A missile strikes the Israeli-owned cargo ship MV Hyperion Ray off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. There is no immediate claim of responsibility, however Israeli officials suspect Iran of being behind the attack on the vessel.
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April 13, 2021 (Tuesday)
4.1 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
The United Kingdom announces that it will withdraw nearly all of its troops from Afghanistan, following the announcement of a U.S. withdrawal. There are around 750 British soldiers still stationed in Afghanistan, mostly in the capital Kabul.
U.S. President Joe Biden says that he plans to withdraw all remaining American troops in Afghanistan by September 11. The United States also reiterates its support for the Afghan government against the Taliban, which declines to comment on the apparent change from the previously-agreed deadline of May 1.
Turkey says that it will host a summit from April 24 to May 4 in an effort to end the war in Afghanistan.
An improvised explosive device explodes at a football ground in Hub, Balochistan, Pakistan, injuring twelve people. The attack occurred during a game organised as a commemorative tribute to police officers killed in the line of duty.
The New York Times says that a blackout at Iran's underground Natanz nuclear facility was sabotage perpetrated by remotely detonating an improvised explosive device that had previously been smuggled into the site.
A car bombing in Farah kills three civilians; and 10 security personnel are killed in the country's north.
A military court in Burkina Faso indicts (in absentia) ex-President Blaise Compaoré, who is charged with the 1987 murder of his immediate predecessor Thomas Sankara. Compaoré ruled the nation for 27 years following Sankara's assassination before resigning in the face of protests in 2014 and fleeing into exile in Ivory Coast. The court indicts thirteen other Burkinabé ex-officials accused of various crimes including murder.
Business and economy
Talks between rail workers and ScotRail aimed at preventing a strike collapse, as the rail firm cites financial pressures caused by the ongoing pandemic to justify refusing a pay raise and revocation of some day-off entitlements. The Unite union rejects this explanation. The Scottish Government and Transport Scotland are appraised of the situation.
Disasters and accidents
A court in Ismailia grants the Egyptian Suez Canal Authority's request to seize CS Ever Given pending payment of a compensation claim of over US$900 million.
The National Transportation Safety Board concludes that pilot error and inadequate maintenance were behind the crash, which killed seven people, injured six others, and destroyed the historic aircraft.
Following a cabinet meeting, the Japanese government says it has decided to release 1.25 million tons of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean over the course of 30 years, after concluding there will be no negative impact on human health or the environment. The decision is opposed by South Korea, China, and Taiwan, while being supported by the United States.
Health and environment
Iran reports a record 24,760 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,118,212.
Osaka Prefecture reports a record 1,099 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
Prime Minister Jean Castex announces the suspension of flights from Brazil in order to prevent the spread of new variants of COVID-19 in the country.
The United States suspends the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following concerns of blood clots.
The Marshall Islands reaches an adult population vaccination rate of nearly 75%. After completing the urban areas, the Ministry of Health and Human Services plans to distribute Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to the most remote islands of the country to vaccinate the rest of the population. The vaccines were provided as a donation by the United States.
Kurdish authorities impose a ten-day curfew in northeast Syria after a rapid increase of cases of COVID-19 in the region. The U.S.-backed Kurdish authorities also close all borders of its Syrian Democratic Forces territories with those controlled by the government and insurgent groups.
South Africa voluntarily suspends its rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended temporarily suspending use of the vaccine due to rare cases of blood clots.
Moderna says its vaccine is 90% effective against COVID-19, and 95% effective against severe disease for six months after the second dose. It also says its vaccine is effective against the 501.V2 variant from South Africa.
Law and crime
Eleven alleged members of Gruppe S, an alleged far-right terror cell plotting anti-immigration attacks, go on trial in Stuttgart. A policeman accused of assisting the group also goes on trial.
A court sentences terror convict Sahayb Abu to life imprisonment with a minimum term of nineteen years for plotting a gun and knife attack in Dagenham, London.
Authorities in Norway charge a man with involvement in a plot to bomb St Paul's Cathedral as well as plotting a similar attack in Norway.
Protests spread across the country over the police killing of Daunte Wright. Demonstrations and marches are held in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, and other cities.
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