Armed conflicts and attacks

• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Thirteen Allied Democratic Forces terrorists are arrested in Rwanda after planning multiple bombing attacks in Kigali. The planned attacks came as Rwanda is helping Mozambique fighting ISIL-linked groups in the Insurgency in Cabo Delgado. (Africa News)
• Islamic State–Taliban conflict
  • A bomb targets a Taliban security forces vehicle, injuring five people. Soldiers raided an ISIL-K hideout after the attack, killing several terrorists and arresting a few more. (TOLO News)

Arts and culture

• Aftermath of the Fall of Kabul
  • It is announced that the Afghanistan pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai will remain closed to visitors due to the Taliban takeover of the country. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economy of Venezuela
  • Venezuela launches its second monetary overhaul in the past three years by cutting six zeros from its currency in order to simplify accounting. This move was in response to hyperinflation, which reached an annual record of 1,743%, amid a serious ongoing economic crisis. (MercoPress)
• Russian gas supplies via the Yamal–Europe pipeline fall almost 77% in a single day, raising European gas prices to an all-time high. European Parliament lawmakers request investigations of market manipulation, although Gazprom's exports outside the former Soviet Union rose 15.3% year on year in the first nine months of 2021 and German utility Uniper confirms that Russia was fulfilling its contractual obligations. (Reuters) (RFE/RL)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, COVID-19 vaccination in Malaysia
      • Malaysia grants the conditional approval of the Sinovac Coronavac vaccine for children aged above 12. (The Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 pandemic in Bermuda, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The Philippines adds the British territory of Bermuda to its red list due to COVID-19. Bermuda became the first British territory to be added to the Asian country's red list. (PLS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 2,909 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 99,430. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • Sri Lanka lifts a nearly six-week lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 but continues to maintain a night curfew and a ban on public gatherings and parties as the number of cases declines. (The Hindu)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece imposes a curfew and bans music at bars, cafés and restaurants in Thessaloniki, Larissa, Chalkidiki and Kilkis due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the region. (Ekathimerini)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 887 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 208,142. (The Moscow Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
        • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
          • Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejects an order to block the vaccine mandate for New York City schoolteachers and employees. (CBS News)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in California
        • California Governor Gavin Newsom announces that California will become the first U.S. state to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all students in schools. (CBS News)
    • The United States surpasses 700,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
    • Argentina authorizes the approval of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 3 and 11 years. Health minister Carla Vizzotti announces that Argentina will end the year with all of its population over the age of 3 years vaccinated against COVID-19. (El Universo)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Australia expands eligibility for the Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to include seniors over the age of 60 who had previously only been eligible for the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine. (The Guardian)
  • Deployment of COVID-19 vaccines
    • It is announced that more than 50 countries have missed the World Health Organization's (WHO) target for 10% of their populations to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of September. Most of these countries are in Africa, where the WHO's overall figure for fully vaccinated populations is currently 4.4%. (BBC News)

International relations

• Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union
  • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that the contentious arrangements regarding the Northern Irish Protocol could work in principle if they were "fixed" but warns the European Union that they could be "ditched" if they do not work. Johnson adds that this is a problem that "the United Kingdom did not want". (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Murder of Cécile Bloch
  • The suicide note left by François Vérove, a 59-year-old French former military police officer who committed suicide two days ago in Le Grau-du-Roi, Occitanie, reveals that he murdered four people, including 11-year-old Cécile Bloch. The serial killer, nicknamed Le Grêlé, was also involved in a series of rapes. (Al Jazeera)
• September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot
  • Ecuador says it will pardon more than 2,000 inmates after 118 inmates were killed during a riot at a prison in Guayaquil on 28 September. A government official said that some prisoners will be prioritized and that the main goal is to address prison overcrowding. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Second Berejiklian ministry
  • New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announces her resignation after the Independent Commission Against Corruption revealed that they are investigating her over a series of suspicious historical community grants. (ABC News Australia)
• 2021 Georgian local elections
  • Exiled Georgian politician Mikheil Saakashvili announces that he is back in Georgia despite threats by prime minister Irakli Garibashvili, who said that Saakashvili would be "immediately arrested and brought to prison" if he returned. Saakashvili, in his support for the United National Movement, concluded by saying that "I risked my life and freedom to be back". Saakashvili is arrested later in the day. (Deutsche Welle) (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Sister Pietra Luana (Etra) Modica, a Scalabrinian Catholic nun, is the new Secretary General of the Pontifical Urbaniana University. The appointment was signed by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and university Grand Chancellor. It is the first time since its founding in 1627 that this position has been assigned to a woman. (Fides)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Journalist Sayed Maroof Sadat, two Taliban soldiers and a civilian are killed by suspected ISIS-K gunmen in Jalalabad after opening fire against a vehicle. (La Repubblica)
  • Five Pakistani soldiers are killed by gunmen at the border with Afghanistan. (Ani News)
• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • Rajab Awadhi Ndanjili, one of the leaders of the ISIL-linked groups, has been killed by Mozambique security forces in Cabo Delgado during an operation a week ago. Seventeen other terrorists were also killed. (All Africa)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Clashes between government forces and the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Aden kill at least four people. The government has been battling the separatists of the STC and the Houthis. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • A United Nations peacekeeper is killed and three others are seriously injured when an IED detonates near where they were patrolling in the volatile north of the country, near the border with Algeria. (Dhaka Tribune)

Disasters and accidents

• Four people are dead and two others are injured in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy, after accidentally falling into a vat of grape must. (Gazzetta del Sud)
• A fire breaks out on Rome's Ponte dell'Industria, or Industry Bridge, due to an electrical fire near gas pipelines and causes portions of the structure of the bridge to collapse. (UPI)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore surpasses 100,000 cases of COVID-19. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam surpasses 800,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports a record 1,488 new cases and two deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The Victoria lockdown is also extended to Greater Shepparton after an increase in new COVID-19 cases in the regional community. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina receives a shipment of 1,673,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and has now received more than 70 million vaccine doses since the start of the vaccination campaign. Health minister Carla Vizzotti also announces that the country will receive a shipment of 7.2 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be used for teenagers. (DBSAS)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Nicaragua, COVID-19 vaccination in Nicaragua
    • Nicaragua authorizes the Cuban Abdala and Soberana COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use. (Reuters)

International relations

• 2021 North Kosovo protests
  • Protests in North Kosovo end with the protesters removing barricades and vehicles used to block the border crossings, according to an agreement reached in Brussels two days ago, which will end the ban on Serbian license plates on October 4. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Georgian local elections
  • Georgians head to the polls to elect the bodies of local government in the country. The election is being closely watched in the aftermath of yesterday's arrest of Mikheil Saakashvili, who returned from exile in order to support his party. The pro-Western former leader had a ruling in his favor when Interpol turned down a request for his arrest. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Qatari general election
  • Qataris head to the polls to elect 30 members of the Consultative Assembly in the country's first legislative elections. (Reuters)
• 2021 Madagascar food crisis
  • President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina visits the famine-hit southern region of the country and promises the prompt inauguration of a water pipeline from the Efaho River to the Ambovombe districts after the allocation of 322 million euros of a loan requested from the International Monetary Fund. Rajoelina also promises more food aid to those affected by the disaster. (Madagascar Tribune)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Five people are killed and four others are injured when a bomb explodes at the entrance to Id Gah Mosque in Kabul, during the funeral of Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid's mother. Three suspects are arrested. (Al Jazeera)
• 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest
  • Four farmers are rammed and killed in Uttar Pradesh by a convoy of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Other farmers then attacked the convoy, killing three members of the party and the driver of the vehicle. (Al Jazeera)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Two children are killed when a Houthi missile hits their home in the city of Marib. Many others are injured. (Reuters)
• Libyan peace process
  • Libyan foreign minister Najla Mangoush announces a "very modest start" to the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country following a permanent ceasefire of the Second Libyan Civil War. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Business and economy

• North Sea Link
  • The world's longest under-sea electricity cable interconnector begins transferring power between Kvilldal, Norway, and Blyth, Northumberland, United Kingdom. At its full 1,400 megawatt capacity, the interconnector is expected to supply at least 1.4 million homes with electricity. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • Six people are killed in Chabahar, Iran, and three more are killed in Muscat, Oman, as Cyclone Shaheen impacts the two countries. Shaheen is expected to make further landfalls in other parts of Oman later today. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Milan airplane crash
  • Eight people are killed when their Pilatus PC-12 plane crashes into an empty building in San Donato Milanese, Lombardy, Italy. (i)
• 2021 Orange County oil spill
  • An oil spill occurs off Orange County, California, U.S., amounting to 126,000 gallons (573,000 liters) of oil, which could affect popular Southern California locations such as Huntington Beach. (Deutsche Welle)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
    • Israel introduces a new rule that requires booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated for everyone aged 12 and older in "Green Pass", becoming the first country to do so. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand moves Hamilton, Raglan, and other Waikato towns to alert level 3 after the discovery of two Delta variant cases and the spread of the virus beyond Auckland. (New Zealand Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record for the fifth consecutive day of 890 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the nationwide death toll to 209,918. (Azeri Press Agency)

International relations

• Algeria–France relations
  • Algeria bans French military planes from using its airspace, and recalls its ambassador to France for consultations after accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of an "inadmissible interference" in its internal affairs. (Politico Europe)
• North Korean missile tests
  • North Korea warns the United Nations Security Council against criticizing the country's renewed missile launches. The Council had convened an emergency meeting two days ago to discuss concerns over North Korea resuming missile testing. North Korea further threatens the Council with unspecified "consequences" should they "encroach upon the sovereignty" of the country in the future. (MSN)

Law and crime

• Catholic Church sexual abuse cases
  • A commission to investigate sexual abuse by clergy in France reveals that since the 1950s, there have been about 3,000 pedophiles who have committed sex crimes. (France 24)
• Pandora Papers
  • 11.9 million leaked documents are published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which expose hidden wealth, tax evasion and money laundering among 330 politicians, including 35 national leaders, and numerous celebrities worldwide, including 130 billionaires, totaling 29,000 beneficiaries among 27,000 companies. This is the largest offshore data leak in history, surpassing the Panama Papers by nearly half a million documents. (BBC News) (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists)
• The United Arab Emirates changes the death toll of those who died while working at the Expo 2020 to six. However, the actual death toll is suspected to be higher. (Reuters)
• Police in Tunisia arrest a lawmaker and a TV presenter for calling president Kais Saied a traitor over his seizure of power in July. The arrests were ordered by the military judiciary for "conspiring against state security and insulting the army". (Reuters)
• The Chairman of Mitsubishi Electric resigns after the company published a report about long-term test data falsification, organized coverup of the falsification, and extended use of unapproved materials. An investigative committee at Mitsubishi Electric is currently examining 2,300 reports of issues with its manufacturing plants. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Politics and elections

• Native title in Australia
  • The Queensland Police Service refuses a request from the Adani Group to remove a group of Wangan and Yagalingu protesters occupying the Carmichael coal mine, saying that this would be a human rights violation. The Wangan and Yagalingu peoples previously held native title to the land before the Queensland Government extinguished it in 2019 in preparation for the contract with Adani. (The Guardian)

Sports

• 2021 NFL season
  • In American football, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady returns to Foxborough, Massachusetts for the first time since departing the New England Patriots in March of last year. Tom Brady also becomes the fourth quarterback to defeat all 32 National Football League teams following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17 victory against his former team. He also surpasses Drew Brees as the NFL's all-time leading passer. (ESPN) (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest
  • Farmers vow to intensify their protest against laws aimed at liberalising agriculture, after four farmers were rammed and killed yesterday in Uttar Pradesh by a vehicle owned by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra. Three members of the party and the driver of the vehicle were then killed by protesters. A journalist was also found dead today near the scene of the violence. (Al Jazeera)
• Islamic State–Taliban conflict
  • The Taliban says it has "destroyed an IS–K cell" in Kabul following yesterday's bombing at a mosque during the memorial for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Mujahid says that a special Taliban unit carried out the operation and that the base was destroyed and everyone inside was killed. (Deutsche Welle)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Twelve Burkinabé troops are killed and five others are wounded in an attack in the northern Sanmatenga Province. No group has claimed responsibility for the ambush assault. (Reuters)
• Aftermath of the Second Libyan Civil War
  • A United Nations report blames all warring sides in Libya of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly against detainees, migrants and prominent women. (Al Jazeera)
• Police in Cyprus arrest a man suspected of "planning attacks against Israeli people". Israel has accused Iran of orchestrating the plot, although Iran has denied the allegations. Other reports suggest that the target of the plot was businessman Teddy Sagi and could be linked to business disputes involving Sagi. (BBC News)
• Four ISIL terrorists and one security forces member are killed during clashes in southern Khartoum, Sudan. Four other suspected militants are arrested during the raid, while three more soldiers are wounded. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Evergrande liquidity crisis
  • Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times reports that Chinese property developer Evergrande Group will sell 51% of its property service arm to rival company Hopson Development for US$5 billion. The report comes as both Hopson and Evergrande suspended trading in their shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the morning, pending an announcement about a "major transaction". (CNBC) (AFP via The Jakarta Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • The death toll from the floods in Muscat, Oman, caused by Cyclone Shaheen, increases to 12 as nine more people are found dead. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption
  • The main cone of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma collapses, increasing the lava flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The main lava flow is now 1.2 km across at its widest point. (El Pais)
• 2021 Orange County oil spill
  • Authorities in Orange County, California, United States, blame a 41-year-old oil pipeline for yesterday's spill, so far releasing 3,000 barrels of oil into the Pacific Ocean and severely damaging the coast of Southern California. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 drug development
      • The Australian government signs an agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme to buy 300,000 courses of the antiviral drug molnupiravir, pending regulator clearance, which would be the first pill to treat COVID-19 patients. (9 News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
      • Fiji reopens businesses, places of worship and educational institutions at 70% capacity to those who have been fully vaccinated amid a decrease in the number of new cases and an increase in the vaccination rate. (Matangi Tonga)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • New Zealand drops the elimination strategy to combat COVID-19 in favour of a new model that contains vaccination rates amid the continued outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Isle of Man
      • The Isle of Man begins administering booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, COVID-19 vaccination in Sweden
      • The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends that children between the ages of 12 and 15 be vaccinated against COVID-19 using the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (The Straits Times)
    • European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine
      • The European Medicines Agency approves a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people aged over 18-years-old. However, it was up to member states to decide whether to use them. (Deutsche Welle)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand
    • Thailand begins a vaccination programme for children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old using the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the government plans to resume face-to-face learning. (NHK World-Japan)
• Insulate Britain protests
  • Insulate Britain holds a sit-in protest in three major routes into London, including the Blackwall Tunnel. The group have stated that they will continue protesting until the government has concrete plans to retrofit around 29 million buildings which the group claims have insufficient insulation. (ITV News)

International relations

• 2021 North Kosovo protests
  • Kosovo and Serbia begin implementing stickers to cover national symbols and country abbreviations on their respective vehicle license plates when they are in the other country, with normal traffic on the border fully resuming. (Exit News)
• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • The North and South Korean governments reinstate the Seoul–Pyongyang hotline after North Korea suspended the connection in early August, in protest against South Korea's military exercises with the United States. (AFP via France 24)
• Cross-Strait relations
  • A total of 52 People's Liberation Army Air Force aircraft fly into Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone, the Ministry of National Defense says on Twitter. This amounts to 145 Chinese aircraft which have flown into Taiwan's air defense area this month (NBC News)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
  • Deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi asks to reduce her time in court appearances, stating that her health has deteriorated. The judge will make a decision on the request next week. Suu Kyi currently faces multiple charges ranging from corruption to money laundering. (The Guardian)
• A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent is killed and another is critically wounded, and a Tucson Police Department officer is wounded at a shooting involving two suspects, one of whom was a gunman who is believed to have killed himself, at the Tucson, Arizona Amtrak train station; the officers had boarded the just-disembarked Sunset Limited to do a drug check. (MSN/AP)

Politics and elections

• The parliament of Singapore passes a law aimed to outlaw foreign interference in domestic affairs. Opponents of the measure have expressed concerns regarding the broadness of certain provisions that may potentially hinder some civil liberties. (AFP via The Guardian)

Science and technology

• 2021 Facebook outage
  • Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus experience an extended global outage that began at 15:39 UTC. Some experts believe that the outage was caused by a BGP update from Facebook. (CNN) (Cloudflare)
• Scientists David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian are awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch". (Reuters)

Sports

• 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
  • Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. wins the rain-shortened YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, becoming the first African-American to win a NASCAR Cup race since 1963. (The New York Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Three civilians are killed by suspected Islamist terrorists at three different locations in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, in a spike of killings targeting civilians in the area. The victims were a Hindu chemist, an Indian street food vendor from Bihar, and a Muslim taxi driver. Two other civilians were killed in Srinagar four days ago by a Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked group. (The Indian Express)
• Afghanistan conflict
  • A report by Amnesty International says that the Taliban has executed 13 Hazaras, including eleven former members of the government, shortly after the fall of Kabul. The Taliban denies that they were behind the killings. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Russian actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko launch into space onboard Soyuz MS-19 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan. They intend to film scenes for The Challenge, which will be the first feature-length movie filmed in outer space, on the International Space Station over one week before returning to Earth. (AFP via The Moscow Times)

Business and economy

• Evergrande liquidity crisis
  • Two further Chinese real-estate developers, Fantasia Holdings and Sinic Holdings, with liabilities of $12.8 billion and $14.2 billion respectively, both fail to make bond payments amid tightening resource availability after Evergrande raised investor concerns, and were both downgraded to "CCC" or "substantial credit risk". (CNBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania reports a record 15,037 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,289,156. (Romania Insider)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 895 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 211,696. (Interfax)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, COVID-19 vaccination in Spain
      • The Ministry of Health announces that the National Public Health Commission will offer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine beginning in late October to elderly people who received their second vaccine dose at least six months ago. (MedicalXpress)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
        • Victoria reports a record 1,763 new cases and four deaths in the past 24 hours, which is the highest daily total reported by any Australian state since the start of the pandemic. (ABC News Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
      • Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces the details of the COVID-19 vaccine certificates, which show full vaccination status, in order to make large-scale events safer. The vaccine certificate is expected to come into use in November. (TVNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    • Singapore reports a record 3,486 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 109,084. (The Straits Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia
    • Zambia lowers its vaccination target from 70% to 30% in December as the country will relaunch the nationwide vaccination program on Thursday. (Anadolu Agency)

International relations

• Afghanistan–United Kingdom relations
  • UK special envoy Simon Gass meets with Taliban Deputy Prime Ministers Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdul Salam Hanafi in Kabul for the first time since the takeover of the country to discuss Afghanistan's growing humanitarian crisis and terrorism, and to guarantee safe passage to those wishing to emigrate. Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi also said they discussed the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations, with Gass saying the foreign ministry wishes to "begin a new chapter of constructive relations". (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Two prison guards are taken hostage at a prison in Condé-sur-Sarthe, Normandy, France. One of the hostages is injured. The hostage-taker later surrenders. (Reuters)
• A court in the Holy See agrees to return to the investigative phase of an ongoing trial against Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu for alleged embezzlement, abuse of power and fraud, and other charges. Becciu was fired from his position in the Vatican City by Pope Francis in 2020 for alleged nepotism, which Becciu also denies. (Reuters)
• Nine barracks at the former Auschwitz concentration camp, now the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, are vandalized with Holocaust denial graffiti. (MSN)
• Prosecutor General of Moldova Alexandru Stoianoglo is suspended from his positions by President Maia Sandu, and is detained by security forces following allegations of corruption. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Romanian political crisis
  • The Romanian government is dissolved following a no confidence vote against the centrist government of Prime Minister Florin Cîțu. (Reuters)
• 2021 Libyan general election
  • The Libyan House of Representatives votes to postpone the parliamentary elections initially scheduled for December 24, alongside the presidential election, until January 2022. (AFP via Al Jazeera)

Science and technology

• Microsoft Windows version history
  • Microsoft launches Windows 11, its latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The upgrade to Windows 11 will be free for Windows 10 users. (BBC News)
• Climatologists Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann and theoretical physicist Giorgio Parisi are awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work towards the understanding of physical systems through climate models. (AFP via NDTV)

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)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Two teachers are killed by suspected Islamist terrorists inside a school in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The victims, who were members of the Hindu and Sikh minorities, are the 24th and 25th civilian victims killed by suspected terrorist groups in Kashmir this year. (Al Jazeera)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • ISAWP militants kills 87 Boko Haram fighters after raiding their camp in Borno State, Nigeria. The attack is said to be a reprisal over the killing of 24 ISWAP fighters, five days ago, by Boko Haram. (Daily Post)
• Afghanistan conflict
  • A bomb explodes at a religious school in Khost, killing one student and injuring 17 other people. (Xinhua)

Arts and culture

• Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah wins the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee". Gurnah's most renowned novel is Paradise, set in colonial East Africa during World War I. (The Economist)

Business and economy

• Economy of Venezuela
  • The U.S. State Department confirms accusations made yesterday by Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodríguez, who blamed an alleged U.S. veto for not allowing Venezuela to receive IMF COVID-19 relief funds. The State Department says that only recognized governments can access these funds. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Balochistan earthquake
  • At least 24 people are killed and around 200 others injured as a 5.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Harnai, Balochistan, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
• An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 hits Tokyo, Japan, and surrounding areas, injuring 41 people and stopping train lines but without any immediate reports of severe damage. According to Japan's system, this was labeled as a "strong-5 earthquake". (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • India begins the use of commercial drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to remote areas of the country in order to increase the country's vaccination rate. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
      • The Indonesian Drug and Food Control Agency issues an emergency use authorization for the three dose Zifivax ZF2001 vaccine. (Antara)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, COVID-19 drug development
      • Malaysia signs an agreement with Merck & Co. to obtain 150,000 courses of the experimental drug Molnupiravir as part of a transition towards the endemic phase and "living with the COVID-19". (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea, International aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The World Health Organization begins shipping essential COVID-19 medical supplies into North Korea via the Chinese port of Dalian and quarantine facilities in the seaport of Nampo, a possible sign of easing one of the world's strictest pandemic border closures. (NPR)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
      • Finland suspends the usage of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people born since 1991 due to unpublished reports of rare cardiovascular side effects such as myocarditis. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
      • The Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends COVID-19 vaccine booster doses for people over the age of 70 and care home workers. The committee also recommends mRNA-based booster doses for people who previously received the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. (Deutsche Welle)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 27,550 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases this year. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. surpasses 44 million cases of COVID-19. (KRIS-TV)

International relations

• Taiwan–United States relations
  • The Wall Street Journal reports a contingent of U.S. special forces soldiers have been deployed in Taiwan to train Taiwanese forces amid tensions with China. The military trainers were first deployed under the Trump administration. (The Guardian)
• Estonia and the Republic of Ireland announce their intentions to sign an OECD-led multilateral agreement that would set a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15 per cent, making them the last OECD member countries to join the deal. (AFP via Radio France Internationale)

Law and crime

• The trial against a 100-year-old former SS concentration camp guard begins in Germany. The man is accused of collaborating in the murders of 3,518 people at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp between 1942 and 1945, when he was employed as a standing guard in the watchtower. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Ukraine, 9th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada
  • Dmytro Razumkov, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, is dismissed following his disagreements with President Volodymyr Zelensky and his ruling Servant of the People party's stances on legislation which aimed to reduce the influence of Ukrainian oligarchs. (Kyiv Post)
• Politics of Norfolk Island
  • A political party named the Norfolk Island Party is formed to advocate for the islanders' self-determination from Australia. The party's goal is to achieve sovereignty for Norfolk Island. (RNZ)
• Poland and the European Union
  • The Polish Constitutional Tribunal rules that the Constitution of Poland takes precedence over EU laws, directly challenging the primacy of European Union law principle, escalating tensions around the Polish rule-of-law crisis and in particular around the country's controversial judicial reforms. (The New York Times) (Politico)
• 2022 Philippine presidential election
  • Opposition leader and Vice President Leni Robredo joins the race to replace President Rodrigo Duterte. (Bloomberg)

Sports

• A Saudi-backed consortium, funded through its sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund, officially purchases Newcastle United F.C. for £300 million. An agreement on its purchase was finalized upon last April, but impasses on the issue of ownership among the specific entities in the consortium prevented the deal from moving forward until recently. (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • 2021 Kunduz mosque bombing
    • At least 50 people are killed and more than 100 injured when a suicide bomber targets a Shiite mosque in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. IS–K claims responsibility for the attack. (BBC News)
• Six migrants are shot dead by guards at a detention center in Tripoli, Libya. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Public sector undertakings in India
  • Tata Sons is announced as the winning bidder for Air India, ending years of attempts by the government to privatise the loss-making airline. Tata Sons was the initial owner of the airline before it was nationalised. (NDTV) (Times of India)
• ITA - Italia Trasporto Aereo is announced as the new state-owned airline for Italy, following the closure of Alitalia due to bankruptcy. ITA is a reorganization of Alitalia under a new name signed by decree in October 2020. (CNN)
• The severity of the energy crisis in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces of China is reported as worsening, with power outages occurring every week and "notices ... telling us which days the following week that they will cut the power". Some factories report receiving power for only two or three days per week and are operating primarily on generators. China has also placed large bids for coal that are causing supply issues in locations as far away as Ukraine. (Nikkei Asia) (Interfax)

Disasters and accidents

• Mining industry of Zimbabwe
  • Gas cylinders explode at a gold mine in Mazowe, Zimbabwe, killing seven people and injuring another. (Reuters)
• At least 51 people are dead after their makeshift vessel sinks in the Congo River, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Several more are missing. (Al Jazeera)
• Five people are killed by flash flooding occurs in parts of the U.S. states of Alabama and Tennessee, with as much as 13 inches of rain falling in some areas. (ABC News) (CNN)
• The U.S. Navy reports that the USS Connecticut, a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, struck an unidentified object while submerged in the South China Sea, causing 11 crew members to be injured. The extent of the damage to the Seawolf-class submarine is still being assessed although the submarine is noted as being "safe and stable". (Bloomberg)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
      • President Nicos Anastasiades receives a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Financial Mirror)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland, COVID-19 vaccination in Iceland
      • Iceland suspends the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine due to concerns of side effects, becoming the fourth European country to do so. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 936 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 214,485. (The Washington Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, COVID-19 vaccination in Malaysia
      • Malaysia grants conditional approval for the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be used as a booster dose for people over the age of 18 years old who received their second dose at least six months ago. (The Independent)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 3,590 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 120,454. (The Straits Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports a record 1,838 new cases and five deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest daily total of new COVID-19 cases of any Australian state or territory since the beginning of the pandemic. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil surpasses 600,000 deaths from COVID-19. (VOA)
• Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo announce that a 3-year-old boy who died last Wednesday in Beni tested positive for Ebola. The health minister could not confirm if this was related to the Kivu Ebola outbreak which ended in 2020 and killed more than 2,200 people, but said that they were closely monitoring 100 people who may have been exposed to the virus and that three boys, all of whom were neighbors of the toddler, were already showing symptoms of the disease. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Nobel Peace Prize
  • Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to safeguard the freedom of expression". (AFP via India Today)
• Politics of Austria
  • The Green Party, a left-wing member of the coalition, says that Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is "unfit" for the position as he is investigated for corruption. The party demands that Kurz step down, although Kurz has denied any wrongdoing. (Reuters)
• In his first speech, Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida vows to fight and end the COVID-19 pandemic and counter the Chinese and North Korean threats by strengthening Japan coast guard and missile defenses while maintaining the country's peace. Kishida also vows to strengthen the country's alliance with the United States. (Al Jazeera)
• The United States House Oversight Committee releases documents showing that the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. accumulated $70 million in losses while public financial disclosures claimed that the hotel was producing an income of $156 million for former president Donald Trump. General Services Administration documents also showed that Trump received "undisclosed preferential treatment" from Deutsche Bank on a $170 million construction loan during his presidency. (CNN) (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
    • Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen rules out cooperation with the United States to fight the insurgency of IS–K in Afghanistan, saying that the Taliban "will be able to tackle Daesh independently". (Taiwan News)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 20 people are killed as gunmen open fire at a market and torch cars in Sokoto, Nigeria. (Al Jazeera)
• Mali War
  • A Colombian Roman Catholic nun who had been kidnapped in Mali near the border with Burkina Faso in 2017 by the Macina Liberation Front is freed. The nun is photographed with Malian President Assimi Goïta as the government refuses to state if any ransom was paid for her release. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Cumbre Vieja eruption
  • The north face of the volcano collapses, generating three new lava flows. No new evacuations have been ordered as authorities call for calm. (El País)
• Russian authorities say that 29 people have died in Orenburg Oblast during the past week due to alcohol poisoning, after drinking a beverage mixed with methanol. (Reuters)
• The Deir Ammar and Zahrani power stations shut down in Lebanon after running out of diesel fuel, leaving the entire country without electricity. According to a government official, power is not expected to be restored for several days. (BBC News) (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports a record for the second consecutive day of 1,965 new cases and five deaths from COVID-19, which is the highest daily total of new COVID-19 cases in any Australian state or territory. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record 968 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 215,453. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    • Singapore reports a record 3,703 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 124,157. (The Straits Times)
  • Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • A study conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder worldwide in 2020. (The Guardian)

International relations

• Afghanistan–United States relations
  • The U.S. State Department confirms that the first face-to-face meetings with high representatives of the Taliban since the departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, will begin today in Doha, Qatar. A spokesperson for the State Department says that the U.S. will pressure the Taliban to "respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and girls" and form an inclusive government. The spokesperson also clarifies that this is not a recognition of the Taliban government by the U.S., saying that the Taliban will have to earn recognition by its actions. (France 24)

Law and crime

• Memorandum of understanding between Argentina and Iran
  • Families of the victims of the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires announce that they will appeal the ruling which acquitted former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of any wrongdoing. The memorandum aimed to make Iran cooperate in the investigation at the time that Argentina issued red notices against Iranian officials through Interpol. Relations between Argentina and Iran have been strained, with a recent condemnation by Argentina of the new cabinet of Ebrahim Raisi. (MercoPress)
• Central American migrant caravans
  • Guatemalan police recover 126 United States-bound Haitian, Nepali, and Indian migrants trapped inside an abandoned shipping container near Nueva Concepción, Escuintla, Guatemala. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• In Rome, Italy, demonstrators protesting against the country's COVID-19 restrictions, notably the extension of the Green Pass, clash with police, and the demonstrations turn into riots. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Czech legislative election
  • The opposition SPOLU party calls for the formation of a new government in view of the poor electoral result of prime minister Andrej Babiš' ANO 2011 party. (Reuters)
• Kurz corruption probe
  • Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigns amid a corruption inquiry against him, although he continues to deny any wrongdoing. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War
  • Six people are killed and seven others are injured by a car bomb targeting the governor of Aden. Both the governor and a minister survive and are moved to a secure location. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Southwest Airlines cancels more than 1,000 flights and delays hundreds more over the Columbus Day weekend. The airline cites problems resulting from both air traffic control and the weather. (KGO-TV)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Menzelinsk parachute Let L-410UVP-E crash
  • A Let L-410 aircraft carrying a group of parachute jumpers, with 22 people on board, crashes after take-off from Menzelinsk Airport, Tatarstan, Russia. Sixteen people are killed and six others are injured. (Al Jazeera English)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
    • Brunei reports a record 381 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8,980. (The Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, COVID-19 vaccination in Italy
    • Italy surpasses its target to fully vaccinate 80% of its adult population. (RTÉ News and Current Affairs)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
    • Venezuela receives a shipment of 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX initiative. (Reuters)

International relations

• Cross-Strait relations
  • In a National Day speech, President Tsai Ing-wen states that Taiwan will not bow to pressure from China, vowing to uphold the island's sovereignty and democratic norms. (The Guardian)
  • China denounces Tsai Ing-wen's speech, saying that it incited confrontation and distorted facts. China also says that seeking Taiwanese independence closes the door to dialogue. (The Jerusalem Post)

Law and crime

• Thirty people storm a hospital in Rome, Italy, trying to free an injured man under arrest due to his involvement in violent acts yesterday during an anti-Green Pass protest. Four people are injured during the incident. (The State)
• The personal doctor of Georgian politician Mikheil Saakashvili says that he needs hospital treatment as he continues his hunger strike after returning from exile and being arrested on October 1. Saakashvili's condition has been described as "worsening". (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Iraqi parliamentary election
  • Iraqis head to the polls to elect the members of the Council of Representatives. (AFP via UrduPoint)

Sports

• 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
  • In association football, France defeat Spain, 2–1, in the final held at the San Siro in Milan, Italy, to win their first UEFA Nations League title in only the second edition of the tournament. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)

Arts and culture

• Pope Francis opens the two-year Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. This XVIth Synod of Bishops, ends in Rome in October 2023. In his opening address, Pope Francis presented three “key words”: communion, participation, and mission. (Catholic World News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • 2021 Niger attacks
    • Ten people are killed and another is wounded as gunmen open fire at a mosque in the village of Abankor, Tillabéri, Niger. (VOA)
• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Five soldiers are killed by rebels in a mountain pass in Jammu and Kashmir. (Al Jazeera)
• Tigray War
  • A spokesperson for the Tigray People's Liberation Front says that the Ethiopian Ground Forces have launched a ground offensive against rebels, with the support of local militias of the Amhara Region. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economists David Card, Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens are awarded the 2021 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for their natural experiments showing economic impacts. (Deutsche Welle)

Disasters and accidents

• European migrant crisis
  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that it has recovered the bodies of 15 people as well as 177 survivors from two Libyan coastguard boats returning to Libya after they attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea in order to reach Europe. (Reuters)
• 2021 China floods
  • At least 15 people are killed and three are missing as heavy floods affect Shanxi. (Al Jazeera)
• Two people are killed, and two homes and a UPS delivery van are destroyed after a Cessna 340 crashes in Santee, California, United States. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
        • New South Wales (NSW) lifts lockdown restrictions for fully vaccinated residents after 107 days. Travel restrictions are lifted, businesses reopen in a limited capacity, and private and public gatherings are permitted with some restrictions. NSW residents who are not fully vaccinated, with the exception of residents of some regional towns where infections are low, will be expected to continue to follow lockdown restrictions. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
      • The New Zealand Government announces a new vaccine mandate that would require disability and healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 1 and teachers by January 1, 2022, as the country suspends its "zero-COVID" strategy amid the spread of the Delta variant. (Forbes)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
      • A two-week lockdown begins in Eastern Highlands Province as cases overwhelm hospitals and the number of deaths increases nationwide. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Wales
        • Wales begins to require people over the age of 18 to show their NHS COVID Pass or their proof of vaccination status in order to enter nightclubs, indoor non-seated events for more than 500 people, outdoor non-seated events for more than 4,000 people and any event with more than 10,000 people. (Evening Standard)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany ends free COVID-19 testing for non-medical reasons in order to encourage people to get vaccinated. Children younger than twelve and pregnant women are exempt from this rule. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Malaysia lifts a ban on non-urgent interstate travel and resumes international travel where Malaysians travelling internationally are exempt from MyTravelPass as the country reaches a target to fully vaccinate 90% of its adult population. (Bloomberg News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announces that Thailand plans to end quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers from at least 10 low-risk countries beginning on November 1. Additionally, the government will allow entertainment venues to reopen on December 1 and permit alcohol sales at establishments. (BBC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
      • Texas governor Greg Abbott signs an executive order prohibiting all entities in the state, including private companies, from enacting vaccine mandates. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts recommends that immunocompromised people receive a third dose of the vaccine due to the risk of breakthrough infections after standard immunization. The panel also recommends that people over the age of 60 receive an additional dose of the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccine three months after their second dose, citing the performance of the vaccines in Latin America. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 1987 Burkinabé coup d'état
  • The trial for the 1987 assassination of former leader of Burkina Faso Thomas Sankara, known as the "African Che Guevara", begins in Ouagadougou against 14 people, including former president Blaise Compaoré, who will be tried in absentia. (Al Jazeera)
• Two teenagers are arrested in Batemans Bay, NSW, Australia, for killing 14 kangaroos two days ago. The animals were found slaughtered on two different roads. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Iraqi parliamentary election
  • Preliminary results show that the Sadrist Movement of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will retain its plurality in the Council of Representatives. (AFP via The Times of Israel)
• Alar Karis is sworn in as the 6th President of Estonia, succeeding Kersti Kaljulaid. (Euronews)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, COVID-19 pandemic in Boston
  • 2021 Boston Marathon
    • The 125th Boston Marathon, which was postponed from May 28, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, takes place. The men's marathon is won by Benson Kipruto and the women's marathon is won by Diana Kipyogei, both from Kenya. (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Indian Armed Forces kill three suspected terrorists during a gunfight in Shopian. Another security operation is carried out several hours later at an apple orchard, resulting in the deaths of two more terrorists. The raids came a day after five Indian soldiers were killed by suspected terrorists. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Korean wave
  • American streaming service Netflix, the world's largest entertainment company by market capitalization, confirms that the South Korean television series Squid Game is its most-watched program worldwide, having been viewed by more than 111 million accounts since its release in September. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)

Business and economy

• Economy of France
  • President Emmanuel Macron announces a €30 billion plan to re-industrialize France, in order to address what he called "a kind of growth deficit" and make France reclaim its title as a "global leader in innovation and research". (CNA)
• Economy of Ukraine
  • The European Union vows to help Ukraine with its gas supplies as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky underlines his concerns of potential Russian political leverage in the region in the aftermath of the agreement with Germany regarding the Nord Stream pipeline. (Deutsche Welle)
• The European Commission raises a climate bond worth €12 billion (US$13.9 billion) as part of its European Green Deal, the largest climate bond issued in the global capital market. (AFP via Times of Malta)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Pacific typhoon season
  • At least nine people are killed in the Philippines during floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Kompasu. (Reuters)
• At least 25 people are killed and several others are injured in a bus crash in Mugu District, Nepal. (BBC News)
• A train kills three people and injures a fourth, all of whom were lying on the tracks in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. (Deutsche Welle)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania reports a record 16,443 new cases and 442 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,382,531 and the nationwide death toll to 40,071. (Romania Insider)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 973 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 218,345. (ABC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in San Marino
    • The need to show an immunity passport for access to indoor premises where it is not possible to guarantee an interpersonal space, as well as for access to events, including sporting events, shows, entertainment events, parties and events where dancing takes place and for practicing contact sports, comes into force. (San Marino RTV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
    • Indian drug regulator approves the emergency use of the Bharat Biotech Covaxin vaccine for children aged between 2 to 18. (Hindustan Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Panama, COVID-19 vaccination in Panama
    • Panama approves the usage of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as booster for high-risk people, including healthcare workers, bedridden residents, nursing home residents, and people aged over 55. (Reuters)
• Iqaluit, capital city of Canada's Nunavut territory, is placed under a Do Not Drink Water advisory until further notice due to the possibility of contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons. Both boiled and filtered water are not safe for consumption at this time. (CTV News)

International relations

• Foreign relations of Afghanistan
  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that Germany "is not yet prepared to recognize the Taliban government" since they have not met demands of inclusiveness. However, Merkel reassures the promise of Germany's 600 million euro aid to the country. (Reuters)
• The International Court of Justice rules in favor of Somalia in its dispute with Kenya over a maritime border rich in gas and oil. Kenya labels the case as "biased" and says that it does not recognize the ruling. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• LGBT rights in Botswana
  • A panel of judges in Botswana postpone a ruling on a case brought by the government to overturn the 2019 decriminalization of homosexuality in the country. Prior to being decriminalized, gay sex was punishable by up to seven years' imprisonment. (Reuters)
• 2021 Cuban protests
  • The Cuban government rejects a request from the opposition to hold a protest in Havana on November 15, claiming involvement of the United States government. (AFP via France 24)

Science and technology

• Discoveries of exoplanets
  • NASA astronomers announce the discovery of TIC 257060897b, a Hot Jupiter exoplanet that is 50% larger and 30% less massive than Jupiter. The discovery was made using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. (Science Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Kongsberg attack
  • Five people are killed and two others are injured in the streets of Kongsberg, Viken, Norway, by a man using a bow and arrow. A suspect has been arrested. (BBC News)
• 2021 Bangladesh communal violence
  • Four people are killed and 24 others are injured as police open fire on a mob of 500 Muslims protesting over an alleged Quran desecration at a Hindu temple in Haziganj Upazila, Bangladesh. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
• 2021 Eswatini protests
  • Pro-democracy protests intensify in Eswatini, as police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds during this week's protests. Government spokespeople have denied to comment as King Mswati III denies accusations of autocratic rule in the last absolutist monarchy in Africa. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Eight people are hospitalized as a fire breaks out at the El Gouna Film Festival in El Gouna, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt. (BBC News)
• A Cessna 172 with two pilots crashes near Halat, Lebanon, during a training exercise. Rescue teams have been dispatched to look for the pilots. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Malaysia, COVID-19 pandemic in Sarawak
        • Sarawak becomes the first state in Malaysia to offering a third and booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines using the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for high-risk individuals who had received their second dose of that vaccine at least six months ago. (Codeblue)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • It is reported that at least 415 children committed suicide in Japan in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic while schools were closed. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Philippines surpasses 40,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Philstar)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria
    • The Nigerian government announces that they will require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to submit a negative PCR test from the previous 72 hours beginning on December 1. (Vanguard)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
    • Papuan health minister Jelta Wong says that the pandemic is pushing the health system to its limits and also admits to a slow response by the government, as only 2% of the population have been vaccinated. Peter Numu, the governor of Eastern Highlands Province, says that the situation in his province is "scary". (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 984 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 219,329. (Newsweek)
• Iqaluit, capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, issues a state of emergency after evidence is found of gasoline in the city's tap water. All residents are advised to not drink, boil or cook with the city's water. The city had issued a Do Not Drink Water advisory the previous day. (Global News)

Law and crime

• LGBT rights in Namibia
  • The Supreme Court of Namibia rules in favor of a gay couple who conceived a baby using a South Afric]n surrogate, to grant the baby, who was born in South Africa, Namibian citizenship. The judge ruled that there is no need for tests to confirm that the baby is the son of the couple. However, homosexual activity remains illegal in Namibia. (Reuters)
• Pandora Papers
  • Opposition lawmakers present a formal impeachment proceeding against Chilean president Sebastián Piñera over connections to a 2010 sale of a mining company, for which a prosecutor opened a case against Piñera for alleged bribery, corruption, and tax violations. (Al Jazeera)
• Masten Wanjala, who was imprisoned for murdering 14 boys in Kenya escapes from his prison cell in Nairobi and is on the run. He is described as "extremely dangerous". (BBC News)
• Kenyan world record holder in the women's 10 kilometres event Agnes Tirop is stabbed to death at her home in Iten, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. Tirop's husband is the prime suspect in her murder, according to police. (BBC News)

Science and technology

• Blue Origin NS-18
  • Blue Origin launches four crew into sub-orbit on a New Shepard rocket from its Corn Ranch spaceport in Van Horn, Texas. The crew includes Blue Origin Vice President Audrey Powers, NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, space tourist Glen de Vries, and actor William Shatner. Shatner, best known for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek media franchise, becomes the oldest ever person in space at the age of 90. (BBC News)

Sports

• South Korean short-track speed skater Shim Suk-hee is barred from the national team ahead of qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics as the Korea Staking Union launches an investigation into a text message exchange involving her that suggests fraudulent behavior while competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2021 Beirut clashes
  • Six people are killed and 32 more are injured during a shooting at a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, against the judge investigating the 2020 port explosion. Hezbollah and Amal accused the attackers of being members of the Christian Lebanese Forces. Clashes occurred for hours afterwards between the militias involving snipers, pistols, Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades even after the army was deployed. (BBC News)
• Kongsberg attack
  • The man accused of killing five people and injuring three more yesterday in the streets of Kongsberg, Viken, Norway, using a bow and arrow, is identified as a 37-year-old Norwegian man and convert to Islam with Danish citizenship, who police had been concerned about regarding radicalization. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Four Indian soldiers are killed during a gunfight with rebels in a forest in Mendhar, Jammu and Kashmir. (Greater Kashmir)
• Islamic State–Taliban conflict
  • A Taliban police commander is killed and 11 more people are injured as a bomb targeting the commander's vehicle explode in Shigal District, Afghanistan. (The Defense Post)
• The Nigerian Army confirms that Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of ISWAP, died two months ago. However, the circumstances of al-Barnawi's death are not clear. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• Brazil's Central Bank sells US$1 billion to offset declines in the real, which has fallen ⅓ relative to the dollar in 2021 alone, with another US$1 billion in sales scheduled for later today. (Mercopress)
• LinkedIn announces that it will shut down its social media services in China later this year, citing heavy-handed compliance requirements from the government, and will replace it with a traditional job-listing site. LinkedIn was the only major Western-based social media site to legally operate within the country prior to the announcement. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Kaohsiung tower fire
  • At least 46 people are killed and 79 others are injured in a fire at a 13-storey tower block in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (BBC News)
• Aftermath of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
  • A former Boeing chief test pilot is indicted by a United States grand jury for deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration during the certification process for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which resulted in two fatal crashes and a subsequent grounding of the aircraft. (AFP via The Australian)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Bali reopens its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from 19 countries that met WHO's criteria as the number of COVID-19 cases declines in Indonesia. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 15 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 207. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam
      • The Vietnamese Ministry of Health approves vaccination against COVID-19 for children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, with those aged 16 to 17 years old receiving priority before vaccination expands to other age groups. (Vietnam Plus)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia
      • President Egils Levits tests positive for COVID-19 after returning from a trip to Denmark and Sweden despite being fully vaccinated, prompting his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto to self-isolate. (AFP via Barron's)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 986 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 220,315. The country also reports a record 31,299 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 7,892,980. (Interfax)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Victoria reports a record 2,297 new cases and 11 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest daily total of any state of Australia since the beginning of the pandemic. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces that the state will continue to reopen based on vaccination rates. (The Guardian)

International relations

• Chinese Catholic Bishop Stephen Yang Xiangtai, the retired leader of the Handan diocese, died at the age of 99 after a long illness. Bishop Yang was arrested in 1954 and again in 1966, and served more than a decade in labor camps before being released in 1980. He became Bishop of Handan in 1999. (Catholic World News) (Asia News)

Law and crime

• Armenia–Azerbaijan relations
  • Armenia expands its case before the International Court of Justice against Azerbaijan, accusing Azerbaijan of violating the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to which both states are signatories, for allegedly promoting ethnic hatred against Armenians. Azerbaijan denies the accusation and accuses Armenia of violating the treaty. (Reuters)
• Murder of Giulio Regeni, Egypt–Italy relations
  • An Italian court in Rome drops charges against four Egyptian police officers for the 2016 murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in Cairo, citing its inability for the four officers to be tried in absentia since their prosecutors failed to inform them of their charges. (AFP via France 24)
• Sri Lanka drops charges against Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, who was accused of being part of a group of 14 navy personnel who kidnapped 11 children and murdered them after attempting to extort money from their families. The actual number of children murdered by the group is suspected to be at least three times higher. The crimes were carried out in 2008 and 2009, amid the chaos of the Sri Lankan Civil War. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Japanese general election
  • Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dissolves the lower house of the Japanese Parliament ahead of the election on October 31. (UPI)
• 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election
  • Jonas Gahr Støre takes office as Prime Minister of Norway. (Associated Press)
• Pakistan International Airlines suspends flights to the Afghan capital Kabul, citing "heavy-handed" interference from the Taliban. It was the only foreign carrier operating regular flights out of Kabul. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • 2021 Kandahar bombing
    • Three suicide bombers attack a Shiite mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing 47 people and injuring 70 others. The explosions occur at the main door and inside the mosque. Taliban authorities later arrived and secured the mosque. Taliban interior ministry spokesman Qari Saeed Khosti says that authorities are currently collecting evidence in order to determine responsibility for the bombing. (Al Jazeera)
    • ISIL-K claims responsibility for the attack, reporting that two attackers shot and killed security guards outside the mosque before blowing themselves up inside, where people were worshipping. (Reuters)
  • Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
    • United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel Stuart Scheller is reprimanded by a military judge following his criticism of the U.S. military’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. (ABC News)
• Murder of David Amess
  • David Amess, United Kingdom MP for Southend West, is stabbed to death in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, while meeting constituents at Belfairs Methodist Church. The suspect was arrested at the scene, and police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. (BBC News) (BBC News)
• Anglophone Crisis
  • A Cameroonian policeman is lynched by a mob after he killed a five-year-old girl at a checkpoint in Buea Southwest Region. Protests involving hundreds of people occurred after the killing of the child. (The Guardian)
• Central African Republic Civil War
  • President Faustin-Archange Touadéra declares a unilateral ceasefire with the Coalition of Patriots for Change and the anti-balaka militia groups. (AFP via Barron's)

Disasters and accidents

• Four migrants are found dead by the Spanish Maritime Safety and Rescue Society in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Cape Trafalgar in the Province of Cádiz after their boat sank. The coast guard reports that 21 others from the boat are missing. (AFP via i24 News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
      • Brunei surpasses 10,000 cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record 423 new cases in the past 24 hours. (The Scoop)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India is expected to reopen its borders to overseas travellers as it relaxes COVID-19-related restrictions amid a decrease in the number of new cases. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 community quarantines in the Philippines
      • The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases announces that the National Capital Region will be downgraded to Alert Level 3 beginning on October 16, which will allow cinemas and theme parks to reopen for the first time since March 2020. (Rappler)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea
      • President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook receive booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Yonhap News Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • The Brussels-Capital Region expands the use of the COVID Safe Ticket to the hospitality industry, sports centres, and indoor events with more than 50 people. (The Brussels Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy's Green Pass becomes mandatory for all workplaces, but there are fears of disruption among transport workers and at ports where COVID-19 vaccination rates are relatively low. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 999 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 221,313. The country also reports a record for the second consecutive day of 32,196 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 7.92 million. (Interfax)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
        • A COVID-19 vaccination mandate comes into effect in Victoria, with all essential workers required to have at least one dose of a World Health Organization-approved vaccine to continue working. (The Guardian Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
      • The COVID-19 crisis worsens in Papua New Guinea, as the government seeks international help in order to combat the increase in new cases and deaths. The government has admitted to a slow response to the crisis and also blames vaccine hesitancy as part of the problem. The World Health Organization has agreed to help the country. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Yukon
      • Yukon imposes a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for sports facilities, restaurants and other non-essential services. The mandate will take effect on November 30. (Yukon News)

International relations

• 2021 Myanmar protests
  • During an online emergency meeting, the foreign ministers of the ASEAN agree to exclude Myanmar's military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from the upcoming ASEAN Summit to be held later this month. The country will instead be represented by non-political representative at the summit. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
• Paramount leader Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China will not attend in person the Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow, as it's told to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The announcement comes amid international pessimism that, now compounded by the absence of China, a global leader in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the event would not result in any substantiative change. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Masten Wanjala, the Kenyan suspected serial killer of 14 boys, who escaped from prison two days ago, is murdered by lynching by a mob of villagers in Bungoma. Wanjala was hiding at his parents' home when he was identified by neighbours. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • 2021 Kandahar bombing, 2021 Kunduz mosque bombing
    • The Taliban says that they will step up security at Shi'ite mosques after IS-KP bombed mosques in Kunduz and Kandahar this month, killing over 120 people in total. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Two workers are killed by gunmen in Srinagar and Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, in a spike of civilians being killed by rebels in the area. (Greater Kashmir)
  • A Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and another militant are killed during a gunfight with security forces in Pulwama. The killed commander, who was involved in the murder of two policemen, was among the top 10 targets of Jammu and Kashmir police. It is also announced that two more rebels, involved in the recent killings of civilians, were killed yesterday during a gunfight in Srinagar. (India Today)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Twenty Boko Haram militants and three Nigerian Army soldiers are killed during a gunfight as the military has tried to recapture the Nigerian town of Maiduguri. (Sahara Reporters)
• Murder of David Amess
  • Yesterday's killing of MP Sir David Amess, who was stabbed to death in a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, is declared as a terrorist incident by police. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Bali earthquake
  • Three people are killed and seven are injured as a 4.8 earthquake hits Bali, Indonesia. (Al Jazeera)
• Eleven people drown during a school outing for a river clean-up in West Java, Indonesia. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania
      • Southern Tasmania, including the state capital of Hobart, enters a lockdown after an increase in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 1,002 deaths from COVID-19, which is the first time that the country has reported more than 1,000 COVID-related deaths in a single day since the pandemic began. Only 32% of the population has been fully vaccinated, amid wide distrust in vaccines. (France 24)

Law and crime

• Hong Kong national security law
  • Seven activists are sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to twelve months' imprisonment for protesting against the national security law in July 2020. Among those sentenced are Leung Kwok-hung and Figo Chan. Leung is currently serving two sentences of 18 months' imprisonment for other charges and Chan is currently serving a sentence of 18 months' imprisonment for unauthorized assembly. (Al Jazeera) (RTHK)
• Argentine federal judge María Romilda Servini indicts post Franco-era Spanish minister Rodolfo Martín Villa on four counts of homicide. Villa, who resides in Spain, says that he will appeal the decision of the Argentine judge. (SwissInfo)
• An unidentified armed gang kidnaps 15 American missionaries and their families in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AFP via Barron's)
• Colombian businessman Alex Saab is extradited to the United States from Cape Verde ahead of an initial court appearance in Florida on October 18 over his alleged money laundering for the Venezuelan government. (AFP via Deccan Herald)

Politics and elections

• French president Emmanuel Macron condemns the Paris massacre of 1961 on the eve of its 60th anniversary, but does not issue a formal apology. Macron is the first French president to attend a memorial ceremony for the victims. (AFP via WION)

Science and technology

• Chinese space program
  • Shenzhou 13 launches on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, Inner Mongolia, for the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station, where the crew will stay for six months. It will be China's longest crewed mission to date. (AFP via NDTV)
• Discovery Program
  • Lucy, a NASA spacecraft that will visit Jupiter's trojan asteroids in twelve years, launches at 05:34 EDT from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War
  • Battle of Marib
    • The Saudi Arabia-led coalition says that they have killed 160 Houthi militants in Marib, Yemen, during 32 airstrikes in the past 24 hours. The coalition also reports that they killed a total of more than 700 Houthis during the past week. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Militants open fire on a group of non-resident workers from Bihar in Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killing two people and wounding another. (Greater Kashmir) (The Times of India)

Disasters and accidents

• Floods in India
  • Twenty-six people are killed and dozens are missing as heavy rains affect the Indian state of Kerala. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
      • Brunei reports a record 504 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 10,860. (Borneo Bulletin)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia
      • Saudi Arabia eases its COVID-19-related restrictions, lifting mandatory social distancing requirements as well as a requirement to wear face masks outdoors. (Arabian Business)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 34,303 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 7.99 million. (Euronews)
• Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says that the mass release of wastewater at the Fukushima nuclear plant cannot be delayed. The water, which has been inside the plant since the 2011 meltdown, is planned to be dumped into the Pacific Ocean over several decades despite strong opposition from local fishermen and the governments of China and South Korea. (CNA)

International relations

• Foreign relations of Belarus
  • The French ambassador to Belarus departs following a directive issued by the Belarusian government, which did not cite a rationale. The ambassador had not presented his credentials to President Alexander Lukashenko. (AFP via The Moscow Times)

Law and crime

• Honour killing in Pakistan
  • A man is wanted in Pakistan after killing his two daughters and four grandchildren after setting their house ablaze, as one of the daughters married against his wishes. Her husband also died in the fire. (Reuters)
• Authorities in Haiti says that members of the "400 Mawozo" gang are behind the kidnapping of 16 American citizens and one Canadian citizen yesterday near Port-au-Prince. Those kidnapped include seven women, five men and five children. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Cape Verdean presidential election
  • Cape Verdeans head to the polls to elect their new president to replace outgoing term-limited president Jorge Carlos Fonseca. The candidates of Fonseca's right-wing MpD and the leftist PAICV are the main contenders. The election is seen as important to reopen the important tourism industry which was hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (Reuters)
• The Instituto Nacional Electoral in Mexico says that 2.85 million signatures are needed for a recall election against president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Before becoming president, López Obrador had promised the referendum on himself to keep him accountable, although it is opposed by opposition parties, as they see it as a way to polarize voters and galvanize supporters of the president. (Yahoo! News)

Sports

• 2021 WNBA Finals
  • The Chicago Sky win their first WNBA Championship in a series against the Phoenix Mercury. (Huffington Post)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Tigray War
  • ENDF airstrikes on the city of Mekelle in Ethiopia's Tigray Region kill at least three people. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Eswatini protests
  • Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini orders the closure of schools across Eswatini in an attempt to stop pro-democracy protests that have occurred across the kingdom in the past few months. Protesters demand an end to the absolute monarchy of King Mswati III, the last of its kind in Africa, as ministers back the move, saying that there "is no room for such anarchy in our society". (Bloomberg)

Business and economy

• Me Too movement
  • German publishing house Axel Springer dismisses Julian Reichelt as the editor-in-chief of its tabloid newspaper Bild following sexual harassment complaints against Reichelt from his co-workers. (The New York Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi
      • Burundi launches its COVID-19 vaccination rollout using part of a shipment of 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm BIBP COVID-19 vaccine donated by China in a shift to make the country more active in its approach to containing the pandemic. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe
      • Zimbabwe bans unvaccinated civil servants from working in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Newsday)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia surpasses eight million cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record for the fourth consecutive day of 34,325 new cases. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • President of the Government of Aragon Javier Lambán tests positive for COVID-19 after attending the PSOE's three-day party congress in Valencia. (El Mundo)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a record 538 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 61,348. (DIP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      • Restrictions are eased further in New South Wales as more than 80% of the adult population are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Limits on private gatherings and density caps at businesses are relaxed, and schools begin a phased reopening. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania
      • The lockdown is lifted across southern Tasmania, including the state capital Hobart. The lockdown was initiated because a person with COVID-19 entered the state, but was lifted when no community transmission was reported. (News.com.au)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. surpasses 45 million cases of COVID-19. (KIRO-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland
      • Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell dies from COVID-19 at the age of 84 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Phase three trial results suggest that the Valneva COVID vaccine is effective at priming the immune system to fight COVID-19. (BBC News)

International relations

• Russia announces that it will be suspending its mission to NATO in Brussels as early as November 1, in response to the expulsion of 8 diplomats accused of espionage from the mission earlier this month. The NATO information bureau and military liaison in Moscow will also be terminated. (CNN)

Law and crime

• 2016 Karrada bombing
  • Iraq receives Ghazwan al-Zawbaee, the alleged mastermind of the ISIL suicide truck bombing that killed 340 people in Karrada, Baghdad, in 2016, which was the deadliest single-bomb attack in Iraq. Al-Zawbaee was arrested two days prior through a joint operation in a neighbouring country. (BBC News)
• 2021 Bangladesh communal violence
  • At least 300 suspected members of a Muslim mob are arrested for the killing of two Hindu men three days ago at a temple in Noakhali, Bangladesh. The violence occurred after an alleged Quran desecration at a Hindu temple in Haziganj Upazila. Several Hindu temples were also damaged in the clashes. Four members of the mob were also killed when Bangladesh Police personnel opened fire in Chandpur. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Myanmar protests
  • State Administration Council chairman Min Aung Hlaing announces that his military junta will release a total of 5,636 jailed protesters to commemorate the Thadingyut Festival. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
• Three people are killed and three more injured during a police raid at a compound of a religious group in Montego Bay, Jamaica, due to concerns that they were preparing ritual killings. (Reuters)
• Citing Roe v. Wade, the United States Department of Justice requests the Supreme Court to vacate the mandate of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on allowing the Texas Heartbeat Act to remain in effect, thereby blocking the law. (AFP via RTL)
• Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso declares a nationwide state of emergency, citing an increase in drug-related crime. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)

Science and technology

• Egor Babaev and collaborators with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology publish an experiment showing evidence of a new state of matter called electron quadruplets. (Phys.org)

Sports

• 2022 Winter Olympics torch relay
  • The Olympic torch relay begins in Olympia, Greece, without public attendance. (ANI News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War
  • UNICEF says that 10,000 children have been either killed or injured in Yemen since Saudi Arabia started bombing the country in 2015 in reaction to the Islamist Houthis' ousting of the government. This equates to an average of four children killed or injured every day since the start of the conflict. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • Defence minister Sadio Camara asks Mali's main Islamic body, the High Islamic Council, to mediate peace talks between the government and the local branch of al-Qaeda, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. The move is strongly opposed by France. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Bulgaria launches its COVID-19 Green Certificate which indicates that a person is either vaccinated, has tested negative, or has recovered from COVID-19. The certificate will be mandatory for all indoor activities beginning on October 21. (Novinite)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announces a stay-at-home order for unvaccinated or unrecovered people age 60 years and older for four months and ordering businesses to shift 30% of their workers to remote work beginning from October 25 due to record 1,015 deaths in Russia over the past 24 hours. (CBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • United Kingdom reports 233 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of daily deaths since March 3. (Inews.co.uk)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • Israel reports its first case of the Delta subvariant "AY4.2" in a boy who travelled from Moldova. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 3,994 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 154,725. (Today)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand reports a record 94 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, COVID-19 vaccination in South Africa
    • The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority rejects the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine due to some safety concerns the manufacturer wasn’t able to answer such as failed HIV vaccines that use Adenovirus Type 5 that are similar to the Russian-made vaccine. (AP)

International relations

• International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi says that he plans to visit Iran by the end of November in an effort to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. (Newsweek)

Law and crime

• National responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • The Brazilian Senate releases a report recommending that President Jair Bolsonaro should face criminal charges for homicide regarding his response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (Reuters)
• 2021 Leverkusen explosion
  • Three people are charged in Germany for killing and causing an explosion by recklessness at a chemical park in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, in July. Seven people were killed and 31 others were injured. (Reuters)
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation announces that it has raided the Washington, D.C. house of Russian oligarch and Vladimir Putin ally Oleg Deripaska, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018. (The Moscow Times)
• Global investment bank Credit Suisse agrees to pay a US$475 million fine to U.S. and British authorities after pleading guilty to conspiring wire fraud towards investors, which violated the anti-corruption law of Mozambique regarding bond offerings. (AFP via RFI)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • 2021 Damascus bus bombing
    • Two bombs attached to a military bus detonate as it passes under Jisr al-Rais bridge in Damascus, killing 14 people. Minutes later, military shellfire kills at least 10 civilians in Ariha, Idlib Governorate. (BBC News)
• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Sixteen civilians are killed after armed militants raided villages in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Nepal floods
  • The death toll due to floods and landslides in western Nepal increases to 77. The government has pledged aid to the hardest-hit areas. (NDTV)
• 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. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya
      • 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. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal
      • Senegal reports zero COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. (News 24)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • 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. (VOA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
      • 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. (N1)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 drug development
      • 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. (Sky News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    • Singapore reports a record 18 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 264. (Today)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    • 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. (NPR)

International relations

• President of Russia Vladimir Putin says that he will not physically attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Expert state that Russia's potential absence coult threaten efforts to get leaders to negotiate a new deal to stall rising global temperatures. However, the Kremlin states that Putin could still appear virtually. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
  • 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. (CNN)

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. (BBC News)

Science and technology

• Xenotransplantation
  • 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. (NPR)

Disasters and accidents

• Rust shooting incident
  • Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is killed during the production of the upcoming American film Rust in Bonanza City, New Mexico, while film director Joel Souza is in critical condition, after actor Alec Baldwin reportedly shot a loaded gun. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin announces a non-working week from October 28 until November 7 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Only firms that serve essential goods and the city infrastructure would be allowed to operate. (The Moscow Times)
      • Russia reports a record 36,339 new cases and 1,030 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.13 million and the nationwide death toll to 227,389. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia
      • Latvia enters a month-long lockdown until November 15 that closes non-essential shops, cinemas and hairdressers, as well as implements a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Medical Xpress)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a record 22,415 new cases and 546 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.7 million and the nationwide death toll to 62,389. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • India reports that it has administered more than one billion COVID-19 vaccinations since it started its vaccination drive in January. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, COVID-19 vaccination in Saudi Arabia
      • Saudi Arabia begins the rollout of booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines for people aged above 18 and have received their second dose at least six months ago. (Gulf News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand reports a record 102 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the first the time that the country has reported more than 100 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • The Biden administration announces that the United States has donated 200 million COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world, fulfilling a pledge from president Joe Biden that the U.S. would be the "world's arsenal" in vaccines. (The Hill)
      • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorses booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 misinformation
    • COVID-19 misinformation by China
      • The University of Oxford links the Chinese government to a disinformation campaign promoting the unfounded claim that COVID-19 could have been imported to China from the United States through Maine lobsters shipped to a seafood market in Wuhan in November 2019. (NBC News)
• Climate change
  • Greenpeace partially leaks a draft report from the International Panel on Climate Change, revealing that a number of large oil, coal, beef and animal feed-producing countries including Australia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Argentina are lobbying the IPCC for looser restrictions on global heating. (AP)

International relations

• 2021 North Kosovo crisis
  • A working group to find a more permanent solution to the license plate issue, consisting of negotiators from the governments of Kosovo and Serbia, meet for the first time in Brussels. If negotiations are successful, the group will announce their proposals in 6 months. (Gazeta Tema)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack
  • The United States House of Representatives votes 229–202 to hold former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the January 6 select committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The contempt is referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and United States Attorney General Merrick Garland to decide whether to prosecute Bannon. (AP)
• COVID-19 pandemic in France, Vaccine passports during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • The French National Assembly votes 135 to 125 to approve the extension of the COVID-19 Health Pass until at least July 31, 2022. The bill will be debated at the French Senate on October 28 in preparation for adopting the bill on November 15. (The Connexion)
• Killing of Justine Damond
  • Former Minneapolis Police Department officer Mohamed Noor is resentenced to four years and nine months in prison for the manslaughter of unarmed 9-1-1 caller Justine Damond. Noor had originally been sentenced to 12.5 years for murder in 2017. (CNN)
• Twenty-four people have been executed in Syria for deliberately starting wildfires in late 2020 that killed three people. (BBC News)
• The leader of the Haitian gang who kidnapped 17 United States and Canadian missionaries has threatened to kill the hostages if the gang does not receive the $17 million ransom for their release. (CNN)
• The Benin National Assembly votes to legalize abortion within the first three months of pregnancy if it is likely to "aggravate or cause material, educational, professional or moral distress" or is "incompatible with the woman or the unborn child's interest", becoming one of the few countries in Africa to authorize abortions. (Africanews)

Politics and elections

• Ratu Wiliame Katonivere becomes the president-elect of Fiji. He will replace incumbent president Jioji Konrote when he is confirmed by parliament. (RNZ)
• Cindy Kiro is sworn in as the 22nd Governor-General of New Zealand. (RNZ)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war
  • The United States Department of Defense reports that forces have killed a senior al-Qaeda leader in Syria through an MQ-9 drone strike. (AFP via Arab News)
• Assailants armed with guns and knives attack an Islamic seminary at Balukhali refugee camp for Rohingya refugees near the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, killing seven people. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Evergrande liquidity crisis
  • Chinese property developer Evergrande Group reports that it transferred US$83.5 million to pay off interests on its dollar bonds, allowing it to avert short-term default a day before its deadline. (Business Insider)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 25 people are killed during an explosion and fire at an illegal oil refinery in Rivers State, Nigeria. Children are among the victims. (Reuters)
• Sixteen people are killed and another is injured by an explosion at a chemical plant in Ryazan Oblast, Russia. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
      • Mass Friday prayers resume in the capital Tehran after a 20-month suspension due to the pandemic. Worshippers must adhere to social distancing measures and use face masks during the gatherings, with most worshippers using their own prayer rugs and clay tablets. (Al-Arabiya English)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, COVID-19 vaccination in mainland China
      • The Chinese capital Beijing begins administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to "at-risk" individuals over the age of 18, which includes those participating, organizing, or working in the 2022 Winter Olympics as well as people working in education, manufacturing, retail, and public facilities. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka
      • President Gotabaya Rajapaksa orders security personnel and health care and tourism industry workers in Sri Lanka to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine beginning on November 1 in order to revive the economy and specifically the tourism industry due to the effects of the pandemic. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
      • Belarus ends its short-lived mask mandate that was introduced on October 9 despite a record number of COVID-19 cases as President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed the measures as "unnecessary". (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 1,064 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the nationwide death toll to 228,453. The country also reports a record for the second consecutive day of 37,141 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8,168,305. (Saudi Press Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine closes schools and public venues in Kyiv and will only permit the schools to reopen if teachers are vaccinated in other "red zone" areas after the country reported a record for the second consecutive day of 29,785 new cases and 614 deaths from COVID-19. (AFP via Barron's)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
        • Melbourne lifts its world-record lockdown restrictions as over 70% of the Victorian population are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Private and public gatherings are now allowed with limitations and schools and businesses will reopen with density caps. The controversial night-time curfew is also lifted. (ABC News Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji, COVID-19 vaccination in Fiji
      • After vaccinating most of its adult population, Fiji announces that it has already vaccinated 28,965 children between the ages of 15 and 17 with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (RNZ)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • The New Zealand Government sets a target of 90% of the population fully vaccinated, which is very high by international standards, in order to end lockdown measures and shift to a new traffic light system giving vaccinated Kiwis more freedoms. https://www.1news.co.nz/2021/10/21/ardern-sets-covid-19-target-of-90-fully-vaccinated-to-ease-restrictions/ (1 News)]
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
    • Peru surpasses 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, which is the second Latin American country to do so after Brazil. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Pfizer says that its vaccine is 90% effective in children between the ages of 5 and 11. (CBS News)

Law and crime

• 2021 Eswatini protests
  • Police and the army open fire on a group of health workers protesting outside a hospital in Eswatini, injuring 30 people. (BBC News)
• Murder of David Amess
  • After appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court and the Old Bailey, Ali Harbi Ali is charged with the murder of David Amess and remanded to Belmarsh prison. He is due to be tried on March 7, 2022. (BBC News)
• Cannabis in Luxembourg
  • Luxembourg legalizes cannabis, becoming the first country in Europe to do so. (TheStreet)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • The Israeli Defense Ministry designates six Palestinian groups, including human rights organization Al-Haq and non-profit organization Union of Agricultural Work Committees, as "terrorist organisations" for their alleged connections to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Palestinian National Authority, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and several human rights groups harshly criticize the designations. (Al Jazeera)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• October 2021 Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan protests
  • Clashes continue for the second day in Lahore, Pakistan, as the banned far-right Islamic extremist political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan is demonstrating to pressure the government to release its leader Saad Hussain Rizvi, who was arrested last year. Three protesters and two policemen were killed yesterday during the clashes and two protesters are killed today. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Democratic Republic of the Congo attacks
  • IS claims responsibility for the killing of 16 civilians during an assault at a village in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, three days ago. (Reuters)
• 2021 Uganda bombings
  • One person is killed and three others injured when a bomb explodes in a bar in Kampala, Uganda. Three suspected terrorists are behind the attack. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Pacific hurricane season
  • A tropical storm intensifies into Hurricane Rick off Mexico's southern Pacific coast, and is expected to make landfall in the states of Michoacán and Colima. (AP via Federal News Network)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia
    • Namibia suspends the usage of the Russian made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine amid reports from South Africa that the vaccine increases risk of men contracting HIV. (WION) (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • The South Island reports its first community case of COVID-19 since November 2020 in a man who travelled from Rotorua to Blenheim on October 21. (Stuff)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record for the fifth consecutive day of 1,075 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 229,528. The country also reports a record for the third consecutive day of 37,678 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.2 million. (ANI News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea
    • The percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated in South Korea surpasses 70%, allowing the government to ease their COVID-19-related restrictions in November. (The Straits Times)

International relations

• Foreign relations of Turkey
  • President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan orders the ambassadors of ten Western nations to be expelled from the country after their embassies called for the release of political prisoner Osman Kavala. (Reuters)
• Foreign relations of Hungary, 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election
  • At a rally in central Budapest, prime minister Viktor Orbán accuses the United States, the European Union, and philanthropist George Soros of trying to meddle in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The accusations come as opinion polls show Orbán's alliance Fidesz–KDNP and the rival United Opposition polling neck-and-neck. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• European migrant crisis
  • The trial of Matteo Salvini opens in Palermo, Italy. Salvini is accused of kidnapping and abuse of office when he ordered the detaining of 147 migrants at sea in August 2019, when he was serving as minister of the interior. Salvini said that the decision was agreed upon with the government, including then-prime minister Giuseppe Conte. (France 24)
• Illegal drug trade in Colombia
  • Colombian police arrest Dario Antonio Úsuga (alias "Otoniel"), a leader of the Clan del Golfo drug cartel, in the town of Necoclí. Úsuga has been listed by authorities as one of the country's most-wanted drug traffickers. (AFP via CNA)

Science and technology

• Discoveries of exoplanets
  • Scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa announce the discovery of 2M0437b, one of the youngest exoplanets ever found at a distant star. The exoplanet was discovered using the Subaru Telescope at the observatory on Mauna Kea. (SciTech)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War
  • Clashes between the Somali National Army and Sufi paramilitary group Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a in Galmudug kill at least 30 people and injure more than 100 others. (Reuters)
• 2021 Uganda bombings
  • IS claims responsibility for yesterday's bombing at a bar in Kampala, which killed one person and injured three others. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• The Canadian Coast Guard and local firefighters combat a fire on board the MV Zim Kingston, off Victoria, British Columbia. The fire, which started yesterday, is focused on ten containers as authorities say that the ship itself is not on fire. (The Washington Post)
• Four mountain climbers are killed by an avalanche on the Chimborazo volcano in the Andes in Ecuador. (AFP via RFI)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • Eastern Europe surpasses 20 million cases of COVID-19, with Russia, Ukraine and Romania reporting the most deaths. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Uzbek presidential election
  • Uzbeks head to the polls to elect their president. Analysts say that incumbent Shavkat Mirziyoyev has his victory for a second term secured as the country struggles with its tourism industry and security issues on the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. (Deutsche Welle)
• Guatemala imposes a month-long dawn to dusk curfew on the eastern Izabal Department following two days of protests over a new mining project in the region. (The Washington Post)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War
  • 2021 Galmudug clashes
    • The death toll from the clashes between the Somali National Army and Sufi paramilitary group Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a in Galmudug increases to 120. (Reuters)
• October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état, Sudanese transition to democracy
  • Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other senior members of the civilian government are detained by the military in a coup d'état. The military also seizes state television and blocks internet access. Thousands of people gather in Khartoum to protest the coup. (The Guardian)
  • Ten civilians are killed and 140 more are injured as mass protests occur following the coup. (BBC News)
  • Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announces a state of emergency and the dissolution of the Sovereignty Council and the government. (Saudi Gazette)
• 2021 Uganda bombings
  • An explosion on a bus in Mpigi District kills one person and injures several others. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Expo 2020
  • It is announced that around 1.5 million people have visited the Expo 2020 event in Dubai since its opening on October 1. (Al Arabiya)

Business and economy

• Petrol prices in the United Kingdom reach their highest level since April 2012, at £1.4294 per litre. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Pacific hurricane season
  • Hurricane Rick loses strength as it moves farther inland in Mexico. The states that are most affected are Michoacán and Guerrero, especially the seaside city of Acapulco in Guerrero. Other states such as Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit open shelters ahead of potential heavy rain. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Karnataka
        • Six districts in Karnataka, India have vaccinated 90% of their population with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (The Times of India)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • In a near-return to normalcy, operating hours restrictions on bars and restaurants have been lifted in cities across the Greater Tokyo Area and Osaka for the first time in 11 months, also allowing these establishments to resume their alcohol sales at any time during their business hours as the number of COVID-19 cases decreases. (The Asahi Shimbun)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      • The Philippines Health Technology Assessment Council approves the administration of a third COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose to health workers in the fourth quarter of 2021, with other priority groups becoming eligible for a booster dose in 2022. (Rappler)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
      • Sri Lanka reopens its primary schools after a closure of nearly five months due to the third wave of the pandemic. (NewsFirst)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania imposes a nationwide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and makes face masks mandatory in all public venues in an attempt to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. The country also begins to implement a mandatory green certificate for shopping malls, restaurants, public institutions and workplaces. (See News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 37,930 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.279 million. (Emirates News Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Spain surpasses five million cases of COVID-19. (Reuters via National Post)
    • European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The European Medicines Agency approves a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for all adults over the age of 18, which can be administered at least six months after the second dose. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico
      • Mexico begins vaccinations for at-risk children in Mexico City. (La Prisna Latina)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The Biden administration signs a presidential proclamation requiring international travelers to be fully vaccinated using any WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccine and also allows "mix-and-match" doses. The proclamation also requires unvaccinated Americans and immigrants to test negative for COVID-19 one day before their departure. These rules will take effect on November 8. (Financial Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
    • Prime Minister James Marape pleads for Papua New Guineans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the situation, fueled by the Delta variant, worsens, with hospitals in Port Moresby and other cities operating at maximum capacity. Marape states that the death toll currently exceeds 300, but the actual total may be much higher. (RNZ)

International relations

• Foreign relations of Mali
  • The Malian interim government gives the country's ECOWAS representative 72 hours to leave Mali over "actions incompatible with his status", though the government added that they still maintain a "willingness to work together with ECOWAS in the transition". (AFP via The Guardian Nigeria)
• International response to the October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état, Sudan–United States relations
  • Hours after the coup d'état in Sudan, the United States Department of State suspends $700 million worth of aid to the country until the restoration of the civilian government. (AFP via CNA)

Law and crime

• A court in Munich, Germany, sentences an Islamic State-affiliated 30-year-old woman to 10 years in prison for allowing a 5-year-old Yazidi girl to die from thirst in Iraq. The woman was found guilty on multiple charges, including some related to terrorism. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announces that the state of emergency, which was imposed in April 2017, will be lifted. (The New York Times)

Science and technology

• COVID-19 misinformation
  • Facebook and Alphabet Inc., which owns Youtube, announce that they have removed a video of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claiming that COVID-19 vaccines cause AIDS after the video was found to have violated their respective company's policies about the vaccines. (AP) (Reuters)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • 2021 NFL season
    • Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst announces that defensive coordinator Joe Barry and wide receiver Davante Adams have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the team's matchup against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy also tests positive for COVID-19. (AP) (NFL.com)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • 2021 Uganda bombings
    • It is revealed that yesterday's explosion on a bus in Mpigi District was carried out by an ADF suicide bomber. The attacker was killed, and three other people were injured. (France 24) (Daily Monitor)
• Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
  • Islamic State militants attack a village in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, killing 11 people and injuring several others. (Al Jazeera)
• Aftermath of the 2016 Berlin truck attack
  • A man who was critically injured in the truck attack in Berlin, Germany, in 2016, dies from complications related to his injuries this month, becoming the thirteenth fatality of the attack. (BBC News)
• Aftermath of the October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état
  • Military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says that he and his forces seized power in an attempt to avoid a civil war in Sudan, saying that "the dangers we witnessed last week could have led the country into civil war". Meanwhile, anti-coup protests occur across the country. (Reuters)
  • Deposed prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife are released by the military. However, several government officials continue to be detained and face trial. (AFP via Gulf News)
• War in Donbas
  • Ukraine confirms it has carried out its first drone strikes using the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, destroying a pro-Russian separatist D-30 howitzer. A Ukrainian soldier is killed and another wounded by rebel artillery near Hranitne in Donetsk Oblast. (The Moscow Times)

Arts and culture

• Imperial House of Japan
  • Princess Mako of Akishino marries commoner Kei Komuro, thereby nullifying her imperial title under Japanese law and becoming Mako Komuro. (AFP via France 24)

Business and economy

• A cyberattack affects gas stations across Iran, rendering government-issued electronic cards used to buy subsidized fuel unuseable and leaving motorists stranded in long queues. No group immediately claims responsibility for the attack. Iran blames an "unidentified foreign power" as being behind the attack. (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Two people are killed and another is missing as floods triggered by a powerful storm is affecting Catania, Sicily, Italy. Roads have been completely submerged in parts of the region. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • Belgium reintroduces the usage of face masks at public places and will expanding the usage of COVID Safe Ticket to bars, restaurants, and fitness club beginning next week amid a rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Bulgaria reports a record 5,863 new cases and 243 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 575,306 and the nationwide death toll to 23,316. (Bulgarian News Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 1,106 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 232,775. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 vaccination in Switzerland
      • Switzerland recommends that people aged above 65 years old receive the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and should be done at least six months after they received their second dose. The booster dose for that age group will begin in mid-November. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a record 734 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 64,936. (RFE/RL)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bahrain
      • Bahrain approves the usage of the Sinopharm BIBP COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 3 and 11 years old. (Khaleej Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • The city of Lanzhou is placed under lockdown due to a cluster of COVID-19 cases. The city, which has a population of over four million, accounts for roughly a fifth of new cases reported in China since October 17. (NDTV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
      • British Columbia announces that beginning from January 2022, the province will offering a booster dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to people aged above 12 years old who have already received their second dose, becoming the first jurisdiction in North America to do so. (Vancouver Sun)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • The African Union will purchase 110 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in a deal brokered by the United States, which will defer delivery of some doses intended for the U.S. in order to facilitate the deal. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis, Belarus–Poland relations
  • Poland increases the number of soldiers deployed on its border with Belarus from 6,000 to "about 10,000" in order to prevent the flow of further illegal crossings by Middle Eastern migrants being flown in by the Belarusian government. The troop surge comes after two border guards were hospitalized over the weekend after a group of 70 migrants stormed a section of the border. (EUObserver)
• 2021 Myanmar protests
  • The ASEAN Summit takes place virtually without the participation of Myanmar, following the bloc's decision to disinvite the country's military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing for refusing to cooperate on a peace process. (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

• Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, 2021 Brazilian protests, COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  • A Senate committee approves a resolution to gain access to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's internet activity. The Senate also votes today on whether to indict Bolsonaro with multiple charges, including charges accusing him of mismanagement of the pandemic, charlatanism and crimes against humanity. (AP) (Reuters)
• At least 150 people are arrested by European and U.S. authorities during a joint crackdown on traders of drugs, weapons and other illicit goods on darknet e-commerce sites. The majority of those arrested are from Germany, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Donbas, Russia–Ukraine relations
  • Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warns that the delivery and Ukraine's first operational deployment of the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 in Donbas may "destabilize the situation" in the region. Ukraine carried out its first strikes against separatist forces using the Bayraktar drone yesterday. (Reuters)
  • Ukrainian troops regain control of the village of Staromaryivka in the so-called "grey zone" between Ukraine and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), according to DPR Foreign Minister Natalya Nikonorova. (TASS)
• Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
  • Eleven people are killed and 26 more injured as angry villagers attack residents of Nahr Al-Imam in retaliation for yesterday's Islamic State attack in the nearby village of Al-Rashad, Diyala Governorate, which killed 15 people. The victims were not however connected to the attack. (The New Arab)
• October 2021 Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan protests
  • Four policemen are killed and 263 more are injured during clashes with supporters of the banned far-right Islamic extremist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party in Lahore, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
• Papua conflict
  • A report by the United Nations and the government of Papua New Guinea finds that thousands of Papuans from Indonesia have crossed into the remote border areas of western Papua New Guinea. In one of the areas, the sole police commander, Terry Dap, has asked the central government in Port Moresby to help reduce the influx of asylum seekers into Papua New Guinea. (RNZ)
• October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état
  • The African Union suspends Sudan in response to Monday's military coup. (DW)

Arts and culture

• Pope Francis blesses two large bells headed to Ukraine and Ecuador. The bells are part of an initiative by the Polish Yes to Life foundation. They each weigh more than 2,000 pounds, are nearly four feet in diameter, and were cast by the Felczyński bell foundry in Przemyśl, Poland. (Catholic News Agency)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Economy of Brazil
    • The Central Bank of Brazil raises its interest rate by 150 basis points to 7.75 percent, its largest increase since 2002. (AFP via RFI)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam
      • Vietnam begins to vaccinate children in Ho Chi Minh City where 1,500 teenagers between the ages of 16 and 17 years old are eligible to receive the vaccine as part of an effort to reopen schools after a six-month closure. (AP)
      • Vietnam surpasses 900,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Saigon Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports a record 5,324 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 184,419. (Today)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Bulgaria reports a record for the second consecutive day of 6,816 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 582,122. (Bulgarian News Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 1,123 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 233,898. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • Labour Party leader Keir Starmer tests positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
    • The Therapeutic Goods Administration approves the usage of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for people over the age of 18 years old, which can be administered at least six months after the second dose. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 drug development
    • Merck & Co. signs a licensing agreement with the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool that will allow more companies to manufacture generic versions of its experimental oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment molnupiravir with a royalty-free license that will apply to 105 low- and middle-income countries. (Reuters)

International relations

• Lebanon–Saudi Arabia relations
  • Saudi Arabia summons the Lebanese ambassador over "offensive" remarks about the war in Yemen made by Lebanese information minister George Kurdahi. (Arab News)
• China–Tajikistan relations
  • Tajikistan approves the construction of a new US$10 million Chinese military base near its border with Afghanistan, and in a separate statement offers to hand over a pre-existing base to China and waive future rent payments on the base in exchange for military aid. The approval comes as the Tajik government expressed concerns about the worsening security situation along the border after the Taliban took over Afghanistan a few months prior. (RFE/RL)
• Nuclear program of Iran
  • Following a meeting with European officials in Brussels, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announces that negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will resume in November. Negotiations were halted following the United States' withdrawal from the deal. (AFP via WION)

Law and crime

• Climate justice
  • Men from the Kalaw Lagaw Ya Indigenous Australian community sue the Australian Government in the Federal Court over the impacts of climate change on the Torres Strait Islands. (ABC News Australia)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro
  • The Brazilian Senate votes to charge President Jair Bolsonaro over his controversial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The charges include crimes against humanity, incitement to crime, falsification of documents and the violation of social rights. Brazil's COVID-19 death toll is second only to that of the United States. (BBC News)
• Protests continue for a second consecutive day across Ecuador due to an increase in the price of gasoline, as president Guillermo Lasso orders the deployment of security forces to highways in order to maintain order. Lasso also calls on indigenous populations and civil society groups to engage in dialogue. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Next Portuguese legislative election
  • The budget proposed by the Socialist minority government of Prime Minister António Costa is rejected by the Assembly of the Republic for the first time in the country's democratic history, following moves by the Left Bloc and the Communist Party to join the right-wing parties and reject the budget. It is expected that the President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will dissolve the parliament and call for early elections. (AFP via France 24)
• Poland and the European Union
  • The European Court of Justice (ECJ) fines Poland €1 million per day, for breaking the law by maintaining the disciplinary chamber of its Supreme Court. The ECJ says Poland has failed to comply with its order, and finds it might pose a "serious and irreparable harm to the legal order of the European Union". The fine is the highest daily penalty the ECJ has ever imposed on any EU member state. (DW)

Sports

• Homosexuality in association football
  • Australian professional soccer player Josh Cavallo comes out as gay, becoming the only current openly gay top-flight male soccer player. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Far-right terrorism in France
  • Rémy Daillet, a far-right conspiracy theorist, is charged with leading the planned "Operation Azul", a plot which involved 12 suspects, accused of plotting a series of attacks against COVID-19 vaccination centres, a masonic lodge, journalists, prominent figures and parliament. Former soldiers had been hired to train recruits for the plot. (BBC News)
• Tigray War
  • Ethiopian forces carry out another airstrike on Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray Region, targeting a compound of the Tigray People's Liberation Front. A Tigrayan spokesman denies that the airstrike hit the compound and instead says that six civilians were killed, including three children. (Yahoo! News)
• Aftermath of the October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état
  • Protests continue for the fourth day in Sudan after the coup d'état. Another protestor is killed, bringing the total number of protestors killed to 11. (Reuters)
• The new leader of the Islamic State – West Africa Province has been killed during a military operation this month, two weeks after the death of the group's leader Abu Musab al-Barnawi was announced. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Facebook, Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, renames itself to Meta Platforms. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says that the rename was done in order to reflect the company's diversification into other areas, such as virtual reality. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Moscow enters its strictest lockdown since June 2020, closing schools, kindergartens, and all non-essential businesses until November 7 due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. (Deutsche Welle)
      • Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 1,159 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 235,057. The country also reports a record 40,096 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.39 million. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
      • The Hungarian government announces that it will require face masks to be worn on public transport beginning on November 1 and will also allow companies to impose a vaccine mandate for their employees in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, all non-essential medical appointments will be temporarily suspended. (Euronews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a record 26,071 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.85 million. (Ukrinform)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, COVID-19 vaccination in mainland China
      • Beijing mandates booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for key workers, including cooks, security guards and cleaning personnel, becoming the first major Chinese city to publicly mandate booster doses. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports its first case of the Delta subvariant AY.4.2 in one imported COVID-19 case on October 26. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan
      • The number of people who received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Taiwan surpasses 70%. (Taipei Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda
    • Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announces that schools will be reopened in January after being closed for almost two years due to the pandemic, while the rest of the economy will be reopened in the same month. (France 24)
• Malaysian gynaecologist John Tang Ing Chinh invents the world's first unisex condom, that can be used by both males and females, which is made from a medical grade material normally used as a dressing for injuries and wounds. (Reuters via Today)
• At least 300 Olive ridley sea turtles have washed up dead on Mexico's Pacific coast, after being tangled in illegal fishing nets in the high seas. The species is listed as vulnerable. (BBC News)

International relations

• 2021 Jersey dispute, France–United Kingdom relations
  • France seizes a British trawler fishing inside its territorial waters without a licence, and fines another vessel amid tensions over post-Brexit fishing rights in the English Channel. The trawler is being held at the Port of Le Havre. The French government also says that, beginning November 2, it will impose extra customs checks on British goods entering France. French Seas Minister Annick Girardin says that "It's not war, but it is a fight". (Reuters)
  • British environment minister George Eustice condemns the French seizure of the vessel, calling it "disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner" and warned of an "appropriate and calibrated response". (Financial Post)
  • The British government summons the French ambassador to the UK over the actions by French authorities in the English Channel. (Deutsche Welle)
• Australia–France relations
  • French President Emmanuel Macron tells Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Morrison had broken the trust between the two countries and that it was up to Canberra to repair those ties with "tangible actions". France had criticized its allies after Australia opted for nuclear-powered submarines to be built with U.S. and British technology instead of a $A90 billion French diesel-electric submarine program. Macron also urged Australia to stop mining coal. (The Canberra Times)
• Moldova–Russia relations
  • The European Union accuses Russia of "weaponizing" gas prices in order to "bully" Moldova after negotiations between the two countries failed following the expiration of a Moldovan contract with Gazprom. The Kremlin denied the accusations. (SwissInfo)

Law and crime

• Human rights in Cuba
  • The National Assembly of People's Power passes a law aimed at reforming the country's judicial system and criminal code, consistent with the 2019 constitution. (Reuters)
• China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Ministry of Emergency Management announce in a joint statement that cities with a population of more than three million people are not allowed to construct skyscrapers taller than 500 metres (1,600 ft) and need a special exemption in order to construct a building taller than 250 metres (820 ft). The ministries also announce that cities with a population of less than three million people are not allowed to construct skyscrapers taller than 250 metres (820 ft) and need a special exemption in order to construct a building taller than 150 metres (490 ft). (BBC News)

Sports

• India–Pakistan cricket rivalry
  • Police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh arrest three Kashmiri students for allegedly celebrating Pakistan's win over India in Sunday's T20 World Cup cricket game. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2021 Uganda bombings
  • Two children are killed by a bomb explosion at a village in Nakaseke District. The device looked like a jackfruit and was given to the children while they were playing. (Al Jazeera)
• 2021 Democratic Republic of the Congo attacks
  • The CODECO and the Alliance for the Liberation of the Congo militia groups attack two villages in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 14 civilians. (AFP via The Punch)
• Afghanistan conflict
  • Three people are killed and several injured when gunmen open fire at a wedding in Nangarhar. The Taliban are accused of being behind the attack, opening fire while music was being played. The Taliban has, however, said that the shooting was an internal dispute and that two of the attackers have been arrested. (The Guardian)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Two employees of the Canadian mining company Iamgold are reported missing following an attack on their convoy in Burkina Faso while travelling to Essakane, Mali. (Reuters)
• Internal conflict in Myanmar
  • Tatmadaw forces bombard the town of Thantlang in Chin State, western Myanmar, with artillery shells, destroying dozens of homes, after clashing with local self-defence forces who captured a soldier. (Al Jazeera English)

Business and economy

• Economy of Mexico
  • The National Institute of Statistics and Geography in Mexico shows that the economy shrank 0.2% in the third-quarter from the three previous months and the GDP also declined during the same period of time, both largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
        • Lockdown restrictions are further eased in Melbourne as 80% of the adult population are now fully vaccinated. Schools, non-essential retail, restaurants and gyms reopen with density limits, masks are no longer mandatory outdoors, and travel between Melbourne and regional Victoria resumes. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Tonga
      • Tonga reports its first case of COVID-19 in a person who travelled from Christchurch, New Zealand to Nukuʻalofa and is now in isolation. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • Minister of Culture and Sports Sílvia Riva tests positive for COVID-19. (Diari d'Andorra)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland surpasses three million cases of COVID-19. (U.S. News & World Report)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 1,163 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the nationwide death toll to 236,220. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a record for the second consecutive day of 26,870 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.88 million. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • After seeing a slight increase in the number of cases and deaths, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina intensify their vaccination rollouts. Chile has reported 37,719 total deaths from COVID-19 while Argentina has reported 115,916 total deaths from COVID-19. (El País Uruguay)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan
    • The Kyrgyzstan Cabinet of Ministers issues a change of regulations that would require workers in the cultural, leisure, entertainment, and sport sectors to be vaccinated against COVID-19 due to the ongoing pandemic situation in the country. (AKIpress)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    • The Food and Drug Administration authorizes the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11, becoming the first vaccine to be approved for children in the United States. (CNBC)

International relations

• 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis, Belarus–Poland relations
  • The Senate of Poland approves a plan to construct an estimated €353 million (US$407 million) wall along the country's border with Belarus, in response to an influx of migrants. (AFP via Barron's)
• Moldova–Russia relations
  • Moldova and Russian energy firm Gazprom extend their supply contract, following accusations of Russia raising oil prices against Moldova. (AFP via The Moscow Times)
• Lebanon–Saudi Arabia relations
  • Saudi Arabia recalls its ambassador to Lebanon and demands for Lebanon to reciprocate the action over "insulting" remarks about the war in Yemen made by Lebanese information minister George Kurdahi. (AFP via RFI)

Law and crime

• LGBT rights in Afghanistan, Treatment of women by the Taliban
  • Taliban-appointed chief of the Central Bank Shah Mehrabi says that gay rights will not be respected in Afghanistan because "That's against our Sharia law", but also said that, conversely, women's rights will be different than that of the 1990s. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
• Aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
  • U Win Htein, aide to the deposed Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is sentenced to 20 years in prison for sedition. Htein became the first politician arrested in the aftermath of the February 2021 coup to be convicted. (Deutsche Welle)
• The European Parliament sues the European Commission for failing to properly enforce the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation that is linked to the Next Generation EU recovery package, which refuses to fund member states that fail to comply with the European Union's rule of law standards. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Bangsamoro Parliament election
  • President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte signs into law a bill postponing the Bangsamoro Parliament election to 2025. The interim government of Bangsamoro led by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has requested the postponement due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability of the government to draw up an election code for the autonomous region. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Science and technology

• Solar cycle 25
  • An X-class solar flare, the second of the current solar cycle, erupts. An associated coronal mass ejection may graze Earth on October 30 or 31, which could cause bright aurorae and interfere with satellite communications. (Space)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War
  • 2021 Aden bombings
    • A car bomb kills 9 people and injures 12 others near Aden International Airport. The attack coincided with the arrival of Aden's former governor at the airport, who is unhurt. (BBC News)
• Aftermath of the October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état
  • Three people are killed as the military opens fire at an anti-coup protest in Omdurman, bringing the total number of protesters killed since the coup to 14. (Al Jazeera)
• Mali War
  • Seven soldiers are killed in two separate attacks on patrols in Mourdiah. (Reuters)
• Tigray War
  • The Tigray Defense Forces say that they have captured the strategic city of Dessie and are advancing toward neighboring Kombolcha in Amhara. The government denies these claims, but residents confirm that the Ethiopian National Defense Force have completely withdrawn from Dessie. (Al Jazeera)
• Internal conflict in Myanmar
  • Over 160 buildings, including two churches, in the town of Thantlang, Chin State, have been destroyed by fires resulting from Tatmadaw shelling that occurred the previous day. (AP via Global News)

Business and economy

• Economy of Argentina
  • In his speech at the G20 summit in Rome, president Alberto Fernández says that huge debts "condemn generations" and that the "current system prioritizes speculation over the development of the peoples", while also condemning the previous administration of Mauricio Macri for accepting a $46 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. (Hola News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 40,351 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.47 million. (CTV News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey surpasses eight million cases of COVID-19. (ANI News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • Vice President Kamala Harris receives a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (Axios)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand reports a record 160 new community cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (1 News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    • The Philippines reports a record 423 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours due to reclassification of 373 cases previously listed as recoveries, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 43,044. (CNA)

International relations

• 2021 Jersey dispute, France–United Kingdom relations
  • Last-ditch talks are held between British and French authorities as local authorities in the ports of Calais and Boulogne warn of a "disaster" if the French government goes ahead with its plan to "clog up" the English Channel and disrupt the trade and sailing of British vessels in French ports. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK could consider "formal action" under trade agreements. (The Guardian)
• 2021 G20 Rome summit
  • The 16th G20 summit begins for the first time in person after the beginning of the pandemic with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping appearing via video link. (BBC News)
• United States–European Union relations
  • United States Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announces the removal of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union that were imposed during the presidency of Donald Trump. European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis announces that the bloc will reciprocate the action on U.S. imports, ending a trade war. (Reuters)
• Lebanon–United Arab Emirates relations
  • The Emirati foreign ministry announces that it will recall its diplomats in Lebanon and ban Emirati citizens from traveling to the country "in solidarity with" Saudi Arabia, which recalled its ambassador to Lebanon over "insulting" remarks about the war in Yemen made by Lebanese information minister George Kurdahi. (AFP via Al-Ahram)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War
  • Two missiles are launched against a mosque in Marib Governorate, killing and injuring a total of 29 people. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Gunmen open fire against security forces in Sourou, Burkina Faso, killing five policemen. Fifteen attackers are killed in a gunfight after the attack. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Salisbury rail crash
  • Seventeen people are injured in a derailment and crash between two trains near Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. (BBC News)
• One person is killed and 15 others are injured when a Pemex gas pipeline explodes in Puebla, Mexico. The Governor of Puebla, Miguel Barbosa Huerta, blames an illegal tap for the explosion. (The Canberra Times)
• Nine firefighters are killed during a training exercise inside a cave in Altinópolis, São Paulo, Brazil, after the roof of the cave collapsed. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar
      • Myanmar surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19. (Asian News International)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • The United Arab Emirates issues an emergency use authorization of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 40,993 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.51 million. (ABC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says that she has tested positive for COVID-19 following a meeting with President Joe Biden. She said in a statement that she is experiencing mild symptoms. (CBS News)

International relations

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Pope Francis in the Vatican. It is the first-ever meeting between the two leaders. Modi is in Rome for the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit, October 30-31, before he flies to Glasgow, Scotland, for the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), October 31 to November 12. (Vatican News) (Asia News)

Law and crime

• October 2021 Tokyo attack
  • A man attacks passengers on a train in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, with acid and a knife, before setting the train on fire, injuring 17 people. A man is arrested at the scene. (Reuters)
• The Mexican National Guard open fire against a vehicle carrying Cuban citizens, killing one person and wounding four more people. The guards said that "the vehicle didn't stopped when ordered to do so". (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Japanese general election
  • Japanese citizens head to the polls to elect members of the Lower House. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party faces more opposition than in previous elections due to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (The Washington Post)
• October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état
  • Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok says that he will not step down despite being under house arrest following the military coup. (CNN)
• North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announces his resignation following a decisive defeat of his party, the Social Democratic Union, in the local elections. (AP)