Portal:Current events/August 2021

August 2021 was the eighth month of that common year. The month, which began on a Sunday, ended on a Tuesday after 31 days.

Portal:Current events[edit]

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from August 2021.

August 1, 2021 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

July 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 the allegation is "baseless." (AP) (The Hill)
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 explodes 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)
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

YouTube suspensions
- YouTube bans News Corp's Sky News Australia channel from uploading new content for seven days after commentator Alan Jones spreads COVID-19 misinformation. This comes shortly after The Daily Telegraph fired Jones and ended his regular column over similar concerns. According to a YouTube spokesman, "Specifically, we don’t allow content that denies the existence of Covid-19 or that encourages people to use hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus." (The Guardian)
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)
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 it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Al Jazeera)

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)
2021 Turkish wildfires
- The death toll from 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 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 travelers 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)
- 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)
  - The U.S. surpasses 35 million cases of COVID-19. (NBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  - Germany begins to require any travelers over the age of 12 years old 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 tests and 72 hours for PCR tests amidst concerns of 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, thereby 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 the first Formula One race of his career. (CNN)
2020 Summer Olympics
- Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics
  - United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    - American shot putter Raven Saunders raises and crosses her arms in the shape of an X while participating in the Women's shot put medal ceremony. Podium demonstrations are banned by the International Olympic Committee, with the IOC announcing an investigation to the incident. (CNN)
  - Belarus 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)
  - Italy at the 2020 Summer Olympics
    - Italian sprinter Marcell Jacobs wins the men's 100-metres final in an Olympics upset, tying as the 10th-fastest man of all time. (Reuters)
2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- In association football, the United States defeats Mexico 1–0 after extra time in the final to win their seventh Gold Cup title. (The Straits Times)

August 2, 2021 (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 News)

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. (Asian News International)
  - 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 News)
- 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)
    - 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. (SFGate)
  - 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)
2022 Brazilian general election
- Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court announces an investigation into President Jair Bolsonaro over claims of voter fraud into next year’s election. (Reuters)
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 Yassin 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. (South China Morning Post)
- 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. (Associated Press)

August 3, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - August 2021 Kabul attack
      - Taliban gunmen and a suicide car bomber attack Kabul. Thirteen people, including five attackers, are killed. (The Independent)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - 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 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 in Pakistan 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 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 had travelled from the United States. (Yonhap News Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - 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 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 Utah
    - Utah Governor Spencer Cox announces that Utah will offer K95 and KN95 masks to students during the fall semester. (KTVX)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Greece surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19. (Greek City Times)
  - 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 also 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 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)

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 a 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. (Deutsche Welle)
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)
A Pentagon police officer is fatally stabbed in an apparently random attack outside the Pentagon building. The attacker then fatally shoots himself with the officer's weapon, while a civilian bystander is wounded. (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)

Science and technology

Amid an unprecedented heatwave, Greece records its highest-ever temperature of 46.3°C (115.3 °F) in Makrakomi, Phthiotis, according to the National Observatory of Athens. (Greek Reporter)

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)

August 4, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

August 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
- Oman says the hijacking of the Asphalt Princess, a Panama-flagged ship, is over. The United Kingdom also confirms this report. The vessel was hijacked yesterday in the Arabian Sea in as-of-yet undetermined circumstances amidst rising tensions between some nations and Iran. (Reuters)
Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Militants attack four villages in the town of Markoye, Burkina Faso, opening fire in the streets and killing 11 civilians, 15 soldiers and four members of a government-backed civilian militia. Ten of the perpetrators are killed during a shootout after the attack. (Al Jazeera)
Rocket attacks on Israel
- Three rockets are fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, sparking fires near Kiryat Shmona; the Israel Defense Forces responds with artillery and airstrikes. (i24 News) (The Times of Israel)

Disasters and accidents

Milavče train crash
- Two passenger trains collide head-on near Milavče, Plzeň Region, Czech Republic, killing three people and injuring 58 others. (Reuters)
Seventeen people are killed in northern Bangladesh during a lightning strike on a boat celebrating a wedding. (CNN)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record 14,207 new cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 971,904. (NHK)
    - Tokyo reports a record 4,166 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - The Chinese immigration authority suspends the issuing of ordinary passports and other documents needed for exiting the country for "non-essential and non-emergency" reasons as the country restricts overseas travel in order to prevent the spread of the Delta variant. (Radio France Internationale)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Associated Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran surpasses four million cases from COVID-19 after a record 39,957 new cases were reported for the third consecutive day. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Macau
    - Macau launches compulsory COVID-19 testing for all 680,000 people at 41 testing centres and will close all cinemas, gyms, bars, and other entertainment venues beginning midnight after the first local cases were reported in the city in more than 16 months. Four members of a family were infected with the Delta variant. (Bloomberg News) (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 19,819 new cases and 257 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,183,110 and the nationwide death toll to 9,855. (CNA)
  - 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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in England, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      - The British government announces that France will be removed from England's "amber plus" category, meaning that fully-vaccinated travellers will no longer need to quarantine. Additionally, seven other countries will be added to the "green list" category. These changes will be in effect beginning August 8 at 4:00 a.m. (ITV News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
    - Ukraine receives 509,400 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Denmark. (Ukrinform)
  - European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine
    - The European Commission signs an agreement with Novavax to purchase 200 million doses of its protein-based COVID-19 vaccines, including an option to purchase another 100 million doses through 2023. (Politico Europe)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
      - Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker issues a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, as well as a mask mandate for schools and indoor sporting events. (Patch)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana
      - Louisiana reports 2,247 hospitalizations in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record. (The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon
      - Oregon Governor Kate Brown announces that healthcare workers will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or otherwise undergo testing. (Portland Tribune)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
      - British Columbia reports 342 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest daily total since May 27. (CBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Guadeloupe
    - The French overseas territory of Guadeloupe enters a three-week partial lockdown that closes all bars, gyms, stadiums, and swimming pools; and restricts restaurants to only offer lunchtime service. A curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. is also enforced while the travel of individuals is restricted to a radius of 10 km (6.2 mi) from their residence except for urgent reasons. The new partial lockdown comes amid a "catastrophic" increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Euronews)
- COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
  - COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
    - New Zealand surpasses two million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administrations, with almost 770,000 people having been fully vaccinated. (The New Zealand Herald)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - Brazil surpasses 20 million COVID-19 cases. (Al Arabiya)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ivory Coast
  - Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara self-isolates after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide surpasses 200 million. (The New York Times)

International relations

The Sudanese government unanimously approves a draft bill to join the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2020 Belarusian protests
- The trial of Maria Kalesnikava, one of the main organizers of the anti-Lukashenko protests, opens in Minsk. Kalesnikava faces up to 12 years of imprisonment if she is found guilty on charges of extremism. (BBC News)
Police in Kyiv arrest a man with a grenade who entered the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers building, threatening to detonate it. (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 Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games confirms the first COVID-19 cluster infection since the Games began, after four athletes and one team official from the Greek artistic swimming group test positive. The five individuals, in addition to the seven other members of the team who tested negative, were moved away from the Olympic village and isolated. (United Press International)

August 5, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- At least 20 Chadian soldiers are killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants during a routine patrol near Lake Chad. (Reuters)
Tigray War
- The Tigray Defense Forces capture the town and UNESCO heritage of Lalibela in the Amhara Region. (National Post)
The Colombian government announces that it has foiled an alleged bomb plot in Bogotá by FARC dissidents. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Wildfires in 2021
- 2021 California wildfires
  - The Dixie Fire destroys most of Greenville, California, including large portions of its historic downtown area. (Al Jazeera)
- 2021 Turkish wildfires
  - Hundreds of workers and residents are evacuated as a wildfire nears a coal-powered power plant in Muğla Province. More than 36,000 people have been evacuated in the province, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declares the wildfires to be the worst in Turkey's history. (Reuters)
- 2021 Greek wildfires
  - People in Athens are told to remain indoors due to smoke from wildfires burning on the outskirts of the city. More than 500 firefighters are fighting a wildfire on Mount Parnitha, while the suburb of Varympompi is evacuated. (EU Reporter)
- 2021 Italy wildfires
  - Thousands of firefighters and water-bombing aircraft are deployed as wildfires continue to spread across Italy amid an unprecedented heat wave caused by a heat dome event over southeast Europe. Hundreds of people are evacuated on Sardinia and Sicily, with Sardinian President Christian Solinas describing the situation as an "unprecedented disaster." (Voice of America)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record 15,263 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including a record 5,042 cases in Tokyo, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 987,163. (NHK World-Japan) (Associated Press)
    - The Japanese government announces the expansion of the quasi-state of emergency to eight prefectures from August 8 to August 31. (The Mainichi)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan
    - Kazakhstan reports a record 7,792 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 610,744 (Kazinform)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Malaysia
      - The Malaysian Ministry of Health grants a conditional approval for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. (CNA)
    - Malaysia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 20,596 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.2 million. (Malay Mail)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record for the second consecutive day of 20,920 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 693,305. (Bangkok Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan
    - Uzbekistan reports a record 951 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 133,852. (AKIpress News Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
    - Finland restricts the operating hours in Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, Kymenlaakso, and the Helsinki metropolitan area to until 10 p.m. for bars and until 11 p.m. for restaurants and also bans karaoke and indoor dancing beginning on August 8 due to the worsening situation in those regions. The government also announces that vaccination of children between the ages of 12 and 15 will begin next week. (Yle)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - The Italian government announces that the usage of a "Green Pass" will be mandatory for teachers and university students to enter educational institutions and will also be mandatory for use in long-haul air, rail, ferry, and intercity bus services beginning on September 1. (Swissinfo)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
    - The province of Quebec announces that it will implement vaccine passports. (CBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - The state of Victoria enters a lockdown for the sixth time since the beginning of the pandemic, joining New South Wales and Queensland, after a currently unexplained increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (ABC News Australia)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
  - The Chilean government announces that they will begin administering booster doses for those who have received the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine beginning on August 11 for people over the age of 55 using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and in September for people under the age of 55 using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in order to protect the population from the Delta variant. (Bloomberg News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
  - Morocco reports a record 12,039 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 665,235. (Morocco World News)
- International aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  - Spain donates 7.5 million vaccines to Latin American countries, with the first countries to receive these vaccines being Peru, Paraguay and Guatemala. (Prensa Latina)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
- The French Constitutional Council approves most of the controversial measures that would begin on August 9 which include requiring health passes to enter restaurants, cafés, some shopping centres, and use some types of public transportation. The council also approves the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers and other health professionals, in which they must present proof that they have received at least one dose of the vaccine beginning on September 15 and must present proof of full vaccination beginning on October 15. However, judges considered the mandatory 10-day quarantine to be a violation of aspects of French liberties. (Euronews)
Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves is injured during protests against changes to the Public Health Act, which includes mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for public sector workers and those in "frontline jobs". The Prime Minister received treatment for a head wound. (Caribbean National Weekly)
Hong Kong national security law
- LGBT organizations and Amnesty International ask Hong Kong to release detained activist Jimmy Sham, who has been repeatedly denied bail since his arrest in February. Amnesty says that Sham has been held in prison "simply for speaking out for his community and LGBTQIA+ rights in Hong Kong." These organizations also warned of Sham's upcoming trial along with 46 others where he could face many more years in prison for "subversion." (Star Observer)
2021 Ghana gay arrests
- A court in Ghana drops a case against 21 LGBT activists who were arrested in May. The 16 women and five men were arrested at a hotel in the Volta Region for an alleged unlawful assembly, of which the court said that there was not enough evidence to prove the charges. The other charges were dismissed, as promoting LGBT rights is not a crime in Ghana. (Reuters)
Six members of a paramilitary force in Sudan are sentenced to death for their involvement in the killing of six people during a 2019 protest in El-Obeid. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

Venezuelan presidential crisis
- President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador announces that the country would host talks between the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro and the opposition. (Reuters)
2021 Iranian presidential election
- Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi is sworn-in as the eighth President of Iran after being approved by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Raisi has promised to end US sanctions and work for the vital oil sector of Iran, which has been affected by the sanctions. (Deutsche Welle)

Science and technology

Apple Inc. announces that it will begin to continuously scan its smartphone and tablet devices for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Before an image is stored on the iCloud, the new system will search for matches of already known CSAM. The company claims the system has an "extremely high level of accuracy", and will be included in iOS and iPadOS updates later this year. (BBC News)

Sports

2020 Summer Olympics
- Burkina Faso at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics
  - Burkinabé athlete Hugues Fabrice Zango gets third place in the men’s triple jump event, winning Burkina Faso its first Olympic medal. (The Punch)

August 6, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - Dawa Khan Menapal, head of the Government Media and Information Centre, is assassinated in Kabul. The Taliban claims responsibility for the killing, saying that Menapal "was punished for his actions". (Reuters)
    - The Taliban captures Zaranj, the provincial capital of Nimruz Province, making it the first major capture of a provincial city by the group since the 2001 invasion. A spokesperson for the local police confirms that the city has fallen into Taliban control and blames the lack of reinforcements of military from the central government. (The West Australia)
Iran–Israel proxy conflict
- Hezbollah fires twenty rockets at northern Israel from Lebanon, its heaviest barrage since the 2006 war and the second firing of rockets in the past week. The Israel Defense Forces respond with artillery attacks. (The Times of Israel) (VOA)
- Lebanese Druze villagers confront the Hezbollah rocket-launch convoy after it fires at Israel, accusing the militant group of endangering them by firing projectiles near civilian houses. The Lebanese Army later confiscates the launcher and arrests four suspects. (The Times of Israel) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Wildfires in 2021
- 2021 Greece wildfires
  - Mass evacuations are carried out in the northern suburbs of Athens as wildfires continue to burn on the outskirts of the capital. A volunteer firefighter is killed by a fallen electricity pylon, while another man dies in a factory. Twenty more people are wounded. (BBC News)
- 2021 British Columbia wildfires
  - The village of Monte Lake is destroyed by the fast-moving White Rock Lake wildfire, while the city of Kamloops places several of its southern neighbourhoods on evacuation alert. Around 300 fires are currently burning in British Columbia. (The Guardian)
- 2021 California wildfires
  - The Dixie Fire becomes the third largest wildfire in California's history. (NPR)
- Severe fires erupt across the region of Calabria, Italy, killing two people in Reggio Calabria. The country is battling several fires, mainly in the centre-south regions and on the two islands. (Il Fatto Quotidiano)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (CBC News)
    - Japan reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in a woman in her 30s who arrived at Haneda Airport on July 20 after travelling to Peru. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 20,889 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,224,595. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - COVID-19 community quarantines in the Philippines
      - Metro Manila, Laguna, Iloilo City, and Cagayan de Oro enter enhanced community quarantine until August 20 for Metro Manila and August 15 for the other regions. (Manila Bulletin)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore
      - Indoor dining and other leisure activities will resume in Singapore for fully vaccinated individuals in groups of up to five people beginning on August 10. (CNA)
      - The Ministry of Health announces that it will recognise all COVID-19 vaccines including those listed under the emergency use listing of the World Health Organization beginning on August 10 and that these vaccines will also be included in the statistics of the national vaccination programme. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - Sri Lanka suspends state festivals and public gatherings until September 1 and restricts the number of people to 25 for funerals and 150 for weddings amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record for the third consecutive day of 21,379 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 714,684. The country also reports a record 191 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 5,854. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
    - Seven fully vaccinated residents at a care home in Nossegem, Flemish Brabant, die after contracting the Colombian Lineage B.1.621 variant. (Newsweek)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Greece imposes a curfew and a full ban on music in entertainment venues on the islands of Crete and Zakynthos in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These measures will be in effect until August 13. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy begins to introduce the "Green Pass" where people over the age of 12 must present proof of vaccination of at least one dose, a negative test from the previous 48 hours, or having recovered from COVID-19 in order to enter gyms, theatres and bars, dine in at restaurants, and participate in some leisure activities. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - The White House COVID-19 Response Team announces that 50% of Americans have been fully vaccinated. (VOA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
    - An Arkansas judge temporarily blocks a law signed by Governor Asa Hutchinson that bans the state from imposing mask mandates. (Hot Springs Sentinel-Record)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
    - Florida reports a record 22,783 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (WTVJ)
  - The number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. reaches an average of 100,000 new cases per day for the first time since February. (US News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    - Argentina surpasses five million cases of COVID-19 after reporting 13,549 new cases in the past 24 hours. (Infobae)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Peru
      - Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, First Lady Lilia Paredes, and Health Minister Hernando Cevallos receive their first doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. (Xinhuanet)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Prime Minister Scott Morrison states there will be no further laws on the Commonwealth or state levels requiring vaccines in certain workplaces and this will instead be left up to individual businesses to decide. (The Guardian)

International relations

The Pacific Islands Forum opens with U.S. President Joe Biden addressing the summit, after being invited by Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. Biden urges the Federated States of Micronesia to rejoin after the country withdrew over disagreements in the election of Henry Puna as the forum's Secretary-General. (RNZ)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack
- Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
  - New Jersey gym owner Scott K. Fairlamb and Washington resident Devlyn D. Thompson pleads guilty to assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officers during the January 6 riot at the Capitol, becoming the first suspects to do so. (The Washington Post)
A man stabs passengers riding the Odakyū Odawara Line in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, injuring 10 people. The suspect, a man in his 30s, is arrested after turning himself in at a convenience store. (CNN)

Politics and elections

2021 Moldovan parliamentary election
- The Moldovan parliament elects Natalia Gavrilița as the new Prime Minister of Moldova. (Reuters)

Sports

2020 Summer Olympics
- Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Football at the 2020 Summer Olympics, LGBT athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games
  - Canadian soccer player Quinn becomes the first out, transgender, non-binary athlete to earn an Olympic medal, after winning gold in the women's tournament with the Canadian national soccer team. (NBC News)

August 7, 2021 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - The Taliban captures Sheberghan, the provincial capital of Jowzjan Province, making it the second capture of a provincial capital by the Islamist group in the past 24 hours. (NDTV)
  - The British and American governments warn their citizens to leave Afghanistan "immediately" amid the Taliban advance and a worsening security situation in the country. (ABC News)
Fights erupt between two rival factions of the SPLA-IO party in South Sudan, resulting in the deaths of 32 people. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
    - Brunei reports its first seven local COVID-19 cases in 457 days, with five of them being related to a monitoring centre cluster in the country and the remaining two having unidentified origins. (The Star)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
    - India issues an emergency use authorization for the single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. (Livemint)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 15,753 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Mainichi)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 21,838 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 736,522. The country also reports a record for the second consecutive day of 212 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 6,066. (The Straits Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Wales
    - Wales moves to level zero, indicating that most restrictions, including social distancing measures, are lifted. This allows nightclubs to reopen and indoor meetings to be permitted, although masks remain mandatory in most public indoor locations. (Sky News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Australia reports 361 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including a record 319 cases in New South Wales, which is the highest single-day total of new cases for the country this year. (CNBC)

August 8, 2021 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mali War
- Mali attacks
  - At least 51 people are killed as Islamist militants storm three villages in central Mali, near the border with Niger. It is one of the deadliest recent terror attacks in the country against civilians. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - The Taliban captures the capitals of the Kunduz, Takhar, and Sar-e Pol provinces. In Kunduz, the Taliban seize key government buildings, leaving the government forces only in control of the airport. In Takhar, the Taliban seize Taloqan, and heavy fighting was reported as the Taliban intensifies its offensive in the north. In Sar-e Pol, the Taliban drive government forces out of the main military base. (BBC News)
Insurgency in Balochistan
- Two policemen are killed and 21 more people are wounded as a roadside bombing explode in a street in Quetta, Pakistan, targeting a police mobile van near a hotel. (Al Jazeera)
Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
- Rwandan and Mozambican forces retake the city of Mocímboa da Praia, the last rebel stronghold in Cabo Delgado Province. Rwanda had sent 1,000 troops to help Mozambique fight the Islamist insurgency that began in 2017. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Hajj, COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia
- The Saudi Arabian government announces that it will begin to allow foreigners who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to participate in Umrah. Saudi authorities will begin taking travel requests tomorrow. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh reports a new single-day record of 2.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as part of a six-day special vaccination campaign, in which 2.7 million people received their first dose of the vaccine. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
    - Brunei closes all place of worships, all leisure facilities including gyms and sport facilities, postpone social events and bans dine in at restaurants for two weeks after the first local COVID-19 cases in 15 months were reported in the country. All educational institutions also have ordered to return to online learning. (The Jakarta Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record of 39,619 new cases and 542 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4,158,729 and the nationwide death toll to 94,015. (Barron's)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 360 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 10,749. (The Star)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record of 9,690 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 210,405. (The Straits Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland
      - Cairns and Yarrabah enter a snap three-day lockdown after an "unexpected" case of COVID-19 was reported in a taxi driver from Kanimbla who was infectious in Far North Queensland for 10 days. (ABC News Australia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    - The Permanent Secretary of Health James Fong announces that the number of COVID-19 infections are continuing to increases in parts of the country, which began with the second wave in April. Fiji is now the hardest-hit country in Oceania and is only second in the number of infections in the region, with the most cases being reported in the U.S. state of Hawaii. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, COVID-19 vaccination in Tunisia
  - Tunisia launches its "open-air" COVID-19 vaccination drive for people over the age of 40 in 300 vaccination centers across the country after six million doses of the vaccine arrived from overseas. (Al Arabiya)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  - The United Kingdom lifts its quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travellers who are returning from or intend to visit France, due to changes in the 'traffic light' system for international travel that saw the suspension of plans to implement a "watchlist". (BBC News)

Law and crime

Tech company Alibaba Group fires multiple senior executives who had silenced an internal complaint of rape and had ordered a social media blackout of the complaint (Chinese: 阿里巴巴员工被性侵案). The case shed light on rape in China and exposed the business culture of forcing female employees to act as hostesses to entertain business clients. (The New York Times)
Chinese prosecutors file a lawsuit against the tech conglomerate Tencent, alleging that the company's "youth mode" for the WeChat application violates laws protecting minors. Authorities did not specify as to which laws the application violates. (The Verge)
Russian opposition activist Lyubov Sobol, a prominent ally of Alexei Navalny, leaves Russia, days after being sentenced to eighteen months of parole-like restrictions. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2021 Myanmar protests
- Protests against the military government occur across Myanmar in honor of the anniversary of the 8888 Uprising. (Reuters)

Sports

2020 Summer Olympics
- The Summer Olympics officially end in Tokyo with the closing ceremony. The United States won the most medals and also won the most gold medals, with 113 total medals and 39 gold medals. The Olympic Flag is handed over to the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo in preparation for the 2024 Games. (NBC News)
2021 MotoGP World Championship
- The Styrian Grand Prix is red-flagged in lap 3 after a collision involving Spanish Dani Pedrosa and Italian Lorenzo Savadori that destroyed both motorcycles. (Radio France Internationale)

August 9, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Taliban insurgency
- 2021 Taliban offensive
  - The Taliban captures Samangan (Aibak), the provincial capital of Samangan Province, making it the sixth capture of a provincial capital by the Islamist group in the past four days. (Al Jazeera)
  - The Afghan National Security Forces launch a counter-offensive, in an attempt to retake Kunduz, which was captured by the Taliban yesterday. Heavy fighting is reported elsewhere in the northern part of the country, where the Islamist group has launched an offensive. Civilians flee Kunduz, trying to reach Kabul as there are conflicting reports as to who is responsible for dozens of civilian casualties. (Reuters)
17 October Revolution
- Violence occurs in Lebanon due to the severe fuel shortages that are affecting the country, leaving three people dead. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Algeria wildfires
- Seven people are killed and two others are injured by wildfires in Tizi Ouzou Province, Algeria. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - France begins to require people who want to enter shopping centres, cafés, restaurants, or travel by long-distance bus, train, and airplane, to show a health pass generated by a QR code, which contains either proof of full vaccination, a negative test result from the previous 72 hours, or that the person has recovered from COVID-19. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 vaccination in Switzerland
    - Swissmedic approves the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 17. (Swissinfo)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
      - Scotland moves to level zero and removes most of the remaining COVID-19-related restrictions, allowing all hospitality venues, including nightclubs, to reopen at full capacity and to remove most legal social distancing requirements. However, face masks remains mandatory in indoor public settings and on public transport, and must be worn by pupils and teachers at school for the first six weeks of the semester. (BBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
    - Brunei reports a record 42 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours after reporting their first local infections in 15 months, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 406. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record for the second consecutive day of 40,808 new cases and 588 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4.199 million and the nationwide death toll to 94,603. (Asharq Al-Aswat)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, COVID-19 vaccination in Nepal
    - Nepal begins administering second doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine dose for nearly 1.4 million elderly people following a months-long delay due to India suspending exports of vaccines due to a substantial increase in the number of cases there. The vaccines were donated by Japan and Bhutan. (Radio France Internationale)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
      - The Therapeutic Goods Administration grants provisional approval for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the fourth vaccine to be approved for use in Australia. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Palau
    - Palau reaches herd immunity as 80% of its 12-and-over population are vaccinated against COVID-19. Plans to vaccinate teenagers are underway as tourism reopens in the country. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announces that all service members will be required to be vaccinated by mid-September. (ABC News)
    - The U.S. CDC announces that 60% of Americans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
    - Arkansas reports 103 hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt, COVID-19 vaccination in Egypt
  - Egypt receives their first shipment of 261,000 doses of the single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. (Egypt Independent)
Guinea reports West Africa's first death from the Marburg virus after a person died from viral hemorrhagic fever. (AP)

International relations

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada–United States relations
- Canada reopens their border to Americans and permanent residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for non-essential travel. All travellers must present a negative COVID-19 test result from the previous 72 hours in order to enter the country. (MarketWatch)
Foreign relations of Nicaragua
- Nicaragua recalls its ambassadors to Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia for "consultations" after those countries recalled their ambassadors to Nicaragua over a crackdown on the opposition in Nicaragua. (Reuters)
Egypt–Russia relations
- Direct commercial flights between Russia and Egypt resume for the first time since the Metrojet Flight 9268 bombing in 2015, which killed 224 people, most of whom were Russian tourists. A Rossiya Airlines passenger plane landed in Sharm El Sheikh carrying 518 passengers, and was welcomed with a water cannon salute, roses and flags. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
- Federal prosecutors say that five men who were accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also discussed Ohio Governor Mike DeWine as a potential target. (Detroit News)
A priest is murdered at a church in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, France, by the same person who committed the arson at the Nantes Cathedral in July 2020. He is arrested after confessing to the killing. (BBC News)
A barely legible letter to Pope Francis regarding the Vatican's financial scandals, which contained three bullets and is believed to have originated from France, is intercepted by postal workers in Peschiera Borromeo, near Milan. The letter is being treated by authorities as a possible death threat against Francis. (Newsweek via MSN) (Euronews)

Politics and elections

Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro
- The Brazilian government announces that President Jair Bolsonaro will attend a military parade featuring tanks and armored vehicles in Brasília tomorrow, as a preparation for military exercises. The parade is expected to pass near the National Congress building as a controversial bill reinstating paper ballots and ending electronic voting, which is supported by the government, is set to be voted. As the bill is widely expected not to pass, critics argue that Bolsonaro is using the parade as a show of force and intimidation against the Congress. (Correio Braziliense) (UOL)

Science and technology

Climate change in the Arctic; 2021 Russian wildfires
- Smoke from wildfires in Siberia is detected in the Geographic North Pole for the first time in recorded history, according to NASA. The space agency says that as of August 6 "most of Russia" is covered in smoke, while Russia's weather monitoring institute Rosgidromet says that the situation "continues to deteriorate" in the far-eastern Sakha region with around 3.4 million hectares (8.4 million acres) of land currently on fire. (The Guardian)

August 10, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - The Taliban tightens its grip in many districts and cities in northern Afghanistan as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani calls on local militias to fight the armed group. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says that the United States is willing to continue their airstrike campaign against the Taliban but warned that "it is up to the Afghan government to defend themselves" and also added that "it is their struggle". (Reuters)
    - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he views peace talks with the Taliban as concluded and unsuccessful, and anticipates a civil war. (Stars and Stripes)
    - The Taliban captures the city of Farah, the capital of the southwestern Farah Province, as well as the city of Puli Khumri, the capital of the northern Baghlan Province. These are the seventh and eighth provincial capitals to fall under Taliban control in the past five days. (Al Jazeera)
- 2007 Bagram Airfield bombing
  - A report published from the Afghanistan Papers by The Washington Post journalist Craig Whitlock accuses former U.S. President George W. Bush and his administration of lying about the Taliban attempting to kill former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney during a 2007 attack on the Bagram Airfield base. (The Daily Beast)
Tigray War
- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed calls on "all eligible citizens" to join the armed forces to "stop the Tigray forces once and for all" and for all Ethiopians to "show patriotism" in this moment. Abiy had promised a swift victory when the war broke out in late 2020, but this changed in June when Tigrayan forces recaptured the region and advanced further into other regions. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Algeria wildfires
- Wildfires continue in Tizi Ouzou Province, Algeria, killing 25 soldiers during rescue operations and 10 more civilians, bringing the death toll to 42. (Al Jazeera)
International seafood company Grieg Seafood announces that it has accidentally dumped 4,000 gallons of chlorine in a Norwegian fjord, killing approx. 96,000 fish. The company apologizes and says it will handle the cleanup. (CBS News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh begins to vaccinate Rohingya refugees in 34 camps in Cox’s Bazar district which borders Myanmar as the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases poses health risks in the camps where more than one million refugees are living. (Associated Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in East Timor
    - East Timor reports its first community transmitted cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in 12 samples from the Ermera region. (U.S. News & World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia eases its COVID-19-related restrictions for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in eight states where the number of cases have been declined that allow people to cross-border travel, play individual outdoor sports, and eat at restaurants. The government also eases the 14-day home quarantine for fully vaccinated people and allow married couple to cross state borders to meet their spouses regardless of their state. (The Jakarta Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    - Singapore begins to ease some social distancing measures and allows indoor dining to resume at food and beverage establishments and increases the maximum group size to five people for those who have been fully vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19. However, unvaccinated people are only allowed to dine in groups of up to two people at coffee shops and hawker centres. (Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record 235 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 6,588. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of 16 German states agree to phase out free COVID-19 testing for citizens beginning on October 11 and will begin requiring non-vaccinated people to show a negative test result to enter certain indoor venues as well as to attend cultural, sport, and entertainment events once the infection rate in a region reaches 35 per 100,000 people unless they have recovered from COVID-19 in order to pressure people to get vaccinated. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom reports 146 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of deaths since March 12. (Sky News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
  - Fiji surpasses 300 deaths from COVID-19. (RNZ International)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Martinique
  - The French overseas department of Martinique enters a three-week strict lockdown that closes all non-essential shops as well as hotels and cultural and leisure venues such as beaches in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Residents must also restrict their movement to within 1 km (0.62 mi) from their homes. (Radio France Internationale)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - The U.S. surpasses 36 million cases of COVID-19. (KIRO-TV)

Law and crime

Capital punishment in China
- A court in China upholds the death sentence of a Canadian man convicted of drug smuggling. The man, originally sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, had his sentence upgraded on appeal. Canadian authorities say that the sentence is in retaliation for the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Huawei, in Vancouver in 2018. (Deutsche Welle)
Russian authorities open a criminal investigation into Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov, two prominent allies of incarcerated activist Alexei Navalny, for raising funds for a banned political network. It is the first investigation of its kind on Navalny's allies. (Reuters)
Voting rights in the United States
- Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan signs 52 arrest warrants for Democratic lawmakers who broke quorum to stop the passing of legislation that would limit voting access for some citizens. (KSAT-TV)

Politics and elections

Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations
- Andrew Cuomo announces his resignation as Governor of New York following allegations of sexual harassment, as well as an investigatory report by New York Attorney General Letitia James which stated that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women during his time in office. Cuomo's resignation will take effect on August 24 and he will be succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who will become the first woman to serve as Governor of New York. (NBC News)
The Polish coalition government collapses after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki dismissed deputy prime minister Jarosław Gowin, who is leading the governing party partner Agreement motivated by disagreements with fiscal policy and a controversial media law. (Politico Europe)
The U.S. Senate passes a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill, featuring provisions for broadband access, clean water, electric grid renewal, transportation and road proposals. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Climate change in Tunisia
Twitter temporarily suspends the account of U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene for spreading misinformation regarding vaccines and face masks. (CNN Business)

August 11, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - The Taliban captures its ninth provincial capital in six days, seizing Fayzabad, the capital of Badakhshan Province, amid a rapid advance in northern Afghanistan. The capture comes as President Ashraf Ghani appeals to local warlords to confront and fight the Taliban. The jihadist group also takes control of Kunduz Airport, after hundreds of Afghan National Security Forces personnel in the area surrender with all of their military equipment. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
    - United States officials warn that Kabul could be isolated and could fall under Taliban control in one to three months. (Asian News International)
    - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says that the Taliban "will not negotiate with the Afghan government as long as Ghani is the president". Khan further states that he "tried to persuade the Taliban" months ago but that they remained firm on their stance. (Reuters)
    - Chief of General Staff of the Afghan Armed Forces Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai is removed by President Ashraf Ghani as the Afghan military continues to collapse across the country. (BBC News)
    - The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that the government will evacuate military personnel, interpreters and other local workers who collaborated with the Spanish mission. (Outlook) (Boston Herald)
Tigray War
- The leader of the Oromo Liberation Army announces that his group is now supporting Tigrayan forces fighting the government. (Associated Press)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Amnesty International and Project Ploughshares accuse the Canadian government of violating the Arms Trade Treaty—which the country signed in 2019—by supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia that could be used in Yemen. (Al Jazeera)
Second Libyan Civil War
- An investigation by the BBC into the involvement of the Russian Wagner Group in the war reveals that the group committed several war crimes, including the intentional killing of prisoners of war and civilians and the leaving of unmarked mines in civilian areas. The investigation also finds that Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was involved in the group's operations, and that the group likely received weapons and supplies from the Russian military. (BBC News)

Business and economy

Lebanese liquidity crisis
- The Central Bank of Lebanon ends fuel subsidies, announcing that it would instead offer "credit lines for fuel imports based on the market price for the Lebanese pound". The decision is likely to result in a significant increase in fuel prices amid an economic crisis in the country. (Reuters)
Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- Train drivers across Germany go on strike to demand better pay in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing 700 trains, including 190 freights, to a standstill. The strike is expected to end early Friday. (Reuters)
Poland's Sejm votes 226–218 to pass a bill to strengthen the country's ban on non-European Economic Area entities from owning a majority stake in its broadcast networks. The opposition, American politicians, and TVN24, whose ownership by American media company Discovery, Inc. is being targeted by the bill, criticize it as a restriction on free speech. It goes to the Senate for a final vote. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Wildfires in 2021
- 2021 Algeria wildfires
  - The death toll from the wildfires in northern Algeria increases to 65, as the country battles a total of 69 fires for the fourth consecutive day. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declares three days of national mourning for the wildfire victims. (BBC News)
- 2021 Calabria wildfires, 2021 Sicily wildfires
  - Two more people are killed by wildfires in Calabria, Italy, bringing the death toll from the fires there to four. Meanwhile, a man is killed by wildfires in Sicily. (The Guardian)
At least 10 people are killed and dozens more trapped under debris after a landslide in a Himalayan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh lifts most of its lockdown measures, allowing banks, shops and shopping malls to reopen and for buses and trains to operate at half capacity despite an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths from the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant. (The New York Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, COVID-19 vaccination in mainland China
    - The National Medical Products Administration approves China's first mixed-COVID-19 vaccine trial combining the CoronaVac vaccine made by Sinovac and the DNA-based vaccine made by Inovio. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 42,541 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4.28 million. (Tasnim News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record 15,812 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Jiji Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - South Cotabato reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.351 Beta variant in a patient who had a history of traveling to Davao City. (MindaNews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea reports a record 2,223 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 216,206. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand surpasses 800,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Star)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark, COVID-19 vaccination in Denmark
    - Denmark confirms that it will purchase 280,000 doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for a total price of 37 million crowns ($5.84 million) or roughly $20.9 per dose as part of a European Union agreement with Novavax. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, COVID-19 vaccination in Spain
    - The Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices approves the first round of clinical trials on humans of the PHH-1V vaccine made by Hipra. (Barron's)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey
    - The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Turkey surpasses 80 million, with 50% of people over the age of 18 being fully vaccinated. (Daily Sabah)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announces that Canada will issue a vaccine passport for international travel. (U.S. News & World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - Mexico surpasses three million cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record 22,711 new cases in the past 24 hours. (Bloomberg News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - California Governor Gavin Newsom announces that healthcare workers in the state will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or undergo COVID-19 testing. (KSBY)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota
      - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announces that state government employees will be required to receive the vaccine or undergo testing for COVID-19. (Associated Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon
    - Oregon Governor Kate Brown reissues a mask mandate for indoor public spaces, making Oregon the 10th U.S. state to do so. (Newsweek)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
  - Chile begins to administer booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 55 who have already received two doses of the Coronavac vaccine. (Reuters)
Vanuatu's health authorities warn citizens about the transmission of dengue fever after 18 cases are reported in Port Vila. Authorities urge all residents to take precautionary measures. (RNZ International)

Law and crime

A British man working at the British embassy in Berlin is arrested by German police on suspicion of spying for Russia. (Reuters)
A court in Russia opens a criminal investigation into Alexei Navalny, who is already serving a two and a half year sentence for parole violations. The move comes one day after another court opened a criminal investigation into Navalny's allies Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov. (Reuters)
The Libyan Military Prosecutor's Office issues an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi and prospective candidate in the upcoming elections, for his connections to the Wagner Group. (The Libya Observer)
Detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig
- A Chinese court jails Canadian Michael Spavor for 11 years over alleged spying. (Hong Kong Free Press)
Pope Francis says that he is sorrowful at the news of the Aug. 9 murder of French priest Fr. Olivier Maire. Father Maire, 61, was the provincial superior of the Montfort Missionaries. His murder was announced by France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. (Catholic News Agency)

Politics and elections

The President of Bougainville Ishmael Toroama says that the region needs to take a holistic approach in order to gain full independence from Papua New Guinea. Toromoa pointed towards receiving international aid to build an economy for the region which overwhelmingly voted for independence in a referendum in 2019. (RNZ International)

Science and technology

Climate change in Africa
- Tunisia records its highest ever temperature of 50.3°C (122.3°F) in the city of Kairouan amid an unprecedented heat wave. (AllAfrica)
Climate change in Europe
- Amid an unprecedented heat wave and ongoing wildfires, authorities on the island of Sicily report a record temperature of 48.8°C (119.8°F). If verified by the World Meteorological Organization, it would be the highest temperature ever recorded in both Italy and Europe. (BBC News)
YouTube suspensions, COVID-19 misinformation
- YouTube suspends the account of U.S. Senator Rand Paul for one week for spreading misinformation about the effectiveness of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul subsequently states in a tweet that he considers the suspension to be "a badge of honor". (The Guardian)

August 12, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive, Battle of Kandahar (2021)
    - The Taliban captures the provincial capitals of Ghazni, Qala e Naw, Kandahar and Herat, bringing the number of provincial capitals taken in the past seven days to thirteen. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera) (Associated Press) (The New York Times)
- Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
  - The Pentagon announces it will send U.S. troops to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport to help evacuate staff from the U.S. Embassy while U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price states that the embassy will remain open. (The Wall Street Journal)
- The British government announces that 600 troops will be deployed to Afghanistan on a short-term basis in order to help evacuate British citizens and protect Afghan staff and interpreters. Around 4,000 UK nationals are currently in the country. (BBC News)
- Afghan authorities arrest Dawood Laghmani, the governor of Ghazni province, for abandoning the city of Ghazni when the Taliban captured it. The Interior Ministry also reports the arrest of many of Laghmani's colleagues. (Asian News International)
Tigray War
- The Tigray Defense Forces seize the city of Weldiya in the Amhara Region as they continue to advance south. (Foreign Policy)
Plymouth shooting
- Six people, including the gunman, are killed and two more are wounded in a mass shooting in Plymouth, Devon, England. Eyewitnesses say that the shooting began at a house before the shooter "randomly started shooting" on the street. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

A helicopter carrying 13 tourists and three crew members crashes into Kurile Lake in Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Eight of the people on board survived, while the fate of the others remain unknown. (BBC News)
Flash flooding in Turkey's northern Kastamonu Province kills nine people, while flooding in the Sinop Province leaves one person missing. Four bridges have collapsed and 170 villages are without power while over 900 people have been evacuated, according to a statement from the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
      - British Columbia announces that everyone working in long-term care and seniors’ assisted living facilities will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-October, becoming the first province in Canada to impose such a mandate. (The Globe and Mail)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area
        San Francisco mayor London Breed issues a mandate requiring proof of full vaccination in indoor public spaces, making San Francisco the first major U.S. city to do so. (KTVU)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri
      - Missouri surpasses 10,000 deaths from COVID-19. (KTVI)
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      - U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra announces that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will require healthcare workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. (Politico)
      - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes a booster dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for immunocompromised people. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
    - Cambodia begins to administer the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a third "booster" dose to people who have received the inactivated virus vaccines developed by Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) and Sinovac (CoronaVac) in order to strengthen immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (The Jakarta Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record for the second consecutive day of 18,822 new cases of COVID-19. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 21,688 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,342,215. (Free Malaysia Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record 22,782 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 839,771. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Ireland
    - Ireland opens registration for children between the ages of 12 and 15 to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Around 280,000 children will be eligible for vaccination with the Pfizer–BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, with more than 50,000 already registered. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record 808 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 168,049. (The Moscow Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Australian Capital Territory
    - The Australian Capital Territory enters a lockdown after the first locally acquired case of COVID-19 in over a year was reported. Every state and territory on the east coast of Australia, where the majority of the national population lives, is now under a lockdown. The last time this occurred was at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. (The Australian)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Lesotho
  - Lesotho prime minister Moeketsi Majoro self-isolates after testing positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)
- The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is found to be effective against the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant for six months. (CNN)
The population of white Americans declines for the first time, and population growth is at its lowest since the Great Depression, per the results of the 2020 census. (Reuters)

International relations

Foreign relations of Vanuatu
- Vanuatu stops the sale of its citizenship and revokes the citizenship it gave last April to a Syrian national for US$130,000. (RNZ International)
Foreign relations of Argentina, AMIA bombing, Iran and state-sponsored terrorism
- Argentina condemns the designation of Ahmad Vahidi to a ministerial rank in the new government of Ebrahim Raisi in Iran. Argentina issued a red notice through INTERPOL against Vahidi for his alleged connection with the 1994 AMIA bombing. The Foreign Ministry expressed its condemnation of the designation as "an affront to the Argentine justice and the victims of the brutal terrorist attack". (Buenos Aires Times)

Law and crime

Turkey's migrant crisis
- Armed locals in Ankara, Turkey, attack shops, houses and cars owned by Syrians. The assaults occurred after a Turkish teenager was killed yesterday during a fight between Syrians and locals, and the wounding of Turkish men who were stabbed by a Syrian man in another incident. (BBC News)
2021 Algeria wildfires
- President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in a televised address, announces that 22 people have been arrested for causing the wildfires which have left 65 people dead so far. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 Madagascar food crisis
- President Andry Rajoelina dismisses his entire cabinet citing "failures in government" as the country struggles with severe food shortages, an increasing number of COVID-19 infections and a political crisis over a recently uncovered plot to assassinate the president. (France 24)

August 13, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive, Battle of Lashkargah
    - The Taliban captures the provincial capitals of Lashkargah, Chaghcharan, Puli Alam, Qalati Ghilji and Tarinkot, bringing the number of provincial capitals taken in the past eight days to eighteen. (Al Jazeera)
    - Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid confirms that the jihadist group has captured Afghan warlord Ismail Khan, after the fall of Herat on Thursday. Footage shows Khan and other officials of Herat Province in the custody of the Taliban. (Reuters)
- Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
  - U.S. Marines begin arriving in Kabul to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport and evacuate U.S. embassy staff and allied Afghan interpreters. (CNBC)
Sinai insurgency
- Eight soldiers are killed and six more are wounded when a roadside bomb explodes in Rafah, Egypt. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack. (Al Jazeera)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Israeli security forces launch stun grenades to disperse a crowd of worshippers who were praying outside the Cave of the Patriarchs in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2021 China floods
- Twenty-one people are dead and 6,000 are evacuated as heavy rains impact five cities in Hubei Province, China. (Al Jazeera)
2021 Russian wildfires
- A "non-working day" is declared in Russia's Sakha republic, and residents are urged to stay at home as smoke from wildfires covers the region. The wildfires in Siberia are now larger than the combined size of all other wildfires currently burning in the rest of the world. (The Guardian) (ABC News)
The death toll from flash flooding in Turkey increases to 31, of whom 29 died in Kastamonu Province and two in the city of Sinop. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
    - Israel lowers the minimum eligibility age for "booster" COVID-19 vaccine doses from 60 to 50 years old and expands the booster vaccine campaign to healthcare workers, prisoners, prison wardens and some high-risk patients under the age of 50 as part of an effort to protect the population from the highly-transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (Bloomberg News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record 20,365 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including 5,773 new cases in Tokyo. It is also the first time that the country has reported more than 20,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. (Jiji Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea
      - South Korea signs an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 30 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 as part of a plan to administer 50 million "booster" doses of the vaccine. (The Korea Herald)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka
      - Sri Lanka announces that beginning on September 15, citizens will be required to show a vaccine card that states that they have received two vaccine doses in order to enter public places and travel between provinces. (Business Standard)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record for the second consecutive day of 23,418 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 863,189. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt, COVID-19 vaccination in Egypt
    - Egypt receives a shipment of 1.7 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX initiative, bringing the total number of COVAX-donated doses to 4.3 million. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
    - Morocco receives their first shipment of 600,000 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (Morocco World News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia
    - Zambia receives a shipment of 119,200 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United Kingdom through the COVAX initiative. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
    - Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announces that Canada will require vaccinations for federal public servants and air and train passengers. The mandate is expected to be implemented by the Crown corporation and other federally regulated businesses and will begin as soon as next month. (CBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
      - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
        U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announces that the Biden administration will offer financial help to schools who defy mask mandate bans imposed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Texas governor Greg Abbott. This comes following criticism of DeSantis and Abbott from the Biden administration for banning schools from imposing mask mandates. (Politico)
        
        Multiple appellate courts in Texas uphold the mask mandates imposed in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Travis counties in an effort to override Governor Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates in schools. (The Hill)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
      - Hawaii reports a record 1,167 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Hawaii Public Radio)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      - Michigan surpasses 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. (MLive)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri
      - Missouri governor Mike Parson announces that around 500,000 residents have entered the MO VIP program, which incentives vaccination against COVID-19. (KMBC-TV)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      - Germany reclassifies the United States, Israel, Turkey, Kenya, Montenegro and Vietnam as "high risk" COVID-19 areas, triggering mandatory 10-day quarantines for unvaccinated travellers unless they can show a negative test after five days. The changes will be in effect from August 17 for Turkey and from August 15 for the rest of the countries. (Deutsche Welle)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 815 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 168,864. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations
- The New York State Assembly says that they will suspend impeachment investigations of outgoing governor Andrew Cuomo once he resigns on August 24. (Associated Press)
Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong is released from prison in South Korea after his parole was announced on Monday. Lee served seven months out of a 30 month imprisonment sentence that had been imposed on him for financial corruption. Lee addressed journalists, saying that he will do "his best" from now on and apologizing for his crime. (France 24)
Nicaraguan police raid the offices of national newspaper La Prensa after the government announces an investigation into allegations of customs fraud and money laundering by its directors. La Prensa had published several critical stories against current president Daniel Ortega, whom they have called a "dictator" numerous times. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Opposition lawmakers in Argentina present a formal impeachment against President Alberto Fernández for violating COVID-19 restrictions after a photo surfaced of a party that he held in 2020 while the country was under a strict quarantine. Opposition party leader Patricia Bullrich called for Fernández's removal as mid-term elections approach. (Reuters)

August 14, 2021 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - The Taliban captures the eastern Logar Province and seizes seven more provincial capitals, Gardez, Sharana, Asadabad, Maymana, Mihtarlam, Nili and Mazar-i-Sharif, as heavy fighting is reported amid a rapid advance of the group towards the capital Kabul. Mazar-i-Sharif had been visited on Wednesday by President Ashraf Ghani. (Deutsche Welle) (Al Jazeera)
    - President Ghani addresses the nation and says that he is in "urgent talks" with local leaders and international partners as the Taliban advances closer to Kabul. Ghani did not comment on the Taliban's demand that he resign in order to restore talks. (Reuters)
    - U.S. diplomatic staff and western nationals are airlifted out of a heavily fortified part of Kabul. (The Guardian)
    - It is reported that the Taliban has reached the outskirts of Kabul as the government seeks to control the city as a last stronghold. (Miami Herald) (Reuters)
    - Taliban forces seize the palace of U.S.-backed Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum in Mazar-i-Sharif amid reports that the warlord had left the country. Former warlord and Governor of Balkh Atta Muhammad Nur had also left the country, according to reports. (The Nation)
    - For the first time since the offensive began, the Taliban commandeers Mi-17 helicopters captured from the Afghan Air Force. The militants were filmed flying the aircraft over the city of Kandahar. The jihadist group has also seized several UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. (MSN)
- Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
  - U.S. president Joe Biden authorizes the deployment of 5,000 American troops to Afghanistan to help evacuate diplomatic staff and personnel. He reaffirms that the United States should end its 20-year presence in the country. (NBC News)
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Twelve people are killed and more are wounded during a grenade attack against a truck carrying a family from a wedding ceremony in a Karachi, Pakistan. (The Hindu)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Haiti earthquake
- A major 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, killing at least 304 people and wounding more than 1,800 others. Several homes and buildings collapsed, with the earthquake being felt across the Caribbean. No tsunami warning has been issued. Haiti is still recovering from a major earthquake that impacted the country in 2010. (Reuters) (BBC News)
2021 Turkish floods
- The death toll from the flash floods in Kastamonu Province and Sinop, Turkey, increases to 57. (Al Jazeera)
2021 Turkish wildfires
- A Beriev Be-200, sent to help those affected by the wildfires in Kahramanmaraş, crashes, killing all eight people on board, including five Russian servicemen and three Turkish citizens. (Al Jazeera)
2021 Akkar explosion
- A fuel truck explodes in Akkar District, Lebanon, killing at least 28 people and injuring 79 others. (Reuters)
Eleven people are killed by the waves in the sea area off Zhangzhou, Fujian, China. (China Daily)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran announces a six-day general lockdown in all cities that will include the closure of bazaars, markets, public offices, movie theaters, gyms and restaurants as well as a ban on intra-city travel. The lockdown will occur from August 16 to August 21. (The Times of Israel)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines surpasses 30,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Rappler)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record 9,716 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 265,464. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Denmark removes its mandatory face mask policy for public transport such as buses, trains or ferries, and also removes its recommendation of 1 meter of social distancing in public spaces. (NDTV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 819 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 169,683. (Florida News Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
    - New South Wales enters a statewide lockdown which also applies to all regional parts of the state that are currently under a stay-at-home order. All non-essential retail premises must close and all hospitality venues will revert to takeaway services after a record 466 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the past 24 hours. (SBS World News)
Ivory Coast reports its first case of the Ebola hemorrhagic virus since 1994 in an isolated case of an 18-year-old girl who travelled from Guinea and is currently hospitalized in Abidjan. (Reuters)

International relations

Russia–United Kingdom relations
- BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford says that Russia is permanently expelling her after authorities told her to leave on Thursday. The expulsion is in response to two reporters from Russian state-run news channel Russia-24 being denied visas in the United Kingdom. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2021 Zambian general election
- President Edgar Lungu declares that Thursday's elections were "not free or fair", citing instances of electoral violence in three provinces, such as the beating of polling agents representing his party Patriotic Front. Early election results showed Lungu trailing behind his opponent, businessman Hakainde Hichilema. (Reuters)

August 15, 2021 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - Fall of Kabul
      - The Taliban enters Kabul and seizes the presidential palace, overthrowing the government. (Sky News) (The Washington Post)
      - President Ashraf Ghani agrees to form a team for negotiations and also agrees to step down and allow an interim Taliban government to govern the country amid the insurgent group's advance. Among the people in the negotiation team is the first president of Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S. invasion, Hamid Karzai. (TOLO)
      - President Ashraf Ghani and Vice President Amrullah Saleh leave the country and are currently in Tajikistan. (BBC News)
      - Taliban officials indicate that there will be no "transitional government" in Afghanistan, saying that the group expects a complete transfer of power from the Ghani government. (Reuters)
      - Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres calls on the Taliban to exercise restraint and respect human rights, especially those concerning women and girls. Guterres also expressed concern at the civilian casualties in areas of conflict. (Reuters)
      - In his first public comments since going into exile, ousted president Ashraf Ghani concedes that the Taliban has "won the war" in Afghanistan, saying that "they are now facing a new historical test. Either they will preserve the name and honour of Afghanistan or they will give priority to other places and networks". (The Hindu)
    - The Taliban captures Jalalabad, the provincial capital of the Nangarhar Province. The jihadist group faced no resistance as the Afghan military and provincial governor surrendered. Taliban forces also enter the Char Asiab District of the Kabul Province, advancing within 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) of Kabul. (Reuters) (Sky News) (The Independent)
    - The Afghan military transfers control of Bagram Airfield, formerly the largest U.S. airbase in the country, to the Taliban. Five thousand unlawful combatants are freed from the airbase's military prison. (The Economic Times)
    - Embassies of Western countries are evacuated and relocated at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. The Russian embassy is not evacuated, as it considers that "the situation in Kabul is a bit tense, but there is no war in the city". The Turkish embassy also remains open. (The Guardian) (Financial Times)
  - Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
    - U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price announces that the U.S. Embassy is successfully evacuated. (CBS News)
  - Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem says on Al Jazeera Mubasher that the war in Afghanistan is over. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Algeria wildfires
- The death toll from the wildfires in Algeria rise to 90 people, including 57 civilians and 33 soldiers. (Africa News)
Heavy rain in Japan causes a landslide in Okaya, Nagano. Three people are dead after the landslide damaged their house. (The Japan Times)
A passenger bus overturns on the M7 motorway, west of Budapest, Hungary, killing eight people and injuring dozens of other passengers. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 620 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 97,828. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
    - Laos surpasses 10,000 cases of COVID-19. (Xinhua News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in a 35-year-old female who is asymptomatic and recovered after isolating for 10 days. (Rappler)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand surpasses 900,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Star)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
  - A batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Australia from Poland, in which half of vaccine doses will target people aged 20 to 39 years old in 12 local government areas of concern across New South Wales. (SBS World News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
  - The Serbian health authorities authorise a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised people, health workers and anyone who was vaccinated at least six months ago, and would begin administering these doses on Tuesday. (Reuters)
Singapore announces the first giant panda cub in the city-state when the 12-year-old panda Jia Jia gave birth to a cub at River Safari after being artificially inseminated with frozen semen from 13-year-old Kai Kai. (The Straits Times) (Radio France Internationale)

International relations

Israel–Poland relations
- Israel recalls a top diplomat from Poland, after the country passed a law limiting property restitution for Jewish Holocaust survivors. (Politico Europe)

Law and crime

Hong Kong national security law
- The Civil Human Rights Front in Hong Kong disbands. The pro-democracy group had been under pressure from the government for allegedly being internationally funded. The group's leader Figo Chan and prominent member Jimmy Sham are both in prison. (Deutsche Welle)
Konstantin Pavlov, the pro-Russian mayor of Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, is found dead at his home with a gunshot wound. The National Police of Ukraine say that they are currently establishing the circumstances of the mayor's death and have also opened a criminal case. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2021 Canadian federal election
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau obtains the dissolution of the House of Commons for an election scheduled on September 20. (CBC News)
2020–21 Malaysian political crisis
- Reports emerge of the imminent resignation of Prime Minister of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin on August 16. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Spain records the highest temperature ever of 47.4°C (117.3°F) in Montoro, province of Córdoba amid an historic heat wave. (Big News Network)

August 16, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - Fall of Kabul
      - Russia accuses President Ashraf Ghani of fleeing the country with "four cars and a helicopter full of cash" and that he also left money behind that could not be transported with him. Ghani's whereabouts are still unknown although multiple sources say that he is currently in Tajikistan. (Reuters)
      - The first Afghan President after the 2001 United States invasion, Hamid Karzai, announces that he and his daughters will remain in Kabul as he appeals to the Taliban to respect his life and the lives of civilians in Afghanistan. (Indiatimes)
      - Saudi Arabia calls on the Taliban and "all Afghan parties" to "preserve lives and property" and also states that "Saudi Arabia stands with the decision of the Afghan people without interference". (Reuters)
      - The Taliban sets up a cordon and blocks access to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport and also fires warning shots as civilians attempt to leave the country. (Al Jazeera)
      - Kyrgyzstan says 500 visas will be issued to students from Afghanistan. (AKIpress News Agency)
- Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
  - U.S. troops shoot dead two "armed men" at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport as evacuations of Western diplomats and allied Afghans continue. (The Wall Street Journal)
  - Two people are recorded falling to their deaths from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III flying over the airport. Local reports say that the stowaways landed on nearby rooftops. In a separate incident, three civilians are run over and killed while clinging to a U.S. jet on the runway. (NDTV)
  - U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation following his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. In the address, Biden said that he "stands squarely behind" the decision to withdraw from the country and admits that the government's collapse was "quicker than anticipated". (The Independent) (USA Today)
- Operation Pitting
  - The United Kingdom deploys an additional 200 troops to Kabul to help airlift UK nationals and Afghans who worked with British forces during the war. (BBC News)
- Uzbekistan shoots down an Afghan Air Force jet that crossed into its airspace. The pilot ejected and survived, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. (Reuters)
Insurgency in the Maghreb
- 2021 Niger attacks
  - Gunmen on motorbikes storm the village of Darey-Daye, Niger, openinf fire against civilians while they were tending their fields, killing 37 people, including fourteen children. (Al Jazeera)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Four Palestinians are killed and another is seriously injured after an undercover branch of the Israel Border Police raided a refugee camp in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The raid, which was organized to arrest a suspected Hamas member, resulted in the highest death toll in the area in months. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Haiti earthquake
- The death toll from the earthquake that struck Haiti two days ago increases to 1,297 people. More than 5,700 others are injured. (BBC News)
- Tropical Storm Grace threatens earthquake-hit Haiti as it approaches the island of Hispaniola with sustained winds of 35 mph (56 km/h), and even stronger gusts. (CNN International)
Wildfires in 2021
- Around one thousand people are evacuated in Castile and León, Spain, as a wildfire spreads across the region. (Reuters)
2020–22 North American drought
- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issues an official water shortage declaration at the Lake Mead reservoir for the first time. The shortage will mean reduced water apportionments to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico beginning in October. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in the sample of a 49-year-old woman in Dhaka. (Dhaka Tribune)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      - Hong Kong reclassifies 15 countries and territories, including the U.S., France, Malaysia, and Thailand, to the "high-risk" category, which means that beginning on August 20, there will be mandatory 21-day quarantines and tougher boarding requirements for travellers arriving from those countries due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 655 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 98,483. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
    - The number of people over the age of 50 who have received a booster COVID-19 vaccine dose in Israel reaches one million. (The Times of Israel)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysian movement control order
      - The Government of Malaysia begins to allow 11 more economic sectors in states under Phase 1 of the national recovery plan to reopen. Operators of businesses in these sectors must ensure that their customers show a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate before entering the business. (Free Malaysia Today)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - France requires shoppers to show their "health pass" in order to enter 126 shopping centres that have a size of more than 20,000 m² (220,000 sq ft) in Paris and 12 departments that reached a threshold of 200 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. (Radio France Internationale)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
    - The German Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends that all children between the ages of 12 and 17 receive a COVID-19 vaccine due to increased risks posed by the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (The Tribune)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia
    - North Macedonia restricts the access of cafés, restaurants and public events to only those who have been vaccinated with at least one dose or who have recovered from COVID-19 within the past 45 days and also limits the capacity of restaurants to 30 people with only outdoor parts of restaurants to be open in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 cases. (U.S. News & World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in England, COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
      - A requirement for fully vaccinated people and people under the age of 18 to self-isolate is removed in England and Northern Ireland if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. These people are now advised to take a PCR test despite such tests being voluntary and also wear a face covering while in enclosed spaces. (BBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Territory, COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
    - Greater Darwin and Katherine enter a three-day lockdown after new community transmissions of COVID-19 were reported. Meanwhile, lockdown restrictions in Melbourne are extended and tightened for an additional two weeks, with a controversial nighttime curfew reinstated. (The Australian) (ABC News Australia)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
    - Outgoing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that healthcare workers in the state will be required to be vaccinated by September 27. (WIVB-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
    - Washington, D.C. announces that they will require healthcare workers and other health-related professionals to be vaccinated with at least a first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or a single-dose Janssen vaccine by September 30. (The Hill)
Ivory Coast begins to vaccinate "healthcare workers, close relatives and contacts of the victim" against Ebola using 5,000 doses of Ebola vaccines donated by Guinea after the first case of the virus since 1994 was reported over the weekend. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

The Speaker of the Tongan Parliament, Lord Fakafanua, introduces the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) Bill 2021 for debate in the legislative assembly. The Speaker wants a mandatory death sentence for serious drug offenses. Tonga has a moratorium on the death penalty and has not used it in more than four decades. (RNZ International)
The last living Khmer Rouge leader, Khieu Samphan, appears before a court in Phnom Penh in order to appeal his conviction and attempt to overturn it. The 90-year-old's hearing is expected to last for only a few days as analysts say that it is very unlikely that he will succeed in his appeal. (Deutsche Welle)
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of Uganda strikes down a 2014 law outlawing the distribution of pornography and wearing of "indecent" clothes as unconstitutional. Women's rights groups in the country campaigned against the law since its inception, saying it unfairly singled out women for discrimination. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2020–21 Malaysian political crisis
- Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigns from office, as a result of the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition government's collapse. Yassin will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed. (CNA)
COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- President Gotabaya Rajapaksa replaces his health minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi with Keheliya Rambukwella, who was previously the media minister and government spokesman, with Wanniarachchi becoming the transport minister, amid public criticism over her understating of COVID-19 infections and her endorsement of sorcery and magic potions to combat the virus. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 Summer Paralympics
  - The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the Japanese government issue a joint statement indicating that spectators will be banned at Paralympic venues in Tokyo and other prefectures that are currently under a state of emergency due to the spread of COVID-19. (The Washington Post) (France 24)

August 17, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - Operation Allies Refuge
      - Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby says that evacuations have resumed at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. (The Hill)
    - Taliban member of the cultural commission Enamullah Samangani announces an amnesty across Afghanistan and urges women to join their government in the first mention of women's rights by the group since seizing Kabul: while Samangani did not specify what he meant by "amnesty", he said that "the Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims" and that "they should be in the government structure according to sharia law". (Kyodo News) (KSTP-TV)
    - The Taliban says that they will respect women's rights and security under the Islamic Emirate, having encouraged women to return to work and allowed girls to return to school. (Associated Press)
    - Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says that the Taliban will hold their first news conference this afternoon in a media center in Kabul previously used by the former Afghan government. (Reuters)
    - U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says that the Taliban is prepared to provide safe passage to civilians who are attempting to leave Kabul. (CNBC)
    - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) announces that the U.S. Senate Committee will hold hearings into the Biden administration's execution of the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, as well as the Trump administration's deal with the Taliban. (Axios)
  - Panjshir conflict
    - Amrullah Saleh, who served as First Vice President under former president Ashraf Ghani, claims on Twitter that he is now caretaker president, and that he refuses to surrender to the Taliban. Saleh is recorded travelling to Panjshir Province with Ahmad Massoud, who has declared his opposition to the Taliban and also called for anti-Taliban militia to assemble in Panjshir. (Hindustan Times) (Yahoo! Finance)
    - Russian intelligence sources reported that Panjshir resistance forces loyal to Amrullah Saleh had managed to re-capture Charikar and the surrounding areas of Parwan Province from the Taliban. (RIA Novosti)

Disasters and accidents

The eight people who went missing after their helicopter crashed into Kurile Lake in Kamchatka Krai, Russia, six days ago, are all found dead. Eight more people were on board but survived. (Wral)
A boat capsizes off the coast of Mauritania with 47 people on board presumed dead. The Mauritanian Coast Guard rescues several people from the sea. The boat had departed from Western Sahara and was travelling to the Canary Islands, Spain. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 50,228 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4,517,243. (Mehr News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - Israel reports 8,716 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since February 1. (The Jerusalem Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - The Japanese government extends the existing state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, and also expands it to seven other prefectures from August 20 to September 12. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record 239 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 7,973. (Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
    - Serbia begins to administer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised people, healthcare workers, people over the age of 70, people who frequently travel abroad, and people who have previously received their second dose at least six months ago. (Florida News Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 vaccination in Switzerland
    - The number of fully vaccinated people in Switzerland surpasses 50%. (The Local Switzerland)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
    - The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approves the usage of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 17, becoming the second vaccine to be approved for use in children after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. (ITV News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Cook Islands
    - The Cook Islands suspends its travel bubble with New Zealand and moves to Alert Level 2 following the confirmation of the first community case of COVID-19 in six months in New Zealand. (Newshub)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - New Zealand reports its first community transmission case of COVID-19 in six months in an unvaccinated 58-year-old man from Devonport who tested positive after visiting a GP surgery and travelling to the Coromandel Peninsula during the past weekend. (Stuff)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
      - New York City begins to implement mandatory proof of vaccination of at least one dose for people who want to dine in at restaurants or bars, watch public performances, or visit a museum or other cultural venue. However, the enforcement of these rules will not begin until September 13. (NBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico
    - New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announces that the state will reimplement its mask mandate and require vaccinations for high-risk settings. (The Santa Fe New Mexican)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
    - Texas Governor Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19. His office says that he is fully vaccinated and is not currently experiencing any symptoms. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru Héctor Béjar resigns after a video of him claiming the Shining Path guerrilla group was propped up by the Central Intelligence Agency was published in local media. (Bloomberg)

Science and technology

Researchers at the Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland announce that they have calculated pi to 62.8 trillion digits, a new world record. (The Guardian)

August 18, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - 2021 Afghan protests
      - Three people are killed and 12 more are wounded during a shootout as civilians protest in Jalalabad against the Taliban banner replacing Afghanistan's national flag. (Reuters)
    - The United Arab Emirates confirms through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has been welcomed into the country along with his family on humanitarian grounds. (Reuters)
    - The Afghan embassy in Tajikistan issues a request to INTERPOL to arrest former president Ghani on the accusation that Ghani stole from the country's treasury when he left Afghanistan. (Forbes)
    - Former president Ghani says that he left the country to avoid being lynched. He also denies reports that he left the country with cash and says that he is in talks to return to Afghanistan. (The New York Times)
    - The Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that 15 more citizens of Kyrgyzstan have evacuated out of Afghanistan. (Kabar)
  - Operation Allies Refuge
    - During an interview with ABC News reporter George Stephanopoulos, U.S. president Joe Biden says that the U.S. is committed to getting every American out of Afghanistan, even if it means extending the mission past the August 31 withdrawal deadline. (ABC News)
    - Oregon governor Kate Brown announces in a statement that Oregon will accept Afghan refugees, becoming the latest U.S. state to do so. (The Hill)
    - U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin says that American troops will evacuate as many Americans and allied Afghan interpreters as they can, but also admits that the Pentagon lacks the capacity to do so. Austin also announces that around 5,000 people have already been evacuated. (Stars and Stripes) (NBC News)
Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Clashes between the armed forces of Burkina Faso and militants linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL kill dozens of people. In an attack in the northern town of Arbinda, militants killed 30 civilians, 14 soldiers and three pro-government militiamen. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2021 France wildfires
- Two people are killed by wildfires that are affecting Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, mostly near the city of Saint-Tropez. (The Guardian)
Flash flooding caused by torrential rains kills at least seven people in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - Israel begins to require people over the age of 3 to show their vaccination certificate, a negative test result, or proof that they have recovered from COVID-19 in order to enter indoor places other than shopping malls and department stores. Additionally, there will be crowd size restrictions at large events and malls and stores will be required to limit their capacity to no more than one person per 7 square metres (75 sq ft). (Haaretz)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record 23,917 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with new records also being reported in 27 prefectures. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 22,242 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.46 million. (Free Malaysia Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - Due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, Sri Lanka closes all swimming pools, shopping malls, spas, arenas, gyms, and playgrounds, restricts travel to one person from each household for essential reasons only, and also bans carnivals, beach parties and musical events. (Economynext)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record for the second consecutive day of 312 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,285. (Inquirer)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam surpasses 300,000 cases of COVID-19. (Vietnam Plus)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      - New South Wales reports a record 633 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern announces a snap lockdown, stating that the country's first community infection of COVID-19 in six months, reported yesterday, is suspected of being a Delta variant case. The lockdown will last for seven days in Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula, and for three days in the rest of the country. (ABC News Australia) (Times of Oman)
    - New Zealand announces that the country's first community infection of COVID-19 in six months is also the country's first confirmed case of the Delta variant and that the total number of cases associated with the current outbreak has increased to 10. (9 News) (Japan Today)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico
      - The Mexican Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk issues an emergency use authorization for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (El Financiero)
    - Mexico reports a record 28,953 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,152,205. (Bloomberg)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - The U.S. surpasses 37 million cases of COVID-19. (WSOC-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - California announces that it will require people to show proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results in the previous 72 hours to attend any indoor “mega-events” with more than 1,000 people beginning from September 20, becoming the first U.S. state to enact these rules. (Forbes)
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      - The Biden administration announces that beginning on September 20, the U.S. will begin administering booster shots of the Moderna and Pfizer–BioNTech vaccines for most people who received their second dose at least eight months ago. (Business Insider)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
  - Tunisia eases its nightly curfew from midnight to 5:00 a.m. and allows restaurants to remain open until 10 p.m. as the number of COVID-19 cases decreases. (Reuters)
Bulgaria reports an outbreak of African swine fever at an industrial farm with 13,000 pigs in the village of Apriltsi. (Reuters)

Sports

2021 Japanese Grand Prix, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on motorsport
- Formula One announces that this year's Japanese Grand Prix scheduled for October 8–10 has been cancelled due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Japan. (BBC Sport)

August 19, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - A Taliban militant is stabbed by protestors in Asadabad while celebrating Independence Day. Fellow Taliban militants open fire on the crowd after the stabbing, killing two people and wounding eight others. Additionally, two people are injured during a protest in Jalalabad. (Al Jazeera)
    - More incidents are reported at the airport in Kabul, as civilians try to escape the country. A total of 12 people have been confirmed to have been killed at the airport since the fall of the city, primarily due to stampedes and gun incidents. (Business Insider)
    - Ahmad Massoud, the 32-year-old son of anti-Soviet mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, vows to resist a potential assault of the Taliban on Panjshir. Massoud, who is allied with self-proclaimed acting president Amrullah Saleh, says that the Taliban will face a "staunch resistance" if they attack. (Reuters)
    - U.S. president Joe Biden says that the Taliban "must decide if it wants international recognition", but that the group had not changed its priorities during the past 20 years. (RTE)
  - Operation Allies Refuge
    - The Pentagon announces that 7,000 civilians have been evacuated since August 14. (Axios)
- The Taliban declares the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. (Forbes)
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Three people are killed and 50 more wounded during a grenade attack at a Shiite religious procession in Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
War in Somalia
- A suicide bomber blows himself up at a restaurant in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing three people and wounding several more. The restaurant was frequented by members of the security forces as it is near to a security agency. (Xinhua)
Mali War
- Jihadists ambush a convoy in Mopti, killing 11 soldiers and wounding 10 others. A roadside bomb hit the convoy, and gunmen then opened fire. (Republic World)
Thirty-two people are killed in Far North, Cameroon, in clashes between fishermen and herders since the beginning of the month. Nineteen villages have been burned. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020–2021 global chip shortage
- Toyota reduces its production quota for next month by 40% due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in Asia severely impacting the company's supply chains, especially those involved in chip production. Up to this point, the company was one of the only major car manufacturers to avoid scaling back production during the pandemic. Volkswagen warns that it might also have to reduce its production quotas for similar reasons. (BBC News)
Content subscription service OnlyFans announces that it will ban sexually explicit material beginning in October. The policy changes, according to UK-based company, are "to comply with the requests of the banking partners and payout providers". (Variety)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Haiti earthquake
- The death toll of the earthquake in Haiti reaches 2,189. (Associated Press)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
      - The number of people over the age of 16 who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Australia surpasses 50%, with a record 309,010 doses administered yesterday. (ABC News Australia)
    - Australia reports a new single-day record of 754 new cases of COVID-19, including a record for the second consecutive day of 681 new cases of COVID-19 in New South Wales, surpassing the previous record set in August 2020 during the second wave of the pandemic in Victoria. (The Canberra Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    - Fiji surpasses 400 deaths from COVID-19. (RNZ)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
    - Prime Minister Jacinda Arden's Cabinet grants approval for children between the ages of 12 and 15 to receive the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine beginning on September 1. (Newshub)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
    - Indonesia receives their first shipment of 1.56 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. (Kabar24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record for the second consecutive day of 25,156 new cases of COVID-19. (Jiji Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 22,242 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,489,460. (The Edge Markets)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 community quarantines in the Philippines
    - Metro Manila and the provinces of Bataan and Laguna will have their restrictions eased under the slightly restrictive Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine beginning on August 21 for Metro Manila and Laguna and August 23 for Bataan. (Rappler)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore
    - Singapore begins reopening its borders with the launch of Vaccinated Travel Lanes for fully vaccinated travellers from Germany and Brunei, while quarantine-free restrictions will be eased for travellers from Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China outside of Jiangsu Province, New Zealand and Taiwan. (CNA)
    - Beginning tomorrow, all travellers entering Singapore who are fully vaccinated with a World Health Organization-recognized COVID-19 vaccine will be issued a tamper-proof vaccination sticker in their passport upon the presentation of a COVID-19 vaccination certificate. (TODAY)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record 10,654 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 312,611. (Viet Nam News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in France, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  - France designates Algeria and Morocco as "high-risk" countries, which means that beginning from August 21, unvaccinated travellers will have to prove that their trip is essential, requiring a proof of negative COVID-19 test, and must accept a 10-day self-quarantine. (Radio France Internationale)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya, COVID-19 vaccination in Kenya
  - Kenya's Pharmacy and Poisons Board grants emergency use authorization for the Moderna and Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccines. (Bloomberg)
Ivory Coast reports an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 after a large number of poultry birds started dying in the Grand-Bassam commune near the capital Abidjan on July 20. (Reuters)

International relations

COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Hong Kong and Singapore abandon plans to resume a "travel bubble" for quarantine-free travel between the two cities due to differing COVID-19 policies. (The Straits Times)

Law and crime

The U.S. Supreme Court Building, the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, and other locations in Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill area are evacuated after a man parked his truck in front of the Library of Congress and threatened to detonate a bomb while making anti-government statements. The man surrendered to the police several hours after he began his standoff. (CNBC)

Science and technology

Rain falls on the summit of Greenland for the first time in recorded history. The rain shower dumped more than 7 billion tonnes of water on the ice sheet. (CNN)

Sports

2020 Summer Paralympics, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games reports the first Paralympic-linked case of COVID-19 at the Olympic village that is not a Paralympic athlete or a Japanese resident. (BBC News)

August 20, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - An assessment by the United Nations reports that the Taliban is conducting "targeted door-to-door visits" searching for opponents and their families, deepening concerns that the group will seek revenge. (Al Jazeera)
    - The Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov says that the Panjshir resistance led by Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud is "doomed". Zhirnov also praises the Taliban and says that the situation in Kabul is better than it was when Ashraf Ghani was governing the country. (Reuters)
- Operation Allies Refuge
  - U.S. president Joe Biden addresses the United States for a second time this week. During the address, Biden said that the U.S. will evacuate any Americans who want to return to the U.S. He also announces that 18,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan in the past few weeks, and that 5,700 people were evacuated in the past 24 hours. (CBS News)
  - Colombian president Iván Duque Márquez and the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Philip Goldberg announce that Colombia will temporarily receive up to 4,000 Afghan nationals who are awaiting a Special Immigrant Visa clearance. (Reuters)
Insurgency in the Maghreb
- 2021 Niger attacks
  - Gunmen open fire against civilians who were praying at a mosque in the village of Theim, in southwestern Niger, killing 16 people. (Reuters)
Insurgency in Balochistan
- A suicide bomber in Gwadar, Pakistan, blows himself up targeting a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals, killing two children who were playing by the roadside. Three other people, including a Chinese citizen, are wounded. The Balochistan Liberation Army claim responsibility for the attack. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
    - The Indian government approves the emergency use of the ZyCoV-D vaccine made by Cadila Healthcare, which is the world's first three-dose DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
    - Prime Minister Naftali Bennett receives his third "booster" dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as Israel expands its booster dose campaign eligibility to people over the age of 40. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record for the third consecutive day of 25,876 new cases of COVID-19. (Jiji Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 23,564 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.51 million. (The Star)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines reports a record 17,231 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.8 million. (ABS-CBN News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposes a ten-day nationwide lockdown in Sri Lanka in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Al Jazeera English)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (The Straits Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia, COVID-19 vaccination in Croatia
    - The number of adults who received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Croatia surpasses 50%. (International The News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portugal eases its COVID-19-related restrictions two weeks earlier than planned. Beginning on August 23, the country will allow eight people indoors and 15 people outdoors to sit together in bars and restaurants, and will also allow cultural events, weddings and baptisms to increase their capacity to 75% and permit restaurants, cultural venues and other businesses to remain open until 2:00 a.m. as the vaccination rate surpasses 70%. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 drug development
    - The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves the country's first monoclonal antibody cocktail drug (Ronapreve) developed by Regeneron and Roche to treat severe COVID-19 patients in the United Kingdom. (Euronews)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba, COVID-19 vaccination in Cuba
    - Cuba grants the emergency use approval for its second homegrown Soberana 2 vaccine. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - Los Angeles County begins mandating face masks for all people who attend outdoor "mega-events" of more than 10,000 people such as open-air concert and sporting events regardless of their vaccination status. (Spectrum News 1)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, COVID-19 vaccination in South Africa
  - South Africa expands the country's vaccine age eligibility to all adults over the age of 18 in order to increase the vaccination rate as the country deals with an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. (AP)

International relations

Germany–Russia relations
- On her last official trip as Chancellor, Angela Merkel urges Russian president Vladimir Putin to release jailed activist Alexei Navalny. The Russian government rebuffed Merkel, saying that Navalny is in prison due to reasons not linked to politics. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020–21 Malaysian political crisis
- Ismail Sabri Yaakob is appointed as the 9th prime minister of Malaysia, following the resignation of Muhyiddin Yassin amid the collapse of the government. (Malaysiakini) (The Independent) (DW)

Wrestling News

CM Punk returns to pro wrestling after 9 years CM Punk#All Elite Wrestling (2021–present)

August 21, 2021 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Operation Allies Refuge
  - Seven people are killed during a stampede at the airport in Kabul. (Reuters)
  - United States Army major general William D. Taylor announces that the United States has evacuated 17,000 people, including 2,500 Americans, in the past few weeks. (CNBC)
  - The U.S. and Germany both issue advisories warning nationals not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul almost a week after the Taliban took control. (Reuters)
Insurgency in Northern Chad
- Chad recalls half of its 1,200 troops in the tri-border area of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The decision notified to the coalition by Chadian military was explained as part of a plan to deploy troops elsewhere, where Chad is currently facing other conflicts. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      - New South Wales reports a record of 825 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest number reported by any state or territory since the beginning of the pandemic. (ABC News Australia)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      - Regional Victoria re-enters a lockdown as COVID-19 infections spread from an ongoing cluster in Melbourne. (The Age)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - New Zealand reports 21 new community transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total since April 2020. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Palau
    - Palau reports their first cases of COVID-19 in two people who travelled from Guam and were placed in quarantine with their known contacts. (France 24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh receives a shipment of 781,440 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Japan. (Dhaka Tribune)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
    - Brunei extends its nationwide partial lockdown for two weeks until September 4 amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record for the third consecutive day of 11,321 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 336,707. (The Star)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
  - Morocco surpasses 800,000 cases of COVID-19. (MAP News)

International relations

Foreign relations of Afghanistan
- The European Union says that there will be "no recognition, no political talks" with the Taliban. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says that the EU will "measure the Taliban by their deeds and actions" before engaging in any recognition. Von der Leyen also announced an increase in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. (Reuters)

Law and crime

2021 Taliban offensive, LGBT rights in Afghanistan, Persecution of homosexuals
- Afghan-American LGBT rights activist Nemat Sadat says that gay Afghans are facing death under the Taliban, as a 21-year-old man from Balkh Province says that he is trying to seek asylum and thinks that he may never see his boyfriend again. Another gay man from Kabul who worked for the United Nations described the current situation for homosexuals as a "nightmare". (Yahoo! News)
Former president of Bolivia Jeanine Áñez cuts her arm while in jail in what was allegedly a suicide attempt. (El Comercio) (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020–21 Malaysian political crisis
- Ismail Sabri Yaakob is sworn in as the ninth prime minister of Malaysia. (CNA)

Science and technology

The world's highest elevation expressway, between Lhasa and Nagqu in Tibet, China, opens. The average elevation of the 295 kilometres (183 mi) expressway is more than 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) above sea level. (China Daily)

August 22, 2021 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - Panjshir conflict
    - Ahmad Massoud, who is leading the Panjshir resistance along with self-proclaimed acting president Amrullah Saleh, refuses to surrender the Panjshir Valley to the Taliban and says that war is "unavoidable" if the Taliban refuse dialogue on the formation of a comprehensive government. (Al Arabiya)
  - 2021 Afghan protests
    - Hundreds of people, including Afghans, hold a demonstration against the Taliban in Stockholm, Sweden. (Central Asia Times)
  - Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid says that they will form a new government soon. (The Times)
- Operation Allies Refuge
  - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that the U.S. will ensure that all American citizens will be evacuated to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (ABC News)
  - Austin also announces that the U.S. Department of Defense will activate the Civil Reserve Air Fleet for the third time and send 18 planes that will be used by the U.S. military to help evacuate American citizens. (Forbes)
  - U.S. President Joe Biden says that American troops may remain in Afghanistan beyond the August 31 deadline. He also announces that 11,000 people were evacuated from the country in the past 36 hours. (NBC News)
  - Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott announces that the network has evacuated 24 people from Afghanistan, including three Afghan nationals who assisted with the network's coverage of the war. (Variety)
- Aftermath of the Fall of Kabul
  - The Netherlands increases its military presence in Afghanistan to help evacuate 700 Dutch nationals and Afghan allies. Dutch foreign minister Sigrid Kaag said last Friday that multiple Afghans are eligible for evacuation to the Netherlands. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Tennessee floods
- Heavy rains cause 21 deaths in Tennessee, United States, with 45 people still missing. A record 17 inches (43 cm) of rain in 24 hours was reported in McEwen. (CNN)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
    - Brunei reports a record 314 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,769. (Borneo Bulletin)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 684 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 102,038. (Radio France Internationale)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - Israel launches antibody COVID-19 testing for 1.4 million children between the ages of 3 and 12 as part of a study to measure the extent to which COVID-19 spread undetected among children in the past 18 months. (Haaretz)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record 737 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,277. (Daily Sabah)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
    - New South Wales reports a record for the second consecutive day of 830 new cases of COVID-19, which is the highest number reported by any state or territory since the beginning of the pandemic. (ABC News Australia)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland
    - Maryland Governor Larry Hogan receives his third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. State health officials also announce that 80% of adults in Maryland have received at least one dose of the vaccine. (Baltimore Sun)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
  - Argentina receives a shipment of 400,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Spain. (Perfil)

International relations

Iran–Japan relations
- During a meeting with Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tehran, Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi urged Japan to release $3 billion in Iranian assets frozen in Japan due to international sanctions against Iran. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

The far-right Proud Boys clash with Antifa demonstrators at an abandoned Kmart near downtown Portland, Oregon. (The Oregonian)

August 23, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War In Afghanistan
- 2021 Taliban offensive
  - Panjshir resistance
    - The Taliban claim to have recaptured three districts in Baghlan Province that had been taken by local militias allied with Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh. Massoud and Saleh have established their resistance in the Panjshir Valley. (Yahoo! News) (Reuters)
  - The brother of deposed president Ashraf Ghani, Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, says he accepts that the Taliban won the war but that he "will not join them" and also calls for the formation of an inclusive government without Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and former president Hamid Karzai, blaming both men for "ruining the country". (India Today)
- Operation Allies Refuge
  - A security guard is killed and three more people are wounded in a gunfight between an unknown gunman and Afghan forces at the north gate of Kabul airport. German and American forces are also involved in the shooting. (Reuters)
Syrian civil war
- 2021 Daraa clashes
  - Syrian Army troops and pro-Iranian militias launch a major ground assault on a rebel-held enclave in the city of Daraa. Rebel forces say that they have repulsed the attack from the western side of the enclave. State media says that the army was preparing to end a "state of lawlessness and chaos" and "reimpose army control" in the city. (Reuters)
Tigray War
- The U.S. Department of Treasury sanctions the chief of staff of the Eritrean Defense Forces Filipos Woldeyohannes, accusing him of leading his troops to commit multiple war crimes, including rapes, executions, massacres, looting, torture and purposely shooting civilians. The Department also called for the "immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops" from Tigray. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2021 California wildfires
- Around 400 homes are destroyed in the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County, California. Additionally, U.S. Route 50 remains closed in the area. (The Sacramento Bee)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      - The Philippine Food and Drug Administration issues an emergency use authorization for the Sputnik Light vaccine, making the country the first in Asia to approve the Russian single-dose vaccine. (Rappler)
    - The Philippines reports a record 18,332 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.85 million. (ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - Sri Lanka reports a record for the second consecutive day of 4,355 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 394,355. (Daily News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan
    - Taiwan begins the "contested" rollout of its first domestically-produced MVC COVID-19 vaccine, with President Tsai Ing-Wen among the first Taiwanese to receive a dose of the protein subunit vaccine. (Nikkei Asia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam imposes their toughest lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, prohibiting people from leaving their homes and also deploying the Vietnamese People's Army in order to enforce the lockdown in the country's largest city amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. (U.S. News & World Report)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      - New South Wales imposes a 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew in 12 LGAs of concern in Greater Sydney, limiting exercise to one hour in hotspot areas and mandating statewide outdoor mask wearing as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to remain high. (Nine News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in French Polynesia
    - The French overseas department of French Polynesia closes all schools and tightens its lockdown for two weeks amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. (Radio France Internationale)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - New Zealand extends its level 4 lockdown until August 31 in Auckland and August 27 in the rest of the country as the number of cases related to the Delta variant outbreak reaches 100. (The Guardian)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
    - Belarus will receive $1 billion from the International Monetary Fund to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. (Politico Europe)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Germany drops incidence levels from its yardstick for deciding if restrictions should be in force to contain the spread of COVID-19 as more people are vaccinated. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom signs an agreement with Pfizer to secure 35 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine due to be delivered in the second half of 2022 as the government focuses on a "future-proof vaccine programme" to prevent any virus variants that are resistant to the vaccine. (BBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
      - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announces that New Jersey will require teachers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by October 18 or face mandatory COVID-19 testing. (The Center Square)
    - The Food and Drug Administration gives full approval to the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first vaccine in the U.S. to be granted full licensure and thereby giving businesses, schools and universities more confidence to adopt vaccine mandates. (CNBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona
    - Arizona Senate president Karen Fann announces that the delivery of the draft report from Cyber Ninjas, the company leading an audit of Maricopa County's presidential election, has been delayed after CEO Doug Logan and two other members have tested positive for COVID-19. (NBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
    - Palm Beach County announces that fans will be required to wear masks at athletic events amidst a cancellation of high school events in the county. (The Palm Beach Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington
    - Washington reimposes its indoor mask mandate, requiring people over the age of 5 to wear masks in indoor public spaces regardless of their vaccination status. (Patch)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
  - The patient zero of the Delta variant in Argentina, a 62-year-old Peruvian national, dies from the disease. The man had been indicted while hospitalized with multiple crimes related to him not informing the authorities about his symptoms, breaching quarantine, entering the country unvaccinated and infecting 13 other people. (Market Research Telecast)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt
  - Egypt reports its first case of the Delta Plus variant in a 35-year-old Egyptian woman who had shown "very mild" symptoms in July. (Al-Ahram)

International relations

2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis, Belarus–Poland relations
- Poland announces that it will build a wall on its border with Belarus in order to stop the flow of migrants entering the country through Belarus. (Euronews)

Law and crime

Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 pandemic in London
  - Anti-vax protesters storm the ITN headquarters in London, United Kingdom. (The Independent)
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio is sentenced to more than five months in prison after admitting to burning a Black Lives Matter banner from a Black church during a pro-Trump rally on December 12 of last year. (NBC News)

Politics and elections

2021 New Caledonian independence referendum
- New Caledonia's pro- and anti-independence camps formally launch their campaigns ahead of a referendum on independence from France in December. (Papua New Guinea Post-Courier)
2021 Tunisian political crisis
- Tunisian president Kais Saied extends the suspension of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People's activity sine die as well as lawmakers' immunity. (Reuters)

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. (Jakarta Globe)
  - 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)

August 25, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- 2021 Daraa clashes, Syrian peace process
  - Rebel fighters begin withdrawing from the southern Daraa Governorate as part of a Russian-brokered truce aimed at ending fighting in the restive province. The rebels will be allowed safe passage to the opposition-held Idlib in the north-west as part of the agreement. (The Defense Post via AFP)
Boko Haram insurgency
- 2021 Niger attacks
  - Hundreds of Boko Haram militants attack a military post in Diffa, Niger, killing 16 soldiers and wounding nine others. In the ensuing gun battle, around 50 Islamist insurgents were killed. (Reuters)
Dar es Salaam shooting
- A gunman opens fire near the French embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing three policemen and an employee of a private security company, and wounding six other people. The gunman was shot dead by responding security forces. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

OnlyFans reverses its decision to ban pornographic content, saying in part that the ban is "no longer required due to banking partners’ assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators". (WABI-TV)

Disasters and accidents

Twenty people are killed and 17 others are reported missing in landslides in western Venezuela, amid torrential rains. Most of the deaths occurred in Tovar, Mérida, after the local Mocotíes river overflowed its banks. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
    - The Food and Drug Authority grants an emergency use authorization for the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. (Kompas)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - The Japanese government announces the expansion of the full state of emergency to eight prefectures and the quasi-state of emergency to four prefectures beginning on August 27, which brings the number of prefectures under all types of emergency measures to 33. These emergency measures will remain in effect until September 12. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan
    - Kazakhstan announces that beginning on August 28, in order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19, unvaccinated people will be banned from entering shopping malls, restaurants and cafés unless they show proof of vaccination, a negative test result, or have recovered from COVID-19 within the past three months and have a "green" status on a mobile app. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
    - Laos reports a record 952 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 13,909. (The Laotian Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan
    - Taiwan reports zero community transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the first time since the country's largest outbreak began in May. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record 12,096 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 377,245. (VNExpress)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
    - Argentina announces that it will receive 20 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and that these doses will mainly be used to vaccinate teenagers. (El Cordillerano)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil
    - The Ministry of Health announces that Brazil will begin offering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to immunocompromised people and people over the age of 70 who received their second dose more than six months ago and will also shorten the interval between the first and second doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to eight weeks beginning in mid-September. (Bloomberg)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
    - New South Wales reports a record 919 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News Australia)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 vaccination in Switzerland
  - Switzerland signs an agreement with Pfizer to supply a total of 14 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 and 2023, which also includes an option to supply an additional 7 million vaccine doses in subsequent years. (Barron's)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - The Pentagon announces that COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandatory for the U.S. military after the FDA approved the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. (U.S. News & World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
    - Arkansas reports 354 patients that are on ventilators, a new single-day record. (KAIT)
2020–2021 H5N8 outbreak
- Benin identifies an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 avian flu in Sèmè-Kpodji and Abomey-Calavi near the capital Porto Novo. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announces that former Alberto Fujimori advisor Vladimiro Montesinos has been transferred from the Callao naval base to the Ancon II prison to finish the remainder of his sentence. (Andina)

Politics and elections

2022 Philippine presidential election, 2021 PDP–Laban dispute
- President Rodrigo Duterte accepts the nomination of the ruling PDP–Laban party to run for Vice-President of the Philippines in the upcoming 2022 presidential elections. (Rappler)
The Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly approves all but one of Ebrahim Raisi's nominees for his cabinet, including anti-West Hossein Amirabdollahian as foreign minister. The designation of Ahmad Vahidi was also approved as minister of the interior. Argentina reiterates its "most energetic condemn" to Vahidi's designations as he is wanted by both Argentina and Interpol for alleged involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing. (Notimérica) (Reuters) (AFP via Radio France Internationale)

August 26, 2021 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghanistan conflict
- 2021 Kabul airport attack
  - A suicide bomber blows himself up at an entrance of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, killing at least 90 Afghan civilians and 13 American servicemembers. More than 150 others are wounded. ISIL-KP, who have threatened the airport in recent days, have claimed responsibility for the attack. (The Wall Street Journal)
- 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
  - Operation Pitting
    - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that the United Kingdom will continue evacuations despite the terrorist attacks that occurred at Hamid Karzai International Airport. (Sky News)
  - Operation Allies Refuge
    - U.S. President Joe Biden, in an address to the nation, says that the evacuation of American citizens will continue despite the terrorist attacks. He also vows that the U.S. will avenge the deaths of the 13 service members killed in the attacks by "hunting down" those responsible and "making them pay". (AP)
    - The United States says that it is taking steps to boost humanitarian aid into Afghanistan despite the Taliban being blacklisted by the treasury. The United States also says that it is working with local partners to facilitate humanitarian aid to reach the Afghan population. (Reuters)
  - Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Russia and the Netherlands end their evacuation flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport ahead of a Taliban ultimatum to leave by August 31. Several shots are fired in the direction of an Italian military plane as it was departing the airport, although the airplane was not the intended target and no casualties or damage have been reported. (BBC News)
Oromo conflict, Tigray War, War crimes in the Tigray War
- The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission accuses the Oromo Liberation Army of killing 150 civilians during the past week. The group denies the report. The report says that gunmen targeted people of Amharan ethnicity. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Political repression in the Soviet Union
- A mass grave containing between 5,000 and 8,000 skeletons is discovered in Odesa, Ukraine, during exploration works for a planned expansion of Odesa International Airport. The graves are believed to date back to the late 1930s during a major purge. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

A three-story building collapses in Peñíscola, Valencian Community, Spain, killing two people and injuring another person. The reason for the collapse is currently unknown. (Euronews)
At least 9 people are killed and more than 80 injured by an explosion at a military compound in southern Kazakhstan. The fire was caused by a fire at the ammunition depot. (Euronews)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
    - Brunei reports its first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, which was first detected in India, in 20 samples of COVID-19 cases that were sent for genome sequencing. (The Scoop)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, COVID-19 vaccination in Japan
    - Japan suspends the usage of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine due to concerns of contamination in some unused vials. (BBC News) (The Washington Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 24,599 new cases and 393 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.64 million and the nationwide death toll to 15,211. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
    - Mongolia surpasses 200,000 cases of COVID-19. (AKI Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - Sri Lanka reports a record 209 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,157. (EconomyNext)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record 820 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 179,243. (Barron's)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
    - The Slovenian government announces that university students and anyone under the age of 15 who is not vaccinated or who has not recovered from COVID-19 will have to be tested once a week in order to enter a university or participate in indoor sports or recreational activities. (The Slovenia Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
    - New South Wales reports a record for the second consecutive day of 1,029 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that the state has reported more than 1,000 cases in a single day. (Newshub)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Honduras
  - COVID-19 vaccination in Honduras
    - Honduras signs an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech to purchase additional 2.7 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in order to ensure the country will have enough supply to vaccinate all people over the age of 12 this year. (Reuters)

International relations

Pacific Islands Forum
- Kiribati confirms its decision to withdraw along with four other countries, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau and Nauru. Despite efforts by multiple countries to have the countries remain in the forum, Kiribati says that there is "no value" in staying if the agreement is not honored in regards to disagreements over the designation of Henry Puna as Secretary-General of the forum. (RNZ)
Foreign relations of Argentina, Foreign relations of Iran
- Argentina condemns "energetically" the designation of Mohsen Rezai in a ministerial rank in the government of Ebrahim Raisi in Iran. Yesterday, Argentina had renewed its condemnation of the designation of Ahmad Vahidi as minister of the interior. Both men are wanted by Argentina and Interpol over alleged connections with the 1994 AMIA bombing. The Foreign Ministry condemns Iran for its "affront to Argentine justice". (Notimérica)

Law and crime

Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
- Ty Garbin is sentenced to six years in prison and fined $2,500 for his role in the kidnapping plot of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer last year. He is the first person to be sentenced in the conspiracy, which includes thirteen other accused plotters who are currently awaiting trial. (BBC News)
Aftermath of the fall of Kabul, 2021 Taliban offensive
- The Taliban announce the re-imposition of the public ban on music in Afghanistan. Zabiullah Mujahid, the official spokesperson for the Taliban, expressed the hope that the Emirate would be able to "persuade people not to do such things instead of pressuring them." (The Daily Telegraph)
Former Prime Minister of Mali Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga is arrested accused of corruption for his involvement in the purchase of a presidential plane in 2014. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Pope Francis appoints Italian nun Alessandra Smerilli as Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, becoming the first woman to do so. (Vatican News)

August 27, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghanistan conflict
- Response to the 2021 Kabul airport attack, Drone strikes in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
  - The United States launches an airstrike in Nangarhar, killing two Islamic State members and wounding a third. It is reported that one of those killed was planning more attacks in Kabul. (CNN)
- Aftermath of 2021 Taliban offensive and Fall of Kabul
  - Afghan political leader and activist Fatima Gailani, who helped draft a new constitution for Afghanistan and also took part in peace talks with the Taliban, blames exiled former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani for the current "chaotic" situation in the country, and says that U.S. president Joe Biden also contributed by withdrawing troops without a "political settlement" in place. (Deutsche Welle)
  - The United States urges the Taliban to include former president Hamid Karzai and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in the formation of the new inclusive government. (Al Jazeera)
- 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
  - Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Spain end their evacuation flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (Reuters) (EuroWeekly News) (Stuff) (U.S. News & World Report)
  - Crowds return to the Kabul airport a day after the suicide bombing at the airport. (VOA)
  - U.S. Marine lieutenant Stuart Scheller is relieved of his duties after posting a video demanding accountability from military leaders over the evacuation. (TMZ) (California News Times)
- 2021 Kabul airport attack
  - The death toll from the ISIL suicide bombing attack at the airport in Kabul yesterday increases to 175. Three British citizens are confirmed to have been killed in the attack. (Al Jazeera)
Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
- Nineteen civilians are killed during a knife and arson attack by ADF at a village in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Al Jazeera)
- Authorities in Uganda arrest an Islamist belonging to the ADF for planning a suicide bombing attack in the country. Police are also investigating if the murders of 21 civilians in the cities of Lwengo and Masaka since late July were carried out by ADF terrorists. The victims were killed by knifemen during raids in the night. Thirty-eight suspected have been arrested. (All Africa)

Business and economy

Economy of Zambia
- The newly appointed Minister of Finance of Zambia Situmbeko Musokotwane says that he has begun to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund on a $12 billion external debt. Musokotwane says that he is also working with other private funds to which Zambia owes payments. Musokotwane anticipates that Zambia "will not be able to immediately cancel all debts". (Reuters)
Economy of Cuba
- Cuba recognizes cryptocurrency as legal tender, becoming the second nation to do so after El Salvador. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 vaccination in India
      - According to government data, more than 473 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which amounts to about half of all eligible adults in India. However, only around 15% of eligible adults have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (BBC)
      - India reports a single-day record of 10 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered, a level that Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed as a "momentous feat" for the country. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - The number of severe COVID-19 patients in Japan surpasses 2,000 for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand's COVID-19 taskforce approves a plan to gradually ease some COVID-19-related restrictions beginning on September 1 that will allow the resumption of domestic flights, reopening of shopping malls, restaurants, barbershops, and public parks, as well as allow gatherings of up to 25 people in 29 high-risk provinces as the number of COVID-19 cases has peaked. (Bloomberg)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record 12,920 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 410,366. The country also surpasses 10,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Viet Nam News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Danish Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke announces that the country will lift all COVID-19-related restrictions on September 10 as it considers that the "epidemic is under control" and does not pose "a critical threat to society". The country will also lift the obligation to present an immunity passport in order to attend certain events as more than 70% of Danes are fully vaccinated. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - The Italian Health ministry signs a decree which moves Sicily into the "yellow zone" and will reimpose some restrictions such as the mask mandate both outdoors and indoors and restrict restaurant diners to groups of four beginning on August 30 following an increase of COVID-19 cases. (MedicalXpress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, COVID-19 vaccination in Poland
    - Polish Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski announces that the Supreme Medical Council has approved booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for people with a compromised immune system which will be administered beginning on September 1. (The First News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
      - Scotland reports a record 6,835 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Sky News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia, Operation Allies Refuge
      - White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announces that the U.S. government has opened a mass vaccination site at the Dulles International Airport for arriving Afghan refugees. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
    - A Leon County judge strikes down the mask mandate ban imposed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (NBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
    - Reverend Jesse Jackson is transferred to a rehab facility, a week after being hospitalized for COVID-19. His wife, Jacqueline Jackson, remains in ICU. (CBS News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
    - The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the world's first deer positive case of COVID-19 from white-tailed deer in the state of Ohio. (CTV News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
  - The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends that children between the ages of 12 and 15 be included in the COVID-19 vaccination program using the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination bookings for this age group will begin on September 13. (ABC News Australia)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- A federal prosecutor indicts President Alberto Fernández for violating the sanitary measures he himself decreed during a birthday celebration party for First Lady Fabiola Yáñez in July 2020. Fernández appeals to evade trial and volunteers to donate his salary. The prosecutors reject his proposal as they say that government officials cannot skip trial. (MercoPress)
Former Mali leaders Bah Ndaw and Moctar Ouane are released from house arrest by the junta who removed them from power in May. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan–United States relations
- The Taliban regime appoints Khalil Haqqani as head of security in Kabul. Haqqani, a veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War and war on terror, is a designated terrorist by the United States, and is currently wanted on a US$5 million bounty. (NBC News)
In a 73−50 vote, the Congress of Peru approves the leftist cabinet of President Pedro Castillo, who thanked the Congress for "granting confidence". The vote increased the approval of Castillo's government, which currently holds a 38% approval rating. (Reuters)

August 28, 2021 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghanistan conflict
- 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan
  - Operation Allies Refuge
    - The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warns Americans to leave the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul due to a "specific, credible threat". Additionally, U.S. president Joe Biden issues a warning of another attack on the airport in the next "24–36 hours". (Business Insider)
  - Operation Pitting
    - British troops return to the United Kingdom from Afghanistan, ending the evacuation process at the airport and the country's involvement in the war. (Time)
- LGBT organization Rainbow Railroad says that it has received hundreds of requests for help, mainly from Afghan gay men. Exiled Afghan LGBT activist Nemat Sadat warned last week that under the Taliban, homosexual men will be hunted down. Sadat says that he alone has received over 250 requests from Afghan gay men requesting help in order to leave the country. (CBC)
- Co-leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and self-proclaimed president Amrullah Saleh criticizes the United States for its withdrawal and for its demand last year of releasing Taliban prisoners as part of the negotiations. Saleh says that the Taliban's rule "won't last long" and appeals to the European Union for support. (Saudi Gazette)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Ida moves toward the coast of the U.S. state of Louisiana as a potential Category 4, after impacting Cuba yesterday. The storm is strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to reach New Orleans on Sunday. Mayor LaToya Cantrell orders centralized evacuations in the city. (Associated Press) (CNN)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Japan
      - The Japanese health ministry confirms that two men died after receiving their second dose of the contaminated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from one of three manufacturers. The ministry said that the cause of the deaths was still being investigated. (Radio France Internationale)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines reports a record 19,441 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,935,700. (ABS-CBN News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka
    - Sri Lanka receives a shipment of 300,000 doses of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine donated from China's People's Liberation Army. (Daily News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, COVID-19 vaccination in Italy, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - The Italian Ministry of Health announces that beginning from August 31, fully vaccinated British travellers will be able to scrap the five-day self-quarantine if they show a proof of negative PCR and Antigen test in the previous 48 hours and must have been at least 14 days after receiving a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Sky News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kosovo
    - Kosovo reimposes its nightly curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and delays the start of the school year until September 13 due to a worsening COVID-19 situation in the country. Only essential staff will be allowed to work in public and private institutions until September 13. (Politiko)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
    - New South Wales reports a record 1,035 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News Australia)

Politics and elections

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan–United States relations
- Following the airstrike by the United States on August 27, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid condemned the attack saying they consider the airstrike a "clear attack on Afghan territory". (Reuters)

August 29, 2021 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghanistan conflict
- 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
  - Operation Allies Refuge
    - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that there are still 300 American citizens left to evacuate from Afghanistan. He also says that the Taliban will allow the evacuations to continue. (RealClearPolitics) (Arutz Sheva)
  - The U.S. and 97 other countries reach an agreement with the Taliban to continue evacuations past the August 31 withdrawal deadline. (Axios)
- Drone strikes in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
  - A U.S. airstrike targets a vehicle driven by an aid worker for U.S. based Nutrition and Education International, who was bringing home water for his family. At least 10 people are killed during the strike, including seven children. Some of those killed had previously worked for international organisations and held visas allowing them entry to the United States. There are reports of other civilians being killed too. The majority of the casualties were residents of the area. (BBC News) (New York Times)
- Two Pakistani soldiers are shot dead by unknown gunmen at the border with Afghanistan. Two or three of the attackers are killed after a gunfight. (Al Jazeera English)
- A rocket is launched near the airport in Kabul, hitting a house and killing a child. (Al Jazeera English)
- Atta Muhammad Nur and Abdul Rashid Dostum say that they are forming a group to negotiate with the Taliban and also say that surrender is "out of the question". They both said that they plan to meet Taliban representatives for a new government. Both men fled to Uzbekistan when Mazar-i-Sharif fell but have since returned to Afghanistan. (Reuters)
- Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen blames former president Ashraf Ghani for the "chaos" in Kabul. Shaheen says that Ghani must return the money that he allegedly stole and says that it was not necessary for Ghani to leave the country as the Taliban "just wanted a peaceful transfer of power". (Hindustan Times)
Syrian civil war
- 2021 Daraa clashes
  - The army bombards the last rebel enclave in the southern city of Daraa, killing six people. The army declined to comment but released a statement saying that it was losing patience with what it called "armed groups and terrorists". The site of the bombing is the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad which marked the start of the war. (Reuters)
Yemeni Civil War
- Houthi forces attack the Al Anad Air Base in Lahij Governorate, Yemen, with drones and ballistic missiles, killing 43 soldiers and wounding 56 others. (Al Jazeera English)
A gunman kills a civilian before stealing her car in Garland, Texas. He then drove with the vehicle and opened fire outside a police station, before being shot dead by police. Authorities are investigating a possible terrorist background as the perpetrator left a note in which he expressed the motive behind his act. (The Dallas Morning News)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Ida quickly intensifies overnight into a Category 4 storm and threatens the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards says that the possible impact of Ida could be "historical" and a test for the flooding protection systems. Authorities in Mississippi announce a closure of schools on Monday ahead of the potential impact. Ida later makes landfall in Louisiana on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. (The New York Times) (CNN)
- Hurricane force winds cause the Mississippi River to flow in reverse in an "extremely uncommon" event. (CNN) (Bloomberg)
A boat collide into a freight barge on the Huallaga River, in Yurimaguas, Peru, killing at least 21 people. (Yahoo News via Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh signs an agreement with the World Health Organization to purchase 105 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in order to ensure the vaccine's supply for the whole population. (United News of Bangladesh)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
      - Israel expands booster dose eligibility to all people over the age of 12 who received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least five months ago. (The Times of Israel)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore
      - The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Singapore surpasses 80%. (Bloomberg News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen
    - Yemen receives its first shipment of 151,000 doses of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States. (Arab News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - Germany removes Spain from its list of high-risk areas, which means that unvaccinated travellers are no longer required to quarantine as long as they present proof of a negative test result or have recovered from COVID-19. (EuroWeekly News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
      - First Minister Nicola Sturgeon self-isolates after being close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Australia reports a record 1,323 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, as well as a record 1,218 new cases in New South Wales. (Australian Associated Press)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in South Africa, LGBT rights in Uganda
- The Home Affairs Ministry of South Africa orders the release of two gay men who were arrested and imprisoned in Johannesburg after escaping Uganda. The couple requested to remain in South Africa out of fears of persecution in Uganda. The South Gauteng High Court ordered the immediate release of the men and also ordered that they be allowed to remain in South Africa. (Independent Online)
Law of Singapore, Race in Singapore, Xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- During the annual National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces that pertinent legislation called the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act will be passed to tackle racism due to an increase of racist incidents. (Yahoo! News Singapore)

August 30, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghanistan conflict
- 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
  - Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan, Operation Allies Refuge
    - Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. announces that the final American troops have left Afghanistan, concluding U.S. involvement in the Afghanistan war. U.S. President Joe Biden also confirms the end of the war in a statement. (The New York Times) (KXTV-TV)
    - Army General Christopher T. Donahue becomes the last American servicemember to leave Afghanistan. (The Guardian)
- Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid says that yesterday's airstrike by the United States killed civilians and that if "there was any potential threat in Afghanistan, it should have been reported to us, not an arbitrary attack that has resulted in civilian casualties". (The Washington Post) (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Video games in China, Video game addiction in China
- China's General Administration of Press and Publication announces new regulations prohibiting youth under the age of 18 years old from playing online video games for more than three hours per week, citing physical and mental health concerns. Playing of online video games will only be allowed between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm on weekends and holidays. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Ida is downgraded to a tropical storm after battering the U.S. state of Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards urges citizens "to remain where you are" as the storm left heavy damage in the state. Heavy rains and winds are also expected in the Tennessee and Ohio valleys as the storm moves further north. (The Washington Post) (CNN)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
    - Jakarta reopens schools for some students for the first time after 18 months of remote learning with enhanced safety and health measures as the community activities restrictions are eased in some regions of the country. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob enters quarantine following a close contact with a COVID-19 patient. (Al Jazeera English)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines reports a record 22,366 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,976,202. (Rappler)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record 14,224 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 449,489. (Viet Nam News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      - New South Wales reports a record 1,290 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (9 News)
    - Australia surpasses 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. (News.com.au)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
    - New Zealand reports its first death related to the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a woman who died after suffering myocarditis, a rare side-effect of the vaccine. (TVNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
  - The Czech government announces that the country will begin offering a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from September 20 to all people who previously have been vaccinated at least eight months ago using either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, Variants of SARS-CoV-2
  - Scientists in South Africa detect a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 called C.1.2 which is associated with increased transmissibility and the ability to evade antibodies. The variant was first identified in Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces and has spread to seven countries as of August 13. (Bloomberg)

International relations

Nuclear power in North Korea
- The International Atomic Energy Agency says that North Korea appears to have restarted its Nyongbyon nuclear reactor in a breach of the September 2018 inter-Korean summit declaration and United Nations Security Council resolutions. (BBC News)

Law and crime

Armed gang members take hostages during their getaway following three bank robberies in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Three people are killed during the incident, including two civilians and one of the robbers. Four other people are wounded, including one during an explosion. Three suspects have been arrested. (BBC News)
Kira Yarmysh, the official spokeswoman for incarcerated Russian activist Alexei Navalny, leaves Russia, reportedly travelling to Helsinki, Finland, after a court sentenced her to a restriction of movements for 18 months due to alleged breaches of COVID-19 restrictions. (Reuters)

Sports

2020 Summer Paralympics
- India at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Shooting at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
  - Paralympian and rifle shooter Avani Lekhara becomes the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the Summer Paralympics. (ESPN)
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  - Chiba Prefecture halts a program that allow children to watch the Tokyo Summer Paralympics in person after two school teachers tested positive for COVID-19. (NHK World-Japan)

August 31, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghanistan conflict
- Panjshir conflict
  - The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan says that their fighters have killed eight Taliban members in clashes in the Panjshir Valley, the final stronghold outside of Taliban control. A large number of Taliban forces have been deployed near the valley, while negotiations take place in order to resolve the conflict. (Reuters)
- Aftermath of the withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
  - Celebratory gunfire occurs in Kabul by Taliban fighters following the departure of the last aircraft carrying U.S. troops. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says during a news conference that "it is a historical day and a historical moment" and that "the Taliban are proud of these moments, that we liberated our country from a great power." (Reuters)
Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict
- A drone attack against the Abha International Airport in Abha, Saudi Arabia, injures eight people. (Al Jazeera)
Insurgency in Balochistan, International military intervention against ISIL
- Eleven Islamic State militants are killed in a raid by Pakistani counter-terrorism units in Mastung, Balochistan Province, where ISIL militants had recently killed two police officers. Suicide belts, hand grenades and assault rifles are seized during the raid. (AP via ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

2021 California wildfires
- California fire officials issue an evacuation order for the Lake Tahoe Basin as the Caldor Fire continues to spread. The fire has burned 177,000 acres and destroyed over 470 structures so far. (CBS News)
- The United States Forest Service orders all national forests in California to be closed until mid-September in order to help combat the state's wildfires. (CBS News)
2021 Atlantic hurricane season
- Two people are killed and 10 more are injured after a 50 foot section of Mississippi Highway 26 collapses west of Lucedale, Mississippi due to Hurricane Ida. (CBS News)
At least 32 people are killed and more than 20 others are wounded as a bus plummets from a cliff in Lima, Peru. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh
    - The Bangladesh Armed Forces receives a consignment of COVID-19 vaccines from China's People's Liberation Army for the first time as part of foreign military assistance. (United News of Bangladesh)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
    - Israel reports a record 10,947 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,066,352. (Israel Hayom)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
  - The top medical adviser to the government says that the vaccination of children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old is "crucial" in order to prevent more fatalities among children as Fiji has reported ten children dying from COVID-19, most recently a six-month-old boy who was infected with the Delta variant. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
  - The Irish Cabinet approves a plan that would lift all COVID-19-related restrictions in Ireland on October 22 subject to 90% of adults being vaccinated and the number of COVID-19 cases remaining manageable. (BBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco, COVID-19 vaccination in Morocco
  - Morocco begins a COVID-19 vaccination program for children aged 12 to 17 years old in an effort to ensure their return to schools. (Africanews)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - The U.S. surpasses 39 million cases of COVID-19. (KIRO-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia
    - Georgia reports a record 9,641 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Idaho
    - Idaho governor Brad Little activates and deploys the Idaho National Guard to hospitals to stop the spread of COVID-19 cases in the state. (Idaho Statesman)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
    - Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf announces a mask mandate for Pennsylvania schools and daycares. The mandate will take effect on September 7. (CBS News)
- Variants of SARS-CoV-2
  - The World Health Organization designates scientifically-named B.1.621 variant, known as "Mu" and first detected in Colombia, as variant of interest, amid concerns that it has mutations which suggest it is more resistant to vaccines. (The Daily Telegraph)

International relations

Australia–Singapore relations, COVID-19 vaccine, International aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Australia signs a vaccine swap agreement with Singapore that will allow it to receive 500,000 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from Singapore later this week. (Forbes)
Afghanistan–India relations
- The Indian ambassador to Qatar Dr. Deepak Mittal meets with Taliban representative Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai in Doha to discuss the repatriation of Indian citizens who are currently in Afghanistan. (Times of India)

Law and crime

Capital punishment in Bangladesh, LGBT rights in Bangladesh
- A court in Bangladesh sentences six men affiliated with Ansar al-Islam, an organization linked to al-Qaeda, to death, for the 2016 murders of two gay rights campaigners, including Xulhaz Mannan. Local gay and LGBT organizations welcome the verdict. (Reuters)
Transgender rights in the United States
- Twenty U.S. states, led by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, file a lawsuit against the Biden administration in an attempt to halt new regulations put forth by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the United States Department of Education promoting transgender rights in schools, alleging federal overreach. (Fox News)
Corruption in Peru
- The Peruvian judiciary kicks off a preliminary court hearing against Popular Force leader Keiko Fujimori to decide whether to prosecute her for money laundering and her involvement in the Odebrecht scandal. (RPP)

Politics and elections

2021 Estonian presidential election
- Alar Karis is elected President of Estonia by the Riigikogu. (ERR)

Science and technology

A SpaceX Dragon 2 from the re-supply mission SpaceX CRS-23 successfully docks with the Harmony module of the International Space Station, carrying 4,800 lbs. of supplies. (SciTechDaily)

Elections and referendums

Upcoming

September
- 5: São Tomé and Príncipe, President (2nd)
- 8: Morocco, House of Representatives
- 12: Macau, Legislative Assembly
- 13: Norway, Storting

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