Portal:Current events/2021 April 22

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Tigray War, Sexual violence in the Tigray War
  • The United Nations Security Council declares its concern about the war in Ethiopia's Tigray Region for the first time since the conflict began, particularly because of the use of sexual violence by security forces against civilian women and girls. The statement drafted by Ireland has been approved unanimously by the council. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
  • Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association Chairman Akio Toyoda announces that the 2021 Tokyo Motor Show will be cancelled due to COVID-19. It is the first cancellation in the event's history. (The Japan Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India reports 314,835 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is a world record for daily cases, thereby bringing the total of confirmed cases to 15.9 million. The country also reports a record 2,104 deaths, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 184,657. (CBS News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, Lineage B.1.617
      • Japan reports its first five cases of the "double mutant" Lineage B.1.617 variant first detected in India. (Nippon.com)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record seven deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 117. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • The number of vaccines administered in the United Arab Emirates surpasses 10 million doses. (Khaleej Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, Lineage B.1.617
      • Belgium reports its first cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant in a group of Indian nursing students who travelled from Paris. (Barron's)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Spain surpasses 10 million people who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Cadena Ser)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Lineage B.1.617
        • Alberta reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.617 variant that fuelled surge in India in a returning inter-provincial traveler. (CBC)
      • Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
        • The Canadian government announces that the country will ban all travel from India and Pakistan due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in those countries. (CBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • The U.S. surpasses 32 million cases of COVID-19. (KNSD)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina reports a record 537 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 60,620. (Clarín)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • The North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will begin its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with around 60,000 doses arriving in Goma. This comes after the country's announcement that it will kick off uts own vaccination campaign by using AstraZeneca's vaccine. (Africanews)

International relations

• China–United Kingdom relations, Uyghur genocide
  • The UK House of Commons unanimously passes a non-binding resolution condemning the internment of Uyghurs as genocide. (CNN)
• Russia–Ukraine relations
  • The Russian Defense Ministry announces that it will move its forces away from the Ukrainian border beginning tomorrow. Ukraine and its western allies accused Russia of trying to provoke conflict by moving troops to the border, while Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu claimed that it was only to conduct drills. (Al Jazeera)
• The United States hosts a two-day Leaders Summit on Climate and invites 40 world leaders to discuss the necessity of combating climate change and committing to reduce their nations' emissions. Due to quarantine protocols, the conference is virtual. (CNN)

Law and crime

• 2020–2021 United States racial unrest, Killing of Ma'Khia Bryant
  • Demonstrations spread throughout Columbus the day after 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer, demanding police accountability. During a vigil for Ma'Khia, local activist Hana Abdur Rahim called for the abolition of the police system. (USA Today)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
  • President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signs into law changes to the Infectious Diseases Protection Act that will give the federal government the power to impose "emergency brake" measures in areas where the infection rate exceeds certain levels. The signing comes after the Bundesrat gave its final approval for the controversial law. (DW)
• 2021 Boulder shooting
  • Ahmad Al Aliwi Al-Issa, the suspect in last month's mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, faces more than 40 additional charges in relation to the incident. The new charges include attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and using a high-capacity magazine, which is illegal in Colorado. (NPR) (AP)
• Letters with CETME rifle bullets are received by the Spanish Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the leader of Podemos Pablo Iglesias and the general director of the Civil Guard María Gámez. The death threats are condemned by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. (Barron's)
• Three of the seven Catholic clergy who were kidnapped in Croix-des-Bouquets, Ouest, Haiti, on April 11 are released. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Politics and elections

• Xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • The United States Senate votes 94–1 to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act with bipartisan changes. The bill, which would expedite anti-Asian hate crime reviews to the U.S. Justice Department, will next head to the United States House of Representatives. (USA Today)
• Statehood movement in the District of Columbia, DC Admission Act
  • The United States House of Representatives votes 216–208 to pass a bill that would make Washington, D.C. the 51st state, with general support from Democrats and opposition from Republicans. (AP)

Science and technology

• NASA's Perseverance rover successfully synthesizes breathable oxygen while on the surface of Mars. This demonstrates the feasibility of locally producing oxygen for human life support and propellant production. (CBS News)