Portal:Current events/2021 November 12

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Three people are killed and 15 others injured by a bombing during prayers at a mosque in Spin Ghar, Nangarhar Province. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• A Cessna 172 crashes in Hampton Township, New Jersey, United States, killing two people, including businessman and space tourist Glen de Vries. (USA Today)
• Two Russian paratroopers are killed during military drills near the Polish border in western Belarus. The Ministry of Defence says their parachutes failed to deploy properly "due to a sudden strong gust of wind" during their jumps. (Euronews)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand delays the reopening of nightlife entertainment venues to January 15 due to concerns about ventilation and inefficient prevention measures in pubs, bars and karaoke venues. (The Independent)
      • Thailand surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (Asian News International)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • The government announces that they will obtain 1.6 million doses of Merck & Co.'s molnupiravir and have also increased hospital capacities for COVID-19 patients to 30% in order to prepare for a sixth wave of the pandemic. (Kyodo News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
      • Denmark reintroduces its digital pass that must be used in nightclubs, cafés, indoor seating at restaurants, and at outdoor events with more than 2,000 people as it reclassifies COVID-19 as "a socially critical disease" amid an increase in new cases. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • Dutch caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte announces a three-week partial lockdown that requires bars, restaurants, and shops to close at certain times and reintroduces 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) social distancing measures beginning tomorrow. The Netherlands is the first country in Western Europe to impose a lockdown since the summer. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Mauritius
    • Mauritius imposes new restrictions that limit the number of people in large gatherings such as funerals, weddings, and rallies amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases despite high vaccination rates. (AFP via France 24)

International relations

• Eritrea–United States relations
  • The U.S. Treasury Department imposes sanctions on the Eritrean Military and other Eritrea-based entities and individuals in an attempt to bring an end to the Tigray War. The sanctions also blacklist the Eritrean ruling party People's Front for Democracy and Justice. (Reuters)
• 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis, Belarus–Iraq relations
  • Iraq restricts direct flights to Belarus amid the migrant crisis in at the Belarus–Poland border. (Kurdistan 24)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack
  • U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announces that former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for refusing to testify before the January 6 select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot and also refusing to provide documents requested by the committee. (NBC News)
• Britney Spears conservatorship dispute
  • American singer Britney Spears is released from her 13-year conservatorship in accordance with a ruling by judge Brenda J. Penny of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, following allegations of abuse originating from fan speculation, media investigation, and public testimony. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)
• American journalist Danny Fenster is sentenced by a Myanmar military court to 11 years in prison, after being found guilty of three charges brought against him. (CNN)
• The European Commission announces its intention to bring the government of Portugal to the European Court of Justice over persistent violations of Directive 2008/50/EC, which limits the amount of certain emissions a country can produce in order to regulate air pollution. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
  • The Saeima votes 62–7 with two abstentions and 29 absent lawmakers to ban MPs who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 from voting and participating in the parliament, both for in-person and remote meetings. The restrictions will be in effect from November 15 until July 1. (ABC News) (Reuters)
• Politics of El Salvador
  • The Legislative Assembly begins to discuss president Nayib Bukele's proposal to regulate criticism of the government by civil organizations and media critics of the government. (El País)

Sports

• 2022 Winter Olympics, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • China reports the first cases of COVID-19 among foreign athletes who will participate in the Winter Olympics, with two lugers from an unidentified nation testing positive. (Reuters)