Portal:Current events/2021 October 6

October 6, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghanistan conflict
- Islamic State–Taliban conflict
  - Taliban soldiers raid an IS–K hideout in Kabul, arresting four militants. Meanwhile, ISIL claims responsibility for the beheading of a Taliban soldier in Jalalabad. (Reuters)
Nigerian bandit conflict
- Dozens of armed bandits on motorbikes storm a village in Zamfara, killing 18 civilians, burning shops and cars, and forcing many residents to flee. (Reuters)
Mali War
- A battle between jihadists and Malian forces in the central Mopti Region leaves at least nine soldiers and 15 insurgents dead. The mayor of the nearby town of Bankass says that up to 16 soldiers were killed in the attack. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The Afghanistan pavilion opens at the Expo 2020 after being closed during the first week of the event following the Taliban takeover in the country. (Khaleej Times)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark, COVID-19 vaccination in Denmark
    - Denmark suspends the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people under the age of 18 after reports of myocarditis and meningitis, which are rare side effects of the vaccine. (The Local Denmark)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
    - Romania reports a record 331 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 38,260. (Euractiv)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record 929 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 212,685. (Gulf News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, COVID-19 vaccination in Sweden
    - Sweden temporarily suspends the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people born since 1991 for precautionary reasons after reports of possible rare side effects, such as myocarditis. (CBS News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan
    - Kazakhstan signs an agreement to purchase four million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine which will be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year. (KAZINFORM)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    - Singapore reports a record 3,577 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 113,381. (TODAY)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam surpasses 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. (VnExpress)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  - Brazil lifts an air travel restriction that prevented travel from the United Kingdom, South Africa and India due to the pandemic. Travellers from these countries can now enter Brazil after showing a negative COVID-19 test result. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
  - Canadian federal government announces a nationwide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for rail and train passengers and will place unvaccinated core federal employees under unpaid leave as early as November 15 if they had not disclose their vaccination status by October 29. (CNN)
The World Health Organization endorses the mass rollout of the malaria vaccine RTS,S across Sub-Saharan Africa and other countries affected by the disease after pilot programs with the vaccine in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi reduced malaria-related hospitalization and death rates among children by 70%. (The Guardian)

International relations

Nuclear weapons of the United States
- The U.S. State Department reveals that the current stockpile of nuclear weapons is 3,750 warheads. (State.gov)
Russia–NATO relations
- NATO expels eight members of the Russian Mission to NATO, accusing the Russians of secretly operating as intelligence officers. NATO also reduces the number of Russian positions at the organization to 10. (Military.com)
Paris Agreement
- Turkey ratifies the Paris Climate Accords, an international treaty on climate change, becoming the last G20 country to do so. (MSN)

Law and crime

Abortion in the United States
- United States federal judge Robert L. Pitman issues an order to block the Texas Heartbeat Act. (USA Today)
Four people are wounded as a gunman opens fire at a high school in Arlington, Texas, United States after a fight. The suspected attacker escaped from the scene, but was arrested several hours later. (The Daily Beast)
Chilean opposition politicians agree to seek impeachment of President Sebastián Piñera due to potential conflict of interest and tax evasion, as revealed by the Pandora Papers which were released on Sunday. (Mercopress)
Case Breakers, a group of former law enforcement individuals, claim to have identified the Zodiac Killer as Gary Francis Poste, an individual who had passed away in 2018. The finding is vehemently disavowed by the FBI, who assert the case is "still very much open". (The Independent)

Politics and elections

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announces the resignation of Prime Minister Guido Bellido. Mirtha Vásquez is sworn-in to replace Bellido. (Reuters) (Andina)

Science and technology

Facebook Files
- Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, tells U.S. lawmakers that the company's sites and apps "harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy". (BBC News)
Chemists Benjamin List of Germany and David MacMillan of the United States are awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on molecular engineering through organocatalysis. (AFP via Gulf News)