Portal:Current events/2021 July 18
July 18, 2021 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
- 2021 Taliban offensive
- Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada says he "strenuously favors" a political settlement to the conflict between the group and the Afghan government despite recent advancement and territorial gains by the Taliban, saying that he "in spite of the military gains and advances, the Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan]" favors a stable solution to the issue. (Al Jazeera)
- 2021 Taliban offensive
- Taliban insurgency
Health and environment
- Water crisis in Iran, 2016–2021 Iranian protests
- People across southern-west Khuzestan Province in Iran took to the streets for third consecutive day to protest water shortages. (Iran International)
Disasters and accidents
- 2021 European floods
- Heavy floods in Mumbai, India, result in the death of 20 people. In the first incident, a landslide causes the collapse of a wall, killing fourteen people. In the second, six people are killed when landslides collapse homes. (Al Jazeera)
- At least 13 people are killed as a petrol tanker overturns and catches fire between Kisumu and Busia, Kenya. (BBC)
- A cargo ship, which was banned from sailing for failing to comply with basic security measures, sinks off the coast of Liberia, leaving at least seven people missing. The ship had departed Liberia's capital Monrovia on Saturday and was heading to a port in the south of the country. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
- Laos reports a record 131 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,425. (Xinhuanet)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
- Malaysia reports a record 153 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the second day a row, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 7,019. (Malay Mail)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
- Thailand extends its COVID-19-related restrictions that includes curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., shopping mall closure, and travel restrictions to Chonburi, Ayutthaya, and Chachoengsao provinces after the country reports a third consecutive record of 11,397 new cases. The restrictions in these provinces will be in effect from Tuesday. (Al-Jazeera English)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in France, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- France imposes a mandatory previous 24-hours negative COVID-19 test results for unvaccinated travellers coming from Cyprus, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom due to concerns over spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. (Euronews)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
- Italy reports three COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, making the lowest COVID-19 daily-death toll in the country this year. As of today, 127.867 people died from the disease in Italy. (La Repubblica)
- COVID-19 pandemic in France, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia