Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- Amid evacuations from Afghanistan, a suicide bombing kills at least 170 people at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
- 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.
- A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti kills more than 2,200 people.
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan
- 2021 Kabul airport attack
- The death toll from the ISIL suicide bombing attack at the airport in Kabul yesterday rises to 175. Three British citizens are confirmed to be among the dead. (Al Jazeera)
- 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
- Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Spain end their evacuation flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (Reuters) (EuroWeekly News) (Stuff) (U.S. News & World Report)
- Crowds return to the Kabul airport a day after the attack at the airport. (VOA)
- Aftermath of 2021 Taliban offensive and Fall of Kabul
- Afghan political leader and activist Fatima Gailani, who helped draft a new constitution for Afghanistan and took part in peace talks with the Taliban, blames exiled former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for the current "chaotic" situation in the country, and says U.S. President Joe Biden contributed by withdrawing troops without a "political settlement" in place. (Deutsche Welle)
- The United States urges the Taliban to include former President Hamid Karzai and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in the formation of the new inclusive government. (Al Jazeera)
- 2021 Kabul airport attack
Business and economy
- Economy of Zambia
- The newly appointed Minister of Finance of Zambia Situmbeko Musokotwane says he has begun to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund on a $12 billion external debt. Musokotwane says he is also working with other private funds to which Zambia owes payments. Musokotwane anticipates that Zambia "will not be able to immediately cancel all debts". (Reuters)
- Cuba recognizes cryptocurrency as legal tender, becoming the second nation to do so along with El Salvador. (Al Jazeera)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
- According to government data, more than 473 million people have received at least a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, which amounts to about half of eligible adults in India. In contrast, only around 15% of eligible adults have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (BBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- The number of severe COVID-19 patients in Japan surpasses 2,000 for the first time. (The Japan Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
- Thailand's COVID-19 taskforce approves a plan to gradually ease some COVID-19-related restrictions beginning from September 1 that will allow resumption of domestic flights, reopening of shopping malls, restaurants, barbershops, and public parks, as well as allow gatherings of up to 25 people in 29 high-risk provinces as the number of COVID-19 cases peaked. (Bloomberg)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
- Vietnam reports a record 12,920 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 410,366. The country also surpasses 10,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Viet Nam News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
- Danish Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke announces that the country will lift all COVID-19-related restrictions on September 10 as it considers that the "epidemic is under control" and does not pose "a critical threat to society", just as it will lift the obligation to present an immunity passport to attend certain events. More than 70% of Danes have received the full vaccination schedule. (The Guardian)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, COVID-19 vaccination in Poland
- Polish Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski announces that the Supreme Medical Council approves the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for people with a weak immune system. The third dose of the vaccine will be avaliable from September 1. (The First News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
- Scotland reports a record 6,835 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Sky News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
- COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
- A Leon County judge strikes down the mask mandate ban imposed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (NBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the world's first deer positive case of COVID-19 from white-tailed deer in the state of Ohio. (CTV News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
- The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends children aged 12 to 15 years old be included in COVID-19 vaccination program using the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine bookings for these age group will begin from September 13. (ABC News Australia)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
Law and crime
- COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- A federal prosecutor indicts President Alberto Fernández for violating the sanitary measures he himself decreed in July 2020 during a birthday celebration party of First Lady Fabiola Yáñez. Fernández appeals to evade trial and volunteers to donate his salary. The prosecutors reject his proposal as they say that government officials cannot skip trial. (MercoPress)
- Former Mali leaders Bah Ndaw and Moctar Ouane are released from house arrest by the junta who ousted them last May. There was no comment from the junta led by Colonel Assimi Goïta. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- The Taliban regime appoints Khalil Haqqani as head of security in Kabul. Haqqani, a veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War and war on terror, is a designated terrorist by the United States, and is currently wanted on a US$5 million bounty. (NBC News)
- In a 73−50 vote, the Congress of Peru approves the leftist cabinet of President Pedro Castillo, who thanked the Congress for "granting confidence". The vote boosted his government, which currently holds a 38% approval rating. (Reuters)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan
- 2021 Kabul airport attack
- A suicide bomber blows himself up at an entrance of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, killing at least 90 Afghan civilians and 13 American servicemembers. More than 150 others are wounded. ISIL-K, who have threatened the airport in recent days, have claimed responsibility for the attack. (The Wall Street Journal)
- 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
- Operation Pitting
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that the United Kingdom will continue evacuations despite the terrorist attacks that occurred at Hamid Karzai International Airport. (Sky News)
- Operation Allies Refuge
- U.S. President Joe Biden, in an address to the nation, says that the evacuation of American citizens will continue despite the terrorist attacks. He also vows that the U.S. will avenge the deaths of the 13 Marines killed in the attacks by "hunting down" those responsible and "making them pay". (AP)
- The United States says that it is taking steps to boost humanitarian aid into Afghanistan despite the Taliban being blacklisted by the treasury. The United States also says that it is working with local partners to facilitate humanitarian aid to reach the Afghan population. (Reuters)
- Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Russia and the Netherlands end their evacuation flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport ahead of a Taliban ultimatum to leave by August 31. Several shots are fired in the direction of an Italian military plane as it was departing the airport, although the airplane was not the intended target and no casualties or damage have been reported. (BBC)
- Operation Pitting
- 2021 Kabul airport attack
- Oromo conflict, Tigray War, War crimes in the Tigray War
- The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission accuses the Oromo Liberation Army of killing 150 civilians during the past week. The group denies the report. The report says that gunmen targeted people of Amharan ethnicity. (Reuters)
Arts and culture
- Political repression in the Soviet Union
- A mass grave containing between 5,000 and 8,000 skeletons is discovered in Odessa, Ukraine, during exploration works for a planned expansion of Odesa International Airport. The graves are believed to date back to the late 1930s during a major purge. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- A three-story building collapses in Peñíscola, Valencian Community, Spain, killing two people and injuring another person. The reason for the collapse is currently unknown. (Euronews)
- At least 9 people are killed and more than 80 injured by an explosion at a military compound in southern Kazakhstan. (Euronews)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
- Brunei reports its first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, which was first detected in India, in 20 samples of COVID-19 cases that were sent for genome sequencing. (The Scoop)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, COVID-19 vaccination in Japan
- Japan suspends the usage of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine due to concerns of contamination in some unused vials. (BBC) (The Washington Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
- Mongolia surpasses 200,000 cases of COVID-19. (AKI Press)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka reports a record 209 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,157. (EconomyNext)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
- Russia reports a record 820 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 179,243. (Barron's)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
- The Slovenian government announces that university students and anyone under the age of 15 who is not vaccinated or who has not recovered from COVID-19 will have to be tested once a week in order to enter a university or participate in indoor sports or recreational activities. (The Slovenia Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
- COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
- New South Wales reports a record for the second consecutive day of 1,029 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that the state has reported more than 1,000 cases in a single day. (Newshub)
- COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
- COVID-19 pandemic in Honduras
- COVID-19 vaccination in Honduras
- Honduras signs an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech to purchase additional 2.7 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in order to ensure the country will have enough supply to vaccinate all people over the age of 12 this year. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 vaccination in Honduras
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
International relations
- Pacific Islands Forum
- Kiribati confirms its decision to withdraw along with four other countries, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau and Nauru. Despite efforts by multiple countries to have the countries remain in the forum, Kiribati says that there is "no value" in staying if the agreement is not honored in regards to disagreements over the designation of Henry Puna as Secretary-General of the forum. (RNZ)
- Foreign relations of Argentina, Foreign relations of Iran
- Argentina condemns "energetically" the designation of Mohsen Rezai in a ministerial rank in the government of Ebrahim Raisi in Iran. Yesterday, Argentina had renewed its condemnation of the designation of Ahmad Vahidi as minister of the interior. Both men are wanted by Argentina and Interpol over alleged connections with the 1994 AMIA bombing. The Foreign Ministry condemns Iran for its "affront to Argentine justice". (Notimérica)
Law and crime
- Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
- Ty Garbin is sentenced to six years in prison and fined $2,500 for his role in the kidnapping plot of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer last year. He is the first person to be sentenced in the conspiracy, which includes thirteen other accused plotters who are currently awaiting trial. (BBC)
- Aftermath of the fall of Kabul, 2021 Taliban offensive
- The Taliban announce the re-imposition of the public ban on music in Afghanistan. Zabiullah Mujahid, the official spokesperson for the Taliban, expressed the hope that the Emirate would be able to "persuade people not to do such things instead of pressuring them." (The Daily Telegraph)
- Former Prime Minister of Mali Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga is arrested accused of corruption for his involvement in the purchase of a presidential plane in 2014. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Pope Francis appoints Italian nun Alessandra Smerilli as Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, becoming the first woman to do so. (Vatican News)
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)
- 2021 Daraa clashes, Syrian peace process
- Boko Haram insurgency
- 2021 Niger attacks
- Hundreds of Boko Haram militants attack a military post in Diffa, Niger, killing 16 soldiers and wounding nine others. In the ensuing gun battle, around 50 Islamist insurgents were killed. (Reuters)
- 2021 Niger attacks
- Dar es Salaam shooting
- A gunman opens fire near the French embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing three policemen and an employee of a private security company, and wounding six other people. The gunman was shot dead by responding security forces. (Al Jazeera)
Business and economy
- OnlyFans reverses its decision to ban pornographic content, saying in part that the ban is "no longer required due to banking partners’ assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators". (WABI-TV)
Disasters and accidents
- Twenty people are killed and 17 others are reported missing in landslides in western Venezuela, amid torrential rains. Most of the deaths occurred in Tovar, Mérida, after the local Mocotíes river overflowed its banks. (Al Jazeera)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
- The Food and Drug Authority grants an emergency use authorization for the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. (Kompas)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- The Japanese government announces the expansion of the full state of emergency to eight prefectures and the quasi-state of emergency to four prefectures beginning on August 27, which brings the number of prefectures under all types of emergency measures to 33. These emergency measures will remain in effect until September 12. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan
- Kazakhstan announces that beginning on August 28, in order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19, unvaccinated people will be banned from entering shopping malls, restaurants and cafés unless they show proof of vaccination, a negative test result, or have recovered from COVID-19 within the past three months and have a "green" status on a mobile app. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
- Laos reports a record 952 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 13,909. (The Laotian Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan
- Taiwan reports zero community transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the first time since the country's largest outbreak began in May. (The Guardian)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
- Vietnam reports a record 12,096 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 377,245. (VNExpress)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
- 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 Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
- 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 New South Wales
- 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
- COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- 2020–2021 H5N8 outbreak
- Benin identifies an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 avian flu in Sèmè-Kpodji and Abomey-Calavi near the capital Porto Novo. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announces that former Alberto Fujimori advisor Vladimiro Montesinos has been transferred from the Callao naval base to the Ancon II prison to finish the remainder of his sentence. (Andina)
Politics and elections
- 2022 Philippine presidential election, 2021 PDP–Laban dispute
- President Rodrigo Duterte accepts the nomination of the ruling PDP–Laban party to run for Vice-President of the Philippines in the upcoming 2022 presidential elections. (Rappler)
- The Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly approves all but one of Ebrahim Raisi's nominees for his cabinet, including anti-West Hossein Amirabdollahian as foreign minister. The designation of Ahmad Vahidi was also approved as minister of the interior. Argentina reiterates its "most energetic condemn" to Vahidi's designations as he is wanted by both Argentina and Interpol for alleged involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing. (Notimérica) (Reuters) (AFP via Radio France Internationale)
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 a man was accidentally flown from Kabul to Birmingham, England, where he was flagged as being a part of a terrorist no-fly list. (BBC)
- 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)
- Aftermath of the 2021 Taliban offensive and Fall of Kabul
- Somali Civil War
- Al-Shabaab insurgents attack a military base in Galmudug and capture the town of Amara after Somali forces retreat. The Somali forces conduct airstrikes and say that they have killed insurgents. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 12 miners are dead during an explosion of methane gas and coal dust in the "La Carbonera" mine, in the municipality of Tópaga, Colombia. (El Periódico)
- An apartment collapse in Turin, Italy, during a suspected gas leak, killing a child and wounding three more people. (La Repubblica)
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 Cambodia
- 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 Greece
- 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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- 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)
- COVID-19 cases at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics
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)
- Panjshir resistance
- 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)
- 2021 Taliban offensive
- 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)
- 2021 Daraa clashes
- 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 vaccination in the Philippines
- 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 the Philippines
- 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 New South Wales
- 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 Australia
- 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
- 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 Belarus
- 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 New Jersey
- 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 vaccination in the United States
- 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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
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)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 pandemic in London
- 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)
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 Antifa demonstrators at an abandoned Kmart near downtown Portland, Oregon. (The Oregonian)
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
Recently concluded
- Belarus: Viktar Babaryka
- China: Sun Dawu, Michael Spavor
- Indonesia: Juliari Batubara, Edhy Prabowo
- Russia: Lyubov Sobol
- South Africa: Jacob Zuma
- 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
- 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
- Vatican City: Giovanni Angelo Becciu
- Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo
- Association football
- Women's association football
- Baseball
- Cricket
- Golf
- Motorsport
- Rugby league
- Rugby union
- Tennis
- Other sports seasons
August
- 25: Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini
- 25: Robin Miller
- 24: Hissène Habré
- 24: Charlie Watts
- 23: Tom Flynn
- 23: Jean-Luc Nancy
- 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
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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