Portal:Current events/2021 September 16

September 16, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War crimes in the Tigray War
- Human Rights Watch accuses Ethiopian and Eritrean forces of raping and killing refugees in northern Ethiopia and also of looting. The director of the organization for the Horn of Africa says that there are "horrific war crimes" taking place in the region. The Tigray People's Liberation Front distances itself from the accusations, saying that the war crimes are committed by local militias. (Al Jazeera)
Insurgency in Northern Chad; Libyan Crisis
- According to both the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), LNA forces attacked FACT positions in southern Libya. FACT also claimed that the LNA received support from Sudanese mercenaries and French troops. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

A newly discovered sketch by Vincent van Gogh entitled "Worn Out", depicting an old man (believed to have been a friend, Jacobus Zuyderland) sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, is shown for the first time at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. (RTÉ)

Disasters and accidents

Nine swimmers drown in the Mediterranean Sea off Southern France when the water turns choppy in high winds, and five are rescued. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, COVID-19 vaccination in mainland China
    - The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in China surpasses one billion, or 71% of its population. (The New York Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - A panel of health experts advising the Hong Kong government recommends that children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old should only receive a single dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after reports of heart inflammation as a side effect. (CTV News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, COVID-19 vaccination in Iran
    - The Iranian Food and Drug Administration approves the usage of the single-dose Janssen and Sputnik Light vaccines. (RFE/RL)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    - Singapore reports 910 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since May 2020. (The Straits Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
    - Victoria reports 514 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since the peak of the second wave in 2020. (7 News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina
    - The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in South Carolina surpasses 50%. (WCIV-TV)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
    - France suspends 3,000 healthcare workers because they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, a day after mandatory vaccination for health-related sector employees was implemented. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - The Italian government approves a decree that would make the usage of a digital "Green Pass" mandatory for all public and private sector employees, becoming the first country in Europe to mandate a COVID-19 health pass for all workers. This requirement will be in effect from October 15 until the end of the year. (Euronews)

International relations

AUKUS
- China condemns yesterday's formation of a new security alliance between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying that the alliance risks "severely damaging regional peace... and intensifying the arms race". (BBC News)
- The French embassy in Washington, D.C. cancels a gala commemorating the Battle of the Chesapeake on September 18 amid the announcement of the security pact. (AFP via Deccan Herald)
- Indonesia's foreign affairs ministry expressed unease about Australia’s dramatic expansion of its navy and using U.S. technology to build eight nuclear-powered submarines. A statement issued stated “Indonesia is deeply concerned over the continuing arms race and power projection in the region”. (Brisbane Times)
Aftermath of the 2021 Guinean coup d'état
- During a summit in Accra, the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States announce that it will impose individual sanctions on members of the Guinean military junta and their family members, including travel bans and asset freezing, until the junta restores constitutional rule. (Anadolu Agency)
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- The Armenian government files charges against Azerbaijan at the International Court of Justice for violating the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. (AFP via New Straits Times)

Law and crime

Philippine drug war
- President Rodrigo Duterte repeats that he will not allow the International Criminal Court (ICC) to enter the country in order to investigate alleged extrajudicial executions of drug dealers during his war on drugs. The Philippines had withdrawn from the ICC in 2018. (Reuters)
A district court in Jakarta rules that the Government of Indonesia, under President Joko Widodo, failed to uphold the right to a healthy environment, a violation of the country's environmental laws, in a case filed by 32 Jakarta citizens in 2019. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Aftermath of the 2021 Argentine legislative election
- More ministers resign in a mass resignation in the center-left government of Argentina after the defeat to more rightist parties in the primaries. Among the ministers to resign today are Luana Volnovich, Fernanda Raverta, Pablo Ceriani, and Martín Sabbatella. (MercoPress)
Norfolk Island representatives threaten to create a government in exile in protest to the loss of autonomy five years ago. (RNZ)
Sigrid Kaag, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, resigns following a motion of censure for her handling of the Dutch evacuation during the Fall of Kabul. (DW)
Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed suspends Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble's powers to hire and fire officials, in an ensuing and escalating tension between the two men which began when the president extended his term in office. Roble has said that he will abide by the president's decision. (Reuters)

Science and technology

A recent paper in the journal Nature reports that although the 2019–20 Australian brushfires produced 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, they also resulted in a massive phytoplankton bloom larger in size than all of Australia that absorbed carbon dioxide as part of the photosynthesis process. The smoke also deposited approximately three times the amount of iron normally found in the ocean. (9 News) (Nature)