Portal:Current events/2021 July 26

July 26, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - United Nations representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons implores the Afghan government and the Taliban to protect civilians as a UN report shows a sharp increase in civilians being killed. 1,300 civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed so far this year. (DW)
    - Forty-six Afghan National Army soldiers, including five officers, flee into neighbouring Pakistan after abandoning their military posts on the border amid Taliban advances. (The Express Tribune)
American-led intervention in Iraq
- Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq
  - U.S. President Joe Biden announces that U.S. combat forces will leave Iraq by the end of the year, although some troops will remain to "train and advise" the Iraqi military. (BBC News)
2021 Tunisian political crisis
- The army surrounds the parliament and prevents its Speaker Rached Ghannouchi from entering. President Kais Saied earlier dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and froze the activities of the parliament for 30 days. (Reuters)
- Police storm and raid the headquarters of news outlet Al Jazeera in Tunis, as clashes continue outside the building. (Al Jazeera)
- The main opposition Islamist Ennahda Movement accuses President Saied of staging a coup as clashes between the President's supporters and Islamist protesters continue in the capital Tunis. An Ennahda office is burned down in the city of Tozeur. (BBC News)
Boko Haram insurgency
- Five soldiers and a civilian are killed and four more people are wounded as Boko Haram attack a command post in Zigue, Cameroon. A number of terrorist are killed during a gunfight after the attack. (The Defense Post)
Insurgency in Northeast India
- Five policemen are killed and more than 50 people are wounded in the Indian state of Assam during clashes with Mizoram due to a border dispute. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Madagascar food crisis
- USAID announces a donation of $7.5 million for feeding and treating children and pregnant women in southern Madagascar. The country is experiencing its worst drought in the past 40 years, with more than one million people on the verge of famine. (US embassy Madagascar)
Thirteen people are killed and 45 others are injured when a long-distance bus rolls over on the G22 Qingdao–Lanzhou Expressway in Gansu, China. This is the second major disaster in the province this year after the Gansu ultramarathon disaster. (Xinhua News Agency)
A dust storm causes a 20-vehicle pileup on Interstate 15 in the U.S. state of Utah, killing eight people and injuring several others, some of whom are in critical condition, according to a statement from the Utah Highway Patrol. (CNN) (The Guardian)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea
      - South Korea begins vaccinations for people between the ages of 55 and 59 as the country experiences a fourth wave of COVID-19. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh reports a record 15,192 new cases and 247 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.179 million and the nationwide death toll to 19,521. (Al Jazeera)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia eases their community activities restrictions and allows non-essential traditional markets, warungs, street food vendors, and some shopping malls as well as other small businesses to reopen with strict health measures despite warnings that further loosening could contribute to another wave of COVID-19. (The Guardian)
    - Indonesia reports a record 40,374 recoveries from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 2.54 million. (detikNews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 31,814 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3.72 million. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan
    - Kazakhstan reports a record 6,637 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 535,906. (AKIPress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 207 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,201. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record for the second consecutive day of 15,376 new cases of COVID-19, and surpasses 500,000 cases of the virus. (Bangkok Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Ho Chi Minh City imposes a strict overnight curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 cases. (Radio France Internationale)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia
    - Croatia restricts the number of gatherings to 50 people for those who are unvaccinated and 1,000 people for those who are vaccinated in five coastal counties in Adriatic Croatia until August 15 in order to prevent the introduction of restrictions for travellers returning from the country. (Croatia Week)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - Pubs and restaurants are allowed to resume their indoor service across Ireland for the first time since March 2020, although customers must have official proof that they have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 within the last 180 days. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia approves the clinical trial of the combined AstraZeneca and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. (Yahoo! News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs announces that they will require vaccinations for healthcare workers, becoming the first agency to do so. (The New York Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in California
    - COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area
      - Bars and nightclubs in San Francisco will require COVID-19 vaccinations or a negative COVID-19 test for customers as an effort to combat the spread of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant. (KPIX-TV)
    - California announces that the state will mandate COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers, becoming the first U.S. state to do so. (Los Angeles Daily Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria
  - Algeria closes gyms, cultural and leisure venues, beaches and used car markets, reimposes a curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and bans all gatherings in 35 provinces, amid the rapid spread of the Delta variant. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
  - Venezuela enters a "radical quarantine" for a week in order to reduce the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. (El Confidencial)

International relations

Foreign relations of Equatorial Guinea
- The Foreign Minister of Equatorial Guinea announces the closure of the country's embassy in London, United Kingdom after the British government sanctioned Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue over his "lavish lifestyle". The Minister said that Equatorial Guinea "will not allow interference in internal affairs". (Reuters)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in France
- The French Parliament approves a law that requires all healthcare workers to receive a vaccine by September 15 as well as the adoption of a "Health Pass" that will allow residents to travel on trains and airplanes, and enter restaurants and some public venues. The law can be applied until November 15 depending on the COVID-19 situation and will also apply to children over the age of 12 beginning on September 30. (France 24)

Politics and elections

2021 Iranian protests
- Protests against water shortages and deteriorating economic condition have spread to capital Tehran, as protesters openly display discontent with the country's leadership. (Radio Farda)
2020–21 Malaysian political crisis, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- The Parliament of Malaysia reopens for the first time after a seven-month suspension due to the COVID-19-related state of emergency, which will expire on August 1. (Nikkei Asia)
Mary Simon is officially sworn in as the 30th governor general of Canada. She is the first Indigenous person to hold the office. (CBC)
Najib Mikati is designated by the Lebanese parliament to be the new prime minister, succeeding caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab. (Reuters)

Sports

2020 Summer Olympics
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, Netherlands at the 2020 Summer Olympics
  - The Dutch rowing team self-isolates after rower Finn Florijn and team coach Josy Verdonkschot tested positive for COVID-19. (Barron's)
- Philippines at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics
  - Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz wins the Women's 55 kg event, receiving the Philippines' first-ever Olympic gold medal. (Reuters)