Portal:Current events/2021 June 24

June 24, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- It is announced that around 650 American forces will remain in the country of Afghanistan to provide security for workers at the Kabul embassy after most troops withdraw from Afghanistan. (Politico)

Arts and culture

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces that American actors Samuel L. Jackson and Danny Glover, American writer and director Elaine May, and Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann are the next recipients of the Governors Awards for their lifetime contributions to filmmaking. (Reuters)

Business and economy

UK Public Health Minister Jo Churchill announces that junk food advertisements during daytime television and on the internet will be banned in the United Kingdom by the end of the year, saying it will help fight the growing rates of childhood obesity in the country. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Surfside condominium building collapse
- A 12-story condominium in Surfside, Florida, U.S., partially collapses overnight, killing four people and injuring ten others. At least 159 people are still missing under the debris, and a search and rescue effort to find them is currently ongoing. (NPR)
2021 South Moravia tornado
- A rare powerful tornado passes through several villages in southeastern Czech Republic, causing catastrophic damage. Much of Hrušky has been destroyed, according to its mayor. Five people are killed and 150 others are injured. Rescue teams from neighbouring Austria and Slovakia have been deployed to the region. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portuguese authorities announce that restaurants and non-food shops in Albufeira, Lisbon and Sesimbra will close on weekends at 3:30 p.m. while supermarkets and other food outlets will close on weekends at 7:00 p.m. as part of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the region. (Bloomberg) (The Portugal News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports 20,182 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since January, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 5.38 million. (The Moscow Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom reports 16,703 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since early February. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
    - Ontario Premier Doug Ford receives his second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. (CTV News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
  - Fiji reports a record for the third consecutive day of 308 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the national total to 2,848 cases. The Ministry of Health reports that Australia is helping with the supply of vaccines. (RNZ)
  - Despite continuous records of new cases, the government rules out any possibility of a nationwide lockdown, adding that their directive would be on targeted lockdowns instead. (FBC News)
  - The Fiji Ministry of Health reports that more than 260,000 Fijians have received their first dose of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, equivalent to 45% of the target population, and that 27,000 Fijians have already received both doses of the vaccine. (FBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
  - Indonesia reports a record 20,574 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, 7,505 of which are from Jakarta, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.05 million. (detikHealth)

International relations

Russia–United Kingdom relations
- Russia warns the United Kingdom that it will bomb British vessels if any further provocative action is taken by the British Royal Navy in the Black Sea. Russia had previously summoned the British ambassador to Russia over this week's incident. The UK says that the vessel was in Ukrainian waters, that it was entirely right to use the route, and that the Royal Navy will always uphold international law and will not accept unlawful interference with innocent passage. (Reuters)
Foreign relations of Hungary, LGBT rights in Hungary
- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says that Hungary "has no business being in the European Union any more" following the approval of an anti-pedophilia law in Hungary, which is claimed by some critics to also contain anti-LGBT parts. Rutte says that he cannot push Hungary out of the European Union but that it has to be done step by step until Hungary is brought "to its knees on this issue". (BBC News)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack
- January 6 commission, United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack
  - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces that the House will create a select committee to investigate the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol. (NBC News)
- United States Attorney General Merrick Garland announces that over 500 people have been arrested for their role in the Capitol riot, including 100 for assaulting Capitol Police officers. Garland also announces that the Department of Justice has arrested the first suspect involved in assaulting media reporters during the events of January 6. (Forbes)
2021 Canadian Indian residential schools gravesite discoveries
- The discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the site of Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan, Canada, is announced, weeks after the remains of 215 children were found at a similar residential school in British Columbia. (BBC News)
Hong Kong national security law
- The pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily ceases its activities due to the national security law and after five of its top executives as well as its founder Jimmy Lai were arrested for violating that law. Thousands of Hong Kong residents purchase the tabloid's final edition and a million copies were printed as critics say that a different era begins for Hong Kong given the unapologetic gesture of the Hong Kong government regarding the closure of the tabloid. (The Guardian)
2020–2021 Thai protests
- Pro-democracy protests resume in Thailand despite COVID-19 restrictions. Protesters demand the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha over his alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand and other issues such as monarchy and government reforms. (DW)
Belarusian democracy movement
- The trial of Belarusian activist Sergei Tikhanovsky begins in Belarus. Tikhanovsky faces charges of inciting the protests against the government of Alexander Lukashenko and could face up to 15 years' imprisonment. (Reuters)
Gilmar Mendes, a magistrate judge on the Supreme Federal Court, overturns two cases brought by former federal judge Sergio Moro against former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. (Buenos Aires Times)
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa pardons 16 Tamil Tigers members, with government officials saying that it is the start of a process to gradually free all individuals who have been charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

Thousands of Palestinians protest in Ramallah and Hebron after Nizar Banat, a former Fatah member and critic of the Palestinian National Authority's current leadership, was severely beaten and killed by Palestinian security forces in the early morning. The protestors called for the government, and current President Mahmoud Abbas in particular, to be "overthrown". (Haaretz)

Science and technology

Microsoft Windows version history
- Microsoft announces Windows 11, its next-generation operating system, replacing Windows 10. Windows 11 will be a free upgrade from Windows 10 with users being able to download Windows 11 through a Windows Update sometime later this year. (The Independent)

Sports

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announces that the away goals rule will be abolished in all UEFA club competitions at the start of the 2021–22 season. (Sky Sports)