Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Paralympics opening ceremony

• The Summer Paralympics open (ceremony pictured) in Tokyo, Japan.
• Ismail Sabri Yaakob is appointed as prime minister by the King of Malaysia.
• Hakainde Hichilema is elected President of Zambia.
• The Afghan government collapses as the capital city of Kabul falls to the Taliban offensive.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic

Recent deaths:

• Peter Harding
• Hissène Habré
• Jeanne Robertson
• David Roberts
• Jimmy Hayes
• Charlie Watts

Current events of August 26, 2021 (2021-08-26) (Thursday)

Current events of August 25, 2021 (2021-08-25) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

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

Business and economy

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

Disasters and accidents

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

Health and environment

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

Politics and elections

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

Current events of August 24, 2021 (2021-08-24) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Aftermath of the 2021 Taliban offensive and Fall of Kabul
    • Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid says that the group will not allow any more evacuations of Afghan citizens and that the "main road to the airport is now blocked" and that "people should return to work". Mujahid also said that the United States must stick to its August 31 withdrawal deadline. (CNN)
    • Operation Pitting
      • United Kingdom government officials confirm that an individual was accidentally flown from Kabul to Birmingham, England, where he was flagged as being a part of a terrorist no-fly list. (BBC)
    • Operation Allies Refuge
      • U.S. President Joe Biden says that around 70,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan. He also announces that the United States will stick to its August 31 deadline, but says that there should be "contingency plans" if necessary. (KVIA-TV) (CBS News)
      • Representatives Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) make an unannounced trip to Kabul "to conduct oversight on the mission to evacuate Americans and our allies". However, the U.S. State Department, Defense Department, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issue a warning for lawmakers not to travel to Afghanistan. (Politico)
• Somali Civil War
  • Al-Shabaab insurgents attack a military base in Galmudug and capture the town of Amara after Somali forces retreat. The Somali forces conduct airstrikes and say that they have killed insurgents. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• At least twelve miners die in an explosion of methane gas and coal dust in the "La Carbonera" mine, located in the municipality of Tópaga, Colombia. (El Periódico)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia surpasses 90,000 cases of COVID-19. (Khmer Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • India approves the phase II and III trials of the country's first domestic MRNA-based HGC019 vaccine made by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals after the early-stage study found that the vaccine is safe and effective. (Al Jazeera)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia surpasses four million cases of COVID-19. (detikHealth)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 709 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 103,357. (Barron's)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • Israel surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
      • A U.S. donation of 500,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine via COVAX Initiative is arrived in Gaza Strip and West Bank. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • The Greek government announces new measures that would require COVID-19 testing for all unvaccinated employees and university students at their own expense with the exception of school students and also restrict access to restaurants, bars, cafés, and indoor entertainment and sport venues to only those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19. The new rules will be in effect from September 13 until March 31, 2022. (AP)
      • Greece reports a record 4,608 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 566,812. (Ekathimerini)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
      • The French national health regulator Haute Autorité de Santé recommends a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65 and those with existing health conditions, which was previously announced by Health minister Olivier Véran yesterday. The booster doses will be administered beginning at the end of October. (Euronews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey
      • The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Turkey surpasses 90 million. (Azeri Press Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba
    • Cuba reports a record 9,907 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 602,526. (Europa Press)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand reports 41 new community transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since April 2020. (The Australian Financial Review)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria
    • The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control approves the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine for emergency use in Nigeria. (Vanguard)
• Havana syndrome
  • U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's trip to Vietnam from Singapore is postponed for several hours following reports of cases of Havana syndrome in Hanoi. Additionally, two other U.S. staff are evacuated from the country. (Forbes)

International relations

• Algeria–Morocco relations
  • Algeria suspends diplomatic ties with Morocco in an unprecedented move in which Foreign Minister Ramdane Lamamra accused Morocco of "hostile actions". (Al Jazeera) 

Law and crime

• COVID-19 pandemic in Guatemala
  • The Congress of the Republic rejects the approval of the state of calamity which, among other measures, imposed a curfew between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. in addition to restrictions on mobility and freedom of assembly. President Alejandro Giammattei defended the entry into force of these measures on August 13 as reducing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (Europa Press)
• Capital punishment in Japan
  • A senior member of the yakuza, Satoru Nomura, is sentenced to death by a court in Fukuoka, Japan, for ordering four assaults, one of which was deadly. Nomura has denied participating in the crimes. It is the first time that a senior member of the crime group has been sentenced to death. (BBC)

Politics and elections

• Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations
  • Andrew Cuomo's resignation as Governor of New York comes into effect. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul is sworn in, making her the first woman to serve as governor of New York. (NBC News)
• 2021 Zambian general election
  • Hakainde Hichilema is sworn in as the 7th President, succeeding Edgar Lungu. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

• 2020 Summer Paralympics
  • COVID-19 cases at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics
    • The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games reports the first COVID-19 case involving a Paralympic athlete. The athlete tested positive for COVID-19 at the Olympic village and was taken to an isolation facility. (The Guardian)
  • The opening ceremony for the Paralympics is held. During the ceremony, the Afghanistan flag is flown despite the withdrawal of the country's athletes. (CNN) (USA Today)

Current events of August 23, 2021 (2021-08-23) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

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

Disasters and accidents

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

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
        • The Philippine Food and Drug Administration issues an emergency use authorization for the Sputnik Light vaccine, making the country the first in Asia to approve the Russian single-dose vaccine. (Rappler)
      • The Philippines reports a record 18,332 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.85 million. (ABS-CBN News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • Sri Lanka reports a record for the second consecutive day of 4,355 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 394,355. (Daily News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan
      • Taiwan begins the "contested" rollout of its first domestically-produced MVC COVID-19 vaccine, with President Tsai Ing-Wen among the first Taiwanese to receive a dose of the protein subunit vaccine. (Nikkei Asia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam imposes their toughest lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, prohibiting people from leaving their homes and also deploying the Vietnamese People's Army in order to enforce the lockdown in the country's largest city amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. (U.S. News and World Report)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
        • New South Wales imposes a 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew in 12 LGAs of concern in Greater Sydney, limiting exercise to one hour in hotspot areas and mandating statewide outdoor mask wearing as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to remain high. (9News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in French Polynesia
      • The French overseas department of French Polynesia closes all schools and tightens its lockdown for two weeks amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. (Radio France Internationale)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • New Zealand extends its level 4 lockdown until August 31 in Auckland and August 27 in the rest of the country as the number of cases related to the Delta variant outbreak reaches 100. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
      • Belarus will receive $1 billion from the International Monetary Fund to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. (Politico.eu)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany drops incidence levels from its yardstick for deciding if restrictions should be in force to contain the spread of COVID-19 as more people are vaccinated. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom signs an agreement with Pfizer to secure 35 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine due to be delivered in the second half of 2022 as the government focuses on a "future-proof vaccine programme" to prevent any virus variants that are resistant to the vaccine. (BBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
        • New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announces that New Jersey will require teachers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by October 18 or face mandatory COVID-19 testing. (The Center Square)
      • The Food and Drug Administration gives full approval to the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first vaccine in the U.S. to be granted full licensure and thereby giving businesses, schools and universities more confidence to adopt vaccine mandates. (CNBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      • Palm Beach County announces that fans will be required to wear masks at athletic events amidst a cancellation of high school events in the county. (Palm Beach Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington
      • Washington reimposes its indoor mask mandate, requiring people over the age of 5 to wear masks in indoor public spaces regardless of their vaccination status. (Patch.com)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • The patient zero of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant in Argentina, a 62-year-old Peruvian national, dies from the disease. The man had been indicted while hospitalized with multiple crimes related to him not informing the authorities about his symptoms, breaching quarantine, entering the country unvaccinated and infecting 13 other people. (Perfil)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt
    • Egypt reports its first case of the Delta Plus variant in a 35-year-old Egyptian woman who had shown "very mild" symptoms in July. (Ahram Online)

International relations

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

Law and crime

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

Politics and elections

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

Current events of August 22, 2021 (2021-08-22) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

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

Disasters and accidents

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

Health and environment

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

International relations

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

Politics and elections

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

Current events of August 21, 2021 (2021-08-21) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

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

Health and environment

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

International relations

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

Law and crime

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

Politics and elections

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

Science and technology

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

Current events of August 20, 2021 (2021-08-20) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

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

Health and environment

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

International relations

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

Politics and elections

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

Time: 06:45 UTC|Day: 26 August

	August 2021
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

• COVID-19 recession
• Lebanese liquidity crisis

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

Elections and referendums

Recent

• August
  • 12: Zambia, President, National Assembly

Upcoming

• September
  • 5: São Tomé and Príncipe, President (2nd) 
  • 6: Ethiopia, House of Representatives (2nd) 
  • 8: Morocco, House of Representatives

Trials

Recently concluded

• Belarus: Viktar Babaryka
• China: Sun Dawu, Michael Spavor
• Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai
• Indonesia: Juliari Batubara, Edhy Prabowo
• 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: 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

Sport

• Association football
  • 2021 Copa Libertadores final stages
  • 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
  • 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
  • 2021 Major League Soccer season
• Women's association football
  • 2021 NWSL season
• Baseball
  • 2021 MLB season
• Cricket
  • ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League 2020–2023
  • 2019–2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2
  • ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League 2019–2022
• Golf
  • 2021 European Tour
  • 2021 LPGA Tour
  • 2020 PGA Tour Champions
  • 2021 Ladies European Tour
  • 2020–21 PGA Tour
• Motorsport
  • 2021 Formula One Championship
  • 2021 Rally Championship
  • 2021 MotoGP
  • 2021 Supercars Championship
• Rugby league
  • 2021 NRL season
  • 2021 Super League
• Rugby union
  • 2021 Bunnings NPC
  • 2021 Super Rugby season
• Tennis
  • 2021 ATP Tour
  • 2021 WTA Tour
  • 2020–21 Davis Cup (Finals)
• Other sports seasons
  • 2021 International cricket season
  • 2021-22 snooker season
  • 2021–22 curling season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

August

• 25: Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini
• 24: Hissène Habré
• 24: Charlie Watts
• 23: Tom Flynn
• 23: Rosita Quintana
• 23: Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi
• 22: Andrzej Schinzel
• 21: Nickolas Davatzes
• 21: Don Everly
• 21: Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein
• 21: Anthony Scotto
• 20: Tom T. Hall
• 19: Bill Freehan
• 19: Chuck Close
• 19: Peter Harding
• 19: Sonny Chiba
• 19: Michael Cullen
• 18: Joseph L. Galloway
• 18: Jill Murphy
• 16: Sean Lock
• 16: Lucille Times
• 15: Paul Mitchell
• 15: Joe Walton
• 15: Abdelhamid Brahimi
• 15: Gerd Müller
• 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
• 3: Vitaly Shishov
• 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: Dusty Hill
• 28: Giuseppe Giacomini
• 27: Gianni Nazzaro

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

• Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Niger, and Tunisia
  • Maghreb insurgency
• Angola
  • Cabinda War
• Cameroon
  • Anglophone Crisis
• Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
  • Boko Haram insurgency
• Central African Republic
  • Civil War
• Chad
  • Insurgency in Northern Chad
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Kivu conflict
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Ituri conflict
  • Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
  • Kamwina Nsapu rebellion
• Ethiopia
  • Tigray War (spillover)
  • Oromo conflict
• Ethiopia and Sudan
  • Sudanese–Ethiopian clashes
• Ghana
  • Western Togoland Rebellion
• Mali
  • Mali War
• Mozambique
  • Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
• Nigeria
  • Communal conflicts in Nigeria
• Senegal
  • Casamance conflict
• Somalia
  • Civil war
• South Sudan
  • Ethnic violence in South Sudan
• Sudan
  • War in Darfur
  • South Kordofan conflict
  • Sudanese nomadic conflicts (incl. South Sudan)
• Tunisia
  • ISIL insurgency in Tunisia
• Western Sahara
  • Western Sahara conflict
    • 2020–2021 Western Saharan clashes

Americas

• Colombia
  • Colombian conflict
• Mexico
  • Mexican drug war
• Peru
  • Internal conflict in Peru
• Paraguay
  • Insurgency in Paraguay

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Panjshir conflict
• India
  • Insurgency in Northeast India
    • Assam separatist movements
    • Insurgency in Manipur
    • Ethnic conflict in Nagaland
  • Khalistan movement
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
• India and Pakistan
  • Kashmir conflict
• Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
  • Moro conflict
    • Cross border attacks in Sabah
• Indonesia
  • Papua conflict
• Myanmar
  • Internal conflict in Myanmar
    • Kachin conflict
    • Karen conflict
    • Rohingya conflict
• Pakistan
  • Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgency in Balochistan
• Philippines
  • Communist rebellion
  • Philippine drug war
• Thailand
  • South Thailand insurgency

Europe

• Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
• Ukraine
  • War in Donbas
    • Russo-Ukrainian War
• Ireland and the UK
  • Dissident Irish republican campaign
• Turkey
  • Kurdish–Turkish conflict

Global

• War on terror

Middle East

• Egypt
  • Sinai insurgency
• Iran and the Persian Gulf
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
  • Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
  • Arab separatism in Khuzestan
  • Kurdish separatism in Iran
• Iraq
  • American-led intervention in Iraq
  • Iranian intervention in Iraq
• Iraq and Syria (map)
  • International military intervention against ISIL
• Israel and Gaza
• Israel and Syria
  • Israeli-Syrian border conflict
• Syria
  • American-led intervention in Syria
  • Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war
  • Turkish occupation of northern Syria
• Yemen and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

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

Aviation – Rail transport

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain