Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Hakainde Hichilema

• Hakainde Hichilema (pictured) is elected President of Zambia.
• The Afghan government collapses as the capital city of Kabul falls to the Taliban offensive.
• A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti kills more than 1,900 people.
• The Inter­govern­mental Panel on Climate Change releases the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report on the state of knowledge of climate change and its effects.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic

Recent deaths:

• Alia Muhammad Baker
• Ernie Sigley
• Paul Mitchell
• Peter Fleischmann
• Maki Kaji
• Michael M. Thomas

Current events of August 18, 2021 (2021-08-18) (Wednesday)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand enters an Alert Level 4 lockdown for seven days in Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula and three days for the rest of the country after the first locally-transmitted COVID-19 case in six months, later being confirmed as Delta variant, was reported. (Radio France Internationale) (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    • Thailand reports a record 312 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the second day a row, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,285. (Inquirer)

Current events of August 17, 2021 (2021-08-17) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
      • Operation Allies Refuge
        • Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby says that evacuations have resumed at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. (The Hill)
      • Taliban member of the cultural commission Enamullah Samangani announces an amnesty across Afghanistan and urges women to join their government in the first mention of women's rights by the group since seizing Kabul. Samangani did not specify what he meant by "amnesty", but said that "the Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims" and that "they should be in the government structure according to sharia law". (Kyodo News) (KSTP-TV)
      • The Taliban says that they will respect women's rights and security under the Islamic Emirate. The Taliban also says that they have encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school. (Associated Press)
      • Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says that the Taliban will hold their first news conference this afternoon in a media center in Kabul previously used by the former Afghan government. (Reuters)
      • U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says that the Taliban is prepared to provide safe passage to civilians who are attempting to leave Kabul. (CNBC)
    • Panjshir resistance
      • Amrullah Saleh, who served as First Vice President under former president Ashraf Ghani, claims on Twitter that he is now caretaker president, and that he refuses to surrender to the Taliban. Saleh is recorded travelling to Panjshir Province with Ahmad Massoud, who has declared his opposition to the Taliban and also called for anti-Taliban militia to assemble in Panjshir. (Hindustan Times) (Yahoo! Finance)

Disasters and accidents

• A boat capsizes off the coast of Mauritania with 47 people on board presumed dead. The Mauritanian Coast Guard rescues several people from the sea. The boat had departed from Western Sahara and was travelling to the Canary Islands. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 50,228 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4,517,243. (Mehr News Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • Israel reports 8,716 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since February 1. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • The Japanese government extends the existing state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, and also expands it to seven other prefectures from August 20 to September 12. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record 239 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 7,973. (Bangkok Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
      • Serbia begins to administer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised people, healthcare workers, people over the age of 70, people who frequently travel abroad, and people who have previously received their second dose at least six months ago. (Florida News Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 vaccination in Switzerland
      • The number of fully vaccinated people in Switzerland surpasses 50%. (The Local Switzerland)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
      • The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approves the usage of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 17, becoming the second vaccine to be approved for use in children after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. (ITV News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Cook Islands
      • The Cook Islands suspends its travel bubble with New Zealand and moves to Alert Level 2 following the confirmation of the first community case of COVID-19 in six months in New Zealand. (Newshub)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • New Zealand reports its first community transmission case of COVID-19 in six months in an unvaccinated 58-year-old man from Devonport who tested positive after visiting a GP surgery and travelling to the Coromandel Peninsula during the past weekend. (Stuff)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
        • New York City begins to implement mandatory proof of vaccination of at least one dose for people who want to dine in at restaurants or bars, watch public performances, or visit a museum or other cultural venue. However, the enforcement of these rules will not begin until September 13. (NBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico
      • New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announces that the state will reimplement its mask mandate and require vaccinations for high-risk settings. (The Santa Fe New Mexican)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
      • Texas Governor Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19. His office says that he is fully vaccinated and is not currently experiencing any symptoms. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru Héctor Béjar resigns after a video of him claiming the Shining Path guerrilla group was propped up by the Central Intelligence Agency was published in local media. (Bloomberg)

Science and technology

• Researchers at the Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland announce that they have calculated pi to 62.8 trillion digits, a new world record. (The Guardian)

Current events of August 16, 2021 (2021-08-16) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
      • Fall of Kabul
        • Russia accuses President Ashraf Ghani of fleeing the country with "four cars and a helicopter full of cash" and that he also left money behind that could not be transported with him. Ghani's whereabouts are still unknown although multiple sources say that he is currently in Tajikistan. (Reuters)
        • The first Afghan President after the 2001 United States invasion, Hamid Karzai, announces that he and his daughters will remain in Kabul as he appeals to the Taliban to respect his life and the lives of civilians in Afghanistan. (Indiatimes)
        • Saudi Arabia calls on the Taliban and "all Afghan parties" to "preserve lives and property" and also states that "Saudi Arabia stands with the decision of the Afghan people without interference". (Reuters)
        • The Taliban sets up a cordon and blocks access to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport and also fires warning shots as civilians attempt to leave the country. (Al Jazeera English)
        • Kyrgyzstan says 500 visas will be issued to students from Afghanistan. (AKIpress News Agency)
  • Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
    • U.S. troops shoot dead two "armed men" at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport as evacuations of Western diplomats and allied Afghans continue. (The Wall Street Journal)
    • Two people are recorded falling to their deaths from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III flying over the airport. Local reports say that the stowaways landed on nearby rooftops. In a separate incident, three civilians are run over and killed while clinging to a U.S. jet on the runway. (NDTV)
    • U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation following his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. In the address, Biden said that he "stands squarely behind" the decision to withdraw from the country and admits that the government's collapse was "quicker than anticipated". (The Independent) (USA Today)
  • Operation Pitting
    • The United Kingdom deploys an additional 200 troops to Kabul to help airlift UK nationals and Afghans who worked with British forces during the war. (BBC News)
  • Uzbekistan shoots down an Afghan Air Force jet that crossed into its airspace. The pilot ejected and survived, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. (Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Four Palestinians are killed and another is seriously injured after an undercover branch of the Israel Border Police raided a refugee camp in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The raid, which was organized to arrest a suspected Hamas member, resulted in the highest death toll in the area in months. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Haiti earthquake
  • The death toll from the earthquake that struck Haiti two days ago increases to 1,297 people. More than 5,700 others are injured. (BBC News)
  • Tropical Storm Grace threatens earthquake-hit Haiti as it approaches the island of Hispaniola with sustained winds of 35 mph (56 km/h), and even stronger gusts. (CNN International)
• Wildfires in 2021
  • Around one thousand people are evacuated in Castile and León, Spain, as a wildfire spreads across the region. (Reuters)
• 2020–21 North American drought
  • The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issues an official water shortage declaration at the Lake Mead reservoir for the first time. The shortage will mean reduced water apportionments to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico beginning in October. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
      • Bangladesh reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in the sample of a 49-year-old woman in Dhaka. (Dhaka Tribune)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
      • Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
        • Hong Kong reclassifies 15 countries and territories, including the U.S., France, Malaysia, and Thailand, to the "high-risk" category, which means that beginning on August 20, there will be mandatory 21-day quarantines and tougher boarding requirements for travellers arriving from those countries due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. (South China Morning Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 655 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 98,483. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
      • The number of people over the age of 50 who have received a booster COVID-19 vaccine dose in Israel reaches one million. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysian movement control order
        • The Government of Malaysia begins to allow 11 more economic sectors in states under Phase 1 of the national recovery plan to reopen. Operators of businesses in these sectors must ensure that their customers show a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate before entering the business. (Free Malaysia Today)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France requires shoppers to show their "health pass" in order to enter 126 shopping centres that have a size of more than 20,000 m² (220,000 sq ft) in Paris and 12 departments that reached a threshold of 200 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. (Radio France Internationale)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
      • The German Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends that all children between the ages of 12 and 17 receive a COVID-19 vaccine due to increased risks posed by the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (The Tribune)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia
      • North Macedonia restricts the access of cafés, restaurants and public events to only those who have been vaccinated with at least one dose or who have recovered from COVID-19 within the past 45 days and also limits the capacity of restaurants to 30 people with only outdoor parts of restaurants to be open in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 cases. (U.S. News & World Report)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in England, COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
        • A requirement for fully vaccinated people and people under the age of 18 to self-isolate is removed in England and Northern Ireland if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. These people are now advised to take a PCR test despite such tests being voluntary and also wear a face covering while in enclosed spaces. (BBC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Territory, COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Greater Darwin and Katherine enter a three-day lockdown after new community transmissions of COVID-19 were reported. Meanwhile, lockdown restrictions in Melbourne are extended and tightened for an additional two weeks, with a controversial nighttime curfew reinstated. (The Australian) (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • Outgoing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that healthcare workers in the state will be required to be vaccinated by September 27. (WIVB-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • Washington, D.C. announces that they will require healthcare workers and other health-related professionals to be vaccinated with at least a first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or a single-dose Janssen vaccine by September 30. (The Hill)
• Ivory Coast begins to vaccinate "healthcare workers, close relatives and contacts of the victim" against Ebola using 5,000 doses of Ebola vaccines donated by Guinea after the first case of the virus since 1994 was reported over the weekend. (Al Jazeera English)

Law and crime

• The Speaker of the Tongan Parliament, Lord Fakafanua, introduces the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) Bill 2021 for debate in the legislative assembly. The Speaker wants a mandatory death sentence for serious drug offenses. Tonga has a moratorium on the death penalty and has not used it in more than four decades. (RNZ International)
• The last living Khmer Rouge leader, Khieu Samphan, appears before a court in Phnom Penh in order to appeal his conviction and attempt to overturn it. The 90-year-old's hearing is expected to last for only a few days as analysts say that it is very unlikely that he will succeed in his appeal. (Deutsche Welle)
• In an unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of Uganda strikes down a 2014 law outlawing the distribution of pornography and wearing of "indecent" clothes as unconstitutional. Women's rights groups in the country campaigned against the law since its inception, saying it unfairly singled out women for discrimination. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020–21 Malaysian political crisis
  • Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigns from office, as a result of the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition government's collapse. Yassin will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed. (CNA)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • President Gotabaya Rajapaksa replaces his health minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi with Keheliya Rambukwella, who was previously the media minister and government spokesman, with Wanniarachchi becoming the transport minister, amid public criticism over her understating of COVID-19 infections and her endorsement of sorcery and magic potions to combat the virus. (Al Jazeera English)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • 2020 Summer Paralympics
    • The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the Japanese government issue a joint statement indicating that spectators will be banned at Paralympic venues in Tokyo and other prefectures that are currently under a state of emergency due to the spread of COVID-19. (The Washington Post) (France 24)
  • 2021 NFL season
    • The Atlanta Falcons become the first National Football League team to have 100% of their players fully vaccinated. (ESPN)

Current events of August 15, 2021 (2021-08-15) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
      • Fall of Kabul
        • The Taliban enters Kabul and seizes the presidential palace, overthrowing the government. (Sky News) (The Washington Post)
        • President Ashraf Ghani agrees to form a team for negotiations and also agrees to step down and allow an interim Taliban government to govern the country amid the insurgent group's advance. Among the people in the negotiation team is the first president of Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S. invasion, Hamid Karzai. (TOLO)
        • President Ashraf Ghani and Vice President Amrullah Saleh leave the country and are currently in Tajikistan. (BBC News)
        • Taliban officials indicate that there will be no "transitional government" in Afghanistan, saying that the group expects a complete transfer of power from the Ghani government. (Reuters)
        • Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres calls on the Taliban to exercise restraint and respect human rights, especially those concerning women and girls. Guterres also expressed concern at the civilian casualties in areas of conflict. (Reuters)
        • In his first public comments since going into exile, ousted president Ashraf Ghani concedes that the Taliban has "won the war" in Afghanistan, saying that "they are now facing a new historical test. Either they will preserve the name and honour of Afghanistan or they will give priority to other places and networks". (The Hindu)
      • The Taliban captures Jalalabad, the provincial capital of the Nangarhar Province. The jihadist group faced no resistance as the Afghan military and provincial governor surrendered. Taliban forces also enter the Char Asiab District of the Kabul Province, advancing within 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) of Kabul. (Reuters) (Sky News) (The Independent)
      • The Afghan military transfers control of Bagram Airfield, formerly the largest U.S. airbase in the country, to the Taliban. Five thousand unlawful combatants are freed from the airbase's military prison. (The Economic Times)
      • Embassies of Western countries are evacuated and relocated at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. The Russian embassy is not evacuated, as it considers that "the situation in Kabul is a bit tense, but there is no war in the city". The Turkish embassy also remains open. (The Guardian) (Financial Times)
    • Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
      • U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price announces that the U.S. Embassy is successfully evacuated. (CBS News)
    • Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem says on Al Jazeera Mubasher that the war in Afghanistan is over. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera English)

Disasters and accidents

• Heavy rain in Japan causes a landslide in Okaya, Nagano. Three people are presumed dead, including a child, after the landslide damaged their house. (Reuters)
• A passenger bus overturns on the M7 motorway, west of Budapest, Hungary, killing eight people and injuring dozens of other passengers. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 620 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 97,828. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
      • Laos surpasses 10,000 cases of COVID-19. (Xinhua News Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in a 35-year-old female who is asymptomatic and recovered after isolating for 10 days. (Rappler)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand surpasses 900,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
    • A batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Australia from Poland, in which half of vaccine doses will target people aged 20 to 39 years old in 12 local government areas of concern across New South Wales. (SBS World News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
    • The Serbian health authorities authorise a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised people, health workers and anyone who was vaccinated at least six months ago, and would begin administering these doses on Tuesday. (Reuters)
• Singapore announces the first giant panda cub in the city-state when the 12-year-old panda Jia Jia gave birth to a cub at River Safari after being artificially inseminated with frozen semen from 13-year-old Kai Kai. (The Straits Times) (Radio France Internationale)

International relations

• Israel–Poland relations
  • Israel recalls a top diplomat from Poland, after the country passed a law limiting property restitution for Jewish Holocaust survivors. (Politico Europe)

Law and crime

• Hong Kong national security law
  • The Civil Human Rights Front in Hong Kong disbands. The pro-democracy group had been under pressure from the government for allegedly being internationally funded. The group's leader Figo Chan and prominent member Jimmy Sham are both in prison. (Deutsche Welle)
• Konstantin Pavlov, the pro-Russian mayor of Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, is found dead at his home with a gunshot wound. The National Police of Ukraine say that they are currently establishing the circumstances of the mayor's death and have also opened a criminal case. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Canadian federal election
  • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau obtains the dissolution of the House of Commons for an election scheduled on September 20. (CBC News)
• 2020–21 Malaysian political crisis
  • Reports emerge of the imminent resignation of Prime Minister of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin on August 16. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Spain records the higest temperature ever of 47.4°C (117.3°F) in Montoro, province of Córdoba amid an historic heat wave. (Big News Network)

Current events of August 14, 2021 (2021-08-14) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
      • The Taliban captures the eastern Logar Province and seizes seven more provincial capitals, Gardez, Sharana, Asadabad, Maymana, Mihtarlam, Nili and Mazar-i-Sharif, as heavy fighting is reported amid a rapid advance of the group towards the capital Kabul. Mazar-i-Sharif had been visited on Wednesday by President Ashraf Ghani. (Deutsche Welle) (Al Jazeera English)
      • President Ghani addresses the nation and says that he is in "urgent talks" with local leaders and international partners as the Taliban advances closer to Kabul. Ghani did not comment on the Taliban's demand that he resign in order to restore talks. (Reuters)
      • U.S. diplomatic staff and western nationals are airlifted out of a heavily fortified part of Kabul. (The Guardian)
      • It is reported that the Taliban has reached the outskirts of Kabul as the government seeks to control the city as a last stronghold. (Miami Herald) (Reuters)
      • Taliban forces seize the palace of U.S.-backed Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum in Mazar-i-Sharif amid reports that the warlord had left the country. Former warlord and Governor of Balkh Atta Muhammad Nur had also left the country, according to reports. (The Nation)
      • For the first time since the offensive began, the Taliban commandeers Mi-17 helicopters captured from the Afghan Air Force. The militants were filmed flying the aircraft over the city of Kandahar. The jihadist group has also seized several UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. (MSN)
  • Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
    • U.S. president Joe Biden authorizes the deployment of 5,000 American troops to Afghanistan to help evacuate diplomatic staff and personnel. He reaffirms that the United States should end its 20-year presence in the country. (NBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Haiti earthquake
  • A major 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, killing at least 304 people and wounding more than 1,800 others. Several homes and buildings collapsed, with the earthquake being felt across the Caribbean. No tsunami warning has been issued. Haiti is still recovering from a major earthquake that impacted the country in 2010. (Reuters) (BBC News)
• 2021 Turkish floods
  • The death toll from the flash floods in Kastamonu Province and Sinop, Turkey, increases to 57. (Al Jazeera English)
• 2021 Turkish wildfires
  • A Beriev Be-200, sent to help those affected by the wildfires in Kahramanmaraş, crashes, killing all eight people on board, including five Russian servicemen and three Turkish citizens. (Al Jazeera English)
• 2021 Akkar explosion
  • A fuel truck explodes in Akkar District, Lebanon, killing at least 28 people and injuring 79 others. (Reuters)
• Eleven people are killed by the waves in the sea area off Zhangzhou, Fujian, China. (China Daily)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran announces a six-day general lockdown in all cities that will include the closure of bazaars, markets, public offices, movie theaters, gyms and restaurants as well as a ban on intra-city travel. The lockdown will occur from August 16 to August 21. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines surpasses 30,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Rappler)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam reports a record 9,716 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 265,464. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
      • Denmark removes its mandatory face mask policy for public transport such as buses, trains or ferries, and also removes its recommendation of 1 meter of social distancing in public spaces. (NDTV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 819 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 169,683. (Florida News Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      • New South Wales enters a statewide lockdown which also applies to all regional parts of the state that are currently under a stay-at-home order. All non-essential retail premises must close and all hospitality venues will revert to takeaway services after a record 466 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the past 24 hours. (SBS World News)
• Ivory Coast reports its first case of the Ebola hemorrhagic virus since 1994 in an isolated case of an 18-year-old girl who travelled from Guinea and is currently hospitalized in Abidjan. (Reuters)

International relations

• Russia–United Kingdom relations
  • BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford says that Russia is permanently expelling her after authorities told her to leave on Thursday. The expulsion is in response to two reporters from Russian state-run news channel Russia-24 being denied visas in the United Kingdom. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Zambian general election
  • President Edgar Lungu declares that Thursday's elections were "not free or fair", citing instances of electoral violence in three provinces, such as the beating of polling agents representing his party Patriotic Front. Early election results showed Lungu trailing behind his opponent, businessman Hakainde Hichilema. (Reuters)

Current events of August 13, 2021 (2021-08-13) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive, Battle of Lashkargah
      • The Taliban captures the provincial capitals of Lashkargah, Chaghcharan, Puli Alam, Qalati Ghilji and Tarinkot, bringing the number of provincial capitals taken in the past eight days to eighteen. (Al Jazeera English)
      • Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid confirms that the jihadist group has captured Afghan warlord Ismail Khan, after the fall of Herat on Thursday. Footage shows Khan and other officials of Herat Province in the custody of the Taliban. (Reuters)
  • Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
    • U.S. Marines begin arriving in Kabul to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport and evacuate U.S. embassy staff and allied Afghan interpreters. (CNBC)
• Sinai insurgency
  • Eight soldiers are killed and six more are wounded when a roadside bomb explodes in Rafah, Egypt. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack. (Al Jazeera English)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Israeli security forces launch stun grenades to disperse a crowd of worshippers who were praying outside the Cave of the Patriarchs in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera English)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 China floods
  • Twenty-one people are dead and 6,000 are evacuated as heavy rains impact five cities in Hubei Province, China. (Al Jazeera English)
• 2021 Russian wildfires
  • A "non-working day" is declared in Russia's Sakha republic, and residents are urged to stay at home as smoke from wildfires covers the region. The wildfires in Siberia are now larger than the combined size of all other wildfires currently burning in the rest of the world. (The Guardian) (ABC News)
• The death toll from flash flooding in Turkey increases to 31, of whom 29 died in Kastamonu Province and two in the city of Sinop. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
      • Israel lowers the minimum eligibility age for "booster" COVID-19 vaccine doses from 60 to 50 years old and expands the booster vaccine campaign to healthcare workers, prisoners, prison wardens and some high-risk patients under the age of 50 as part of an effort to protect the population from the highly-transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (Bloomberg News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japan reports a record 20,365 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including 5,773 new cases in Tokyo. It is also the first time that the country has reported more than 20,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. (Jiji Press)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea
        • South Korea signs an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 30 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 as part of a plan to administer 50 million "booster" doses of the vaccine. (The Korea Herald)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka
        • Sri Lanka announces that beginning on September 15, citizens will be required to show a vaccine card that states that they have received two vaccine doses in order to enter public places and travel between provinces. (Business Standard)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record for the second consecutive day of 23,418 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 863,189. (Xinhua News Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt, COVID-19 vaccination in Egypt
      • Egypt receives a shipment of 1.7 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX initiative, bringing the total number of COVAX-donated doses to 4.3 million. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
      • Morocco receives their first shipment of 600,000 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (Morocco World News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia
      • Zambia receives a shipment of 119,200 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United Kingdom through the COVAX initiative. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
      • Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announces that Canada will require vaccinations for federal public servants and air and train passengers. The mandate is expected to be implemented by the Crown corporation and other federally regulated businesses and will begin as soon as next month. (CBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
        • COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
          • U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announces that the Biden administration will offer financial help to schools who defy mask mandate bans imposed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Texas governor Greg Abbott. This comes following criticism of DeSantis and Abbott from the Biden administration for banning schools from imposing mask mandates. (Politico)
          • Multiple appellate courts in Texas uphold the mask mandates imposed in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Travis counties in an effort to override Governor Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates in schools. (The Hill)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
        • Hawaii reports a record 1,167 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Hawaii Public Radio)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
        • Michigan surpasses 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. (MLive)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri
        • Missouri governor Mike Parson announces that around 500,000 residents have entered the MO VIP program, which incentives vaccination against COVID-19. (KMBC-TV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
        • Germany reclassifies the United States, Israel, Turkey, Kenya, Montenegro and Vietnam as "high risk" COVID-19 areas, triggering mandatory 10-day quarantines for unvaccinated travellers unless they can show a negative test after five days. The changes will be in effect from August 17 for Turkey and from August 15 for the rest of the countries. (Deutsche Welle)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 815 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 168,864. (Al Jazeera English)

Law and crime

• Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations
  • The New York State Assembly says that they will suspend impeachment investigations of outgoing governor Andrew Cuomo once he resigns on August 24. (Associated Press)
• Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong is released from prison in South Korea after his parole was announced on Monday. Lee served seven months out of a 30 month imprisonment sentence that had been imposed on him for financial corruption. Lee addressed journalists, saying that he will do "his best" from now on and apologizing for his crime. (France 24)
• Nicaraguan police raid the offices of national newspaper La Prensa after the government announces an investigation into allegations of customs fraud and money laundering by its directors. La Prensa had published several critical stories against current president Daniel Ortega, whom they have called a "dictator" numerous times. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Opposition lawmakers in Argentina present a formal impeachment against President Alberto Fernández for violating COVID-19 restrictions after a photo surfaced of a party that he held in 2020 while the country was under a strict quarantine. Opposition party leader Patricia Bullrich called for Fernández's removal as mid-term elections approach. (Reuters)

Current events of August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive, Battle of Kandahar (2021)
      • The Taliban captures the provincial capitals of Ghazni, Qala e Naw, Kandahar and Herat, bringing the number of provincial capitals taken in the past seven days to thirteen. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera English) (Associated Press) (The New York Times)
  • Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
    • The Pentagon announces it will send U.S. troops to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport to help evacuate staff from the U.S. Embassy while U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price states that the embassy will remain open. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • The British government announces that 600 troops will be deployed to Afghanistan on a short-term basis in order to help evacuate British citizens and protect Afghan staff and interpreters. Around 4,000 UK nationals are currently in the country. (BBC News)
  • Afghan authorities arrest Dawood Laghmani, the governor of Ghazni province, for abandoning the city of Ghazni when the Taliban captured it. The Interior Ministry also reports the arrest of many of Laghmani's colleagues. (Asian News International)
• Tigray War
  • The Tigray Defense Forces seize the city of Weldiya in the Amhara Region as they continue to advance south. (Foreign Policy)
• Plymouth shooting
  • Six people, including the gunman, are killed and two more are wounded in a mass shooting in Plymouth, Devon, England. Eyewitnesses say that the shooting began at a house before the shooter "randomly started shooting" on the street. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• A helicopter carrying 13 tourists and three crew members crashes into Kurile Lake in Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Eight of the people on board survived, while the fate of the others remain unknown. (BBC News)
• Flash flooding in Turkey's northern Kastamonu Province kills nine people, while flooding in the Sinop Province leaves one person missing. Four bridges have collapsed and 170 villages are without power while over 900 people have been evacuated, according to a statement from the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
        • British Columbia announces that everyone working in long-term care and seniors’ assisted living facilities will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-October, becoming the first province in Canada to impose such a mandate. (The Globe and Mail)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in California
        • COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area
          • San Francisco mayor London Breed issues a mandate requiring proof of full vaccination in indoor public spaces, making San Francisco the first major U.S. city to do so. (KTVU)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri
        • Missouri surpasses 10,000 deaths from COVID-19. (KTVI)
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
        • U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra announces that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will require healthcare workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. (Politico)
        • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes a booster dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for immunocompromised people. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia begins to administer the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a third "booster" dose to people who have received the inactivated virus vaccines developed by Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) and Sinovac (CoronaVac) in order to strengthen immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (The Jakarta Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japan reports a record for the second consecutive day of 18,822 new cases of COVID-19. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports a record 21,688 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,342,215. (Free Malaysia Today)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record 22,782 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 839,771. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Ireland
      • Ireland opens registration for children between the ages of 12 and 15 to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Around 280,000 children will be eligible for vaccination with the Pfizer–BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, with more than 50,000 already registered. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 808 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 168,049. (The Moscow Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Australian Capital Territory
      • The Australian Capital Territory enters a lockdown after the first locally acquired case of COVID-19 in over a year was reported. Every state and territory on the east coast of Australia, where the majority of the national population lives, is now under a lockdown. The last time this occurred was at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. (The Australian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Lesotho
    • Lesotho prime minister Moeketsi Majoro self-isolates after testing positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)
  • The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is found to be effective against the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant for six months. (CNN)
• The population of white Americans declines for the first time, and population growth is at its lowest since the Great Depression, per the results of the 2020 census. (Reuters)

International relations

• Foreign relations of Vanuatu
  • Vanuatu stops the sale of its citizenship and revokes the citizenship it gave last April to a Syrian national for US$130,000. (RNZ International)
• Foreign relations of Argentina, AMIA bombing, Iran and state-sponsored terrorism
  • Argentina condemns the designation of Ahmad Vahidi to a ministerial rank in the new government of Ebrahim Raisi in Iran. Argentina issued a red notice through INTERPOL against Vahidi for his alleged connection with the 1994 AMIA bombing. The Foreign Ministry expressed its condemnation of the designation as "an affront to the Argentine justice and the victims of the brutal terrorist attack". (Buenos Aires Times)

Law and crime

• Turkey's migrant crisis
  • Armed locals in Ankara, Turkey, attack shops, houses and cars owned by Syrians. The assaults occurred after a Turkish teenager was killed yesterday during a fight between Syrians and locals, and the wounding of Turkish men who were stabbed by a Syrian man in another incident. (BBC News)
• 2021 Algeria wildfires
  • President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in a televised address, announces that 22 people have been arrested for causing the wildfires which have left 65 people dead so far. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 Madagascar food crisis
  • President Andry Rajoelina dismisses his entire cabinet citing "failures in government" as the country struggles with severe food shortages, an increasing number of COVID-19 infections and a political crisis over a recently uncovered plot to assassinate the president. (France 24)

Time: 04:32 UTC|Day: 18 August

	August 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	31

Ongoing events

Business

• COVID-19 recession
• Lebanese liquidity crisis

Disasters

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

Politics

• Afghan peace process
• Arab protests
• Belarusian protests
• Belarus-EU border crisis
• Brazilian protests
• Colombian tax reform protests
• Cuban protests
• Eswatini protests
• Haitian protests
• Indian farmers' protests
• Iranian protests
• Jersey dispute
• Libyan peace process
• Lithuanian migrant crisis
• Myanmar protests
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• Persian Gulf crisis
• Peruvian crisis
• Sudanese protests
• Tigrayan peace process
• Thai protests
• Tunisian political crisis
• United States racial unrest (Stop Asian Hate)
• Venezuelan presidential crisis

Elections and referendums

Recent

• August
  • 1: Mexico, Referendum
  • 12: Zambia, President, National Assembly

Upcoming

• August
  • 29: São Tomé and Príncipe, President (2nd) 

Trials

Recently concluded

• Belarus: Viktar Babaryka
• China: Sun Dawu, Michael Spavor
• Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai
• Indonesia: Edhy Prabowo, Muhammad Rizieq Shihab
• Russia: Lyubov Sobol
• South Africa: Jacob Zuma
• Spain: 2017 Barcelona attacks
• Switzerland: Alieu Kosiah
• Tonga: ʻAkosita Lavulavu
• United Kingdom: Apsana Begum
• United States: Cristhian Bahena Rivera, Stephen Calk, Ed Buck

Ongoing

• Argentina: Rodolfo Martín Villa
• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• Belarus: Sergei Tikhanovsky
• Colombia: Álvaro Uribe
• France: Nicolas Sarkozy
• India: Disha Ravi
• Indonesia: Juliari Batubara, Nurdin Abdullah
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• Spain: Bárcenas affair, Barçagate
• Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
• United States: R. Kelly
• Vatican City: Giovanni Angelo Becciu
• International: Ali Kushayb, The Gambia v. Myanmar

Upcoming

• Canada: Raj Grewal
• Kosovo: Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli
• Lesotho: Maesiah Thabane
• Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina
• United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Elizabeth Holmes, Meng Wanzhou, Ghislaine Maxwell, Allen Weisselberg
• 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
• Women's association football
  • 2021 NWSL season
• Baseball
  • 2021 MLB season
• Cricket
  • 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
• Motorsport
  • 2021 Formula One Championship
  • 2021 Rally Championship
  • 2021 MotoGP
  • 2021 Supercars Championship
• Rugby league
  • 2021 NRL season
  • 2021 Super League
• Rugby union
  • 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
  • 2021-22 snooker season
  • 2021–22 curling season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

August

• 15: Gerd Müller
• 15: Joe Walton
• 14: Carlos Correia
• 14: Fez Whatley
• 13: Nanci Griffith
• 13: James Hormel
• 13: Leon Kopelman
• 12: Gino Strada
• 12: Dominic DeNucci
• 12: Una Stubbs
• 10: Neal Conan
• 10: Tony Esposito
• 10: Eduardo Martínez Somalo
• 9: Lester Bird
• 9: Cameron Burrell
• 9: Alex Cord
• 9: Bob Jenkins
• 9: Sergei Kovalev
• 9: Chucky Thompson
• 8: Bobby Bowden
• 8: Jaan Kaplinski
• 8: Walter Yetnikoff
• 7: Brad Allan
• 7: Trevor Moore
• 7: Markie Post
• 7: Jane Withers
• 6: Herbert Schlosser
• 5: Brian Henderson
• 5: Yevhen Marchuk
• 5: Richard Trumka
• 4: Razzy Bailey
• 4: Bobby Eaton
• 4: Graham McRae
• 4: J. R. Richard
• 3: Jody Hamilton
• 3: Arthur Dion Hanna
• 3: Kelli Hand
• 3: Antonio Pennacchi
• 2: Elias John Kwandikwa
• 2: Dave Severance
• 1: Francisco Weffort

July

• 31: Paco Cabanes Pastor
• 30: Rachel Oniga
• 29: Jaime Chamorro Cardenal
• 29: Richard Lamm
• 29: Carl Levin
• 29: Janet Banana
• 29: Albert Vanhoye
• 28: Ron Popeil
• 28: Giuseppe Giacomini
• 27: Dusty Hill
• 27: Gianni Nazzaro
• 26: Brazo de Plata
• 26: Mike Enzi
• 26: Mike Howe
• 26: Joey Jordison
• 26: Fernando Karadima
• 25: Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho
• 25: Bob Moses
• 24: Rodney Alcala
• 24: Dieter Brummer
• 24: Jackie Mason
• 23: Alfred Biolek
• 23: John Cornell
• 23: Steven Weinberg
• 22: Boris Chochiev
• 22: Greg Knapp
• 20: Françoise Arnoul
• 20: Anita Novinsky
• 19: Tolis Voskopoulos
• 18: Arturo Armando Molina
• 18: Tom O'Connor

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)
  • Oromo conflict
• Ethiopia and Sudan
  • Sudanese–Ethiopian clashes
• Ghana
  • Western Togoland Rebellion
• Mali
  • Mali War
• Mozambique
  • Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
• Nigeria
  • Communal conflicts in Nigeria
• 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
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
• India
  • Khalistan movement
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
• India and Pakistan
  • Kashmir conflict
• Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
  • Moro conflict
    • Cross border attacks in Sabah
• Indonesia
  • Papua conflict
• Myanmar
  • Internal conflict in Myanmar
    • Kachin conflict
    • Karen conflict
    • Rohingya conflict
• Pakistan
  • Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgency in Balochistan
• Philippines
  • Communist rebellion
  • Philippine drug war
• Thailand
  • South Thailand insurgency

Europe

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

Global

• War on terror

Middle East

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

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

2021 events and developments by topic

Arts

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

Politics and government

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

Science and technology

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

Environment and environmental sciences

Birding/Ornithology – Climate change

Transportation

Aviation – Rail transport

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain