September 21, 2016 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- The Obama administration claims that Russia was responsible for the bombing of a United Nations aid convoy near Aleppo on September 19. Russia denies its involvement. In the aftermath of the attack, the United Nations suspends all aid convoys in Syria. (BBC) (The New York Times)
- An airstrike yesterday on a medical facility near Aleppo kills five French medical charity workers. (BBC)
- The United States Secretary of State John Kerry calls for a no-fly zone over northern Syria, in response to the recent airstrikes on an aid convoy and medical facility in the Aleppo Governorate. (Sky News)
- Iraqi Civil War
- The U.S. military investigates yesterday's Islamic State rocket strike near the Qayyarah Airfield West to ascertain if a chemical agent was used. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Volkswagen emissions scandal
- Litigants file a new wave of lawsuits against Volkswagen regarding its emissions scandal. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- Heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides in the Indonesian province of West Java kill at least ten people and leave three others missing. (AFP via AsiaOne)
- 2016 Egypt migrant shipwreck
- A migrant boat carrying some 600 passengers capsizes off the coast of Kafr el-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, killing at least 52 people, with hundreds more missing. (BBC)
- A fire at a power plant at Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority causes a blackout which leaves 1.5 million people without electricity. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Shooting of Keith Lamont Scott
- Protesters of the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott yesterday injure twelve Charlotte, North Carolina police officers. Riots continue into a second night with North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory declaring a state of emergency. (BBC)(CNN)(Fox News)
- Sacramento mayor and former basketball star Kevin Johnson beats protester Sean Thompson's face to a "bloody pulp" after being hit in the face with a whipped cream pie at a charity dinner. Authorities arrest Thompson for felony assault of a public official. (ABC 15)
Science and technology
- Tiangong program
- The China National Space Administration (CNSA) confirms its Tiangong-1 prototype space station, launched in September 2011, is "out of control", and will re-enter and burn up in the atmosphere in late 2017. (The Independent)
- August 2016 becomes the world's hottest on record (since records began 136 years ago) and 16th 'hottest on record' month in a row. (Australian Geographic)