Portal:Current events/2021 October 22

October 22, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war
- The United States Department of Defense reports that forces have killed a senior al-Qaeda leader in Syria through an MQ-9 drone strike. (AFP via Arab News)
Assailants armed with guns and knives attack an Islamic seminary at Balukhali refugee camp for Rohingya refugees near the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, killing seven people. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

Evergrande liquidity crisis
- Chinese property developer Evergrande Group reports that it transferred US$83.5 million to pay off interests on its dollar bonds, allowing it to avert short-term default a day before its deadline. (Business Insider)

Disasters and accidents

At least 25 people are killed during an explosion and fire at an illegal oil refinery in Rivers State, Nigeria. Children are among the victims. (Reuters)
Sixteen people are killed and another is injured by an explosion at a chemical plant in Ryazan Oblast, Russia. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
    - Mass Friday prayers resume in the capital Tehran after a 20-month suspension due to the pandemic. Worshippers must adhere to social distancing measures and use face masks during the gatherings, with most worshippers using their own prayer rugs and clay tablets. (Al-Arabiya English)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, COVID-19 vaccination in mainland China
    - The Chinese capital Beijing begins administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to "at-risk" individuals over the age of 18, which includes those participating, organizing, or working in the 2022 Winter Olympics as well as people working in education, manufacturing, retail, and public facilities. (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka
    - President Gotabaya Rajapaksa orders security personnel and health care and tourism industry workers in Sri Lanka to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine beginning on November 1 in order to revive the economy and specifically the tourism industry due to the effects of the pandemic. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
    - Belarus ends its short-lived mask mandate that was introduced on October 9 despite a record number of COVID-19 cases as President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed the measures as "unnecessary". (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 1,064 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the nationwide death toll to 228,453. The country also reports a record for the second consecutive day of 37,141 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8,168,305. (Saudi Press Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
    - Ukraine closes schools and public venues in Kyiv and will only permit the schools to reopen if teachers are vaccinated in other "red zone" areas after the country reported a record for the second consecutive day of 29,785 new cases and 614 deaths from COVID-19. (AFP via Barron's)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      - Melbourne lifts its world-record lockdown restrictions as over 70% of the Victorian population are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Private and public gatherings are now allowed with limitations and schools and businesses will reopen with density caps. The controversial night-time curfew is also lifted. (ABC News Australia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji, COVID-19 vaccination in Fiji
    - After vaccinating most of its adult population, Fiji announces that it has already vaccinated 28,965 children between the ages of 15 and 17 with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (RNZ)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - The New Zealand Government sets a target of 90% of the population fully vaccinated, which is very high by international standards, in order to end lockdown measures and shift to a new traffic light system giving vaccinated Kiwis more freedoms. https://www.1news.co.nz/2021/10/21/ardern-sets-covid-19-target-of-90-fully-vaccinated-to-ease-restrictions/ (1 News)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
  - Peru surpasses 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, which is the second Latin American country to do so after Brazil. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Pfizer says that its vaccine is 90% effective in children between the ages of 5 and 11. (CBS News)

Law and crime

2021 Eswatini protests
- Police and the army open fire on a group of health workers protesting outside a hospital in Eswatini, injuring 30 people. (BBC News)
Murder of David Amess
- After appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court and the Old Bailey, Ali Harbi Ali is charged with the murder of David Amess and remanded to Belmarsh prison. He is due to be tried on March 7, 2022. (BBC News)
Cannabis in Luxembourg
- Luxembourg legalizes cannabis, becoming the first country in Europe to do so. (TheStreet)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- The Israeli Defense Ministry designates six Palestinian groups, including human rights organization Al-Haq and non-profit organization Union of Agricultural Work Committees, as "terrorist organisations" for their alleged connections to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Palestinian National Authority, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and several human rights groups harshly criticize the designations. (Al Jazeera)