Portal:Current events/2021 October 13

October 13, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kongsberg attack
- Five people are killed and two others are injured in the streets of Kongsberg, Viken, Norway, by a man using a bow and arrow. A suspect has been arrested. (BBC News)
2021 Bangladesh communal violence
- Four people are killed and 24 others are injured as police open fire on a mob of 500 Muslims protesting over an alleged Quran desecration at a Hindu temple in Haziganj Upazila, Bangladesh. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
2021 Eswatini protests
- Pro-democracy protests intensify in Eswatini, as police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds during this week's protests. Government spokespeople have denied to comment as King Mswati III denies accusations of autocratic rule in the last absolutist monarchy in Africa. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Eight people are hospitalized as a fire breaks out at the El Gouna Film Festival in El Gouna, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt. (BBC News)
A Cessna 172 with two pilots crashes near Halat, Lebanon, during a training exercise. Rescue teams have been dispatched to look for the pilots. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Malaysia, COVID-19 pandemic in Sarawak
      - Sarawak becomes the first state in Malaysia to offering a third and booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines using the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for high-risk individuals who had received their second dose of that vaccine at least six months ago. (Codeblue)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - It is reported that at least 415 children committed suicide in Japan in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic while schools were closed. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines surpasses 40,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Philstar)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria
  - The Nigerian government announces that they will require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to submit a negative PCR test from the previous 72 hours beginning on December 1. (Vanguard)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
  - Papuan health minister Jelta Wong says that the pandemic is pushing the health system to its limits and also admits to a slow response by the government, as only 2% of the population have been vaccinated. Peter Numu, the governor of Eastern Highlands Province, says that the situation in his province is "scary". (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
  - Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 984 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 219,329. (Newsweek)
Iqaluit, capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, issues a state of emergency after evidence is found of gasoline in the city's tap water. All residents are advised to not drink, boil or cook with the city's water. The city had issued a Do Not Drink Water advisory the previous day. (Global News)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in Namibia
- The Supreme Court of Namibia rules in favor of a gay couple who conceived a baby using a South African surrogate, to grant the baby, who was born in South Africa, Namibian citizenship. The judge ruled that there is no need for tests to confirm that the baby is the son of the couple. However, homosexual activity remains illegal in Namibia. (Reuters)
Pandora Papers
- Opposition lawmakers present a formal impeachment proceeding against Chilean president Sebastián Piñera over connections to a 2010 sale of a mining company, for which a prosecutor opened a case against Piñera for alleged bribery, corruption, and tax violations. (Al Jazeera)
Masten Wanjala, who was imprisoned for murdering 14 boys in Kenya escapes from his prison cell in Nairobi and is on the run. He is described as "extremely dangerous". (BBC News)
Kenyan world record holder in the women's 10 kilometres event Agnes Tirop is stabbed to death at her home in Iten, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. Tirop's husband is the prime suspect in her murder, according to police. (BBC News)

Science and technology

Blue Origin NS-18
- Blue Origin launches four crew into sub-orbit on a New Shepard rocket from its Corn Ranch spaceport in Van Horn, Texas. The crew includes Blue Origin Vice President Audrey Powers, NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, space tourist Glen de Vries, and actor William Shatner. Shatner, best known for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek media franchise, becomes the oldest ever person in space at the age of 90. (BBC News)

Sports

South Korean short-track speed skater Shim Suk-hee is barred from the national team ahead of qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics as the Korea Staking Union launches an investigation into a text message exchange involving her that suggests fraudulent behavior while competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics. (AP)