Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Ebrahim Raisi

• In golf, Jon Rahm wins the U.S. Open.
• Ebrahim Raisi (pictured) is elected president of Iran.
• China's Shenzhou 12 launches with the first crew to dock at the Tiangong space station.
• Kenneth Kaunda, the first president of Zambia, dies at the age of 97.
• A new government is formed in Israel, with Naftali Bennett becoming prime minister, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year tenure.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic

Recent deaths:

• Richard Stolley
• Robert Quackenbush
• Wang Chiu-Hwa
• Leroy Jones
• Champ
• Getatchew Haile

Current events of June 22, 2021 (2021-06-22) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Internal conflict in Myanmar
  • 2021 Myanmar protests
    • Tatmadaw forces backed by armoured vehicles and artillery enter the country's second largest city Mandalay and clash with the newly formed People's Defence Force rebel group which seized parts of the city. Clashes are ongoing. (MSN)

Business and economy

• South Sudan officially resumes the production of crude oil after a 7-year hiatus. The country's Minister of Petroleum says production has begun at the Block 5A oil field and is seeking a production of 8,000 barrels per day. (The Nation)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    • Fiji reports a record 180 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide toll to 2,270. The Ministry of Health also reports two deaths as the disease rapidly spreads across the country. (RNZ) (TVNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, COVID-19 vaccine
    • Turkey lowers its COVID-19 vaccination eligibility age to 25 as curfews are set to end this week. (Anadolu Agency)
• Climate change in Australia
  • UNESCO recommends changing the World Heritage status of the Great Barrier Reef to "in danger" and urges "accelerated action" from Australia. Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley says she "strongly opposes" the recommendation. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
  • President Rodrigo Duterte threatens to arrest those who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and told them to leave the country if they would not cooperate with efforts to end a public health emergency. (AP)
• Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
  • Spanish government pardons the nine jailed Catalan separatists, convicted for their role in the failed 2017 declaration of independence. (Euronews)

Current events of June 21, 2021 (2021-06-21) (Monday)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • China reports 25 new confirmed cases, up from 17 infections a day earlier. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala
        • Kerala reports their first two cases of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant. (New Indian Express)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia surpasses two million cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record 14,536 new cases in the past 24 hours. (detikHealth)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia surpasses 700,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
      • Medsafe grants a provisional approval for the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15. (NZ Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
    • Colombia surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba
    • Cuba says that the ABDALA vaccine is proven to be 92% effective against COVID-19. (Reuters)

International relations

• Foreign relations of Belarus
  • The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom impose sanctions against Belarus for last month’s diverting of Ryanair Flight 4978, which led to the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich. (Business Insider)
• Foreign relations of Nicaragua
  • The Argentinian and Mexican foreign ministries announce in a joint statement that they are withdrawing their respective ambassadors from Nicaragua for consultations in response to President Daniel Ortega's increasing crackdown on dissidents, including the arrest of five potential presidential candidates this month. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Trial of Catalan independence leaders
  • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announces that the nine Catalan separatist leaders involved in the unsuccessful 2017 independence bid will be pardoned tomorrow, saying that this is needed to ease tensions with Catalonia. President of the Catalan Government Pere Aragonès welcomes the pardons but says that they will pursue more concessions, such as a new authorized independence referendum. The Spanish oppositional parties subsequently announce that they will try to reverse the pardons. (Reuters)
• Hong Kong national security law
  • The pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily says it is considering closure by Friday after the arrest of its five top executive members and the freezing of its assets. The tabloid's founder Jimmy Lai has already been convicted of multiple charges and will be tried, along with 46 others, on subversion charges. (BBC)
• A judge in Peru rejects a plea from public prosecutor José Domingo Pérez to send Popular Force party leader and presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori back to prison for allegedly violating her bail conditions over charges of money laundering and corruption. Pérez says that he will appeal the judge’s ruling. (DW)

Politics and elections

• The Australian National Party undergoes a leadership spill, replacing Michael McCormack with New England Representative Barnaby Joyce. Joyce previously lead the Nationals from 2016 to 2018 and was replaced by McCormack following sexual harassment allegations. As per the party's coalition agreement with the Australian Liberal Party, Joyce is set to replace McCormack as Deputy Prime Minister. Many Nationals have been critical of the Morrison Government's move towards carbon neutrality and hope that Joyce will counter this. (ABC News Australia)
• 2021 Swedish government crisis
  • Prime Minister Stefan Löfven's government collapses after a vote of no-confidence is adopted by the Riksdag. Löfven has one week to either resign or call a snap election. (CNN)
• 2021 Ethiopian general election
  • Ethiopian voters head to the polls to elect a new session to the House of Peoples' Representatives after months of delays. The election occurs in the midst of multiple problems affecting the country, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, deteriorating conditions in the Tigray Region brought on by the Tigray War, and the jailing of multiple oppositional figures. (CNN)

Sports

• New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard becomes the first transgender athlete chosen to compete in the Olympic Games, as the New Zealand Olympic Committee announces she is selected to compete in the Tokyo Olympics as part of the women's weightlifting team. (BBC)
• Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib becomes the first active National Football League player to come out as gay. (NPR)

Current events of June 20, 2021 (2021-06-20) (Sunday)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Thirteen people are killed in Alabama, United States, during the Tropical Storm Claudette. Ten of the victims, nine of whom are children, die in a fiery 17-vehicle crash. (USA Today)
• A tornado strikes Naperville, Illinois, U.S., destroying 12 homes and injuring six people. (WBBM-TV)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in China surpasses one billion. (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports 13,737 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of cases since January 30. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      • The government signs an agreement to purchase 40 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. It is the largest COVID-19 vaccine deal in the Philippines. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan, Taiwan–United States relations
        • The United States sends 2.5 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine to Taiwan. (Time)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    • Fiji reports a record for the second consecutive day of 166 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,964. The Ministry of Health also reports the death of a 77-year-old man from COVID-19. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in France
    • France lifts its nighttime curfew due to an improvement in the COVID-19 situation in the country. The country previously dropped its outdoor mask requirement on June 17. (SortiraParis)

International relations

• Cross-Strait relations, Hong Kong–Taiwan relations
  • The Taiwanese Mainland Affairs Council says that it will "adjust" the operations of its Hong Kong offices beginning tomorrow, stating that since July 2018, the Hong Kong government has been hindering the offices' operations by pressuring the Taiwanese staff to sign a letter affirming China's claim to Taiwan under the One-China policy in order to receive their work visas. (Al Jazeera)
• Diplomats meet in Vienna to negotiate and restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement signed in 2015. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warns against rejoining the deal and calls for allies to "wake up" to the threat of Iran. (U.S. News & World Report) (BBC)

Law and crime

• Manhunt for Jürgen Conings
  • Belgian officials report that Jürgen Conings, a 46-year-old soldier and far-right sympathizer who made threats against various politicians and virologists, was found dead in the Hoge Kempen National Park near the Dutch border. (BBC)
• Germany bans the flag of Hamas after it was used during protests over the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. (Hamodia)

Politics and elections

• Libyan peace process
  • Prime Minister of the provisional Libyan government Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh announces the reopening of a major coastal road connecting the western city of Misrata and the eastern city of Sirte, declaring it a major step in restoring stability in the country. However, a media unit connected to the Libyan National Army disputes this, saying that the road remains closed. (Al Jazeera)
  • The Libyan Presidential Council bans all unauthorized military movement in the country, after forces loyal to Libyan National Army leader Khalifa Haftar announce that they have seized control of the southern border with Algeria earlier in the day. The seizure was the first major military operation of its type since the ceasefire was signed last October. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
• 2021 Armenian parliamentary election
  • Armenian voters head to the polls for a snap parliamentary election. Incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract wins the majority of the seats of the National Assembly, but loses 16 seats. (Reuters)
• 2021 French regional elections
  • In a series of elections seen as a major bellwether for next year's presidential election, exit polls show left-wing parties and the right-wing Republicans as the main winners, obtaining 34% and 29% of the total votes respectively. The far-right National Rally and the ruling centrist La République En Marche! receive disappointing results, with the former receiving 19% of the total votes, and the latter receving only 10.9% and not even qualifying for the second round in some regions. (Politico.eu)

Sports

• 2021 U.S. Open (golf)
  • Jon Rahm wins the 121st U.S. Open, becoming the first Spanish champion. (Reuters)

Current events of June 19, 2021 (2021-06-19) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • President Ashraf Ghani names Bismillah Khan Mohammadi as his new defense minister and Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal as the new interior minister, replacing their respective predecessors amid a deteriorating security situation, with foreign forces withdrawing from the country and the Taliban gaining territory, capturing six more districts. (DW)
• Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Saudi air defenses destroy six armed drones late in the evening, bringing the total of armed drones destroyed during the day to 17. A Houthi spokesman says that one drone was launched at Khamis Mushait while the Saudi air defenses say that two other drones toward Khamis Mushait were intercepted and that eight other drones were also launched toward the south of the kingdom. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia reports a record 20 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 414. (Bangkok Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
      • Laos extends its lockdown measures for another 15 days until July 4 as the number of community transmission cases of COVID-19 continue to increase. (The Laotian Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports a record 14 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 439. (Xinhuanet)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana
      • Indiana reports its first case of the Delta variant of COVID-19. (WTHR-TV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil surpasses 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, becoming the second country to do so after the United States. (DW)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    • Fiji reports a record 150 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the national toll to 1,798. The Ministry of Health reports that most cases are from known clusters while others are under investigation. Also, Australia and New Zealand announce that they will deploy doctors to Fiji to help deal with the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (RNZ) (FBC News)

International relations

• Australia–China relations
  • Australia begins lodging a formal complaint against China with the World Trade Organization over anti-dumping duties on imported Australian wine. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Six people are critically wounded as a man intentionally drove his pickup truck into a group of cyclists taking part in a charity bike ride in Show Low, Arizona. The driver is shot and arrested. The motive behind the attack is unknown so far. (BBC)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Brazilian protests
  • As Brazil reaches 500,000 deaths due to COVID-19, demonstrations are held in hundreds of Brazilian cities and by Brazilians abroad. Protestors are critical of President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic and demand his impeachment. (The Guardian)
• 2021 Iranian presidential election
  • Rival candidates concede victory to hardline Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi, who was widely predicted to be the next president. An official from the Interior Ministry claims that Raisi won 17.8 million votes out of the 28 million votes cast. (Reuters)
• 2021 Myanmar protests
  • Protesters against the military junta carry out a national day of "flower protest" to celebrate the 76th birthday of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and condemn her arrest. The flower symbol was allegedly chosen because Suu Kyi is often seen with a flower on her head. Protests supporting the military junta led by Min Aung Hlaing also occur across the country. (DW)
• 2021 Peruvian general election
  • Supporters of Pedro Castillo and Keiko Fujimori gather following the election. Castillo supporters call for his win to be upheld, while Fujimori supporters call for the results to be overturned. (Al Jazeera)

Current events of June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Kidnapping in Nigeria
  • A kidnapped female student is found dead as the Nigerian Army rescues five other students and two teachers who were kidnapped on Thursday from a school in Kebbi State. (Reuters via SwissInfo)
• 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
  • The Biden administration removes eight Patriot anti-missile batteries from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq, removes the THAAD anti-missile defense system from Saudi Arabia, and announces that most jet squadrons and hundreds of American troops will be withdrawn from the region. The changes come in light of both de-escalating tensions with Iran and the administration changing its focus on countering China. (Wall Street Journal)

Disasters and accidents

• Five construction workers are killed and nine more wounded after a school building site collapse pulling down the scaffolding supporting it, in Antwerp, Belgium. (BBC)
• At least 17 mine workers are killed and 14 others are injured when the bus carrying them to work falls into a ravine in the Department of Ayacucho, Peru. (La Vanguardia)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports 12,990 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since late-January. It brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.96 million. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
      • The Palestinian Authority cancels a planned vaccine exchange with Israel involving at least one million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, saying the first batch of doses Israel was going to send were near expiration. The swap was previously announced earlier in the day. (Al Jazeera)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Oman
      • Oman speeds up its COVID-19 vaccination as the number of cases increases in the country, which has seen only a small percentage of the population vaccinated. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin closes the Euro 2020 fan zone due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Russian capital. (DW)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announces that as of June 26, it will no longer be mandatory to wear a face mask outdoors. (La Vanguardia)
      • Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (La Vanguardia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
        • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expands COVID-19 vaccinations to people aged 18 years and older amidst concerns about the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • Restrictions are eased in Melbourne as the number of cases decreases. Melbournians will now be allowed to travel anywhere in the state of Victoria, public gatherings increase to 20 people and masks are no longer required outdoors. Private gatherings of up to two people will be allowed, gyms and indoor entertainment reopen, and workforce capacities increase. These new restrictions bring Melbourne into line with the rest of Victoria. (9 News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
        • Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern receives her first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (Stuff.co.nz)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
      • Papua New Guinea receives 146,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from New Zealand, facilitated through the COVAX initiative. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda
    • President Yoweri Museveni announces that the country has imposed new restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19, including a ban on vehicular movements except for essential workers. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• First Liberian Civil War
  • A federal court in Switzerland sentences Alieu Kosiah of the ULIMO rebel group to 20 years in prison for acts of rape, killings and cannibalism. He had been arrested in Switzerland in 2014. (Reuters)
• Novara ramming
  • A driver intentionally rams his truck into a crowd of workers protesting outside a Lidl supermarket in Novara, Piedmont, Italy, killing one of the workers and wounding two others. The suspected attacker is arrested near the scene. The incident came after a series of violent attacks and assaults against workers' protests in Italy in the past few weeks. (Fanpage)
• 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
  • At least 17 Palestinians are injured and 10 arrested after the IDF stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque to break up a rally held in response to videos of far-right marchers insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad during the Dance of Flags on Tuesday. A further 47 are injured when the IDF fired tear gas and rubber bullets at demostrators near Beita in the occupied West Bank protesting the recent establishment of a military outpost near the town. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Iranian presidential election
  • Iranian voters head to the polls to elect a successor to current President Hassan Rouhani. Hardline Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi is projected to be the winner. Reformists and dissidents are calling for a boycott after most of their candidates were initially rejected by the Guardian Council and one other, former Vice President Mohsen Mehralizadeh, dropped out, saying that there is no serious competition against the hardliners. (BBC)
• 2021 Peruvian general election
  • Interim President Francisco Sagasti condemns a letter signed by retired military officers that urges the Peruvian Armed Forces not to recognize Pedro Castillo as President. Sagasti also announces that an investigation is launched into the retired officers. (Reuters)
• The United Nations General Assembly reelects current Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres for a second term beginning in January. (Reuters)
• The Montenegrin Parliament votes 43–27 to dismiss Justice Minister Vladimir Leposavić for disputing the death toll of the Srebrenica massacre in March. Legislators then voted 55–19 to pass a resolution condemning the Bosnian genocide, banning Bosnian genocide denial, and establishing a commemorative holiday honoring the victims of the Srebrenica massacre. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

• 2021 NBA playoffs
  • In basketball, the Los Angeles Clippers advance to their first NBA Conference Finals after a 131–119 victory against the Utah Jazz in game 6. They will play the Phoenix Suns. During the game, Terance Mann scores a career-high 39 points. (AP)

Current events of June 17, 2021 (2021-06-17) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
  • Further airstrikes by the IDF are conducted at sites north of Beit Lahia and in Gaza City belonging to armed militia groups, as well as a civil administration building in Jabalia and an agriculture field near Khan Yunis. Hamas media outlet Al-Aqsa TV says Hamas downed an Israeli drone. No casualties are reported. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• COVID-19 pandemic in France, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on The Walt Disney Company
  • Disneyland Paris, Europe's most visited amusement park, reopens for the second time with enhanced health and safety measures after being closed for eight months due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the first time that all Disney-owned and licensed theme parks have been open since January 2020. (France Bleu) (USA Today)
• U.S. President Joe Biden signs a law that would make Juneteenth a federal holiday, thereby making it the first federal holiday since the 1983 establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (CBS News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan
      • COVID-19 lockdowns, Afghanistan–United States relations
        • The U.S. Embassy in Kabul orders a lockdown on the building amid a rise of cases. (Army Times)
      • Afghanistan reports a record 515 new cases and 101 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Times of India)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Madhya Pradesh
        • Madhya Pradesh detects their first case of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant in Bhopal. (India Today)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announces that the state of emergency will be lifted in nine prefectures on June 21. However, the government will maintain its quasi-emergency measures in seven prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan
      • Kyrgyzstan receives a shipment of 80,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. (24.kg)
      • Kyrgyzstan reports a record of 787 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Kabar)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • Sri Lanka reports its first community case of the highly transmissible Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant in five patients. (The Hindu)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam reports a record of 515 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 12,014. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Portuguese authorities announce that travel in and out of the Lisbon metropolitan area will be banned on weekends from Friday at 3:00 p.m. until Monday at 6:00 a.m. amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a new single-day record of 76,538 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
      • The Australian federal government restricts the usage of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine to people over the age of 60 following a new recommendation from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. (ABC Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
      • Fiji reports a record 121 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, as new clusters are discovered, thereby bringing the national total to 1,443. (RNZ) (Xinhuanet)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois, COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • Illinois becomes the first state in the Midwest to vaccinate 70% of adults. (WQAD-TV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia
    • Zambian authorities order the closure of schools for the next 21 days and also suspend election campaigns for the general election in August after reporting the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 in one day. At the same time, the authorities restrict activities in religious sites to meetings only twice a week and for only one hour per day. (Europa Press)

International relations

• Tigray War
  • The African Union (AU) launches an official commission to investigate allegations of human rights abuses committed in Ethiopia's Tigray Region. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry rejects the commission as "misguided" and without legal basis, saying that a joint probe by the AU and Ethiopia should be used instead. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Hong Kong national security law
  • Police in Hong Kong arrest five executives of the Apple Daily newspaper as the newspaper warns that press freedom in the city is "hanging by a thread". It is the latest raid on the Beijing-critical newspaper which has already seen its chief Jimmy Lai convicted under various charges, including unlawful assembly, and who currently faces a national security law case along with 46 other activists. (France24)
• Shooting of Eyad al-Hallaq
  • An Israeli police officer is charged with "reckless homicide" for killing an autistic Palestinian adult in Jerusalem's Old City in May 2020. His death has been compared to the George Floyd protests that occurred around the same time. (France 24)
• One person is killed, four are shot and eight are otherwise injured in eight drive-by shootings in the West Valley area near Phoenix, Arizona, United States. A male suspect is taken into custody. (NBC News)
• St. Louis gun-toting controversy
  • Pro-gun activists Mark and Patricia McCloskey plead guilty to misdemeanor charges relating to an incident last year where they brandished weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters during a George Floyd protest in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. They also agree to give up their guns and pay US$2,750 in total fines. (DW)
• A person is killed when a gunman opens fire on the offices of pro-Kurdish opposition party People's Democratic Party (HDP) in İzmir, İzmir Province, Turkey. The gunman also attempted to set fire to the office building. HDP MP from İzmir Serpil Kemalbay blames the current government for the attack, saying that officials were inciting violence against the party and its supporters. (Middle East Eye)

Politics and elections

• California v. Texas, Efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act
  • The United States Supreme Court, in a 7–2 decision, dismisses a challenge to the Affordable Care Act brought before the court by Republican-led states and the former Trump administration. The Court stated that the challengers did not specify an injury caused by the ACA to establish standing. (LII) (BBC News)
• Elections in the United Kingdom, 2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election
  • The Liberal Democrats gains the Chesham and Amersham seat in a shock defeat to the ruling Conservative government. The Conservatives suffers a swing of 25.2% away from them in a by-election billed as a sign of further realignment in British politics. This is the first time that a non-Conservative MP represents the constituency. (The Guardian)
• The United States House of Representatives votes 268–161 to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, a resolution that granted U.S. presidents the authority to engage in war with Iraq. The bill will now head to the United States Senate. (NPR)
• The U.S. Supreme Court rejects a lawsuit brought by six African men against American food corporation Cargill and the American division of Nestlé for their use of child slavery in cocoa bean production in a 8–1 decision, saying that because the abuses took place outside the country, the Court did not have jurisdiction on the matter. (Reuters)
• Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo returns to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, for the first time in nearly 10 years, after the International Criminal Court upheld his acquittal for his role in the violence committed in the aftermath of the 2010 presidential elections earlier this year. The government of current president Alassane Ouattara supported his return as necessary for reconciliation, but did not comment if he will be imprisoned for misappropriating funds from a regional bank, for which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in November 2019. (Al Jazeera)
• Canada MPs in the House of Commons votes to censure Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan over his handling of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces. (Global News)

Science and technology

• China launches the Shenzhou 12 spacecraft carrying three astronauts on the first flight to the Tianhe core module. (El País)
• French scientists announce in a Current Biology paper that coelacanths are capable of living up to 100 years, contrary to the long-held belief that they only live up to 20 years. (The Guardian)

Current events of June 16, 2021 (2021-06-16) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
  • The Israel Defense Forces carry out airstrikes on Khan Yunis and Gaza City in the Gaza Strip in the early morning, in response to incendiary balloons being flown from Gaza, putting the ceasefire in jeopardy. This comes after the Dance of Flags march was held in East Jerusalem. (Middle East Eye) (Times of Israel)
  • Mediators renew their push for another ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following the airstrikes. (The New York Times)

Arts and culture

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage
  • The Taj Mahal reopens to tourists after a two-month closure due to the second wave of the pandemic in India. (Hindustan Times)
• The United States House of Representatives votes 415–14 to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. This comes after the United States Senate voted unanimously to pass the same bill yesterday. The legislation will now head to U.S. President Joe Biden for his signature. (NBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • The Andorran government lifts the obligation to wear masks outdoors, at work meetings and with people who are immunized. (Diari d'Andorra)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia
      • North Macedonia lifts their nighttime curfew and allows outdoor organized events, weddings and concerts to be held at 50% capacity. The government also lifts working hour restrictions on the hospitality sector, betting shops, gas stations, and casinos. (Xinhuanet)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom reports 9,055 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total since February 25. (Sky News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia surpasses 40,000 cases of COVID-19. (Khmer Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Maldives
      • Maldives surpasses 200 deaths from COVID-19. (Raajje)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports a record 2,395 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 83,128. (AKI Press)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • The United States government purchases 200 million doses of the vaccine produced by Moderna. (U.S. News & World Report)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      • Royal Caribbean International announces that it is delaying the inaugural sailing of their brand-new Odyssey of the Seas cruise liner from Fort Lauderdale to July 31 after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
    • South Africa restricts gatherings to 50 people for indoor social and religious events and 100 people for outdoor events, and also extends their curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. and restrict the sale of alcohol to Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. (Al Jazeera)
• Botswanan mining company Debswana presents a 1,098-carat diamond discovered on June 1 to President Mokgweetsi Masisi. The company claims that it is the third-largest diamond ever discovered. (The Guardian)

International relations

• 2021 Russia–United States summit, Russia–United States relations
  • U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit meeting in Geneva. (CBS News)
• German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer withdraws a platoon from a NATO mission in Lithuania. The withdrawal follows a report from Der Spiegel on Monday stating that the platoon's members engaged in misconduct, including bullying, filming a sexual assault against another soldier, and singing antisemitic songs to mark the birthday of dictator Adolf Hitler. (BBC)
• The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry rejects an Arab League resolution calling for the UN Security Council to intervene in the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on behalf of Egypt and Sudan. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Fatou Bensouda steps down as Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, a position she has held since 2012. She is succeeded by Karim Ahmad Khan. (The Jerusalem Post)
• At least sixty Berlin police officers are injured after squatters in a Friedrichshain building attacked them with stones while conducting a fire inspection. (BBC)

Time: 12:55 UTC|Day: 22 June

	June 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 European windstorm season
• 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
• 2021 Pacific typhoon season
• Yemeni famine

Politics

• Afghan peace process
• Anti-Netanyahu protests
• Arab protests
• Armenian protests
• Belarusian protests
• Brazilian protests
• Colombian tax reform protests
• Greek protests
• Haitian protests
• Indian farmers' protests
• Israel–Palestine crisis
• Indonesia omnibus law protests
• Jersey dispute
• Libyan peace process
• Myanmar protests
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• Persian Gulf crisis
• Peruvian crisis
• Samoan constitutional crisis
• 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

• June
  • 6: Mexico, Chamber of Deputies
  • 6: Peru, President (2nd)
  • 9: Mongolia, President
  • 12: Algeria, People's National Assembly
  • 13: Switzerland, Referendums
  • 18: Iran, President
  • 20: Armenia, National Assembly
  • 21: Ethiopia, House of Representatives

Upcoming

• June
  • 24: Gibraltar, Referendum
  • 25: Aruba, Parliament

Trials

Recently concluded

• Brazil: Wilson Witzel
• Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai
• Indonesia: Muhammad Rizieq Shihab
• Israel: Faina Kirschenbaum
• Spain: 2017 Barcelona attacks
• Switzerland: Alieu Kosiah
• United States: Derek Chauvin, Cristhian Bahena Rivera

Ongoing

• Argentina: Rodolfo Martín Villa
• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• Colombia: Álvaro Uribe
• France: Nicolas Sarkozy
• India: Disha Ravi
• Indonesia: Edhy Prabowo, Juliari Batubara
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• South Africa: Jacob Zuma
• Spain: Bárcenas affair, Barçagate
• Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
• International: Ali Kushayb, The Gambia v. Myanmar

Upcoming

• Canada: Raj Grewal
• Indonesia: 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
  • 2021 Copa Libertadores final stages
  • 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
  • 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
  • 2021 Major League Soccer season
  • UEFA Euro 2020
  • 2021 Copa América
• Women's association football
  • 2021 NWSL season
• Baseball
  • 2021 MLB season
• Basketball
  • 2021 NBA Playoffs
• 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
  • 2021 European Tour
  • 2021 LPGA Tour
  • 2020 PGA Tour Champions
  • 2021 Ladies European Tour
  • 2020–21 PGA Tour
• Ice hockey
  • 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs
• Motorsport
  • 2021 Formula One Championship
  • 2021 Rally Championship
  • 2021 MotoGP
  • 2021 Supercars Championship
• Rugby league
  • 2021 NRL season
  • 2021 Super League
• Rugby union
  • 2020–21 Premiership Rugby
  • 2020–21 Top 14
  • 2021 Bunnings NPC
  • 2021 Super Rugby season
• Tennis
  • 2021 ATP Tour
  • 2021 WTA Tour
  • 2020–21 Davis Cup (Finals)
• Other sports seasons
  • 2021 International cricket season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

June

• 21: Nina Divíšková
• 20: Irene Mambilima
• 20: Mark Peel
• 18: Giampiero Boniperti
• 18: Milkha Singh
• 17: Kenneth Kaunda
• 16: Frank Bonner
• 16: Janet Malcolm
• 15: Vladimir Shatalov
• 14: Lisa Banes
• 14: Enrique Bolaños
• 14: Manuel Clavero
• 14: Mburumba Kerina
• 14: Markis Kido
• 13: Ned Beatty
• 13: Ziona
• 12: Mudcat Grant
• 11: Geoffrey Edelsten
• 10: Alexander
• 9: Edward de Bono
• 9: Libuše Šafránková
• 8: Joseph Margolis
• 7: Douglas S. Cramer
• 7: Jim Fassel
• 7: Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur
• 6: Sanyika Shakur
• 5: T. B. Joshua
• 5: Richard Robinson
• 4: Richard R. Ernst
• 4: John Malcolm Patterson
• 4: Clarence Williams III
• 3: F. Lee Bailey
• 3: Karla Burns
• 3: Anerood Jugnauth
• 2: Raymond J. Donovan
• 1: Amedeo, Duke of Aosta

May

• 31: James Crawford
• 31: Arlene Golonka
• 30: Jason Dupasquier
• 29: Gavin MacLeod
• 29: Gwen Shamblin Lara
• 29: Joe Lara
• 29: Cornelius Sim
• 29: B.J. Thomas
• 28: Mark Eaton
• 27: Shane Briant
• 27: Carla Fracci
• 27: Foster Friess
• 27: Poul Schlüter
• 26: Jerome Hellman
• 25: Roger Gifford
• 25: John Warner
• 24: Robert Green Hall
• 24: Anna Halprin
• 24: Samuel E. Wright
• 23: Eric Carle
• 23: Milton Moses Ginsberg
• 23: Ron Hill
• 23: Max Moseley
• 23: Alex Salaueu

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
• Chad
  • Insurgency in Northern Chad
• 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
• Paraguay
  • Insurgency in Paraguay

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Afghanistan War
• 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
• Ireland and the UK
  • Dissident Irish republican campaign

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