Portal:Current events/2021 April 14

April 14, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Afghan peace process
  - U.S. President Joe Biden formally announces that American troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11. (Politico)
Somali Civil War
- Fourteen civilians are killed when the minibus in which they are travelling hits a landmine in the outskirts of Mogadishu. A military commander blames al-Shabaab for the attack. Four others were wounded. (Arab News)

Disasters and accidents

At least 20 people are killed and three more wounded after a bus overturns after being hit by a truck in Asyut, Egypt. (Al Jazeera)
Rescue operations commence after Seacor Marine lift boat MV Seacor Power sinks off the coast of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Coast Guard officials say six of the crew have been rescued and the remaining twelve are missing. (BBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Rajasthan
      - Rajasthan state government announces a 12-hour curfew in all cities from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. from April 16 to 30 amid the rising COVID-19 cases. (Hindustan Times)
    - India reports a record 184,372 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 13.9 million. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh reports a record 96 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,987. (Dhaka Tribune)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record 1,335 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 35,910. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Denmark becomes the first European country to permanently halt the rollout of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine candidate, following weeks of reports that the vaccine may in rare cases cause blood clots. The move is expected to delay the country's vaccination program by "several weeks". (CBS News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - President Vladimir Putin receives his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It remains unknown which of Russia's 3 current vaccine candidates were administered to the president. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey surpasses 4 million cases of COVID-19 after a record 62,797 cases are reported in the past 24 hours. It also reports the highest single-day daily death toll at 279 deaths. (Daily Sabah)
  - European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine
    - The European Union signs a contract with Pfizer and BioNTech to acquire 250 million doses of their vaccine. (Financial Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients says that the Biden administration will accelerate doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The move comes after the United States halted the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (CNBC)

International relations

Brexit
- The United Kingdom says it has requested to reply to a European Union notification of intent to start legal proceedings over the UK's alleged breaching of the Northern Ireland Protocol by mid-May. The UK says its unilateral delay of the introduction of new Irish Sea border checks on food, parcels and pets is lawful. (Politico.eu)