Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Karsten Warholm

• In Olympic athletics, Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas breaks a 26-year-old world record in the women's triple jump, and Norwegian Karsten Warholm (pictured) sets a world record in the men's 400 metre hurdles.
• Wildfires in southern Turkey kill at least eight people and injure more than 800 others.
• Flooding in western Maharashtra, India, results in more than 250 deaths.
• Typhoon In-fa and resulting flash floods leave more than 300 people dead across China, Japan, and the Philippines.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• Summer Olympics (medal table)

Recent deaths:

• Charles Connor
• Terry Cooper
• Janice Mirikitani
• Carl Levin
• Albert Vanhoye
• Abdul Khaliq Sambhali

Current events of August 4, 2021 (2021-08-04) (Wednesday)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Guadeloupe
    • French overseas territory of Guadeloupe enters a three-week partial lockdown that close bars, gyms, stadiums, and swimming pools, allows restaurants to only offer lunchtime service, enforcing a curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., and restrict the travel to radius 10 km (6.2 mi) from their residence unless for urgent reasons amid a "catastrophic" rise of COVID-19 cases. (Euronews)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    • Thailand reports a record 20,200 new cases and 188 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 672,385 and the nationwide death toll to 5,503. (Bangkok Post)

Current events of August 3, 2021 (2021-08-03) (Tuesday)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Pakistan
        • Pakistan surpasses one million daily COVID-19 vaccination doses for the first time after the government warned that it may ban unvaccinated people from entering some public places and using some forms of transportation. (The Straits Times)
        • Islamabad becomes the first city with a population of more than one million people to have 50% of its eligible population vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. (DAWN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei
        • Chinese authorities announce city-wide COVID-19 testing for 11 million people in Wuhan after the first locally transmitted cases since May 2020 were reported in the city, where three cases that had been found were of the highly-transmissible Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant. (The Daily Telegraph)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record for the second consecutive day of 39,019 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3.979 million. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • South Korea reports its first two cases of the Delta Plus variant in a man who had not travelled internationally and a person who travelled from the United States. (Yonhap News Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
        • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that the city will issue a vaccine mandate for indoor dining, gyms, and public performances, making New York City the first U.S. city to do so. The program will begin on August 16 and will be enforceable beginning on September 13. (The New York Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana
      • Louisiana reports a record 2,112 hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (U.S. News & World Report)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
        • Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces that the legal requirement for social distancing in Scotland will be removed on August 9 and the blanket 10-day self-isolation for school pupils will be ended in order to prevent educational disruption, as long as all pupils test negative. However, face coverings will be mandatory for secondary school students and staff for the first six weeks of the new term. (The Guardian)
      • The United Kingdom reports 138 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day death toll since March 17. (ITV News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19. (Greek City Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
    • Morocco extends its nightly curfew nationwide to from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and restricts the operation of all businesses and tourist hubs in Casablanca, Agadir and Marrakesh to essential travel and those who have been vaccinated in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the Solomon Islands
    • The Solomon Islands indefinitely closes its borders in an attempt to prevent the Delta variant from entering the country. (RNZ)

International relations

• Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
  • Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud says that he "sees an emboldened Iran acting in a negative manner around the Middle East, endangering shipping, arming the Houthis and contributing to a political deadlock in Lebanon". Al Saud further stated that Saudi Arabia supports any talks with Iran "as long as it ensures that Iran will not now nor ever get nuclear weapons". (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Belarus at the 2020 Summer Olympics
  • Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya loses a bid to continue competing in the games as she was granted an humanitarian visa by Poland while the International Olympic Committee begins an investigation. Tsimanouskaya, who refused to fly back to Belarus, entered the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Sunday and requested temporary asylum in Japan. Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi assured Tsimanouskaya that Japan had taken measures to protect her. (DW)
• Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations
  • A report released by New York Attorney General Letitia James says that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. (NBC News)
• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Eviction in the United States
  • The CDC issues a new "temporary" moratorium on evictions in counties that experienced a "high" and "substantial" level of COVID-19 transmission. The new moratorium, given in response to the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, will last until October 3. (CBS News)
• A court in Russia sentences Lyubov Sobol, an ally of Alexei Navalny, to eighteen months of parole-like restrictions after finding her guilty of violations of COVID-19 restrictions. She rejects the convictions, calling them politically motivated and nonsense. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2020 Summer Olympics
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, Greece at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Artistic swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    • The Hellenic Olympic Committee withdraws its entire synchronized swimming team from the duo and group artistic swimming competitions after four of the team's athletes tested positive for COVID-19. (NPR)

Current events of August 2, 2021 (2021-08-02) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
      • President Ashraf Ghani blames the worsening security situation in Afghanistan on the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops amid a rapid advance of the Taliban across the country. Ghani warns that the Islamist group has not severed ties with other terrorist groups. The Taliban rejects Ghani's statement. (Reuters)
• Tigray War
  • According to Ethiopian refugees and Sudanese witnesses, at least 30 bodies have washed up on the Sudanese banks of the Tekeze River. Most of them had been shot and tied up. According to Dr. Tewodros Tefera, a surgeon who escaped from the Ethiopian border town of Humera, three of the bodies belonged to Tigrayans from Humera. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Henan floods
  • The death toll from the severe floods that are affecting Henan, China, increases to 302 people. (BBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
      • Cyprus begins a vaccination programme for children between the ages of 12 and 15 years old who are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines after 20% of new COVID-19 cases occurred in that age group. (ANI News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
      • German health minister Jens Spahn and leaders of 16 states agree to offer booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine for elderly and at-risk groups beginning in September and make vaccinations widely available for children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old amid concerns about "reduced immune response" due to the spread of the Delta variant. (Al Jazeera)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The United Kingdom eases its quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers from the United States and European Union countries other than France where most of them are in the "amber list" category in order to reunite family and friends whose loved ones live abroad. Travellers will still need to take either a lateral flow or PCR test before their departure, and a PCR test on the second day after their arrival. (BBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
      • Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for civil servants, healthcare workers, care home employees and school teachers. Otherwise, these people would have to pay for regular testing. Currently, only 36% of people in Hong Kong are fully vaccinated whereas 46% of people have received at least one dose. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 37,189 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3.94 million. (Barron's)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Chiba, Kanagawa, Osaka, and Saitama prefectures enter a state of emergency due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases during the 2020 Summer Olympics. A quasi-state of emergency is also being imposed in Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures with both measures being in effect until August 31. (Kyodo News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports a record 219 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,403. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • The Ministry of Health approves the emergency use of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine for children between the ages of 3 and 17 years old in the UAE. (Gulf News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado
        • Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announces a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for school employees, contractors and volunteers. (Patch.com)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
        • New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issues a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. A deadline has been issued by September 7. (CNBC)
      • The U.S. CDC announces that over 70% of adults in the United States have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, nearly a month after the July 4th target originally set by President Joe Biden. (CBS News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in California
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area
        • Health officials in San Francisco and other Bay Area counties reimpose a mask mandate in the area as part of an effort to reduce the spread of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant. (San Francisco Chronicle)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana
      • Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announces that the state will reissue their mask mandate in schools, churches, businesses and other indoor public spaces amid a fourth wave of COVID-19. (The Advocate)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announces that he has tested positive for COVID-19, despite having received a COVID-19 vaccine. (NBC News)

Law and crime

• Belarus at the 2020 Summer Olympics
  • Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya enters the Polish embassy in Tokyo after refusing to board a flight to Belarus at Haneda Airport and asking for Japanese police protection. Her husband has left Belarus and entered Ukraine. The Japanese government says that it will take measures to protect Tsimanouskaya's stay as multiple European countries offer her asylum. (Sky News)
• Police in Hong Kong arrest singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming for violating campaign laws in 2018. (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

• 2020–21 Malaysian political crisis, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics in Malaysia
  • The Dewan Rakyat suspends their special parliamentary meeting for two weeks after COVID-19 cases were detected in the parliament. Malaysian opposition MPs, including Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad, gathered in Merdeka Square after being blocked by police from entering the parliament to protest the suspension. The MPs demanded for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin to resign. (CNA)

Sports

• 2020 Summer Olympics
  • Indonesia at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Badminton at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    • Indonesian Badminton players Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu win the country's first gold medal for the Women's Doubles category of badminton. This makes Indonesia the second country, after China, to have won a gold medal in all five categories of Badminton. (SCMP)
  • New Zealand at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics, LGBT athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games
    • New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard becomes the first transgender woman to compete in the Olympics. (AP)

Current events of August 1, 2021 (2021-08-01) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
  • 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
    • The United Kingdom and the United States join Israel in blaming Iran for the strike. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says that the UK and its allies are planning a coordinated response. However, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson says that the allegation is "baseless". (Associated Press)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • 2021 Niger attacks
    • Fifteen troops are killed and six others are missing as Islamists ambush them in Torodi, Tillabéri Region, Niger. A bomb also exploded as the soldiers tried to evacuate their wounded. (France 24)
• Central African Republic Civil War
  • Militants belonging to the 3R group attack a military position in the village of Mann, Central African Republic, killing six civilians and wounding several more. (Al Jazeera English)
• Five people, including three Hezbollah members, are killed and several more are wounded as gunmen open fire at the funeral of Ali Shibli, a Hezbollah member who was assassinated yesterday in Khalde, Lebanon. Both the attacks are described as motivated by anti-shi'ism and as a revenge for the killing of a Sunni Arab teenager and a Syrian last year in the same town. (France 24)

Arts and culture

• Canada observes "Emancipation Day" nationwide for the first time. The holiday, commemorating the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 came into force and outlawed slavery in Canada and most of the British Empire, was unanimously declared by Parliament in March. (Al Jazeera English)
• New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern formally apologizes to the Pacific Islander community for the Dawn Raids, a series of police raids in the 1970s that targeted and deported Pacific Islanders accused of overstaying their work visas, and says that the government will create new education and training scholarships for the community, and an official account of the raids in order to compensate for them. The apology was supposed to happen in June, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Al Jazeera English)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Afghanistan flood
  • Flash flooding continues for the fourth day in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, killing several more people and bringing the death toll to 113. (Al Jazeera English)
• 2021 Turkish wildfires
  • The death toll from raging wildfires in southern Turkey rises to eight. Thousands of tourists are evacuated from Bodrum by the Coast Guard Command as the fires close in on the port city. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia begins a COVID-19 vaccination rollout for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 years old using the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine. Prime Minister Hun Sen's grandchildren are among the first to receive the vaccine. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Saudi Arabia lifts its travel restrictions for the first time since March 2020 for tourists who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 using government-approved vaccines. Vaccinated travellers must register themselves on the data registration portal introduced by the Ministry of Tourism which also requires a negative PCR test from the previous 72 hours. (Hindustan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand extends its semi-lockdown measures in 13 provinces including the Bangkok Metropolitan Region until August 31 and also extends the restrictions into 16 additional provinces beginning on August 3 due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. (Bloomberg News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria
      • Nigeria receives four million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from U.S. government. (Africanews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, COVID-19 vaccination in Tunisia
      • Tunisia receives 1.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Italy. (Al Arabiya English)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      • The number of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Florida reaches a record 10,207, surpassing the previous record of 10,170 people recorded on July 23, 2020. (Associated Press)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Germany begins to require any travellers over the age of 12 who have been not fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 regardless of transportation mode to present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within the previous 48 hours for rapid antigen test and 72 hours for PCR test amid concerns about the spread of the Delta variant. (Deutsche Welle)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong warns South Korea against conducting military drills with the United States, saying that such a move could damage the talks to resolve the Korean conflict. The two Koreas have been improving relations lately, with North Korea restoring the border hotlines, which Kim Yo-jong called a "physical" measure in case the drills take place. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Five high-ranking army officers and several police officers are arrested in Madagascar in connection with a failed attempt to assassinate the country's president, bringing the number of people arrested in connection to the plot to 21. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
  • On the six-month anniversary of the coup, military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing names himself Prime Minister "in order to perform the country’s duties fast, easily and effectively", according to the ruling State Administration Council. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2021 Formula One World Championship
  • 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix
    • French racing driver Esteban Ocon of Alpine wins his first Formula One race in his career. (CNN International)
• 2020 Summer Olympics
  • Belarus at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    • Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is forcibly removed from the Games by the Belarus Olympic Committee after criticizing officials for entering her in the 4 by 400 meter relay race without her consent. Tsimanouskaya has appealed to the IOC for support, and asked Japanese police for protection at Haneda Airport after she refused to board a flight to Belarus. (Deutsche Welle)
• 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup
  • In association football, the United States defeat Mexico 1–0 after extra time in the final to win their seventh Gold Cup title. (The Straits Times)

Current events of July 31, 2021 (2021-07-31) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
      • Government forces and the Taliban clash in Herat, the provincial capital of Herat Province, where the Islamist group has seized many districts. The Taliban also captures adjoining border crossings with Iran and Turkmenistan as the United Nations accuses them of killing a United Nations serviceman yesterday during an attack on a UN compound. (France 24)
      • The Taliban enters Kandahar as intense fighting is reported in three major cities. Kandahar MP spokesman Gul Ahmad Kamin says that the fighting there is the worst that has been seen in 20 years, with the Taliban seeking to establish their temporary capital there. Kamin also says that the situation is worsening "hour by hour" as he warns that if Kandahar falls, five or six other provinces in the region would also be captured by the Taliban. It is also reported that the Taliban made rapid major gains in rural areas. (BBC)
• Sinai insurgency
  • Eight soldiers are killed by ISIL during anti-terrorism operations in northern Sinai, Egypt. Eighty-nine ISIL militants are also killed. Arms and ammunitions are confiscated, while hundreds of explosive devices, some explosive belts, thirteen tunnel entrances and 200 arms-loaded vehicles are destroyed.(Al Jazeera)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • The deputy governor of Al Bayda Governorate says that Houthi insurgents have taken control of Naman and Nateh districts, displacing many civilians. (The Defense Post)

Disasters and accidents

• Thirty-three people are dead during a collision between a fuel truck and a crowded bus in Kibuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Tokyo reports a record 4,058 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, while the number of new cases across Japan reaches a record 12,341. (CBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
      • Laos reports a record 380 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 6,299. (The Laotian Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports a record 17,786 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,113,272. (The Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
      • Pakistan reports its first five cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Epsilon variant in Lahore, which was originally detected in California. (DAWN)
      • Sindh province imposes a partial lockdown in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi in order to reduce the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The lockdown is in effect until August 8. (Hindustan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record 18,912 new cases and 178 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 597,287 and the nationwide death toll to 4,857. (The Straits Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador
      • El Salvador reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant, which was originally detected in India. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
        • Florida reports a record 21,683 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 19,334 cases reported on January 7. (Tampa Bay Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
    • Health minister Carla Vizzotti reports that Argentina has applied nearly 32 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Argentina has so far reported 4.9 million cases and over 105,000 deaths from COVID-19. (CNDigital)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Brisbane and surrounding towns enter a lockdown after an increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases linked to the ongoing cluster in New South Wales. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Réunion
    • Amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, the French overseas territory of Réunion enters a two-week partial lockdown which restricts the movement of people to 10 km (6.2 mi) during the day and 5 km (3.1 mi) on Sunday as well as closing all cafés, restaurants and gyms. A curfew is also being imposed between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. when movement is not allowed except for essential reasons. (France 24)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Myanmar protests
  • As the six-month anniversary of the military coup against civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi approaches, protests occur in Mandalay with university students waving flags and saying that there is "no possibility of dialogue" with the junta. The junta says that former civilian leaders are spreading "biased information". (Reuters)
• Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina calls on the military to take "responsibility for threats to national sovereignty and threats to national security" after a plot to assassinate him was foiled last week. Rajoelina called on the new military graduates to uphold democracy. (Madagascar Tribune)

Sports

• 2020 Summer Olympics
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, Georgia at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    • The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games revokes accreditation for two Georgian judokas for violating COVID-19 protocols by leaving the athletes village for a sightseeing trip to meet "one of their good acquaintances" who lives in Japan. (BBC)
  • Qatar at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    • Qatari weightlifter Fares El-Bakh wins the men's 96 kg event, receiving Qatar's first-ever Olympic gold medal. (The Peninsula)

Current events of July 30, 2021 (2021-07-30) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
      • The Taliban enters Lashkargah, the provincial capital of Helmand Province, capturing large areas of the city, according to a provincial government spokesman, who reported heavy fighting between government forces and the Islamist group as civilians flee the city. (Reuters)
• 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
  • 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
    • A Romanian captain and a British bodyguard are killed in a suicide drone attack on a Liberian-flagged Japanese-owned oil tanker, belonging to an Israeli company, near the coast of Oman. (Al Jazeera)
• Two supporters of the Zambian political-leading party Patriotic Front are stabbed to death by supporters of the opposition party National Development in the capital Lusaka, amid an increasing tension over the imminent elections. Four people are arrested. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia imposes a two-week lockdown in eight provinces bordering Thailand as well as a nationwide night curfew in an effort to reduce the resurgence of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
      • Israel begins the world's first third-dose vaccination campaign for people over 60 years old, with president Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal receiving a third dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (Haaretz)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japanese health minister Norihisa Tamura says that the country has entered an "extremely frightening" stage of the pandemic as the number of cases increases in Tokyo. The government also extends the state of emergency in the capital and expands it to three surrounding prefectures and the city of Osaka from August 2 to August 31. (BBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 community quarantines in the Philippines
      • The National Capital Region will be placed under the strictest Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in an effort to reduce the resurgence of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. The ECQ will be in effect from August 6 to August 20. (ABS-CBN News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam reports a record 8,649 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 137,062. (Vietnam Plus)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Angela Merkel's cabinet approves a plan to require travellers over the age of 12 who have not been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 to show a negative COVID-19 test result regardless of whether they are travelling by airplane, car or train. People travelling to Germany from "virus variant areas" will also require a negative test result, even if they have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19. These rules will be in effect beginning on August 1. (DW)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Moscow abolishes a widely-flouted requirement for people to wear gloves on public transport and in shops and other public places as the number of COVID-19 cases declines. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya
      • Kenya bans all public gatherings and in-person meetings, as well as extends the nationwide curfew to from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Al Jazeera)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda
      • Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni eases its second nationwide lockdown that allow some business hubs, private and public transport to reopen and operated with restricted capacity limits due to drop of positivity rate of COVID-19 in the country. (Bloomberg)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • The United States surpasses 100,000 daily reported cases for the first time since February 11. (The New York Times)

International relations

• 2021 Cuban protests
  • The United States places sanctions on the Cuban police force and two of its police leaders. (CNBC)
• Philippines–United States relations
  • Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte suspends the termination process of the Visiting Forces Agreement, a military pact between the Philippines and the United States. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Hong Kong national security law
  • Twenty-four-year-old Tong Ying-kit is sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted last week for driving his motorcycle into three riot police last year. (Reuters)
  • Police arrest a 40-year-old man at a mall for booing the Chinese national anthem during the ceremony for Hong Kong's first gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Police added that the man also carried a Hong Kong colonial flag and that he was arrested on grounds of the man's aim to "incite hatred and politicize sports". (Reuters)
• Immigration detention in Australia
  • An Iranian Kurdish asylum seeker living among the community in Australia sues the Commonwealth government in the Federal Court for detaining him in two hotel rooms for over a year. This is the latest in a growing movement of refugees suing Australia for alleged human rights abuses. (The Guardian)
• 2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
  • The European Court of Justice confirms the lifting of parliamentary immunity of MEPs and Catalan independence leaders Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comín and Clara Ponsatí, thereby allowing Spanish courts to prosecute and extradite them to Spain. (Euronews)
• Western Togoland
  • Charles Komi Kudzordzi, leader of the Home Study Group Foundation, is arrested by Ghanaian national security officials for declaring parts of the Volta Region independent in 2019. (GhanaWeb)

Current events of July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • 2021 Daraa clashes
    • Eight Syrian soldiers, seven rebel fighters and eight civilians are killed in clashes in Daraa Governorate. (SOHR)
• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
      • A U.S. government watchdog charged with monitoring events on the ground says that the Afghan government will be "fighting for its life" and could fall under the control of the Taliban once the withdrawal of foreign troops is completed. The report states that Afghan "unprepared forces" are facing an "existential crisis" in response to the increasing Taliban attacks. (Voice of America)
• Tigray War
  • Fighting escalates in Ethiopia's Amhara Region as Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) continue their offensive. Federal forces as well as Amharan militiamen are fighting the TDF on three fronts. Clashes are also reported in the Afar Region, to the east, with Ethiopian officials accusing Tigrayan forces of attempting to seize the N'Djamena–Djibouti Highway. (BBC)
• Central African Republic Civil War
  • The United Nations Security Council extends an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on the Central African Republic for another year. China was the only UNSC member to abstain from the vote. (U.S. News)

Arts and culture

• The Royal Spanish Academy confirms that Alfonso de Palencia's dictionary dates from 1492, so it predates Antonio de Nebrija's "Latin-Spanish Dictionary" and becomes the earliest known Spanish vocabulary. (El País)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 wildfire season
  • 2021 California wildfires
    • The Dixie Fire grows to 221,504 acres, making it the 13th largest wildfire in California. (San Francisco Chronicle)
  • 2021 Turkish wildfires
    • Three people are killed and 58 more wounded during multiple simultaneous wildfires in Manavgat, Antalya. The fires cause mass evacuations in several provinces. (Associated Press)
• Flash flooding kills at least 60 people and leaves several others missing in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, amid torrential rains. (BBC)
• A huge fire destroys part of the Cinemateca Brasileira, in São Paulo, that have the largest collection of "moving image" in Latin America. (EFE)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala
        • Kerala announces a total weekend lockdown on July 31 and August 1 due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Hindustan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
        • Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announces that a booster shot will be offered for people aged 60, making Israel the first country to do so. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Tokyo reports a record for the third consecutive day of 3,865 new cases of COVID-19, while the number of new cases across Japan surpasses 10,000 for the first time. (The Asahi Shimbun)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
      • Pakistan announces that they will ban air travel for unvaccinated people, as well as entry to schools for both staff and students over the age of 18 beginning on August 1 and will also require public sector workers, public transport workers and retail staff to get vaccinated beginning on August 31 or risk a ban on entry to shopping malls, restaurants, and government offices. (U.S. News and World Report )
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record for the second consecutive day of 17,669 new cases, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 561,030. The country also reports a record 165 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 4,562. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan
      • Uzbekistan reports a record 879 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 127,506. (AKIPress)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
        • Northern Ireland announces that it will allow fully-vaccinated travellers from amber list European Union countries as well as the United States to enter without needing to quarantine beginning on August 1. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal announces three phases for lifting its COVID-19-related restrictions, including ending localized curfews and operating hours restrictions for restaurants, stores and cultural venues on August 1 as the number of cases continues to decline. However, bars and discothèques will only be allowed to reopen in October. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 799 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the third time in a month, bringing the nationwide death toll to 156,277. (The Moscow Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • U.S. President Joe Biden announces that federal employees will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo a COVID-19 test. He also urges The Pentagon to approve a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the United States military. (Business Insider)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
      • Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson declares a public health emergency in Arkansas amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. He also announces a special legislative session to change the law that prevents public schools from issuing mask mandates. (KATV-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vermont
      • Vermont becomes the first U.S. state to vaccinate 70% of people aged 12 to 17. (NECN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issues a mask mandate for indoor public spaces as part of an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The mandate will be in effect on July 31. (The Hill)
  • Over 4 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine has been administered worldwide. (Medical Xpress)

Law and crime

• LGBT rights in Uganda
  • Local human rights activists in Uganda petition President Yoweri Museveni not to sign a controversial bill against gay sex into law as it could increase discrimination and hate crimes and incite violence against gay men. The bill further criminalizes homosexuality by punishing "penetration of another person’s anus" with up to 10 years' imprisonment. Richard Lusimbo, a 34-year-old activist, says that even people suspected of being gay will be attacked if the bill comes into effect. (PLM Daily)

Politics and elections

• Peru's President Pedro Castillo names Guido Bellido of the party Free Peru as his prime minister. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2020 Summer Olympics
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    • American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks withdraws from the Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19. (The Washington Post)
  • San Marino at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Shooting at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    • Sammarinese shooter Alessandra Perilli gets third place in the Women's trap event, winning San Marino its first Olympic medal and making it the least populous nation to have won a medal. (CNN)

Time: 02:45 UTC|Day: 4 August

	August 2021
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Ongoing events

Business

• COVID-19 recession

Disasters

• COVID-19 pandemic
• 2020–21 European windstorm season
• 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
• 2021 Pacific typhoon season
• 2021 Western North America heat wave
• Madagascar food crisis
• Water crisis in Iran
• Yemeni famine

Politics

• Afghan peace process
• Arab protests
• Belarusian protests
• Brazilian protests
• Colombian tax reform protests
• Cuban protests
• Eswatini protests
• Haitian protests
• Indian farmers' protests
• Iranian protests
• Jersey dispute
• Libyan peace process
• Lithuanian migrant crisis
• Myanmar protests
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• Persian Gulf crisis
• Peruvian crisis
• Sudanese protests
• Tigrayan peace process
• Thai protests
• Tunisian political crisis
• United States racial unrest
• United States Stop Asian Hate protests
• Venezuelan presidential crisis

Elections and referendums

Recent

• July
  • 26: Saint Lucia, House of Assembly
• August
  • 1: Mexico, Referendum

Upcoming

• August
  • 8: São Tomé and Príncipe, President (2nd) 
  • 12: Zambia, President, National Assembly

Trials

Recently concluded

• Belarus: Viktar Babaryka
• China: Sun Dawu
• Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai
• Indonesia: Edhy Prabowo, Muhammad Rizieq Shihab
• Russia: Lyubov Sobol
• South Africa: Jacob Zuma
• Spain: 2017 Barcelona attacks
• Switzerland: Alieu Kosiah
• Tonga: ʻAkosita Lavulavu
• United States: Cristhian Bahena Rivera, Stephen Calk, Ed Buck

Ongoing

• Argentina: Rodolfo Martín Villa
• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• Belarus: Sergei Tikhanovsky
• Colombia: Álvaro Uribe
• France: Nicolas Sarkozy
• India: Disha Ravi
• Indonesia: Juliari Batubara, Nurdin Abdullah
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• Spain: Bárcenas affair, Barçagate
• Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
• Vatican City: Giovanni Angelo Becciu
• International: Ali Kushayb, The Gambia v. Myanmar

Upcoming

• Canada: Raj Grewal
• Kosovo: Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli
• Lesotho: Maesiah Thabane
• Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina
• United Kingdom: Apsana Begum
• United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Elizabeth Holmes, Meng Wanzhou, R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell, Allen Weisselberg
• Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo

Sport

• Multi-sport events
  • 2020 Summer Olympics
• Association football
  • 2021 Copa Libertadores final stages
  • 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
  • 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
  • 2021 Major League Soccer season
• Women's association football
  • 2021 NWSL season
• Baseball
  • 2021 MLB season
• Cricket
  • ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League 2020–2023
  • 2019–2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2
  • ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League 2019–2022
• Golf
  • 2021 European Tour
  • 2021 LPGA Tour
  • 2020 PGA Tour Champions
  • 2021 Ladies European Tour
  • 2020–21 PGA Tour
• Motorsport
  • 2021 Formula One Championship
  • 2021 Rally Championship
  • 2021 MotoGP
  • 2021 Supercars Championship
• Rugby league
  • 2021 NRL season
  • 2021 Super League
• Rugby union
  • 2021 Bunnings NPC
  • 2021 Super Rugby season
• Tennis
  • 2021 ATP Tour
  • 2021 WTA Tour
  • 2020–21 Davis Cup (Finals)
• Other sports seasons
  • 2021 International cricket season
  • 2021-22 snooker season
  • 2021–22 curling season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

August

• 2: Elias John Kwandikwa

July

• 31: Paco Cabanes Pastor
• 30: Rachel Oniga
• 29: Jaime Chamorro Cardenal
• 29: Richard Lamm
• 29: Carl Levin
• 29: Janet Banana
• 29: Albert Vanhoye
• 28: Ron Popeil
• 28: Giuseppe Giacomini
• 27: Dusty Hill
• 27: Gianni Nazzaro
• 26: Brazo de Plata
• 26: Mike Enzi
• 26: Mike Howe
• 26: Joey Jordison
• 26: Fernando Karadima
• 25: Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho
• 25: Bob Moses
• 24: Rodney Alcala
• 24: Dieter Brummer
• 24: Jackie Mason
• 23: Alfred Biolek
• 23: John Cornell
• 23: Steven Weinberg
• 22: Boris Chochiev
• 22: Greg Knapp
• 20: Françoise Arnoul
• 20: Anita Novinsky
• 19: Arturo Armando Molina
• 19: Tolis Voskopoulos
• 18: Tom O'Connor
• 17: Pilar Bardem
• 16: Biz Markie
• 16: Harry M. Rosenfeld
• 16: Danish Siddiqui
• 15: Andy Fordham
• 15: Jerry Lewis
• 15: William F. Nolan
• 15: Gloria Richardson
• 15: Peter R. de Vries
• 14: Mamnoon Hussain
• 14: Jeff LaBar
• 14: Kurt Westergaard
• 12: Edwin Edwards
• 12: Paul Orndorff
• 12: Paulose II
• 11: Charlie Robinson
• 11: Renée Simonot
• 10: Esther Béjarano
• 10: Travis Fulton
• 10: Dick Tidrow
• 9: Frank Lui
• 9: Geoff Makhubo
• 9: Jehan Sadat
• 7: Robert Downey Sr.
• 7: Dilip Kumar
• 7: Jovenel Moïse
• 7: Chick Vennera
• 6: Suzzanne Douglas
• 6: Patrick John
• 6: William H. Pauley III
• 5: Raffaella Carrà
• 5: Richard Donner
• 5: Vladimir Menshov
• 5: William Smith
• 4: Sanford Clark
• 4: Matīss Kivlenieks

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

• Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
  • Maghreb insurgency
• Cameroon
  • Anglophone Crisis
• Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
  • Boko Haram insurgency
• Central African Republic
  • Civil War
• Chad
  • Insurgency in Northern Chad
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Kivu conflict
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Ituri conflict
  • Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
• Ethiopia
  • Tigray War (spillover)
• Ethiopia and Sudan
  • Sudanese–Ethiopian clashes
• Ghana
  • Western Togoland Rebellion
• Mali
  • Mali War
• Mozambique
  • Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
• Nigeria
  • Communal conflicts in Nigeria
• Somalia
  • Civil war
• Sudan
  • War in Darfur
  • South Kordofan conflict
  • Sudanese nomadic conflicts (incl. South Sudan)
• Western Sahara
  • Western Sahara conflict
    • 2020–2021 Western Saharan clashes

Americas

• Colombia
  • Colombian conflict
• Mexico
  • Mexican drug war
• Peru
  • Internal conflict in Peru
• Paraguay
  • Insurgency in Paraguay

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Afghanistan War
    • 2021 Taliban offensive
• India
  • Khalistan movement
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
  • Insurgency in Northeast India
• India and Pakistan
  • Kashmir conflict
• Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
  • Moro conflict
    • Cross border attacks in Sabah
• Indonesia
  • Papua conflict
• Myanmar
  • Internal conflict in Myanmar
    • Kachin conflict
    • Karen conflict
    • Rohingya conflict
• Pakistan
  • Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgency in Balochistan
• Philippines
  • Communist rebellion
  • Philippine drug war
• Thailand
  • South Thailand insurgency

Europe

• Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
• Ukraine
  • War in Donbass
    • Russo-Ukrainian War
• Ireland and the UK
  • Dissident Irish republican campaign
• Turkey
  • Kurdish–Turkish conflict

Global

• War on terror

Middle East

• Egypt
  • Sinai insurgency
• Iran and the Persian Gulf
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
• Iraq
  • American-led intervention in Iraq
  • Iranian intervention in Iraq
• Iraq and Syria (map)
  • International military intervention against ISIL
• Israel and Gaza
• Israel and Syria
  • Israeli-Syrian border conflict
• Syria
  • American-led intervention in Syria
  • Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war
  • Turkish occupation of northern Syria
• Yemen and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

2021 events and developments by topic

Arts

Architecture – Animation – Anime – Comics – Film (Horror, Science fiction) – Home video – Literature – Music (Classical, Country, Rock, Hip hop, Latin, Metal, Rock, UK, US) – Radio – Television (UK, US, Italy, Scotland) – Video games

Politics and government

Elections – International leaders – Sovereign states – Sovereign state leaders – Territorial governors

Science and technology

Archaeology – Biotechnology – Computing – Palaeontology – Quantum computing and communication – Senescence research – Sustainable energy research – Space/Astronomy – Spaceflight

Environment and environmental sciences

Birding/Ornithology – Climate change

Transportation

Aviation – Rail transport

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain