Portal:Current events/2021 August 24

August 24, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Aftermath of the 2021 Taliban offensive and Fall of Kabul
  - Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid says that the group will not allow any more evacuations of Afghan citizens and that the "main road to the airport is now blocked" and that "people should return to work". Mujahid also said that the United States must stick to its August 31 withdrawal deadline. (CNN)
  - Operation Pitting
    - United Kingdom government officials confirm that a man was accidentally flown from Kabul to Birmingham, England, where he was flagged as being a part of a terrorist no-fly list. (BBC News)
  - Operation Allies Refuge
    - U.S. President Joe Biden says that around 70,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan. He also announces that the United States will stick to its August 31 deadline, but says that there should be "contingency plans" if necessary. (KVIA-TV) (CBS News)
    - Representatives Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) make an unannounced trip to Kabul "to conduct oversight on the mission to evacuate Americans and our allies". However, the U.S. State Department, Defense Department, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issue a warning for lawmakers not to travel to Afghanistan. (Politico)
Somali Civil War
- Al-Shabaab insurgents attack a military base in Galmudug and capture the town of Amara after Somali forces retreat. The Somali forces conduct airstrikes and say that they have killed insurgents. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 12 miners are dead during an explosion of methane gas and coal dust in the "La Carbonera" mine, in the municipality of Tópaga, Colombia. (PerthNow)
An apartment collapses in Turin, Italy during a suspected gas leak, killing a child and wounding three more people. (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
    - Cambodia surpasses 90,000 cases of COVID-19. (Khmer Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
    - India approves the phase II and III trials of the country's first domestic MRNA-based HGC019 vaccine made by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals after the early-stage study found that the vaccine is safe and effective. (Al Jazeera)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia surpasses four million cases of COVID-19. (Xinhua News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 709 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 103,357. (Barron's)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - Israel surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (The Times of Israel)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
    - A U.S. donation of 500,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine via COVAX Initiative is arrived in Gaza Strip and West Bank. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - The Greek government announces new measures that would require COVID-19 testing for all unvaccinated employees and university students at their own expense with the exception of school students and also restrict access to restaurants, bars, cafés, and indoor entertainment and sport venues to only those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19. The new rules will be in effect from September 13 until March 31, 2022. (Associated Press)
    - Greece reports a record 4,608 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 566,812. (Kathimerini)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
    - The French national health regulator Haute Autorité de Santé recommends a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65 and those with existing health conditions, which was previously announced by Health minister Olivier Véran yesterday. The booster doses will be administered beginning at the end of October. (Euronews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey
    - The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Turkey surpasses 90 million. (Hürriyet Daily News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba
  - Cuba reports a record 9,907 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 602,526. (Sify)
- COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
  - New Zealand reports 41 new community transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since April 2020. (Australian Financial Review)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria
  - The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control approves the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine for emergency use in Nigeria. (Vanguard)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - The U.S. surpasses 38 million cases of COVID-19. (KIRO-TV)
Havana syndrome
- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's trip to Vietnam from Singapore is postponed for several hours following reports of cases of Havana syndrome in Hanoi. Additionally, two other U.S. staff are evacuated from the country. (Forbes)

International relations

Algeria–Morocco relations
- Algeria suspends diplomatic ties with Morocco in an unprecedented move in which Foreign Minister Ramdane Lamamra accused Morocco of "hostile actions". (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in Guatemala
- The Congress of the Republic rejects the approval of the state of calamity which, among other measures, imposed a curfew between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. in addition to restrictions on mobility and freedom of assembly. President Alejandro Giammattei defended the entry into force of these measures on August 13 as reducing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (Telesur)
Capital punishment in Japan
- A senior member of the yakuza, Satoru Nomura, is sentenced to death by a court in Fukuoka, Japan, for ordering four assaults, one of which was deadly. Nomura has denied participating in the crimes. It is the first time that a senior member of the crime group has been sentenced to death. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations
- Andrew Cuomo's resignation as Governor of New York comes into effect. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul is sworn in, making her the first woman to serve as governor of New York. (NBC News)
2021 Zambian general election
- Hakainde Hichilema is sworn in as the 7th president, succeeding Edgar Lungu. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

2020 Summer Paralympics
- COVID-19 cases at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics
  - The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games reports the first COVID-19 case involving a Paralympic athlete. The athlete tested positive for COVID-19 at the Olympic village and was taken to an isolation facility. (The Guardian)
- The opening ceremony for the Paralympics is held. During the ceremony, the Afghanistan flag is flown despite the withdrawal of the country's athletes. (CNN) (USA Today)