Portal:Current events/2021 September 18

September 18, 2021 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghanistan conflict
- Two bombings in Jalalabad and two more in Kabul kill seven people and injure 30 others: one of the attacks targeted a vehicle carrying Taliban members. (Al Jazeera)
Aftermath of the 2021 Guinea coup d'état
- A Guinea junta spokesman for leader Mamady Doumbouya says that Doumbouya shrugged off threats of economic sanctions by ECOWAS when confronted with them, saying that "as soldiers, their work is in Guinea and there is nothing to freeze in their accounts." Talks are also ongoing to allow ousted president Alpha Condé to leave Guinea, a petition to which the junta has refused permission. (Reuters)
Operation Madago Raya
- Indonesian soldiers and police kills the East Indonesia Mujahideen leader Ali Kalora and commander Jaka "Ikrima" Ramadhan during a joint operation at a village in Sulawesi. (Al Jazeera)
One person is killed and seven more injured during a grenade attack at a volleyball match in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, Philippines. (Manila Standard)
ISIL claims responsibility for an attack on a gas pipeline and power station in Deir Ali, Syria, that caused power outages in Damascus and other areas of the country. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Notre-Dame de Paris fire
- French authorities say that the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris will reopen in 2024. (France 24)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    - Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
      - The Singaporean Ministry of Education announces that all primary schools will begin full online learning for Primary 1 to 5 students from September 27 until the end of the Primary School Leaving Examination sitting on October 6 amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (The Straits Times)
    - Singapore reports 1,009 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since April 2020. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam
    - Vietnam approves the Abdala COVID-19 vaccine developed by Cuba, becoming the eighth vaccine to be approved for use in the country. (VIR)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in American Samoa
    - American Samoa announces the first recorded case of COVID-19 in the territory. The patient tested positive after returning from Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 13. In response, the American Samoan government suspends all flights to Pago Pago International Airport. (RNZ)(Samoa News)(Civil Beat)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      - Restrictions are eased slightly in Melbourne and Ballarat as the vaccination rate surpasses 70%. Small outdoor gatherings for vaccinated people are permitted and outdoor exercise can now occur within a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) radius, instead of a 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) radius. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji, COVID-19 vaccination in Fiji
    - Fiji announces the beginning of the vaccination campaign for children between the ages of 15 to 17 using the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
  - Finland reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant, which was first detected in Colombia. (Yle)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - The U.S. surpasses 42 million cases of COVID-19. (WFTV)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack
- Justice for J6 rally
  - A rally is held near the United States Capitol to express solidarity with the people arrested for their roles in the January 6 riot. A fence is erected outside the building amid fears of violence, with four participants being arrested for various felonies. (WRC-TV)
Illegal immigration to the United States
- Over the last 48 hours, Del Rio, Texas, sees an increase in border crossings with approximately 10,000 migrants, primarily from Haiti who traveled through Central and South America. The migrants are currently being kept in a camp underneath an overpass bridge and provided emergency supplies before being sent to either a Border Patrol station or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Migrants are reportedly using instructions circulated on WhatsApp to evade border security based on interviews conducted at the camp. (Reuters)
Houthis in Yemen execute nine men by firing squad over their connection with the death of Saleh Ali al-Sammad, who was killed in a Saudi airstrike on Yemen's west coast in April 2018. (Reuters)
The Taliban replaces the Ministry of Women's Affairs with a new ministry named the Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, in what analysts say is a setback for women's rights in the country. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

Cannabis in Italy
- Activists in Italy say that they have gathered enough signatures in order to trigger a referendum on liberalising the use of cannabis. (Reuters)
The 2021 Hungarian opposition primary's first round has started. (Deutsche Welle)

Science and technology

SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission lands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida, completing the first all-civilian orbital spaceflight. (AFP via Mint)

Sports

2021 U.S. Open Pool Championship
- In nine-ball pool, Carlo Biado of the Philippines defeats Aloysius Yapp of Singapore, 13–8, in the final to win the championship held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (ESPN)