Portal:Current events/2021 October 28

October 28, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Far-right terrorism in France
- Rémy Daillet, a far-right conspiracy theorist, is charged with leading the planned "Operation Azul", a plot which involved 12 suspects, accused of plotting a series of attacks against COVID-19 vaccination centres, a masonic lodge, journalists, prominent figures and parliament. Former soldiers had been hired to train recruits for the plot. (BBC News)
Tigray War
- Ethiopian forces carry out another airstrike on Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray Region, targeting a compound of the Tigray People's Liberation Front. A Tigrayan spokesman denies that the airstrike hit the compound and instead says that six civilians were killed, including three children. (Yahoo! News)
Aftermath of the October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état
- Protests continue for the fourth day in Sudan after the coup d'état. Another protestor is killed, bringing the total number of protestors killed to 11. (Reuters)
The new leader of the Islamic State – West Africa Province has been killed during a military operation this month, two weeks after the death of the group's leader Abu Musab al-Barnawi was announced. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Facebook, Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, renames itself to Meta Platforms. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says that the rename was done in order to reflect the company's diversification into other areas, such as virtual reality. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Moscow enters its strictest lockdown since June 2020, closing schools, kindergartens, and all non-essential businesses until November 7 due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. (Deutsche Welle)
    - Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 1,159 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 235,057. The country also reports a record 40,096 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.39 million. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - The Hungarian government announces that it will require face masks to be worn on public transport beginning on November 1 and will also allow companies to impose a vaccine mandate for their employees in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, all non-essential medical appointments will be temporarily suspended. (Euronews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
    - Ukraine reports a record 26,071 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.85 million. (Ukrinform)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, COVID-19 vaccination in mainland China
    - Beijing mandates booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for key workers, including cooks, security guards and cleaning personnel, becoming the first major Chinese city to publicly mandate booster doses. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    - Singapore reports its first case of the Delta subvariant AY.4.2 in one imported COVID-19 case on October 26. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan
    - The number of people who received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Taiwan surpasses 70%. (Taipei Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda
  - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announces that schools will be reopened in January after being closed for almost two years due to the pandemic, while the rest of the economy will be reopened in the same month. (France 24)
Malaysian gynaecologist John Tang Ing Chinh invents the world's first unisex condom, that can be used by both males and females, which is made from a medical grade material normally used as a dressing for injuries and wounds. (Reuters via Today)
At least 300 Olive ridley sea turtles have washed up dead on Mexico's Pacific coast, after being tangled in illegal fishing nets in the high seas. The species is listed as vulnerable. (BBC News)

International relations

2021 Jersey dispute, France–United Kingdom relations
- France seizes a British trawler fishing inside its territorial waters without a licence, and fines another vessel amid tensions over post-Brexit fishing rights in the English Channel. The trawler is being held at the Port of Le Havre. The French government also says that, beginning November 2, it will impose extra customs checks on British goods entering France. French Seas Minister Annick Girardin says that "It's not war, but it is a fight". (Reuters)
- British environment minister George Eustice condemns the French seizure of the vessel, calling it "disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner" and warned of an "appropriate and calibrated response". (Financial Post)
- The British government summons the French ambassador to the UK over the actions by French authorities in the English Channel. (Deutsche Welle)
Australia–France relations
- French President Emmanuel Macron tells Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Morrison had broken the trust between the two countries and that it was up to Canberra to repair those ties with "tangible actions". France had criticized its allies after Australia opted for nuclear-powered submarines to be built with U.S. and British technology instead of a $A90 billion French diesel-electric submarine program. Macron also urged Australia to stop mining coal. (The Canberra Times)
Moldova–Russia relations
- The European Union accuses Russia of "weaponizing" gas prices in order to "bully" Moldova after negotiations between the two countries failed following the expiration of a Moldovan contract with Gazprom. The Kremlin denied the accusations. (SwissInfo)

Law and crime

Human rights in Cuba
- The National Assembly of People's Power passes a law aimed at reforming the country's judicial system and criminal code, consistent with the 2019 constitution. (Reuters)
China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Ministry of Emergency Management announce in a joint statement that cities with a population of more than three million people are not allowed to construct skyscrapers taller than 500 metres (1,600 ft) and need a special exemption in order to construct a building taller than 250 metres (820 ft). The ministries also announce that cities with a population of less than three million people are not allowed to construct skyscrapers taller than 250 metres (820 ft) and need a special exemption in order to construct a building taller than 150 metres (490 ft). (BBC News)

Sports

India–Pakistan cricket rivalry
- Police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh arrest three Kashmiri students for allegedly celebrating Pakistan's win over India in Sunday's T20 World Cup cricket game. (BBC News)