July2020 was the seventh month of that leap year. The month, which began on aWednesday, ended on aFriday after 31 days. The opening ceremony for the2020 Summer Olympics was postponed from July 24 of that year to July 23, 2021.
TheFinnish Air Force Command formally ends the use of theswastika in its imagery, according to the Air Force Command. However, the swastika will remain on some Air Force unit flags and decorations.(BBC News)
TheAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, responding to recent criticism about the lack ofracial diversity among the nominees in majorOscar award categories, invites 819 people to become new members. Of the invitees, 49% are from outside the US, 45% are women, and 36% are non-white.(BBC News)
TheUN Security Council demands "immediate cessation of hostilities" in conflict zones around the world, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These "durable humanitarian pauses", which do not apply to military operations againstISIL andAl-Qaeda, should begin immediately and be for at least 90 consecutive days to allow for delivery of humanitarian assistance and medical evacuations. This is the first resolution related to the COVID-19 pandemic that the council has passed.(NPR)
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson says up to three millionHong Kong residents will be offered citizenship in theUnited Kingdom, following the passing of a controversial newnational security law byChina. Under the British government's plans, Hong Kongers will be able to settle in the UK for five years under political asylum, and after a further year will be able to apply for citizenship. Foreign SecretaryDominic Raab says there will be "no limits on numbers or quotas", due to the UK's "historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong".(BBC News)
Taiwan announces it will mutually establish representative offices with the unrecognizedbreakaway state ofSomaliland. While relations are not diplomatic at this point, further establishment ofdiplomatic relations would make Taiwan the firstsovereign state to recognize Somaliland and the first new diplomatic ally that Taiwan has gained in 13 years.(Bloomberg News)
PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan vows tighter control over "immoral"social media following alleged insults to his daughter and son-in-law when they announced the birth of their fourth son onTwitter. Erdoğan specifically mentioned Twitter,YouTube andNetflix. Interior MinisterSüleyman Soylu announced the arrest of a number of social media users for "insulting tweets".(Al Jazeera)
Texas GovernorGreg Abbott orders citizens must wear face coverings when in public. This follows yesterday's reported state record daily high of more than 8,000 virus cases. Those who do not comply will receive an initial warning; those who refuse will face a fine of up to $250.(BBC News)
Oman sees a jump of cases in a day, with 1,361 new cases and three deaths, reaching a total of 42,555 cases and 188 deaths. The Health Minister says that the country will boost its hospitals' capacity andintensive care units.(Reuters)
In aEurope-wide operation, police penetrateEncroChat, a top-secret communications system used by criminals to sell drugs and plan attacks.(BBC News)
Nauru's PresidentLionel Aingimea announces tougher penalties for those convicted ofsex offenses, including penalties on minors who, under the new law, will not have their age as a mitigating factor.(RNZ)
BritishsocialiteGhislaine Maxwell, former girlfriend of American financier and convicted sex offenderJeffrey Epstein, is arrested by theFederal Bureau of Investigation on suspicion of grooming victims of Epstein. She has also been charged with assisting Epstein's abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom victims known to be underage.(BBC News)
At least eightpolice officers are killed and five others injured inUttar Pradesh,India, in an ambush as they were attempting to arrest a suspect for murder. The attack was carried out by several gunmen, two of whom were later killed by other officers.(Al Jazeera)
An investigation led by theFederal University of Santa Catarina uncovers traces ofSARS-CoV-2 inFlorianópolis sewage samples drawn on November 27, 2019, two months earlier than the first official confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Americas on January 21, 2020, and much earlier than the first reported case in Brazil at the end of February.(CGTN)(Web24)
UNICEF and thegovernment of New Zealand pledge funding toKiribati to target the high mortality rate among infants. The Pacific nation has a record of one in 25 children dying before the age of one due to preventable diseases.(RNZ)
Heavy rains and mudslides occur inKumamoto Prefecture,Kyushu,Japan. At least 14 residents of a nursing home inKuma are feared dead after they are found "in cardio-respiratory arrest", according to prefecture GovernorIkuo Kabashima. Another 10 people are missing and dozens stranded on rooftops.(Al Jazeera)
A fire is reported at apower plant in the city ofAhvaz, in south-westernIran, while achlorine gas leak injures 70 workers at a petrochemicals plant nearBandar-e Emam Khomeyni. The incidents come after a string of other unexplained blazes and explosions at Iranian facilities.(The Guardian)
North Korean First Vice-Foreign MinisterChoe Son-hui says her country has "no interest" in a face-to-face meeting with theUnited States unless the U.S. discards its "hostile" policies toward North Korea.(Al Jazeera)
The Chinese embassy inOttawa issues a rebuke ofCanada, saying that it has "grossly interfered" in its affairs a day after Canada suspended itsextradition treaty withHong Kong.(Reuters)
Law and crime
Phoenix, Arizonapolice officers threaten, shoot and kill a man inside a parked car in an incident captured on bystander video, sparking protests in the city. Police say he pointed a gun at them first.(CNN)
TheGovernment of National Accord (GNA) warns of a "response in the right place and at the right time" after a "foreign air force" bombed theAl-Watiya Air Base in an overnight air raid, according to the GNA's Deputy Defence Minister Salah al-Namrush. Al-Namrush did not specify which foreign air force was behind the raid, which is believed to have targeted aTurkishanti-aircraft missile system.(Al Jazeera)
The death toll amid civil unrest inOromia Region,Ethiopia, rises to 166 people, including 11 security personnel. More than 1,000 people have been arrested.(BBC News)
Thegovernment extends the lockdown in the city ofAgra and delays the reopening of theTaj Mahal for tourists and visitors after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.(Reuters)
Business and economy
Mercedes-Benz announces that it will be recalling 668,954 vehicles inChina over possible issues with oil leakage.(AP)
The death toll from floods inKumamoto Prefecture,Japan, rises to 20 and 14 people remain missing.Prime MinisterShinzo Abe meets with a disaster task force team to step up rescue efforts. Meanwhile, weather agencies warn people to remain alert as more rains are predicted.(Reuters)
Eight people are feared dead following amid-air collision between two planes flying overLake Coeur d'Alene inIdaho, US, both of which then crashed into the waters. Two of the victims' bodies have already been recovered.(CNN)
InAtlanta, a large group of people were watching fireworks when a gunfight broke out after a car hit a pedestrian. Fourteen people were wounded, of which two were declared dead at the hospital.(WSB-TV)
The incidents were part of a violentIndependence Day weekend across in the United States which left 160 people dead and over 500 more wounded in shootings.(The Guardian)
A bus driver in the French city ofBayonne is leftbrain dead after reportedly being assaulted by passengers who refused to wear face masks. Bus services in the city have been severely disrupted as drivers refuse to work following the incident.(BBC News)
An overturnedfuel tanker catches fire while dozens of people were attempting to siphon off fuel, killing seven people and injuring more than 40 others, nearPueblo Viejo, Magdalena in northernColombia.(BBC News)
India records 24,000 new cases ofCOVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassingRussia to become the country with the third highest number of cases in the world at 697,413 cases.(BBC News)
Two lawyer groups file petitions to thePhilippine Supreme Court to question the constitutionality of the recent anti-terrorism law. Opposition lawmakerEdcel Lagman, who contributed to one of the petitions, claims that the law's "imprecise and vague definitions" make its enforcement susceptible to infringements on certaincivil liberties.(Al Jazeera)
A court inHong Kong denies bail to Tong Ying-kit, a 23-year-old man who was arrested last week for driving a motorbike into police officers and carrying aseparatist banner. Also, prominent pro-democracy activistsJoshua Wong andAgnes Chow appear in court. Wong pleads not guilty to inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly last year while Chow pleads guilty to similar charges.(Reuters)
Sinovac Biotech is starting Phase III trials of its potentialCOVID-19 vaccine following a fast-track approval for the trials byBrazilian regulators last week. The study, done in partnership with Brazilian vaccine producerInstituto Butantan, will recruit nearly 9,000 healthcare professionals working inCOVID-19-specialized facilities and start this month.(Al Jazeera)
In what is seen as an increase in arrests of political activists, a court inVietnam sentences a 29-year-oldFacebook user to eight years in prison for making anti-government posts, including several criticizingcommunist leaderHo Chi Minh. The man was also sentenced to serve three years ofhouse arrest after finishing his prison term.(Reuters)
Delta Air Lines ends service to 11 airports in an effort to reduce domestic flights by 80% and international flights by 90% due to aviation restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.(Business Insider)
Disasters and accidents
One person is killed and four others injured when a 20-metrecrane collapses at a building site where flats were being constructed in theBow district ofEast London,United Kingdom.(Reuters)
An Afghan government spokesman says it will continue to releaseTaliban prisoners though disagreement prevails over the release of some 600 of them that are considered a "threat to national security". The Taliban could not be reached for comment and it is not clear whether they are willing to accept to start talks based on the list of prisoners set to be freed.(Reuters)
TheUnited States says it is "deeply concerned" about abuses by state security forces in theSahel and threatens to cut aid to theG5 nations that form a coalition in the area –Burkina Faso,Mali,Mauritania,Niger, andChad – if those issues are not addressed. The U.S. also welcomes a summit to be held between the G5 nations andFrance andSpain.(Reuters)
PresidentRodrigo Duterte rejects the prospect of reopening the country during a televised cabinet meeting. He goes on to claim that following the examples of theUnited States',Brazil's and others' "bold actions" would result in "pandemonium", and the potential resultant spike in COVID-19 cases would land the nation in "deep shit".(Vice)
Indonesia announced the biggest daily rise of 2,657 newCOVID-19 cases, taking the nationwide tally to 70,736.West Java reported the highest surge with 962 cases. This significant increase comes from theArmy’s Officer Candidate School (Secapa) cluster.(Anadolu Agency)
Nepal decides to block broadcasts of Indian news channels in Nepal with the exception ofDoordarshan News, effective immediately. The move comes in the wake of reports on Nepal carried by some Indian news channels, including their allegedly "defamatory shows" onNepali Prime MinisterKP Sharma Oli along with the Chinese envoy.(Himalayan Times)
In its annual report,Germany's domestic intelligence agencyBfV warns consumers that personal data they provide to Chinese payment companies or other tech firms, such asTencent,Alibaba and others, could end up in the hands ofChina's government.(WREX)
TheIndian government askse-commerce platforms such asAmazon andFlipkart to display the country of origin on new products listed by sellers on their sites by August 1 and items that were already being sold by October 1 without stipulating a mandatory deadline. The move comes during heightened tensions between India and China following the2020 China–India skirmishes and a campaign to boycott Chinese-origin products in India.(The Economic Times)
Venice, Italy, tests theMOSE system of 78 mobile floodgates for the first time. Construction of MOSE was authorized by Comitatone, the city'sVenetian Lagoon committee, in April 2003. Commissioner Elisabetta Spitz said the project still needs another 18 months of testing. In November 2019, Venice was hit by the worst floods in half a century.(BBC News)
Authorities inKazakhstan deny a report published by Chinese officials alleging that the country is experiencing an outbreak of "unknown pneumonia" potentially deadlier than COVID-19.(CNN)
The bus driver who was leftbrain dead after being attacked by passengers who refused to wear face masks inBayonne,France, dies of his injuries.(BBC News)
A court inParis sentences to jail Pierre-Marie H., 69, and Henri M., 73, two former agents from the foreign intelligence service after convicting them of sharing secrets with China, for a 12-year sentence and an eight-year term respectively.(Washington Examiner)
TheUnited Nations Security Council approvesaid deliveries to northwestSyria through oneborder crossing withTurkey, a day after its authorization for the six-year-long humanitarian operation ended.Russia andChina abstain today on this week's fifth attempt to approve this help.(Reuters)
Police respond to a shooting andhostage situation at apentecostalchurch inZuurbekom,Gauteng,South Africa. At least five people are killed. South African police free an undetermined number of hostages, and arrest more than 40 people. Among those arrested were members of the police, defense forces and correctional services. The attackers reportedly were part of a splinter group in a leadership dispute at the long-troubled church.(Reuters)(BBC News)(AP)
Serbians protest for a fourth consecutive day; the protest initially started out against the governmentCOVID-19 measures but would morph into anti-government protests. 71 people are arrested.(DW News)
Congolese Justice Minister Celestin Tunda resigns following disputes withPresidentFélix Tshisekedi over Tunda and allies's proposal to allow politicians more control over criminal prosecution cases.(Al Jazeera)
TheMcClatchy company, one of the largest and most respected American news publishers, announces that hedge fund Chatham Asset Management won its bankruptcy sale in a court-supervised auction. Chatham, which owns theNational Enquirer, has been an investor in the company since 2009. Court confirmation, likely at a hearing on July 24, is required. McClatchy has been burdened by heavy debt from its large pension obligations and the acquisition of newspaper chainKnight Ridder.(Reuters)(The New York Times)
Police in Boston and in New York are investigating attacks on statues of the Virgin Mary at local Catholic churches. InBoston, a statue outside St. Peter’s Church inDorchester neighborhood was set on fire, causing serious damage. InNew York, an unidentified man was shown on security videotape painting the word “idol” on a statue outsideCathedral Prep School inQueens.(Catholic News Agency)
TheHouthis launch missiles anddrones intoSaudi Arabia during an overnight attack. The movement claims it successfully hit Saudiwarplanes, military installations, an airport and theJizan oil facility, operated byAramco. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki says they destroyed four missiles and six drones launched against the kingdom from capital ofYemen,Sanaa.(Al Jazeera)
Diageo plc announces thatJohnnie Walker Scotch whisky will soon be sold in paper bottles. The bottles will be made from wood pulp and will be fully recyclable. A trial run is scheduled for spring 2021. In addition, Diageo is co-launching Pulpex with venture management firm Pilot Lite that will make paper bottles for beverage companies such asUnilever andPepsiCo.(BBC News)
California GovernorGavin Newsom orders further restrictions and prohibitions on indoor activities, building on previous orders. California has seen a sustained rise inCOVID-19 cases in recent weeks, resulting in the state pausing and rolling back some reopening plans.(CNBC)
Michigan begins tighter restrictions on public face mask usage, including $500 fines for refusal to wear one and the potential loss of business licenses for failure to enforce their usage.(MLive.com)
State media issues an order from theMinistry of Health mandating that all citizens wear masks to combat "dust", and maintain a distance between people of at least one meter (3 feet). The Turkmen government maintains that the country remains free of COVID-19 but refuses to explain the purpose of these mandates.(CTV News)
Federal district judgeTanya Chutkan blocks the four federal executions scheduled for July and August including that ofDaniel Lewis Lee, whose execution was scheduled for later today per the Chicago U.S. Court of Appeals' ruling Sunday. Judge Chutkan said this will allow continuation of the condemned men’s legal challenges to the new lethal injection protocol. She stated scientific evidence before the court overwhelmingly indicates the 2019 protocol is very likely to cause extreme pain and needless suffering during their executions. The federal government is likely to appeal her ruling.(Reuters)(NPR)
TheWashington Redskins announce they are dropping the team nickname and logo after decades of criticism of them being offensive toNative Americans. The new name will be announced later.(AP)(USA Today)
The fire onUSSBonhomme Richard continues for a third consecutive day. TheUnited States Navy says its crews have made significant progress fighting flames and reducing smoke, but it is still unclear when the fire will be extinguished. There have been 61 injuries; 38 sailors and 23 civilians have been treated mostly for minor injuries related to firefighting.(The San Diego Union-Tribune)
U.S. PresidentDonald Trump signs legislation and an executive order that will "hold China accountable" for recent "oppressive actions" inHong Kong by ending its preferential economic status with the United States.(AP)(Reuters)
Following a social media campaign that generated 7.5 million posts with thehashtag #do_not_execute, the Iranian authorities halt the impending executions of three anti-government protestors who were arrested duringstreet protests in November 2019 in which hundreds of demonstrators were killed. A retrial is ordered.(BBC News)
TheBelarusian election commission bars two prominent opposition candidates to currentPresidentAlexander Lukashenko from running in the election, ensuring a victory for Lukashenko. The barred candidates areViktar Babaryka who was disqualified for an open criminal case against him andValery Tsepkalo whose signatures on a supporting petition were nullified.(Reuters)
Exit polls results show a strong support for youngpro-democracy candidates, including independent activistJoshua Wong andLeague of Social Democrats candidateJimmy Sham. A spokesperson for the Liaison Office of China in Hong Kong says that the election could be in violation of the new security law and could be nullified.(NHK-World)
TheTrump administration reverses itsstudent visa policy, announced on July 6, to deport international students whose courses move fully online. The plan met stiff opposition. At least 59universities and theattorneys general of 18 states sued to block this directive. Federal district judgeAllison Burroughs dismisses the first case brought to court asmoot because the federal government has agreed to rescind the policy.(BBC News)(USA Today)
Saudi-led coalitionairstrikes kill at least seven civilians when they hit houses in theAl Jawf Governorate ofYemen. TheHouthis report nine killed, two of them children. The coalition did not immediately comment on the airstrike.(Reuters)
At least 50 people have been killed and more than two million affected by heavymonsoon flooding inAssam,India.(BBC News)
A record-setting rainstorm causesflash flooding inPalermo, Italy. The meter of water turns streets into rivers and traps motorists in their cars. Palermo mayorLeoluca Orlando says this "water bomb" dropped as much rain in two hours as theSicilian capital gets in a full year. Two people are reported drowned; that has not been confirmed.(VOA)(EuroNews)
Indonesia announces the biggest daily rise of 87 newCOVID-19 deaths, taking the nationwide death toll at 3,797. The country also announces their biggest daily rise of 1,414 new recoveries, taking the nationwide tally to 39,050. The cumulative cases reach 80,000.(detikNews)
A woman dies and two more people are injured during a series of stabbings inSarpsborg,Norway. A Norwegian man, who had a relationship with the two wounded victims, is arrested.(BBC News)
Spain reports their highest COVID-19 infection count since May 10, with 580 cases. These cases have increased in the regions ofAragon andCatalonia.(The New York Times)
Kate Brown, governor ofOregon, criticizes PresidentDonald Trump and acting Secretary of Homeland SecurityChad Wolf amid reports of federal agents detaining protesters inPortland, Oregon, the most populous city in the state. Wolf tweeted the previous day that the forces were sent to the city due to it being "under siege for 47 straight days by a violent mob."(The Hill)
In theUnited Kingdom, theCourt of Appeal rules that 20-year-old British-bornShamima Begum, who left the country to joinISIL in 2015, can return to the UK to fight for hercitizenship after theHome Office revoked it while she was living in arefugee camp inSyria, due to her joining a terrorist group. The Home Office says the court's decision is "very disappointing" and that it would apply for permission to appeal.(BBC News)
United States Secretary of DefenseMark Esper issues a new Department policy that effectively bans the display and depiction of theConfederate flag at any U.S. military installation around the world. "The flags we fly must accord with the military imperatives of good order and discipline, treating all our people with dignity and respect, and rejecting divisive symbols," wrote the Secretary.(Reuters)(CNN)
Kyrgyzstan announces the addition of thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths to its COVID-19 tallies, describing the correspondingpneumonia-related cases, which had not been confirmed by tests, as most likely linked to theSARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. NeighboringKazakhstan announces it will do the same starting next month.(Reuters)
California GovernorGavin Newsom lays out new rules for schools with high COVID-19 rates to do virtual learning and close campuses until they meet certain health standards.(Politico)
Victoria state reports a record daily increase in COVID-19 cases, with 428 new cases and three new deaths. Australia in overall records 438 new cases, highest since mid-March.(Reuters)(ABC News (Australia))
South Korea revokes licenses to anti-Pyongyang groups which often send leaflets to the border with political messages. The South Korean government says these groups are "seriously hindering the unification policy of the government". The groups accuse the government of censorship.(Al Jazeera)
Police inGermany arrest a gunman, nicknamed Rambo due to his acts, who disarmed four policemen and escaped in theBlack Forest five days before.(BBC News)
Japan launches a¥70 billion payment scheme to pay firms to move factories out ofChina to either Japan itself or countries within theSoutheast Asian region in an attempt to better secure itssupply chains. 57 firms, including face mask manufacturerIris Ohyama, are among the first to receive the subsidy.(Bloomberg)
PresidentHassan Rouhani says that the health ministry estimated as many as 25 millionIranians have been infected by the virus and that 30 to 35 million will be infected in the coming months as he urges the public to take the virus seriously.(AP)
Indonesia becomes the country with most cases inSoutheast Asia, recording 84,882 infections, while authorities say that the actual number could be much higher due to undetected cases.(Reuters)
Several protesters inPortland,Oregon, are arrested. Authorities said protesters allegedly blocked exits of government buildings and launched fireworks. Saturday morning's arrests came after the US Attorney for Oregon on Friday requested an investigation into masked, camouflaged federal authorities who have recently arrested Portland protesters.(CNN)
Thegovernment announces legal action against activists and journalists who "insulted" themilitary. They had accused the military of various killings during last year's protests, which the army denies.(Reuters)
Amid a reform of the country's Islamist laws,Sudan lifts thedeath penalty for homosexuality and ends flogging as punishment forhomosexuals.(CGTN)
Seven people aged between 17 to 22 are found dead, some with gunshot wounds, nearGatun Lake inPanama. The group are believed to have gone out to swim on the lake when the attack took place. The motive for the attack is also under investigation.(Al Jazeera)
About 50,000 people take part in a second Saturday protest rally inKhabarovsk,Russia, against the arrest of GovernorSergei Furgal on charges of involvement in multiple murders 15 years ago, which Furgal denies. The protests, which also reflect the simmering discontent with theKremlin’s policies, are the largest ever in Khabarovsk, a city of 590,000. The police didn't interfere with the rally. Protests are also taking place inVladivostok andKomsomolsk-on-Amur.(BBC News)(EuroNews)
Hong Kong records its highest one-day increase in cases since thepandemic began, with 108 new cases, including 83 local transmission cases and 25 imported cases.(BBC News)
Chief ExecutiveCarrie Lam announces new measures including plans to make it compulsory to wear masks inside any public indoor venue and a new order for non-essentialcivil servants to work from home.(France 24)
Indonesia reports its highest one-day increase inCOVID-19 deaths and recoveries, with 127 new deaths bringing the nationwide death toll to 4,143, and 2,133 new recoveries bringing the nationwide number of recoveries to 45,401.(detikHealth)(Reuters)
Iran halts the execution of three young men who were sentenced to death for taking part in anti-government protests last year. Their lawyer says a request for a new trial was accepted by theSupreme Court after ahashtag against their executions went viral.(BBC News)
Officials inSierra Leone report that four protesters, looking to block the movement of a power generator to another town, were killed in the city ofMakeni in Saturday's protests after bothpolice andsoldiers opened fire on them. Thegovernment had acknowledged "potential loss of life" but had not provided details.(Reuters)
A shooting at the home ofU.S. District JudgeEsther Salas leaves her son dead and her husband injured. Salas herself is not injured. Law enforcement officials say the gunman was dressed in aFedEx uniform.(AP)(CNN)
Syrians head to the polls to elect 250 seats ofparliament. It is expected thatPresidentBashar al-Assad and his party will win most seats. It is also the first time the elections are being held in areas formerly controlled by anti-Assad forces.(DW)
Syrian air defenses respond to a strike overDamascus attributed toIsrael, state media reports, in the latest wave of attacks that Western intelligence sources have said were Israeli strikes on a majorIranian-backed ammunition depot on the edge of the capital. According to a Syrian military sources, at least seven soldiers were wounded in the attack which also inflicted "heavy material damage".(Haaretz)
TheEU meeting on a post-coronavirus recovery fund enters deadlock on its fourth day. Complicating matters, the group is also negotiating a deal for the bloc's next long-term budget. Today's early talks over a proposed€750bn ($857bn /£680bn) recovery package have reportedly been testy. Resumption is scheduled for 14:00GMT.(BBC News)
MayorLori Lightfoot says she has "great concerns" about the possibility thatPresidentDonald Trump could deploy federal agents toChicago to crack down ongun violence and protests, similar to an approach inPortland,Oregon. The Trump Administration will be sending 175 federal agents to Chicago to assist police in curbing violent crime.(WBBM-TV)
Police inPanama arrest a person linked to amass shooting two days ago which resulted in six young people killed with gunshot wounds to the head. Investigators suspect that it was a targeted attack.(BBC News)
Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) churches meet withZimbabwe's political leaders to discuss pressing issues affecting the country. The southern African nation of 14.3 million is 72% Protestant and 11% Catholic, with 15% adhering to ethnic religions.(Vatican News)
A gunman carrying explosives takes 16 people hostage aboard a public bus inLutsk,Ukraine.Police said they identified the man, who had expressed frustrations with the Ukrainian system onsocial media. All the hostages are freed unharmed following the gunman's surrender to police after hours of negotiations, shortly before thePresidentVolodymyr Zelensky gave into one of the gunman's demands and posted a video onFacebook saying, "Everyone should watch the 2005 filmEarthlings."(AP)(BBC News)
Pakistan blocksBigo Live and threatens a similar move with the appTikTok over "immoral, obscene and vulgar" content. ThePakistan Telecommunications Authority says in a statement that the two platforms could have "extremely negative effects on the society in general and youth in particular", without elaborating.(AP)
Fifteen people are injured, six seriously, in amass shooting at a funeral home inChicago,Illinois. One person is in custody, but a motive remains unclear.(NBC News)
Twitter bans 7,000 accounts and places restrictions on a further 150,000 that promoteQAnon-related content. The social media site also announces that terms connected to the conspiracy theory will be barred from appearing on itstrending topics and search feature.(NBC News)
Indonesian security forces deny that two people they killed late last week were "innocent civilians". The Indonesian military is fighting theseparatist West Papua Liberation Army in the region, which reported that the two killed were shot without provocation.(RNZ)
Turkish troops have now advanced 40 km (25 miles) inside northernIraq and established over 30 "temporary bases" in its ongoing military offensive against theKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), according to a Turkish official. An unnamed Turkish official tellsReuters the unprecedented advance is a prelude to an assault on theQandil Mountains, the PKK's main stronghold in Iraq.(Ahval News)
Two tropical storms, one in the Atlantic Ocean (Gonzalo) and the other in the Pacific (Douglas), are expected to become hurricanes Thursday. Gonzalo, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, is east of Barbados in the Windward Islands, moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 km/h), leading Barbados to issue a Hurricane watch. Douglas's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph (155 km/h), and landfall on Hawaii is expected Sunday.(USA Today)(The Washington Post)
Floods inVietnam'sHà Giang province result in at least five deaths and damage more than 2,800 houses.(VnExpress)
Ohio GovernorMike DeWine issues a statewide mandate requiring masks to be worn indoors and outdoors whenever social distancing isn't possible.(Reuters)
California reports the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day, with 12,807 new cases that bring the statewide total to 413,576 cases, surpassingNew York in the process.(The Guardian)
Australia reports the highest one-day increase of new cases since the pandemic began, with 502 new cases, surpassing the previous record set on March 28 at 469 cases.Victoria records 484 new cases and two deaths, the highest of any Australian state.(The Age)(ABC News (Australia))
Brazil reports its highest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases days afterWHO says the country reaches the plateau, with 67,860 new cases that pushes the nationwide total at more than 2.2 million.(Bloomberg)
The United States orders the closure ofChina's consulate inHouston. Morgan Ortagus, the spokeswoman for theU.S. Department of State, says that the United States directed the consulate's closure "in order to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information". The Chinese government condemns the "outrageous and unjustified" move and threatens countermeasures against the United States.(Al Jazeera)
Derek Chauvin, the police officer who is expected to face charges over the killing ofGeorge Floyd, faces new felony charges along with his wife Kellie.(CBS News)
SevenCarabinieri are arrested inPiacenza,Italy, after being accused of drug trafficking, receiving stolen goods, extortion, illegal arrest, torture, grievous bodily harm, embezzlement, abuse of office and fraud. The "leader" of the group, officer Montella, arrested and charged people with fake proof of crimes that the detainees never committed.(Corriere della Sera)
TheUnited States condemns Wednesday'sairstrikes against theTaliban inHerat which resulted in 45 deaths, many of them civilians. The U.S. special envoyZalmay Khalilzad said that children were killed and also condemned recent Taliban attacks. The Afghan government defends the airstrikes as an operation against the group.(Reuters)
China says theUK is violating international law by allowing a path to British citizenship for Hong Kong residents with aBNO passport, and threatens to stop recognising the BNO.(Reuters)
Portland MayorTed Wheeler is tear-gassed in the city's downtown, according to video from aNew York Times journalist. The video shows Wheeler, wearing goggles and a face mask amid a crowd of people, holding his nose and closing his eyes in distress as a cloud of tear gas drifts by him. It is unknown at this time who is responsible for deploying the tear gas and there is nothing to indicate the mayor was targeted.(CNN)
The Supreme Court ofSamoa denies a bid by two of the three defendants in the case to be able to return toAustralia, where they have permanent residencies. The Court argued that, aside of the lockdown due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, "no amount of surety bond would overcome the risk of the men not returning for their trial", which is set for November.(RNZ)
Israeli MPs pass a bill to begin the process to outlawconversion therapy, being the first Middle Eastern country to do so. The bill was passed as two of the main coalition parties joined the opposition in supporting it. It must pass two more approvals to become a new law.(BBC News)
The general election is postponed until October 18 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the country, which has infected more than 64,000 people, and killed more than 2,300. This is the second time the Interim Government has delayed the elections since the2019 Bolivian political crisis late last year that forced the resignation of former presidentEvo Morales.(Reuters)
TheWashington Redskins change their name to the Washington Football Team for the rest of 2020. The new name is a placeholder, and a permanent name will be announced in the future.(The Washington Post)
Two statues ofChristopher Columbus are removed fromChicago'sGrant Park and Arrigo Park, in the city'sLittle Italy.Chicago mayorLori Lightfoot said these temporary removals are a response to demonstrations that became unsafe for both protesters andpolice. Injuries and arrests resulted when, on July 17, police clashed with protesters who attempted to topple the Grant Park statue. Activists say that monuments of Columbus, blamed for thegenocide and exploitation ofthe Americas' Indigenous people, should not be on public display. Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police criticized these removals.(BBC News)(The New York Times)
Hong Kong reports 123 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The new cases include 115 cases that were locally transmitted, making it another record for three consecutive days.(Reuters)
Spain reports its highest daily rise of cases since the end of the state of emergency with 971 new infected cases.(El País)
TheWorld Health Organization reports a record increase in global COVID-19 cases with 284,196 new cases in last 24 hours. United States and Brazil account for almost half the total.(France24)
A "Wall ofVets" join the front lines of the city's growing protests to support the rights of the protesters, to counter the demonstrators' "violent anarchists" label, and to support Navy veteran Christopher J. David, who, on Monday, was struck by federal officers as he approached them to ask a question. A "Wall of Moms" in yellow shirts and a "Wall of Dads" in orange shirts line up behind the vets, who stayed together until a cloud oftear gas scattered much of the crowd.(The New York Times)(The New York Times)²
Prominent opposition leaderValery Tsepkalo and his two sons flee toRussia after being barred from running in the election and alleged threats of prosecution by the prosecutor's office, which declined to comment on Tsepkalo's escape.(Reuters)
Roughly half of the staff of index.hu,Hungary's biggest news site, resign in protest of the firing of theeditor-in-chief last week. The termination happened months after 50% of the site's advertising was purchased by media executive Miklos Vaszily, who has close ties toPrime MinisterViktor Orbán.(The New York Times)
Tropical Storm Hanna is upgraded to ahurricane and heads toward theTexas coast, threatening to bring heavy rain, storm surge and possible tornadoes. Hanna is reported as the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.(AP)
Hong Kong reports a record of 133 new cases of COVID-19 for the fourth consecutive day, as well as two deaths. 126 of these cases are locally transmitted.(South China Morning Post)
South Korea reports 113 new cases of COVID-19. This is the largest one-day increase since March. Of these new cases, 86 were imported and 27 were locally transmitted.(The Japan Times)
Vietnam confirms its first case of COVID-19 community transmission in 100 days. A patient is a 57-year-old man inDa Nang who had no prior contact with any known cases.(VnExpress)
Florida surpassesNew York, once the epicenter of the pandemic, to hold the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in the United States, with a total 414,511 confirmed cases.(CNN)
Forty-five people are arrested after protesters throw explosives and rocks at police inSeattle. Other rioters set fire to a portable trailer and a construction site, police allege in a series of tweets. Twenty-oneofficers were injured, including one who was hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive.(CNN)
During an evening protest inAustin, Texas, a man is fatally shot as he approached a vehicle and the driver inside opened fire. A police spokesperson says the victim may have been carrying a rifle. She added that the suspect was detained and is cooperating with police.(AP viaDallas Morning News)
TheTaliban accuse thegovernment of re-capturing freed Taliban prisoners, a claimKabul denies as "incorrect". A Taliban spokesman tells the government to "bear responsibility for the consequences", as fears grow that some of the prisoners are returning to the battlefield. As part of the peace process, the government has freed around 5,000 prisoners.(CNA)
Hurricane Hanna weakens to atropical depression after making landfall in southern Texas and northern Mexico.(CNN)
Two adults and a baby are killed when aPiper PA-32 crashes inWest Jordan, Utah. Four other people are injured, three critically.(CNN)
Malaysia launches a search and rescue operation as 24Rohingya are feared dead off the coast ofLangkawi. According to the authorities, the people tried to swim to the coast when their boats could not make it to land.(Reuters)
North Korea declares a state of emergency after its first case of COVID-19 is confirmed. The government claims the patient defected toSouth Korea then returned to North Korea.(The Daily Beast)
Australia reports its deadliest day since COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, with 10 new deaths in the last 24 hours; all of them inVictoria, which also reports its highest one day increase of new deaths.(The Age)
An event called "Let's run,Hamtaro" is organised at theDemocracy Monument inBangkok. It was initially anonline activism, later spread viaTwitter, and eventually gathered around 3,000 people. The event consisted of running around the monument whilst singing a jingle fromHamtaro, a famous Japanese cartoon, with some amendments to the lyrics as a satire topolitical corruption. The well-known lyrics fromHamtaro; "the most yummy things of all are... sunflower seeds!", was amended into a satire "the most yummy things of all are... citizens' taxes!".(Thairath)(Reuters)
Explosions and exchanges of fire are heard during an armed incident involving Israeli troops andHezbollah atthe border betweenIsrael andLebanon. Four Hezbollah militants crossed the border and fled back to Lebanon after being shot at, whileIDF reported no Israeli casualties. An Israeli shell smashed in a Lebanese civilian home, narrowly missing a family in the house at the time, but nobody was hurt.(The New York Times)(Reuters)
Two protesters inBaghdad are killed byIraqi security forces when they are hit byteargas canisters in the head and on the neck; the forces also opened fire at demonstrators inTahrir Square. The protesters were protesting power cuts in the midst of a heatwave. It was the first major spate of violence at the Square in months.Prime MinisterMustafa Al-Kadhimi condemns the killings and orders an investigation.(Reuters)
ECOWAS demands the release ofMalian opposition leaderSoumaila Cissé, who was kidnapped in March just days before adisputed election, asks 31 elected MPs whose results were disputed to resign, and requests an urgent inquiry into protesters' deaths on 10–12 July. PresidentIbrahim Boubacar Keïta is given ten days to respond to the bloc's proposals or face sanctions.(BBC News)
Ukraine'smilitary says pro-Russian separatists have violated aceasefire inEastern Ukraine just hours after it was declared, after opening fire on Ukrainian positions with anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms. Ukrainian forces did not return fire.(Reuters)
Theprice ofgold hits a record high ofUS$1,944 per ounce as uncertainty over the global economy grows due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. The previous record was set in 2011 when prices hit US$1,921 per ounce.(CNN)
Hong Kong announces a ban on all dine-in services at restaurants and restricting public gatherings not from the same family to only two people starting 29 July and orders the compulsory wearing of masks in outdoor public areas, with only medical exemptions. Sports venues and swimming pools are also closed.(Bisnis Indonesia)(Bloomberg)
Hong Kong reports a record 145 cases ofCOVID-19; 142 of them are locally transmitted.(Reuters)
China reports 61 new cases, up from 46 cases a day earlier, with new infections not involving people returning from overseas hitting the highest number since early March of 57.(U.S. News & World Report)
India reports 50,362 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. This is the highest one day increase since the pandemic hit the country and the first time daily new cases in India crossed 50,000 mark.(Times of India)
After three residents tested positive for COVID-19, Vietnam announces it will evacuate 80,000 people, mostly domestic tourists, fromDa Nang. The evacuation will span at least four days and involve roughly 100 domestic flights per day.(Sky News)
Victoria reports its record number of new COVID-19 cases so far, with 532 cases in the last 24 hours, as well as six deaths. This number also made it Australia's highest one day increase of new cases.(ABC News Australia)
New South Wales reports 17 new cases of COVID-19. Of these, eight are returning travellers in hotel quarantine and another nine are locally transmitted, including one case under investigation.(The Australian)
Prime MinisterJames Marape announces a two-week lockdown of the capital amid a spike of infections in the city. Schools are also ordered to close.(RNZ)
Belgium announces the unveiling of drastic social distancing measures aimed at avoiding a new lockdown. These measures include restricting social contact outside every household to five people over the next four weeks and limiting crowds at public events to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. This measure will take effect next Wednesday.(France24)
Antwerp imposes a curfew from 11.30 p.m. to 6 a.m and the mandatory wearing of face masks in public spaces should a distance of 1.5 meters between individuals not be observed.(The Washington Post)
Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterte says he has no choice but to treat the disputes in theSouth China Sea diplomatically because the alternative is to "go to war with China", defending agovernment decision not to press a ruling that went in favor of the Philippines. Separately, Duterte claimed China may offer vaccines “on credit” if not as a donation and grants package.(Reuters)(Asia Times)
United States Attorney GeneralWilliam Barr defends the Department of Justice's decision to send security forces toPortland in a congressional testimony. Portland has seen 61 consecutive days of protests, which escalated after federal officers arrived this month.(BBC News)
Indonesian police arrest four executives at Indonesian recruitment agencies and charge them withhuman trafficking in connection with the alleged torturing to death of an Indonesian worker on board a Chinese fishing vessel last month.(Channel News Asia)
Monday's regularly scheduled baseball games between theBaltimore Orioles andMiami Marlins, and theNew York Yankees andPhiladelphia Phillies, are postponed because 14 members of the Marlins traveling party, including 12 players, tested positive for COVID-19. Tuesday's Orioles-Marlins game is also postponed; the status of the second Yankees-Phillies game will be announced later. Miami just finished a three-game series in Philadelphia this past weekend. Before Sunday’s series finale, Miami learned that four of its players had tested positive and adjusted its lineup accordingly.(WFLA-TV)(The New York Times)
ThreeSudanese migrants are killed and four others injured afterLibyan authorities opened fire against them during landing operations in the city ofAl-Khums.(La Repubblica)
Iran records a record high 235 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The health ministry urges not to visitMashhad as the virus infections rose by 300 percent over a one month period.(Al Arabiya)
Indonesia reports a record high 2,366 recoveries from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.West Java reports a most number with 627 new recoveries.(detikNews)
Zimbabwe's rulingZANU–PF threatens U.S. ambassadorBrian A. Nichols with expulsion and calls him a "thug", accusing him of funding organizers of anti-government protests planned for Friday. The embassy denies the accusations of meddling in local politics and did not comment on the insult.(AP)
TheNew South Wales Police arrests six people, including organizer Paddy Gibson, at aBlack Lives Matter rally inSydney; five of those were handed penalty infringement notices. They arrested them because they were breaching a public health order.(ABC News Australia)
Following massive public backlash, Public Safety MinisterBill Blair announces apublic inquiry will be held over the law enforcement response to the rampage inNova Scotia, Canada, last April, which left 23 dead, including the gunman.(Global News)
A woman and her brother-in-law are arrested inEssen andHildesheim, Germany, respectively, after they travelled toSyria to joinISIL. The woman also travelled with her four young children.(AP)
Astronomers atPan-STARRS announce the discovery of a smallnear-Earth object (NEO) HLV2514, which is anAmor asteroid nearMars. The asteroid was first discovered in June 2020 by two 14-year-oldIndian schoolgirls who were participating in aNASA project.(CNN)
China reports 101 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of new cases since mid-April, and 89 of them are fromXinjiang.(Reuters)
Fiji's opposition parties urge the government to reconsider its decision of closing Fiji's embassy in theUnited States, theEuropean Union, and other countries, and blameChinese influence in the Pacific.(RNZ)
TheGrand National Assembly of Turkey passes a newsocial media regulation bill that requires foreign sites to appoint Turkish-based representatives to help monitor content, and will punish companies that don't comply with fines and throttling bandwidth.(Reuters)
A man accused ofblasphemy under a new controversial law is shot dead by a gunman in the courtroom while he was standing trial for allegedly insultingIslam. The victim was part of theAhmadiyya faith, a minority Islamic sect thatPakistan declared non-Muslim in 1974 for regardingits founder as aprophet. The suspect was a former member.(DW)
Hurricane Isaias is expected to head towardsFlorida, prompting the state to close theirCOVID-19 test sites. The hurricane has made landfall inPuerto Rico, causing landslides, flooding, and power outages.(CBS News)(CNN)
An explosion destroys a restaurant inKōriyama,Japan, killing one person and injuring another 18. Agas leak is suspected to be the cause of the accident.(The Mainichi Shimbun)
Hong Kong reports its largest single day record of 149 new cases of COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours as well as one death. From that new cases, 145 of them are locally transmitted.(Reuters)(South China Morning Post)
Hong Kong government has reversed a day-old total ban on restaurants serving dine-in customers that was introduced to control the spread of COVID-19, and publishes new guidelines that allow restaurants could operate dine-in facilities but only during the day, at 50% capacity, and with no more than two people at a table.(AFP via The Guardian)
Poland reports a record high of 615 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, and authorities warn of a reinstatement of quarantine measures for travellers from other countries.(Swissinfo)(Reuters)
Victoria records 723 new cases, as well as 13 deaths. It is the highest jump of number of cases and deadliest day since the start of the pandemic in Australia.(The Age)
Amass shooting inKogi State,Nigeria leaves 14 people dead and another six injured. Thirteen of the fatalities were member of the same family. Police said that a long-standing row over land rights is suspected to be the motive behind the attack.(The Guardian Nigeria)
FormerU.S. Marine Trevor Reed, a 29-year-old student, is sentenced for nine years in a Russian penal colony for assaulting twopolice officers while drunk last year inMoscow. Reed's father told reporters after the verdict he is planning to appeal directly toRussian PresidentVladimir Putin.(Al Jazeera)
At least 12Hong Kong pro-democracy nominees for the September election are disqualified, among them,Dennis Kwok,Joshua Wong,Tiffany Yuen, and three others from theCivic Party. Other nominations were still being reviewed, the government said in a statement expressing support for the disqualifications.(AP)
Twenty-two people are killed in clashes between Afghan civilians andPakistani military forces. Fifteen people died and 80 others injured inKandahar after Pakistani soldiers attacked civilian areas, while seven people were killed and 31 others injured in Pakistan when a crowd trying to enter Afghanistan became unruly and attacked military installations. TheAfghan government warns of action if Pakistan "continues its rocket attacks", while the Pakistani military says it opened fire in self-defense, returning fire to the Afghan side.(Reuters)
TheSpanish economy suffers a historically large fall in the second quarter of 18.5% ofGDP and enters in recession, makingSpain the Eurozone country most economically devastated by the pandemic.(El Mundo)
Eurozone suffers an unprecedented 12.1% drop in GDP and enters in technical recession.(Euronews)
James Murdoch, the younger son of media mogulRupert Murdoch, resigns from the board ofNews Corporation citing "disagreements over editorial content ... (and) some strategic decisions." News Corp owns media in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.(BBC News)
Vietnam reports its first two deaths from COVID-19. The two men, "Patient 428" and "Patient 437" died of "complications from background diseases and COVID-19".(VnExpress)
Tokyo registers another record of new COVID-19 cases in a single day since the pandemic began, with 463 new cases. GovernorYuriko Koike says the city may need to declare its own state of emergency if the virus continues to spread.(The Japan Times)
Japan reports another record of more than 1,500 cases in a single day.(Kyodo News)
India reports a record 55,079 new COVID-19 cases, as well as 779 deaths. In the last 24 hours, 37,223 COVID-19 patients were cured and discharged, which also is the highest number of recoveries since the pandemic began.(Livemint)
India surpassesItaly in COVID-19 deaths, becoming the fifth-highest.(India.com)
China reports 127 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. From that, 123 of them were locally transmitted which includes 112 inXinjiang and 11 inLiaoning. It is the highest number of cases reported since March 5.(Reuters)
The number of COVID-19 deaths inMexico reaches 46,688, surpassing theUnited Kingdom. The death toll in the country is the third-highest in the world.(CNA)(Reuters)
Fiji reports its first death from COVID-19. Health ministerIfereimi Waqainabete reported it as a 66-year-old man who had been repatriated fromIndia where he had been receiving treatment. The man apparently contracted it while in India.(RNZ)
TheWorld Health Organization reports a record increase in global COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, with the total rising by more than 292,000.(Reuters)
Thegovernment and theTaliban begin a three-day truce to start intra-Afghan talks. Early today,PresidentAshraf Ghani ordered the release of 500 Taliban prisoners to "show goodwill" to start the talks.(DW)
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