Portal:Current events/2021 July 16

July 16, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - Indian Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui is killed while covering a clash between the Taliban and Afghan government forces on the border with Pakistan. A senior Afghan officer is also killed in the attack. Reuters president Michael Friedenberg and editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni say that they are urgently seeking information with authorities in the region. Reports by the government indicate that Siddiqui was killed in Taliban crossfire. (Reuters)
- Pakistan rejects accusations by the Afghan first vice-president Amrullah Saleh that the Pakistani Air Force provides air support to the Taliban. Pakistani authorities rebuffed the accusation on Friday, saying that the Air Force limits itself to safeguarding Pakistani territory. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage, COVID-19 pandemic in France
- The Eiffel Tower reopens to tourists after a nearly nine-month closure due to the second wave of the pandemic and renovations, which is the longest closure since World War II. However, all visitors over 18 years of age will need to show a Health Pass proving that they have been fully vaccinated, tested negative, or recovered from COVID-19 beginning July 21. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

2021 European floods
- The death toll from the severe floods in western Germany increases to 133. Ninety people died in Rhineland-Palatinate and 43 died in North Rhine-Westphalia. The death toll in Belgium also increases to 27. (Al Jazeera)
2021 Madagascar food crisis
- Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina pleads to world leaders and the international community to help combat climate change amid a situation of food insecurity with some people on the verge of famine in the southern region of Madagascar. Rajoelina highlights the "urgency" in addressing the issue. (Madagascar Tribune)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      - The Ministry of Health announces that all travel to Spain and Kyrgyzstan will be banned amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. The order will be in effect on July 23. (Trend)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 1,205 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, 345 of them from East Java, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 71,397. (Liputan6)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines reports its first death and first locally transmitted cases from the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in 11 people that were locally infected with the variant and one person who died at a hospital in Manila on June 28. (Al Jazeera English)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka
    - Sri Lanka receives its first shipment of 1.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the United States. (Daily News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record 9,692 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 381,907. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam surpasses 40,000 cases of COVID-19. (VN Express)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Greece imposes new restrictions for access to the hospitality and entertainment sectors to those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19, particularly for those who want to visit indoor spaces like restaurants, bars and cafés. (Greek Reporter)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 799 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 146,868. (The Times of India)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Queen consort Letizia and heir presumptive Leonor, Princess of Asturias receive the first dose of the vaccine. (El Mundo)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom reports 51,870 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the first time that the country has reported more than 50,000 cases since January 15. (BBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia
    - Namibia receives a shipment of 250,000 doses of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine from China. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
    - Tunisia reports a record 205 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 17,214 deaths. The country also faces shortage of oxygen as hospital struggle with collapse. (Al Jazeera)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe
    - Zimbabwe reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 86 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 2,418. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - The state of Victoria enters a lockdown for the fifth time since the pandemic began, after experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases spreading south from the New South Wales outbreak. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
    - Authorities in Papua New Guinea urge people to get vaccinated as the first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant was confirmed yesterday in the Filipino captain of a ship which was docked in Port Moresby. Currently less than 1% of Papuans are vaccinated. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that it has granted priority review for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. A decision on whether to fully approve the vaccine will likely be made within two months. (New York Daily News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
  - Argentina begins a five-day mourning period, decreed yesterday by President Alberto Fernández, to honor the more than 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the country. All flags are ordered to fly at half-mast. (MercoPress)
The U.S. CDC reports the first case of monkeypox in a Texas resident who traveled from Nigeria. (The Washington Post)

International relations

China–United States relations, 2021 arrests of Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries participants
- The United States Department of the Treasury sanctions eight Chinese officials over the crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists amid a trial of 47 of them on charges of "subverting state power". (Reuters)

Law and crime

Human rights organizations file criminal complaints against 25 Salvadoran soldiers for the killings of four Dutch journalists during the country's civil war in 1982. The journalists worked for the Dutch broadcaster Interkerkelijke Omroep Nederland. (SwissInfo)
Thai Minister for Justice Somsak Thepsuthin announces that the cultivation and export of kratom will be legalized in the country on August 24, barring any constitutional objections. It was previously declassified as an illegal drug in May. (Bangkok Post)

Science and technology

The Hubble Space Telescope is successfully brought back online after a hardware failure with its payload computer on June 13, which left it unable to perform scientific operations for more than a month. (Space.com)