October 21, 2013 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- A female suicide bomber detonates an explosive vest on a bus in the Russian city of Volgograd, killing at least 6 and injuring at least 28 others, 8 of them critically. (BBC) (Reuters)
- War in North-West Pakistan:
- An explosion on the Jaffar Express, travelling between the Pakistani cities of Rawalpindi and Quetta, kills 7 people and injures at least another 10. (The Express)
Disasters and accidents
- 2013 New South Wales bushfires:
- Authorities warn that three fires burning out of control in Australia's Blue Mountains region near the towns of Lithgow, Springwood and Mount Victoria could merge and form a "megafire". (ABC)
- Heavy smog envelopes the Chinese city of Harbin leading to the closure of schools and highways. (Xinhua)
International relations
- Laurent Fabius, the Foreign Minister of France, summons the United States ambassador over allegations of US spying on millions of French phone calls reported in Le Monde. (France 24), (BBC)
Politics
- New Jersey becomes the 14th U.S. state to allow same-sex marriages. (NBC New York)