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October 20, 2021 (Wednesday)
2 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
Sixteen civilians are killed after armed militants raided villages in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Disasters and accidents
Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, erupts, sending smoke 3,500 meters into the sky. The eruption began around noon local time. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno says that there are no reports of injuries but that they are currently investigating reports of climbers on the mountain before the eruption.
Health and environment
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta lifts the nationwide curfew that had been in place since March 2020 and allows places of worship to be filled to two-thirds of their capacity as the number of COVID-19 cases decreases.
Russian President Vladimir Putin approves the cabinet proposal for non-working days for employees from October 31 until November 7 amid a persistent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
The Serbian government announces that they will introduce COVID-19 health passes for all indoor cafés and restaurants, which will be mandatory beginning from October 23 at 10:00 p.m.
The Food and Drug Administration authorizes booster doses of the Moderna and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines, as well as allow Americans to choose a different vaccine from their original inoculation as a booster.
The British government signs an agreement to secure 480,000 courses of Molnupiravir produced by Merck Sharp and Dohme, and 250,000 courses of Ritonavir produced by Pfizer, where both of them need to be approved by health regulator.
International relations
President of Russia Vladimir Putin says that he will not physically attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Law and crime
Nikolas Jacob Cruz, who is accused of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, United States, pleads guilty on all 34 charges.
Politics and elections
An indirect presidential election was held to choose the first ever President of Barbados. The outgoing Governor-General of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason, was the only candidate nominated; Mason will be sworn in on 30 November, the 55th anniversary of Barbadian independence from the United Kingdom. The government of Barbados announced in September 2020 that they would transition to a republic by that date.
Science and technology
Researchers at NYU Langone Health in New York City announce that a team of surgeons last month, led by Dr. Robert Montgomery, successfully attached a genetically-modified pig kidney to a brain dead patient for two days without rejection.
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