Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Mostert's Mill in 2012

• In South Africa, a fire on Table Mountain, Cape Town, destroys historic monuments including Mostert's Mill (pictured) and the University of Cape Town's main library.
• Guillermo Lasso is elected President of Ecuador.
• At the British Academy Film Awards, Nomadland wins four awards, including Best Film.
• In golf, Hideki Matsuyama wins the Masters Tournament.
• In horse racing, Minella Times wins the Grand National, with Rachael Blackmore becoming the first female jockey to win in the race's 182-year history.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• Myanmar protests

Recent deaths:

• John Dawes
• Kakarla Subba Rao
• Charles Geschke
• Vartan Gregorian
• Helen McCrory
• Andrew Peacock

Current events of April 19, 2021 (2021-04-19) (Monday)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
      • Fiji's two largest cities of Lautoka and Nadi enter into a lockdown after the country records its first community transmission in 12 months. (FBC News)
      • Schools nationwide have been closed for three weeks. (FBC News)
    • Australia and New Zealand reopen their borders to tourists from either country for quarantine-free travel. (News.com.au)

International relations

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics, COVID-19 pandemic in India
  • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancels a trip to India due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the Asian country. (Reuters)
• Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
  • An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirms a meeting between officials of the two countries and says that Iran "always welcomed" dialogue with Saudi Arabia. Among the topics allegedly discussed in the meeting was the Vienna accord and a ceasefire in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has militarily intervened since 2015. Saudi sources declined to comment. (Reuters)

Current events of April 18, 2021 (2021-04-18) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2021 Chadian presidential election
  • Rebel forces of the Front for Change and Concord in Chad advance to the capital, N'Djamena, as incumbent President Idriss Déby takes a lead in the April 11 election and is expected to extend his mandate. Yesterday, the U.S. and British governments ordered some diplomatic staff to leave Chad amidst the unrest. (Reuters)
• 2021 Niger attacks
  • At least 19 civilians are killed and two are wounded when armed men raid a village in the Tillabéri Region. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Qalyubiyya train accident
  • A train derailment in Qalyubiyya, Egypt, leaves at least 11 people dead and another 98 injured. (Al Arabiya English)
• 2021 Table Mountain fire
  • Mostert's Mill in Cape Town, South Africa, is gutted by a fire that spread from Table Mountain. (Newzroom Afrika via Twitter) (BBC)
• A magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes the Bushehr Province in southern Iran. (Reuters via MSN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India reports a record 261,500 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 14.78 million. (Hindustan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • Israel lifts its outdoor mask mandate and fully reopens schools as the number of COVID-19 cases reduces and the majority of the population is vaccinated. However, masks must still be worn in indoor public spaces. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports a record 1,340 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 21,995. (AKIPress)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
      • Pakistan reports 149 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total this year. (Tribune)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record 1,767 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 42,352. The nationwide death toll also surpasses 100. (Bangkok Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    • Turkey reports a record 318 deaths in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 35,926. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu
    • Vanuatu halts outbound travel out of its main island of Efate following the confirmation of a COVID-19 case. Prime Minister Bob Loughman confirms that a Filipino fisherman whose body washed ashore last week near the capital of Port Vila had died of the disease. (RNZ)

Law and crime

• The daughter of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny calls on Russian authorities to allow doctors to check on her father, a day after doctors warned that he could "die within days" from cardiac arrest or kidney failure. Navalny has been on a hunger strike since March in protest of prison medical conditions. (Reuters) (BBC)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Cape Verdean parliamentary election
  • Voters in Cape Verde go to the polls to elect new members of the National Assembly. (Africanews)

Sports

• In a major move, six Premier League teams: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as several European clubs such as FC Barcelona and Juventus, agree to join The Super League, an annual club competition for the "elite teams" of Europe. UEFA and FIFA condemn the announcement, saying that they will not recognize the competition, and that players who take part in the competition will be banned from all other football competitions, including representing their national side at the FIFA World Cup. (BBC)

Current events of April 17, 2021 (2021-04-17) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War, Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • The Houthis say they have hit King Khalid Air Base, near the city of Khamis Mushait, in Saudi Arabia, with explosive drones. There was no immediate comment from the Saudi government. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
  • The official funeral service takes place for Prince Philip, prince consort of the United Kingdom to Elizabeth II. The Duke's body is led in a limited procession to St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, for interment in the Royal Vault. (AP on MSN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India reports a record 234,692 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 14.52 million. (Hindustan Times)
      • Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes a televised appeal to pilgrims to keep to "symbolic" celebrations and continue to follow safety guidelines as the festival of Kumbh Mela, a pilgrimage traditionally drawing tens of millions of Hindus to the banks of the Ganges every year, begins. (al-Arabiya English)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia surpasses 20,000 cases of COVID-19. (Montsame)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand surpasses 40,000 cases of COVID-19. (Bangkok Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
    • Tunisia announces the closure of all schools and restrictions on movement, which include a 7:00 p.m. curfew for vehicles, until April 30 to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • The global death toll from COVID-19 surpasses three million. (NPR)

International relations

• 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
  • A Thai foreign ministry spokesman announces that Burmese junta leader Min Aung Hlaing will attend the next ASEAN Summit on April 24 in Jakarta, Indonesia, thereby marking his first foreign trip since taking power in the February 1 coup that deposed Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint. Local junta spokespeople refused to comment. (France24)
• Foreign relations of the Czech Republic, 2014 Vrbětice ammunition warehouses explosions
  • Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announces that the Czech Republic is expelling eighteen Russian embassy diplomats who have been identified as spies in a case related to an ammunition warehouse explosion in 2014. (Euronews)
• Foreign relations of Uzbekistan
  • Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signs a decree for the country to open a diplomatic mission in Sweden. (Trend)

Law and crime

• Rwandan genocide
  • The United States deports Beatrice Munyenyezi to Rwanda after she served her jail term for lying on her U.S. citizenship naturalization process. Upon arrival in Rwanda, Munyenyezi was arrested on charges ranging from murder to complicity in rape during the course of the 1994 genocide. She did not comment during her arrest to local press but had previously denied the accusations while in the United States. (Reuters)
• European migrant crisis
  • A court in Sicily orders former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini to stand trial accused of dereliction of duty and kidnapping for his role in a standoff with a Spanish-flagged migrant rescue ship operated by Proactiva Open Arms that he refused to allow to dock for nineteen days in 2019. A court order allowed the ship to dock after some migrants jumped overboard. (The Guardian)
• Myanmar's State Administration Council pardons and releases more than 23,000 prisoners to mark the Burmese New Year. Those released include an Australian businessman sentenced to 13 years in prison for drug possession, and three members of the Generation Wave pro-democracy movement. (The Guardian)

Current events of April 16, 2021 (2021-04-16) (Friday)

Arts and culture

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage, COVID-19 pandemic in India
  • The Archaeological Survey of India closes all monuments, museums, and protected sites until May 15 due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (The Times of India)

Business and economy

• The Turkish Central Bank bans transactions using cryptocurrencies and crypto assets, citing possible "irreparable damage" and transaction risks to customers. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Chancellor Angela Merkel receives her first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. (DW)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Russia
        • The number of Russians vaccinated against COVID-19 surpasses eight million. (Interfax)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey reports a record 63,082 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4,150,039. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine receives 117,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative. (UNICEF)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
        • Scotland relaxes its COVID-19-related restrictions, allowing non-essential travel around the country and some social gatherings. (BBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
        • Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces a six-week extension of the stay-at-home order with new restrictions until May 20, including a ban of outdoor gatherings outside the household, as the COVID-19 cases remain high. (CBC)
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
        • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Pfizer will double the amounts of vaccine shipped to Canada and also announces that the Canadian Red Cross will be deployed to Ontario to help with COVID-19 vaccinations. (AP)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
        • British Columbia Premier John Horgan receives his first dose of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine. (Vancouver Sun)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
        • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 200 million Americans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Bloomberg.com)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
        • Michigan extends its restrictions on gatherings and dining to May 24 due to an increase in the number of cases. The state also expands its mask mandate to children. (Detroit Free Press)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia, Lineage P.1
        • Virginia reports its first two cases of the Lineage P.1 variant, which was originally detected in Brazil. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
      • Bangladesh reports a record 101 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 10,181. (The National Herald)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India reports a record 217,353 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 14.29 million. The country also reports 1,185 deaths, which is the highest daily total since September, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 174,308. (Hindustan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • The government designates Aichi, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama prefectures for tougher measures that would require restaurants and bars to close at 8:00 p.m. between April 20 and May 15. (The Mainichi)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand announces the closure of educational institutions, pubs, bars, karaoke shops, and massage parlours; a ban on alcohol sales at restaurants; and a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people for at least two weeks, beginning April 18, due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Bangkok Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina reports a record 29,472 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total to 2,658,574 cases. (Clarín)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Tonga
    • Salote Mafileʻo Pilolevu Tuita, Princess of Tonga, received her first dose of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, thereby becoming the first person to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the disease-free country. (RNZ)

International relations

• Russia–United States relations
  • The Russian Foreign Minister says that Moscow will ask ten U.S. diplomats to leave Russia in retaliation to expulsions of Russian diplomats ordered by the United States yesterday. (AP)
• United States involvement in regime change, Cuba–United States relations
  • Declassified documents released by the National Security Archive show that the Central Intelligence Agency was involved in a plot to assassinate Raúl Castro in 1960. (CNA)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
  • American guitarist and Oath Keepers member Jon Schaffer pleads guilty for his role in the storming of the United States Capitol, making him the first participant in the riot to do so. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• In a widely-expected move at the 8th Congress of the Communist Party, Raúl Castro officially resigns as First Secretary, the most powerful position in Cuba. Incumbent President Miguel Díaz-Canel is expected to succeed him. (NBC News)

Science and technology

• Artemis program
  • NASA awards SpaceX a contract to build its next-generation Human Landing System to return American astronauts to the lunar surface during this decade. (BBC)

Current events of April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• ISIL insurgency in Iraq
  • At least four people are killed and 17 others are wounded in a car bomb attack at a market in Sadr City, Baghdad. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Myanmar protests
  • Security forces arrest 25-year-old Wai Moe Naing, one of the most prominent leaders of the anti-coup protests, near Monywa. Separately, soldiers open fire on protesters in Mandalay to disperse a group of medical workers, killing one person and injuring several others. (Reuters)
• Gaza–Israel conflict
  • Israeli Air Force jets and helicopters strike Hamas-linked targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for earlier rocket fire targeting southern Israel. The IDF says that an armaments production facility and a tunnel used to smuggle weapons were hit. (The Times of Israel)

Disasters and accidents

• Divers arrive at the scene of lift boat MV Seacor Power, which capsized and partially sank off the coast of the state of Louisiana in the United States. Rescuers suspect crew members may be trapped. Since the accident, six crew members have been rescued, one has died, and twelve remain missing. (KATC-TV)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
      • Bangladesh surpasses 10,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Bdnews24.com)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi
        • Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announces a weekend curfew in the national capital territory of Delhi from 10:00 p.m. on Saturday to 5:00 a.m. on Monday due to a substantial increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (The Economic Times)
      • India reports a record 200,739 new cases and 1,038 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to over 14 million and confirmed deaths to 173,123. India is also the second country to surpass 14 million cases, after the United States. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines surpasses 900,000 total cases of COVID-19. (ABS-CBN News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record for the second consecutive day of 1,543 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 37,453. (Bangkok Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Ubach tests positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak in the Ministry's headquarters. (Diari d’Andorra)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen receives her first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (Politico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey reports a record 297 deaths in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 35,031. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
        • First Minister Nicola Sturgeon receives her first dose of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine. (The Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba, Lineage P.1
      • Manitoba reports its first case of the Lineage P.1 variant originally detected in Brazil in a person from the Interlake-Eastern region. (CBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nunavut
      • Nunavut's capital Iqaluit imposes a lockdown after the first COVID-19 case was reported last night. (CTV News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina's president Alberto Fernández announces that his government is closing schools and imposing a curfew in Buenos Aires amidst a spike of the COVID-19 cases. (Reuters)

International relations

• Russia–United States relations
  • The United States imposes retaliatory measures against Russia in response to the 2020 United States federal government data breach, its interference in the 2020 United States elections, and the occupation of and human rights abuses in Crimea. The U.S. bans trade in bonds newly issued by Russia's Central Bank, National Wealth Fund, and Ministry of Finance, formally names the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service as responsible for the data breach, blacklists 32 Russian entities and individuals, and expels ten Russian diplomats. Russia denies these allegations. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons the U.S. ambassador to inform him that "a series of retaliatory measures will follow soon". A spokesperson for the ministry also says that a potential summit between both countries' leaders may not take place. (CNN) (Reuters)
• Russia–Ukraine relations
  • Ukraine protests an alleged announcement by Russia that, beginning next week, it would be closing the Kerch Strait to foreign warships and state ships until October. (Interfax-Ukraine)

Law and crime

• Killing of Adam Toledo
  • The Chicago Police Department publicly releases bodycam footage of the shooting of 13-year-old Mexican American boy Adam Toledo. The footage appears to show an unarmed Toledo with both his arms raised in the air before being fatally shot in the chest by an officer. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says "Simply put, we failed Adam" and calls for calm amidst fears of unrest. (BBC)
  • Several protests take place around the city after the video is released, including one that briefly shut down northbound Michigan Avenue and another at Union Park. (WMAQ-TV)
• Indianapolis FedEx shooting
  • Eight people are killed and seven others injured in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Police say the gunman took his own life afterwards. (CNN) (CNN²) (AP)
• Residents of Essouassi, Mahdia Governorate, Tunisia, torch the local police station, and a police vehicle, after two young men are killed in a traffic accident with a police vehicle. Personnel evacuate the facility, and no one is hurt. (Middle East Monitor)
• The French National Assembly votes unanimously to amend an existing age of consent law in order to officially recognize sex with children under the age of 15 as rape and making it punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Previously, the law allowed an adult to claim the consent of a child in court. The bill also classifies incestuous sex with a minor under the age of 18 as rape. (Reuters)
• The French National Assembly approves a controversial global security law proposal that extends police powers and makes it a crime to help identify on-duty police officers "with the obvious intent of harming". Amnesty International denounces the law's "generalized surveillance practices" and "vague provisions". (AP via Daily Sabah)

Current events of April 14, 2021 (2021-04-14) (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 and four others wounded when the minibus they are travelling in hits a landmine in the outskirts of Mogadishu. A military commander blames al-Shabaab for the attack. (Arab News)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 20 people are killed and three more are wounded after a bus overturns after being hit by a truck in Asyut, Egypt. (Al Jazeera)
• Rescue operations commence after the Seacor Marine lift boat MV Seacor Power sinks off the coast of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Coast Guard officials say that 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
        • The government announces a 12-hour curfew in all cities from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. from April 16 to 30 due to an increase in the number of 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 Cambodia
      • The government imposes a 14-day lockdown in the capital Phnom Penh and its neighboring Takmao from midnight until April 28 amidst a community outbreak of COVID-19. (The Phnom Penh Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports a record 1,220 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby surpassing 1,000 daily cases for the first time. (News.MN)
    • 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 Sweden
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Sweden
        • The Public Health Agency of Sweden suspends plans to start using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine following reports of rare blood clot cases. 31,000 doses of the vaccine have been delivered to the country. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
      • Denmark becomes the first European country to permanently suspend usage of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, following weeks of reports that the vaccine may 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 three current vaccines was administered to the president. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey reports new records of 62,797 cases and 279 deaths in the past 24 hours, thereby surpassing four million cases of COVID-19. (Daily Sabah)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Yukon
        • Yukon confirms their first two cases of the Lineage P.1 variant that originated in Brazil. (Yukon News) (CBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York
        • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
          • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that bars and restaurants in New York City and the state will be allowed to close at midnight beginning on April 19. (Patch.com)
      • 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 suspended usage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (CNBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • The Federal Senate launches an inquiry into President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic, as total deaths are expected to surpass 360,000. Main areas of focus are on allegations that he sabotaged social distancing measures, his poor acquisition of vaccines and touting of ineffective treatments such as chloroquine, and the cause of oxygen shortages in Manaus's hospitals, among others. (Al Jazeera)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • In a study published by the National Health Service, the Pfizer vaccine has been found to reduce hospitalizations in elderly people by 75%. (Metro)

International relations

• Brexit
  • The United Kingdom says that it has requested to respond 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 that its unilateral delay of the introduction of new Irish Sea border checks on food, parcels and pets is lawful. (Politico.eu)
• India–Pakistan relations
  • Intelligence officers from both India and Pakistan confirm to Reuters that secret talks were held between the two nations, with the United Arab Emirates acting as the mediator, in January to help warm relations. Relations between the two had been strained after India conducting airstrikes in Balakot and India-administered Kashmir was stripped of its autonomy in 2019. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • A judge lifts the curfew and house arrest restrictions of two brothers who are suspected of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer last year. However, they are still required to wear GPS tethers. (People)
• 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
  • The government bans eleven Islamic organizations, including ISIL and al-Qaeda, a week before the second anniversary of the bombings after the country's Roman Catholics threatened massive protests over the government's perceived failure to act against the perpetrators. (Al Jazeera)
• Pakistani Interior Minster Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad announces the far-right Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan will be banned, following days of violent protests by supporters over the arrest of party chief Saad Hussain Rizvi. (Al Jazeera)

Current events of April 13, 2021 (2021-04-13) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Afghan peace process
    • U.S. President Joe Biden says that he plans to withdraw all remaining American troops in Afghanistan by September 11. The United States also reiterates its support for the Afghan government against the Taliban, which declines to comment on the apparent change from the previously-agreed deadline of May 1. (Reuters)
    • The United Kingdom announces that it will withdraw nearly all of its troops from Afghanistan, following the announcement of a U.S. withdrawal. There are around 750 British soldiers still stationed in Afghanistan, mostly in the capital Kabul. (Reuters)
    • Turkey says that it will host a summit from April 24 to May 4 in an effort to end the war in Afghanistan. (Al Jazeera)
  • 2021 Afghanistan attacks
    • A car bombing in Farah kills three civilians; and 10 security personnel are killed in the country's north. (ABC News)
• 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
    • A missile strikes the Israeli-owned cargo ship MV Hyperion Ray off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. There is no immediate claim of responsibility, however Israeli officials suspect Iran of being behind the attack on the vessel. (Times of Israel)
• Terrorism in Pakistan, Insurgency in Balochistan
  • An improvised explosive device explodes at a football ground in Hub, Balochistan, Pakistan, injuring twelve people. The attack occurred during a game organised as a commemorative tribute to police officers killed in the line of duty. (The Times of India)
• Nuclear program of Iran
  • The New York Times says that a blackout at Iran's underground Natanz nuclear facility was sabotage perpetrated by remotely detonating an improvised explosive device that had previously been smuggled into the site. (i24news)
• A military court in Burkina Faso indicts (in absentia) ex-President Blaise Compaoré, who is charged with the 1987 murder of his immediate predecessor Thomas Sankara. Compaoré ruled the nation for 27 years following Sankara's assassination before resigning in the face of protests in 2014 and fleeing into exile in Ivory Coast. The court indicts thirteen other Burkinabé ex-officials accused of various crimes including murder. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  • Talks between rail workers and ScotRail aimed at preventing a strike collapse, as the rail firm cites financial pressures caused by the ongoing pandemic to justify refusing a pay raise and revocation of some day-off entitlements. The Unite union rejects this explanation. The Scottish Government and Transport Scotland are appraised of the situation. (The Glasgow Times)

Disasters and accidents

• Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
  • Following a cabinet meeting, the Japanese government says it has decided to release 1.25 million tons of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean over the course of 30 years, after concluding there will be no negative impact on human health or the environment. The decision is opposed by South Korea, China, and Taiwan, while being supported by the United States. (Kyodo News) (BBC) (Reuters)
• 2021 Suez Canal obstruction
  • A court in Ismailia grants the Egyptian Suez Canal Authority's request to seize CS Ever Given pending payment of a compensation claim of over US$900 million. (Bloomberg)
• 2019 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash
  • The National Transportation Safety Board concludes that pilot error and inadequate maintenance were behind the crash, which killed seven people, injured six others, and destroyed the historic aircraft. (The Connecticut Post)
• At least 20 children are killed during a fire at an school in Niamey, Niger. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 24,760 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,118,212. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Osaka Prefecture reports a record 1,099 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Syria
      • Kurdish authorities impose a ten-day curfew in northeast Syria after a rapid increase of cases of COVID-19 in the region. The U.S.-backed Kurdish authorities also close all borders of its Syrian Democratic Forces territories with those controlled by the government and insurgent groups. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France, variants of SARS-CoV-2
      • Prime Minister Jean Castex announces the suspension of flights from Brazil in order to prevent the spread of new variants of COVID-19 in the country. (Yahoo! News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • President of Cantabria Miguel Ángel Revilla receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (ABC.es)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces a two-week partial lockdown across Turkey on Ramadan, which includes an expanded curfew from 7:00 p.m. and a ban on non-essential inter-city travel beginning tomorrow evening due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
      • South Africa voluntarily suspends its rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended temporarily suspending use of the vaccine due to rare cases of blood clots. (Business Tech)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan
      • South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit receives his first dose of the AstraZenaca vaccine. (AllAfrica)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • The United States suspends the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following concerns of blood clots. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina reports a record 27,001 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,578,946. (Página 12)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the Marshall Islands
    • The Marshall Islands reaches an adult population vaccination rate of nearly 75%. After completing the urban areas, the Ministry of Health and Human Services plans to distribute Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to the most remote islands of the country to vaccinate the rest of the population. The vaccines were provided as a donation by the United States. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 vaccine, variants of SARS-CoV-2
    • Moderna says its vaccine is 90% effective against COVID-19, and 95% effective against severe disease for six months after the second dose. It also says its vaccine is effective against the 501.V2 variant from South Africa. (CNBC) (The Times)

Law and crime

• Terrorism in Germany
  • 2020 Dresden knife attack
    • An alleged ISIL recruiter goes on trial for stabbing two gay men in Dresden, killing one of them, because they were holding hands. The suspect has admitted to the attack and is charged with murder and attempted murder. (Pink News)
  • Eleven alleged members of Gruppe S, an alleged far-right terror cell plotting anti-immigration attacks, go on trial in Stuttgart. A policeman accused of assisting the group also goes on trial. (BBC)
• 2020–2021 United States racial unrest, Daunte Wright protests
  • Protests spread across the country over the police killing of Daunte Wright. Demonstrations and marches are held in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, and other cities. (NPR)
• Terrorism in England, Crime in London
  • A court sentences terror convict Sahayb Abu to life imprisonment with a minimum term of nineteen years for plotting a gun and knife attack in Dagenham, London. (BBC)
• St Paul's Cathedral bomb plot, Terrorism in Norway
  • Authorities in Norway charge a man with involvement in a plot to bomb St Paul's Cathedral as well as plotting a similar attack in Norway. (BBC)

Time: 09:24 UTC|Day: 19 April

	April 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

Disasters

• COVID-19 pandemic
• 2020–21 Australian region cyclone season
• 2020–21 European windstorm season
• 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
• 2021 Pacific typhoon season
• 2020–21 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
• Yemeni famine

Politics

• Afghan peace process
• Anti-Netanyahu protests
• Armenian protests
• Belarusian protests
• East Mediterranean crisis
• Greek protests
• Indian farmers' protests
• Indonesia omnibus law protests
• Libyan peace process
• Myanmar protests
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• Persian Gulf crisis
• Peruvian crisis
• Russian protests
• Second Arab Spring
• Sudanese protests
• Tigrayan peace process
• Thai protests
• United States racial unrest
• United States Stop Asian Hate protests
• Venezuelan presidential crisis
• Yellow vests movement

Elections and referendums

Recent

• April
  • 6: Greenland, Inatsisartut
  • 9: Djibouti, President
  • 9: Samoa, Legislative Assembly
  • 11: Benin, President (1st)
  • 11: Chad, President
  • 11: Ecuador, President (2nd)
  • 11: Kyrgyzstan, Constitutional referendum
  • 11: Peru, President (1st), Congress
  • 14: Cayman Islands, Parliament
  • 18: Cape Verde, National Assembly

Upcoming

• April
  • 25: Albania, Parliament
  • 25: Haiti, Constitutional Referendum

Trials

Recently concluded

• France: Nicolas Sarkozy
• Israel: Faina Kirschenbaum
• Kuwait: Mohammad Shahid Islam
• Switzerland: Beny Steinmetz

Ongoing

• Argentina: Rodolfo Martín Villa
• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• Colombia: Álvaro Uribe
• India: Disha Ravi
• Indonesia: Edhy Prabowo, Muhammad Rizieq Shihab
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• South Africa: Jacob Zuma
• Spain: 2017 Barcelona attacks, Bárcenas affair, Barçagate
• Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
• United States: Derek Chauvin
• International: The Gambia v. Myanmar

Upcoming

• Canada: Raj Grewal
• Indonesia: Juliari Batubara, Nurdin Abdullah
• Kosovo: Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli
• Lesotho: Maesiah Thabane
• Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina
• United Kingdom: Apsana Begum
• United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Elizabeth Holmes, Meng Wanzhou, R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell
• Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo

Sport

• Association football
  • 2020–21 Premier League
  • 2020–21 La Liga
  • 2020–21 Serie A
  • 2020–21 Bundesliga
  • 2020–21 UEFA Champions League knockout phase
  • 2020–21 UEFA Europa League knockout phase
  • 2021 Copa Libertadores qualifying stages
  • 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
  • 2021 Major League Soccer season
• Women's association football
  • 2020–21 Champions League
  • 2020–21 Division 1 Féminine
  • 2020–21 FA WSL
  • 2020 Copa Libertadores Femenina
• American football
  • 2021 Spring NCAA Division I FCS
• Baseball
  • 2021 MLB season
• Basketball
  • 2020–21 NBA season
  • 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
  • 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
• Cricket
  • ICC World Test Championship 2019–21
  • ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League 2020–2023
  • 2019–2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2
  • ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League 2019–2022
• Golf
  • 2020–21 PGA Tour
• Ice hockey
  • 2020–21 KHL season
  • 2020–21 NHL season
• Rugby union
  • 2020–21 Premiership Rugby
  • 2020–21 Pro14
  • 2019–20 Top 14
• Other sports seasons
  • 2020–21 international cricket season
  • 2020–21 snooker season
  • 2020–21 curling season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

April

• 17: Black Rob
• 17: Vivek
• 16: Charles Geschke
• 16: Barry Mason
• 16: Helen McCrory
• 16: Andrew Peacock
• 16: Kakarla Subba Rao
• 16: Felix Silla
• 16: Ranjit Sinha
• 15: Vartan Gregorian
• 14: Yıldırım Akbulut
• 14: Abdul Matin Khasru
• 14: Michel Louvain
• 14: Bernie Madoff
• 14: Ahmed Usman
• 13: Peter Warner
• 12: Shirley Williams
• 11: Joseph Siravo
• 10: LaDonna Brave Bull Allard
• 10: Félix del Blanco Prieto
• 9: Nikki Grahame
• 9: Ramsey Clark
• 9: Giorgos Karaivaz
• 9: DMX
• 9: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• 8: Phillip Adams
• 8: Jovan Divjak
• 8: Richard Rush
• 7: Anne Beatts
• 7: James Hampton
• 6: Charles H. Coolidge
• 6: Alcee Hastings
• 6: Julen Madariaga
• 6: Tommy Raudonikis
• 6: Predrag Živković Tozovac
• 5: Philip K. Chapman
• 5: Krzysztof Krawczyk
• 5: Izz al-Din Manasirah
• 5: Paul Ritter
• 4: Cheryl Gillan
• 4: Robert Mundell
• 4: Shashikala
• 3: Gloria Henry
• 3: Cyprian Kizito Lwanga
• 3: Brother Stair
• 3: Carla Zampatti
• 2: Arthur Kopit
• 2: Christian Tumi
• 2: April
• 1: Lee Aaker
• 1: Isamu Akasaki
• 1: Patrick Juvet

March

• 31: Lee Collins
• 31: Kamal Ganzouri
• 31: Ron Greene
• 31: Jane Manning
• 31: Ken Reitz
• 31: Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan
• 30: G. Gordon Liddy
• 29: Bashkim Fino
• 29: Sarah Onyango Obama
• 28: Joseph Edward Duncan
• 28: Liu Kai-chi
• 28: Didier Ratsiraka
• 27: Petr Kellner
• 27: Howard Schnellenberger
• 26: Haseena Moin
• 25: Bill Brock
• 25: Beverly Cleary
• 25: Larry McMurtry
• 25: Uta Ranke-Heinemann
• 25: Bi Sidi Souleymane
• 25: Bertrand Tavernier
• 24: Don Heffington
• 24: Jessica Walter
• 24: Mahmoud al-Werfalli
• 24: Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

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

Americas

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

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Afghanistan War
• China
  • Xinjiang conflict
• India
  • Khalistan movement
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
  • Insurgency in Northeast India
• 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 Donbass
    • Russo-Ukrainian War

Global

• War on terror

Middle East

• Egypt
  • Sinai insurgency
• Iran and the Persian Gulf
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
• 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
• Turkey
  • Kurdish–Turkish conflict
• Yemen and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

2021 events and developments by topic

Arts

Architecture – Comics – Film – Home video – Literature – Music (Country, Rock, Metal, UK, US) – Radio – Television (UK, 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 – Space/Astronomy – Spaceflight

Environment and environmental sciences

Birding/Ornithology – Climate change

Transportation

Aviation – Rail transport

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain