Portal:Current events/2021 June 20

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Thirteen people are killed in Alabama, United States, during the Tropical Storm Claudette. Ten of the victims, nine of whom were children, die in a fiery 17-vehicle crash. (USA Today)
• A tornado strikes Naperville, Illinois, U.S., destroying twelve homes and injuring six people. (WBBM-TV)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in China surpasses one billion. (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports 13,737 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of cases since January 30. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      • The government signs an agreement to purchase 40 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. It is the largest COVID-19 vaccine deal in the Philippines. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan, Taiwan–United States relations
        • The United States sends 2.5 million doses of Moderna's vaccine to Taiwan. (Time)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    • Fiji reports a record for the second consecutive day of 166 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,964. The Ministry of Health also reports the death of a 77-year-old man from COVID-19. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in France
    • France lifts its nighttime curfew due to an improvement in the COVID-19 situation in the country. The country previously dropped its outdoor mask requirement on June 17. (SortiraParis)

International relations

• Cross-Strait relations, Hong Kong–Taiwan relations
  • The Taiwanese Mainland Affairs Council says that it will "adjust" the operations of its Hong Kong offices beginning tomorrow, stating that since July 2018, the Hong Kong government has been hindering the offices' operations by pressuring the Taiwanese staff to sign a letter affirming China's claim to Taiwan under the One-China policy in order to receive their work visas. (Al Jazeera)
• Diplomats meet in Vienna to negotiate and restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement signed in 2015. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warns against rejoining the deal and calls for allies to "wake up" to the threat of Iran. (U.S. News & World Report) (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Manhunt for Jürgen Conings
  • Belgian officials report that Jürgen Conings, a 46-year-old soldier and far-right sympathizer who made threats against various politicians and virologists, was found dead in the Hoge Kempen National Park near the Dutch border. (BBC News)
• Germany bans the flag of Hamas after it was used during protests over the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. (Hamodia)

Politics and elections

• Libyan peace process
  • Prime Minister of the provisional Libyan government Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh announces the reopening of a major coastal road connecting the western city of Misrata and the eastern city of Sirte, declaring it a major step in restoring stability in the country. However, a media unit connected to the Libyan National Army disputes this, saying that the road remains closed. (Al Jazeera)
  • The Libyan Presidential Council bans all unauthorized military movement in the country, after forces loyal to Libyan National Army leader Khalifa Haftar announce that they have seized control of the southern border with Algeria earlier in the day. The seizure was the first major military operation of its type since the ceasefire was signed last October. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
• 2021 Armenian parliamentary election
  • In a parliamentary snap election, former and acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract wins the majority of seats of the National Assembly, but 16 fewer than it did in 2018. (Reuters)
• 2021 French regional elections
  • In a series of elections seen as a major bellwether for next year's presidential election, exit polls show left-wing parties and the right-wing Republicans as the main winners, obtaining 34% and 29% of the total votes respectively. The far-right National Rally and the ruling centrist La République En Marche! receive disappointing results, with the former receiving 19% of the total votes, and the latter receiving only 10.9% and not even qualifying for the second round in some regions. (Politico.eu)

Sports

• 2021 U.S. Open (golf)
  • Jon Rahm wins the 121st U.S. Open, becoming the first Spanish champion. (Reuters)