Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- Hakainde Hichilema is elected President of Zambia.
- The Afghan government collapses as the capital city of Kabul falls to the Taliban offensive (fighters pictured).
- A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti kills more than 2,200 people.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report on the state of knowledge of climate change and its effects.
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 imposes an 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew in 12 LGAs of concern in Greater Sydney, limiting excercise to one hour on hotspot areas, and mandating a statewide outdoor mask wearing as daily COVID-19 cases remain high. The curfew exempted authorised workers, emergencies, and medical care. (9News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
- COVID-19 pandemic in French Polynesia
- The French overseas department of French Polynesia closes its schools and tightens its lockdown for two weeks amid the surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. (Radio France Internationale)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- 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 the toughest lockdown yet in Ho Chi Minh City that prohibits people from leaving their homes and deploys Vietnamese People's Army to enforce the lockdown in the country's largest city amid a spike of COVID-19 infections and deaths. (U.S. News and World Report)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
- Washington reinstates their indoor mask mandate, requiring people ages 5 and older to wear masks in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccination status. (Patch.com)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
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 English)
- 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)
- Panjshir conflict
- 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)
- Taliban insurgency
Disasters and accidents
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 Brunei
- 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 New South Wales
- 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 Maryland
- 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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
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 left-wing Antifa demonstrators at a abandoned Kmart near downtown Portland, Oregon. (The Oregonian)
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)
- Operation Allies Refuge
- 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
- COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
- 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 Australia
- 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 Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh
- COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
- Morocco surpasses 800,000 cases of COVID-19. (MAP News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
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)
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)
- 2021 Taliban offensive
- 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)
- Taliban insurgency
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
- 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 India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
- 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 Croatia, COVID-19 vaccination in Croatia
- 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 California
- COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba, COVID-19 vaccination in Cuba
- 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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
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)
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)
- 2021 Taliban offensive
- The Taliban declares the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. (Forbes)
- Taliban insurgency
- 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)
- 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 vaccination in Australia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
- 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 Australia
- 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
- 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 Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
- 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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
- 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)
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)
- 2021 Afghan protests
- 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)
- 2021 Taliban offensive
- Taliban insurgency
- 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 malls and 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 Israel
- 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 South Wales
- 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 Australia
- 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 vaccination in Mexico
- 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 they will require people to show a 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 shoots 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 Mexico
- 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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- 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)
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)
- Operation Allies Refuge
- 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)
- 2021 Taliban offensive
- Taliban insurgency
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 Iran
- 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 Serbia
- 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 Cook Islands
- 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 York City
- 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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
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 2021 | ||||||
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S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 | 31 |
Ongoing events
Business
Disasters
- COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020–21 European windstorm season
- 2020–2021 H5N8 outbreak
- 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
- 2021 Pacific typhoon season
- Madagascar food crisis
- Water crisis in Iran
- Yemeni famine
Politics
- Afghan peace process
- Arab protests
- Belarusian protests
- Belarus-European Union border crisis
- Brazilian protests
- Colombian tax reform protests
- Cuban protests
- Eswatini protests
- Haitian protests
- Indian farmers' protests
- Iranian protests
- Jersey dispute
- Libyan peace process
- Myanmar protests
- Nicaraguan protests
- Nigerian protests
- Persian Gulf crisis
- Peruvian crisis
- Sudanese protests
- Tigrayan peace process
- Thai protests
- Tunisian political crisis
- United States racial unrest (Stop Asian Hate)
- Venezuelan presidential crisis
Recent
Upcoming
Recently concluded
- Belarus: Viktar Babaryka
- China: Sun Dawu, Michael Spavor
- Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai
- Indonesia: Edhy Prabowo, Muhammad Rizieq Shihab
- Russia: Lyubov Sobol
- South Africa: Jacob Zuma
- Spain: 2017 Barcelona attacks
- Switzerland: Alieu Kosiah
- Tonga: ʻAkosita Lavulavu
- United Kingdom: Apsana Begum
- United States: Cristhian Bahena Rivera, Stephen Calk, Ed Buck
Ongoing
- Argentina: Rodolfo Martín Villa
- Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
- Belarus: Sergei Tikhanovsky
- Colombia: Álvaro Uribe
- France: Nicolas Sarkozy
- India: Disha Ravi
- Indonesia: Juliari Batubara, Nurdin Abdullah
- Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
- Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
- Malta: Yorgen Fenech
- Spain: Bárcenas affair, Barçagate
- Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
- United States: R. Kelly
- Vatican City: Giovanni Angelo Becciu
- International: Ali Kushayb, The Gambia v. Myanmar
Upcoming
- Canada: Raj Grewal
- Kosovo: Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli
- Lesotho: Maesiah Thabane
- Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina
- United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Elizabeth Holmes, Meng Wanzhou, Ghislaine Maxwell, Allen Weisselberg
- Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo
- Association football
- Women's association football
- Baseball
- Cricket
- Golf
- Motorsport
- Rugby league
- Rugby union
- Tennis
- Other sports seasons
August
- 21: Don Everly
- 21: Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein
- 20: Tom T. Hall
- 19: Michael Cullen
- 19: Bill Freehan
- 19: Sonny Chiba
- 19: Chuck Close
- 18: Joseph L. Galloway
- 18: Jill Murphy
- 16: Sean Lock
- 16: Lucille Times
- 15: Gerd Müller
- 15: Joe Walton
- 14: Carlos Correia
- 14: Fez Whatley
- 13: Nanci Griffith
- 13: James Hormel
- 13: Leon Kopelman
- 13: Carolyn S. Shoemaker
- 12: Gino Strada
- 12: Dominic DeNucci
- 12: Una Stubbs
- 10: Neal Conan
- 10: Tony Esposito
- 10: Maki Kaji
- 10: Eduardo Martínez Somalo
- 9: Lester Bird
- 9: Cameron Burrell
- 9: Alex Cord
- 9: Pat Hitchcock
- 9: Bob Jenkins
- 9: Sergei Kovalev
- 9: Chucky Thompson
- 8: Bobby Bowden
- 8: Jaan Kaplinski
- 8: Walter Yetnikoff
- 7: Brad Allan
- 7: Trevor Moore
- 7: Markie Post
- 7: Jane Withers
- 6: Herbert Schlosser
- 5: Brian Henderson
- 5: Yevhen Marchuk
- 5: Richard Trumka
- 4: Razzy Bailey
- 4: Bobby Eaton
- 4: Graham McRae
- 4: J. R. Richard
- 3: Jody Hamilton
- 3: Arthur Dion Hanna
- 3: Kelli Hand
- 3: Antonio Pennacchi
- 2: Elias John Kwandikwa
- 2: Dave Severance
- 1: Francisco Weffort
July
- 31: Paco Cabanes Pastor
- 30: Rachel Oniga
- 29: Jaime Chamorro Cardenal
- 29: Richard Lamm
- 29: Carl Levin
- 29: Janet Banana
- 29: Albert Vanhoye
- 28: Ron Popeil
- 28: Giuseppe Giacomini
- 27: Dusty Hill
- 27: Gianni Nazzaro
- 26: Brazo de Plata
- 26: Mike Enzi
- 26: Mike Howe
- 26: Joey Jordison
- 26: Fernando Karadima
- 25: Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho
- 25: Bob Moses
- 24: Rodney Alcala
- 24: Jackie Mason
Africa
- Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Niger, and Tunisia
- Angola
- Cameroon
- Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ethiopia
- Ethiopia and Sudan
- Ghana
- Mali
- Mozambique
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- War in Darfur
- South Kordofan conflict
- Sudanese nomadic conflicts (incl. South Sudan)
- Tunisia
- Western Sahara
Americas
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Peru
- Paraguay
Asia-Pacific
- Afghanistan
- India
- India and Pakistan
- Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
- Indonesia
- Myanmar
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Thailand
Europe
- Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Ukraine
- Ireland and the UK
- Turkey
Global
Middle East
- Egypt
- Iran and the Persian Gulf
- Iraq
- Iraq and Syria (map)
- Israel and Gaza
- Israel and Syria
- Syria
- Yemen and Saudi Arabia
2021 events and developments by topic
Arts
Architecture – Animation – Anime – Comics – Film (Horror, Science fiction) – Home video – Literature – Music (Classical, Country, Rock, Hip hop, Latin, Metal, Rock, UK, US) – Radio – Television (UK, US, Italy, Scotland) – Video games
Politics and government
Elections – International leaders – Sovereign states – Sovereign state leaders – Territorial governors
Science and technology
Archaeology – Biotechnology – Computing – Palaeontology – Quantum computing and communication – Senescence research – Sustainable energy research – Space/Astronomy – Spaceflight
Environment and environmental sciences
Birding/Ornithology – Climate change
Transportation
Establishments and disestablishments categories
Establishments – Disestablishments
Works and introductions categories
Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain
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