attacks in Jalalabad in recent days. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • A Tanzanian soldier is killed while two more Tanzanian and a Lesotho soldiers are wounded after storming an ISIL-linked groups hideout in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. (Mmegi)
• Colombian conflict
  • Ten FARC dissidents are killed during a military bombing in Morichal Nuevo, Guainía Department. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• 2021 United Kingdom fuel panic buying
  • The government places the army on standby to help deliver fuel to petrol stations if it becomes necessary after panic buying has depleted their stocks. The increased demand arose after press reports that the ongoing delivery driver shortage could reduce the availability of fuel. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption
  • The Cumbre Vieja volcano becomes highly active again after two periods during the day with no emission of ash and lava. (El País)
• 2021 Crete earthquake
  • A 5.8 magnitude earthquake strikes the Greek island of Crete, killing one person and injuring 35 others. (Reuters)
• Power outages are reported in the Northeast China provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. Local media said that the cause of the outages was an increase in coal prices. The State Grid Corporation of China said that it would take comprehensive measures to ensure an adequate power supply for people's basic needs and try its best to avoid power cuts. (BBC News) (Xinhuanet)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, COVID-19 drug development
      • The Health Ministry panel committee approve the usage of the single-dose monoclonal antibody-based treatment sotrovimab developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology to treat mild and moderately-ill COVID-19 patients. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan
      • Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan tests positive for COVID-19. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports a record 19 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 1,152. (Xinhuanet)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore limits the maximum group sizes for social gatherings and dine-ins at restaurants and bars to two people as well as defaulting to work from home in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These restrictions will remain in effect until October 24. (Singapore Business Review)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. surpasses 43 million cases of COVID-19. (KOKI-TV)
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Vermont
        • People over the age of 75 in Vermont can now register to receive a booster shot of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (AP)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
        • President Joe Biden receives his third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (CNBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
    • The government announces that the state of catastrophe and the night curfew in the country will end on October 1. (Cooperativa.cl)

International relations

• Hungary–Russia relations, Hungary–Ukraine relations
  • Hungary and Russia sign a natural gas supply deal which will see Gazprom supply Hungary with 4.5 billion cubic metres of gas annually via Serbia and Austria for the next 15 years. Ukraine criticizes the gas pact, saying that it is a "purely political, economically unreasonable decision". In response, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accuses Ukraine of "meddling" in its internal affairs. (Reuters)
• 2021 Taliban offensive, Foreign relations of Afghanistan
  • Afghanistan's permanent representative to the United Nations Ghulam Isaczai withdraws from the list of speakers at the United Nations General Assembly. The move comes after the Taliban nominated a delegation to represent Afghanistan at the United Nations, although the UN continues to recognize the Ashraf Ghani-led government as the country's permanent mission. (AFP via Dawn)
• South Sudan–Sudan relations
  • Sudan resumes its importation of oil from neighboring South Sudan, which was temporarily halted due to Darfur War-related protests blocking access to Port Sudan. (AFP via Radio France Internationale)

Law and crime

• LGBT rights in Poland
  • Three regions in Poland repeal their status as an "LGBT-free zone" after pressure from the European Commission and activists. The declaration of "free of LGBT ideology" had been imposed in 2019 under heavy pressure from Catholic conservatives in the regions. (Reuters)
• American singer R. Kelly is found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking over a two-decade period. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum, LGBT rights in Switzerland
  • Official results show that the "yes" campaign won and that same-sex marriage will be legalized in Switzerland. Results show 64.1% voting yes with 35.9% voting no. (Deutsche Welle)
• 2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum
  • Bougainvilleans are consulted by president Ishmael Toroama as to where the capital of Bougainville should be located once the region achieves full independence from Papua New Guinea. Currently, the capital is Buka but this was always considered temporary due to the civil war. The strongest push is for Arawa to be designated as the capital. (RNZ)
• 2021 Haitian general election, 2021 Haitian constitutional referendum, 2018–2021 Haitian protests
  • The Provisional Electoral Council postpones indefinitely the election and constitutional referendum for a third time, targeting 7 November 2021, after Prime Minister Ariel Henry dismissed several members of the council. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• 2021 Sammarinese abortion referendum, Abortion in San Marino
  • After a final tally of votes from yesterday's referendum establishes a majority of 77%, abortion at up to 12 weeks of pregnancy is legalized in San Marino. (Associated Press)

Sports

• UEFA announces that it has abandoned and nullified its disciplinary cases against football clubs Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid over their commitment to the controversial European Super League, following a Madrid court ruling. UEFA also says that it will not request payment of the sums offered by the nine other founding clubs. (AFP via New Straits Times)

September 28, 2021 (2021-09-28) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Kwatar Daban Masara airstrike
    • At least 50 civilians were killed by a Nigerian Air Force airstrike at a fish market in the village of Daban Masara, Borno State, two days ago. The military has imposed a ban on fishing in the area due to allegations that ISWAP was using the sales of the fish to fund their operations. (Reuters)
• South Thailand insurgency
  • Two police officers are killed and four others injured as their van is hit by a roadside bombing in Chanae District, Thailand. (Bangkok Post)
• Mali War
  • Mali accuses France of "abandoning the country" by reducing its forces in the fight against jihadist groups. In response to the remarks, France accuses Mali's military junta of "wiping their feet on the blood of French soldiers". (Channel 4)
• Five Sudanese security forces personnel are killed and a sixth is injured during clashes with an IS-linked group in Khartoum. Eleven terrorists are arrested. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• 2021 United Kingdom fuel panic buying
  • Defence Secretary Ben Wallace approves a request for 150 military tanker drivers to help deliver fuel to petrol stations. The Petrol Retailers Association says that 37% of its 5,500 stations have run out of fuel. (BBC News)
• The United Kingdom's Department for Transport announces that it is seizing control of train operating company Southeastern beginning next month following a "serious breach" of financial conduct. An investigation found that around £25 million in taxpayer funding is currently unaccounted for. (Sky News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption
  • Spain declares the island of La Palma a "disaster zone" as the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt and produce lava flows. (Reuters)
  • Lava flows from the volcano have reached the Atlantic Ocean after nine days, causing a massive cloud, according to local residents. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • The Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation will allow the Serum Institute of India to conduct trials of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in children between the ages of 7 and 11 years. (Business Standard)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announces that the state of emergency that was declared in April will end on September 30, with COVID-19-related restrictions to then be gradually eased. (NPR)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 2,236 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 91,775. (The Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania reports a record 11,049 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,210,810. (RFE/RL)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 852 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 205,531. (The Brussels Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
      • Serbia reports a record 8,467 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 926,269. (Tanjug)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports a record 867 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including 149 cases not previously reported due to technical issues. (9 News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Costa Rica, COVID-19 vaccination in Costa Rica
    • Costa Rica mandates that all state workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 despite not specifying a deadline, making it the first Latin American country to impose a vaccination mandate. (Reuters)

International relations

• Australia–Nauru relations, Pacific Solution
  • Australia and Nauru announce that, last week, they renewed their agreement to maintain a detention center in Nauru for asylum seekers and refugees who are attempting to reach Australia. Australia has provided millions of dollars in order to maintain the offshore detention center. (RNZ)

Law and crime

• Capital Gazette shooting
  • Jarrod Ramos is sentenced to life in prison for the June 2018 murders of five employees in a mass shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. (MSN)
• September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot
  • Twenty-four people are killed and 42 others are wounded during a battle between rival gangs at a prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Some of the inmates were armed with guns and grenades. (Al Jazeera)
• Twenty-five people are injured, four critically, during an explosion at a block of flats in Gothenburg, Sweden. An accident has been ruled out, with authorities suspecting a criminal background. (The Guardian)
• In a 35-page report, a commission appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate sex abuses during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo finds that there were "clear structural failures" and "individual negligence" for the sex abuse and rape of women and girls between 2018 and 2020 by WHO staff. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom apologizes for the abuses. (France 24)

Science and technology

• NASA announces the scheduled launch of Lucy, a twelve-year space probe on the Jupiter trojan asteroids, the first mission to do so. It will launch from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on October 16. (AFP via The Straits Times)

September 29, 2021 (2021-09-29) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Mali War
  • Five Malian gendarmes are killed and four others are wounded in an ambush on a convoy escorting mining equipment to the Australian-owned Morila Gold Mine in Sikasso Region. Jihadist group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin claims responsibility for the attack. (Reuters)
• Mohibullah, a prominent Rohingya Muslim leader and high-profile advocate for the Rohingya, is killed by a gunman in a refugee camp in southern Bangladesh. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • Three pet cats who previously tested positive for COVID-19 are euthanized in the Chinese city of Harbin amid fears that pets could spread the virus to humans. (Newsweek)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 2,268 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 94,043. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 857 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 206,388. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
      • Slovenia suspends the use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine following the death of a 20-year-old woman who had received the vaccine. (Euronews)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria
    • Algeria begins producing the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac, with expected production of eight million doses per month. (France 24)
• Holocene extinction
  • Eleven species of birds, two fish, one bat, eight mussels and one plant are declared extinct by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The ivory-billed woodpecker, the Guam flying fox and the Bachman's warbler are among those declared extinct. (BBC News)

International relations

• France–United Kingdom relations, 2021 Jersey dispute
  • Jersey rejects 75 French fishing applications, once again raising tensions over disputed fishing rights off Jersey. France condemns the move as French fishermen threaten to impose either a "blockade" of ports, or of lorries travelling to the United Kingdom via the Channel tunnel, as retaliation. (Deutsche Welle)

Law and crime

• Unexplained wealth of the Marcos family
  • The Sandiganbayan, the Philippines' anti-graft court, orders Royal Traders Holding Co. Inc., a bank formerly controlled by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, to pay the Philippine government an estimated PHP1 billion ($32.446 million) in bank certificates that were confiscated by the United States Customs Service after Marcos was deposed in 1986. (Rappler)
• LGBT rights in Nepal
  • The Central Bureau of Statistics adds an option for a third gender to its census forms for the first time. (Al Jazeera)
• Britney Spears conservatorship dispute
  • The Los Angeles County Superior Court suspends James Parnell Spears from the conservatorship of his daughter, American singer Britney Spears, which was implemented in 2008. (AFP via The Philippine Star)
• September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot
  • The death toll from yesterday's riot between rival gangs at a prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador, increases to 116, making the incident the deadliest prison riot in the country's history. (BBC News)
• The U.S. Treasury Department, in coordination with Qatar, imposes sanctions on United Arab Emirates real estate company Aldar Properties and seven residents of Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia for allegedly financing Hezbollah. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Japan
  • 2021 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election
    • The Liberal Democratic Party elects former foreign minister Fumio Kishida as its new leader. Kishida is expected to become prime minister within days, succeeding Yoshihide Suga. (Reuters)
• Indigenous land rights in Australia
  • The Queensland state government grants land rights over parts of the UNESCO-listed Wet Tropics, including the Daintree National Park, to the Kuku Yalanji people. The Kuku Yalanji will initially co-administer the land with the Queensland government. (The Guardian)
• Politics of Tunisia
  • Tunisian President Kais Saied appoints Najla Bouden Romdhane as the first female prime minister in Tunisia and the Arab world. (CNN)

Science and technology

• COVID-19 misinformation
  • YouTube says that it will ban misinformation related to all vaccines. (TechCrunch)
  • Russia threatens to ban YouTube if it does not reinstate two German-language channels backed by the Russian state that were deleted for violating COVID-19 misinformation guidelines. (BBC News)

September 30, 2021 (2021-09-30) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Three Palestinians are killed, two are injured and two more are arrested by Israeli soldiers during armed confrontations in the West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Afghanistan protests, Treatment of women by the Taliban
  • Taliban forces use gunfire to disperse a group of six women who protested in front of their high school in Kabul against the Taliban regime forbidding them to return to study. Security forces also pushed the women and threatened arrests. A guard said that they dispersed the protest because the six women "did not coordinate with security forces regarding their protest". (NDTV)
• Afghanistan conflict
  • The Taliban orders all members belonging to the group's defense, interior and intelligence agencies who are living in private homes to "report back to military bases" across the country and stop occupying private homes they had taken over. (Military.com)

Arts and culture

• Expo 2020
  • Dubai holds an opening ceremony to kick off the Expo 2020 event after it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 192 countries will be participating in the event. This will be the first world's fair to be held in the Middle East. (Al Arabiya)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  • The government's furlough scheme ends in the United Kingdom after 18 months. Almost a million people are reported to still be on furlough from their employer. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt
      • Egypt receives their first shipment of 1.6 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States. (Al-Arabiya English)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia
      • Somalia opens its first public oxygen plant in Mogadishu to treat patients infected with COVID-19. The new plant was purchased from Turkey by a local foundation for $240,700. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, COVID-19 vaccination in Malaysia
      • The Malaysian Public Service Department mandates that all federal government employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with exceptions only to be allowed on health grounds, in order to increase the country's vaccination rate. (The Jakarta Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record for the third consecutive day of 2,428 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 96,521. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France begins to implement a mandatory health pass for children aged 12 to 17 to enter most activities in their daily lives. (Radio France Internationale
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania reports a record 12,032 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,233,668. (Romania Insider)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 867 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 207,255. (The Moscow Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland
      • Restrictions are increased in Queensland after an increase in locally-acquired COVID-19 cases, resulting in 25% of ticket-holders for the NRL Grand Final in Brisbane receiving cancellations. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports a record 1,438 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, surpassing New South Wales as the epicentre of the pandemic in Australia. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews blames the increase on illegal parties held to celebrate the AFL Grand Final and also announces that the time between doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine will be reduced to three weeks. (The Age)

International relations

• Nuclear program of Iran
  • European Union diplomat Josep Borrell says that nuclear talks will resume "soon" at an acceptable time period. (Reuters)
  • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns that Iran is running out of time to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed in 2015. (Bloomberg.com)
• Abraham Accords
  • Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid travels to Bahrain for the first official visit by an Israeli cabinet member to the Gulf kingdom since the countries established diplomatic ties last year. (BBC News)
• 2021 North Kosovo protests
  • Serbia and Kosovo agree to defuse their previously high tensions. Kosovo will withdraw its police units from protest sites on the Serbian border and the two countries will also end their bans on the other country's license plates. (Reuters)
• Tigray War
  • The Ethiopian foreign ministry announces that it will expel seven senior United Nations humanitarian officials working in Ethiopia and declare them as persona non grata for "meddling" in the country's internal affairs. (AFP via Barron's)

Law and crime

• A 96-year-old German woman accused of collaborating with the SS in the deaths of thousands of people at the Stutthof concentration camp, where she was employed as a typist, is arrested by German police shortly after a court ordered her arrest for evading the beginning of her trial. The court now orders the woman to be examined to determine whether she is fit to be jailed or to attend the court proceedings in person. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Ethiopian general election
  • Voters in Ethiopia's Somali Region go to the polls as part of the larger general election originally scheduled to be held on June 21. Three opposition parties withdrew from the election, leaving President Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party as the sole party to participate. (Addis Standard)
• 2021 South West Region referendum
  • Voters in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region zones of Keffa, Sheka, Bench Sheko, Dawro, West Omo, and Konta vote 98.07% in favor of separating from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region becoming the South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region. (Addis Standard)

Sports

• 2021 in sumo
  • Hakuhō, the 69th yokozuna and widely considered to be one of the greatest professional sumo wrestlers of all time, officially retires from competition after a 20-year career, 14 of them at the sport's highest rank. (The Mainichi)

September 2021

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

Ongoing events

Business

• COVID-19 recession
• Lebanese liquidity crisis
• 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
• Jersey dispute
• Libyan peace process
• Myanmar protests
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• North Kosovo protests
• 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
  • 16: Bahamas, House of Assembly
  • 17−19: Russia, State Duma
  • 19: Hong Kong, Election Committee
  • 20: Canada, House of Commons
  • 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) 

Upcoming

• October
  • 2: Qatar, Consultative Assembly
  • 8–9: Czech Republic, Chamber of Deputies
  • 10: Iraq, Council of Representatives

Trials

Recently concluded

• Belarus: Maria Kalesnikava, Viktar Babaryka
• China: Sun Dawu
• 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
• France: Nicolas Sarkozy, Brussels ISIL
• Indonesia: Nurdin Abdullah
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• 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: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ghislaine Maxwell, Allen Weisselberg
• 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
• 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 NRL season
  • 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
  • 2021 Rugby Championship
• 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

September

• 29: Alexandre dos Santos
• 28: Tommy Kirk
• 28: Princess Lalla Malika of Morocco
• 28: Dr. Lonnie Smith
• 27: Andrea Martin
• 27: Roger Hunt
• 26: George Frayne
• 26: Alan Lancaster
• 26: Bobby Zarem
• 25: Théoneste Bagosora
• 25: Patricio Manns
• 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: 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
• 6: Anthony Johnson
• 6: Adlai Stevenson III
• 6: Michael K. Williams
• 6: Jean-Pierre Adams
• 6: Jean-Paul Belmondo
• 6: Donald Zec
• 6: Sunil Perera
• 5: Ion Caramitru
• 5: Sarah Harding
• 5: Jan Hecker
• 5: Ivan Patzaichin
• 5: Živko Radišić
• 4: Dell Furano
• 4: Tunch Ilkin
• 4: Willard Scott
• 3: Hassan Firouzabadi
• 2: Steve Lawler
• 2: Keith McCants
• 2: David Patten
• 2: Mikis Theodorakis
• 2: Sidharth Shukla
• 1: Daffney Unger
• 1: Syed Ali Shah Geelani

August

• 31: Michael Constantine
• 31: Geronimo

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

Animation (Anime) · Architecture · Comics · Film (Horror, Science fiction) · Literature (Poetry) · Music (Classical, Country, Hip hop, Jazz, Latin, Metal, Rock, UK, US, Korea) · Radio · Television (Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK, Scotland, US) · 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 · Space/Astronomy · Spaceflight · Sustainable energy research

Environment and environmental sciences

Climate change · Weather (Heat waves · Tornadoes · Wildfires)

Transportation

Aviation · Rail transport · Transportation technology

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments · Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works · Introductions · Works entering the public domain