COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko tests positive for COVID-19. (DW)
COVID-19 pandemic in Europe COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko tests positive for COVID-19. (DW) COVID-19 pandemic in Malta Malta's health ministry states that of 94 migrants rescued from the sea yesterday, 65 have tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is found guilty by the Malaysian High Court and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and fined RM210 million (US$47 million). The High Court convicted Najib on all seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust over misappropriating over RM42 million (US$ 10 million) from 1Malaysia Development Berhad's former subsidiary SRC International to his personal bank accounts. (Malay Mail) (BBC News) (Channel News Asia)
A woman and her brother-in-law are arrested in Essen and Hildesheim, Germany, respectively, after they travelled to Syria to join ISIL. The woman also travelled with her four young children. (AP)
Astronomers at Pan-STARRS announce the discovery of a small near-Earth object (NEO) HLV2514, which is an Amor asteroid near Mars. The asteroid was first discovered in June 2020 by two 14-year-old Indian schoolgirls who were participating in a NASA project. (CNN)
COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia Indonesia reports a record high 2,366 recoveries from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. West Java reports a most number with 627 new recoveries. (detikNews)
COVID-19 pandemic in Iran Iran records a record high 235 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The health ministry urges not to visit Mashhad as the virus infections rose by 300 percent over a one month period. (Al Arabiya)
COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Osaka and Aichi prefectures post a single day record high of 155 and 110 new COVID-19 cases respectively in the last 24 hours. (The Japan Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malta Malta's health ministry states that of 94 migrants rescued from the sea yesterday, 65 have tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam Vietnam confirms 18 new cases, the highest number of local transmitted cases in 24 hours since March. (Vietnamese Health Ministry) Vietnam suspends all flights to and from Da Nang and closes its airport for 15 days after 14 COVID-19 cases are confirmed in that city. (Bangkok Post)
Following massive public backlash, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announces a public inquiry will be held over the law enforcement response to the rampage in Nova Scotia, Canada, last April, which left 23 dead, including the gunman. (Global News)
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is found guilty by the Malaysian High Court and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and fined RM210 million (US$47 million). The High Court convicted Najib on all seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust over misappropriating over RM42 million (US$ 10 million) from 1Malaysia Development Berhad's former subsidiary SRC International to his personal bank accounts. (Malay Mail) (BBC News) (Channel News Asia)
Hong Kong legal scholar and pro-democracy activist Benny Tai is fired from his tenured position as associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, due to his prior arrest for coordinating the Umbrella Revolution. Tai in a Facebook post called it the "end of academic freedom" in the city. (Reuters)
Indonesia reports a record high 2,366 recoveries from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. West Java reports a most number with 627 new recoveries. (detikNews)
Iran records a record high 235 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The health ministry urges not to visit Mashhad as the virus infections rose by 300 percent over a one month period. (Al Arabiya)
Malta's health ministry states that of 94 migrants rescued from the sea yesterday, 65 have tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
Osaka and Aichi prefectures post a single day record high of 155 and 110 new COVID-19 cases respectively in the last 24 hours. (The Japan Times)
Three Sudanese migrants are killed and four others injured after Libyan authorities opened fire against them during landing operations in the city of Al-Khums. (La Repubblica)
Vietnam confirms 18 new cases, the highest number of local transmitted cases in 24 hours since March. (Vietnamese Health Ministry)
Vietnam suspends all flights to and from Da Nang and closes its airport for 15 days after 14 COVID-19 cases are confirmed in that city. (Bangkok Post)
Syrian civil war The U.S. imposes further sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his 19-year-old son Hafez, and warns that it will also sanction anyone who engages with the government in Damascus. Kelly Craft, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, says the sanctions are not intended to harm civilians and that they do not target humanitarian aid. (Reuters)
Moroccan journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi is arrested and charged with rape and aiding foreign spies. The charges come after Amnesty International reported that the Moroccan government was using Israeli spyware to spy on dissidents like him. (Reuters)
Zimbabwe's government signs a $3.5 billion agreement with the Commercial Farmers' Union to compensate white farmers who were forcibly evicted from their land during a controversial land redistribution program in the 2000s under former President Robert Mugabe. (CNN)
A man accused of attacking pro-democracy Hong Kong activist and convener of the Civil Human Rights Front Jimmy Sham says he was offered a HK$2 million bounty to "cripple" him in last year's attack. (South China Morning Post)
Belarus–Russia relations Belarusian security forces arrest 32 members of the private military company Wagner Group at a sanitarium near Minsk in an overnight raid. All those detained are Russian nationals, according to authorities. President Alexander Lukashenko convenes an emergency meeting with his security council, and instructs the Chairman of the State Security Committee to ask Russia for an official explanation. (The Guardian)
Belarusian security forces arrest 32 members of the private military company Wagner Group at a sanitarium near Minsk in an overnight raid. All those detained are Russian nationals, according to authorities. President Alexander Lukashenko convenes an emergency meeting with his security council, and instructs the Chairman of the State Security Committee to ask Russia for an official explanation. (The Guardian)
Fiji–United States relations Fiji's opposition parties urge the government to reconsider its decision of closing Fiji's embassy in the United States, the European Union, and other countries, and blame Chinese influence in the Pacific. (RNZ)
Fiji's opposition parties urge the government to reconsider its decision of closing Fiji's embassy in the United States, the European Union, and other countries, and blame Chinese influence in the Pacific. (RNZ)
George Floyd protests in Wisconsin Two women, Kerida O’Reilly (33) and Samantha Hamer (26), are charged for attacking Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter outside the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison. (The Hill)
Two women, Kerida O’Reilly (33) and Samantha Hamer (26), are charged for attacking Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter outside the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison. (The Hill)
Yemeni Civil War, Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen; Yemeni peace process The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) announces it is giving up its aspiration of self-rule in Yemen to implement a stalled peace deal brokered by Saudi Arabia. A spokesman for the group says they have "achieved their goal". The STC believes in establishing an independent state in southern Yemen similar to the one that existed between 1967 and 1990. (AP)
A man accused of blasphemy under a new controversial law is shot dead by a gunman in the courtroom while he was standing trial for allegedly insulting Islam. The victim was part of the Ahmadiyya faith, a minority Islamic sect that Pakistan declared non-Muslim in 1974 for regarding its founder as a prophet. The suspect was a former member. (DW)
A masked, umbrella-wielding man accused of helping incite riots and looting in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd is identified. (ABC News)
A train derails following a bridge collapse on Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Arizona, sparking a fire. (NBC News)
Archeologists at Stonehenge pinpoint the origin of the structure's large Sarsen stones to a site 25 kilometers (16 mi) north near Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. (BBC News)
Blasphemy in Pakistan A man accused of blasphemy under a new controversial law is shot dead by a gunman in the courtroom while he was standing trial for allegedly insulting Islam. The victim was part of the Ahmadiyya faith, a minority Islamic sect that Pakistan declared non-Muslim in 1974 for regarding its founder as a prophet. The suspect was a former member. (DW)
Censorship in Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey passes a new social media regulation bill that requires foreign sites to appoint Turkish-based representatives to help monitor content, and will punish companies that don't comply with fines and throttling bandwidth. (Reuters)
China reports 101 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of new cases since mid-April, and 89 of them are from Xinjiang. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil The number of deaths in Brazil reaches past 90,000. (New Straits Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Iwate reports its first cases of COVID-19 infections, with two people testing positive. (Mainichi Shimbun) Japan's daily new COVID-19 cases tops 1,000 for the first time. (NHK World)
COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China China reports 101 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of new cases since mid-April, and 89 of them are from Xinjiang. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announces that the state will tighten their mask mandate to prevent a spike in cases. (The Hill)
COVID-19 pandemic in Peru The number of cases in Peru reaches past 400,000. (The Asian Age)
COVID-19 pandemic in South America COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil The number of deaths in Brazil reaches past 90,000. (New Straits Times) COVID-19 pandemic in Peru The number of cases in Peru reaches past 400,000. (The Asian Age)
COVID-19 pandemic in Texas The number of cases in Texas surges past 400,000 as 313 COVID-related deaths are recorded in a day. (Financial Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announces that the state will tighten their mask mandate to prevent a spike in cases. (The Hill) COVID-19 pandemic in Texas The number of cases in Texas surges past 400,000 as 313 COVID-related deaths are recorded in a day. (Financial Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam; COVID-19 pandemic in Equatorial Guinea Vietnam repatriates 219 of its citizen from Equatorial Guinea with at least 120 of them reported to be COVID-19 infectees. (VnExpress)
COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe Incumbent Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Perrance Shiri dies from COVID-19 at the age of 65. (Reuters)
Cuba loosens some regulations on state-run companies and farmers, and allows for U.S. dollars to be used in internal trade, as the country seeks to revitalize its economy in the midst of both the COVID-19 pandemic in the region and the economic decline of its trading partner Venezuela. (Reuters)
George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul A masked, umbrella-wielding man accused of helping incite riots and looting in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd is identified. (ABC News)
Incumbent Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Perrance Shiri dies from COVID-19 at the age of 65. (Reuters)
Iwate reports its first cases of COVID-19 infections, with two people testing positive. (Mainichi Shimbun)
Japan's daily new COVID-19 cases tops 1,000 for the first time. (NHK World)
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announces that the state will tighten their mask mandate to prevent a spike in cases. (The Hill)
The Central Bank of Brazil announces that it will start producing 200 reais bills starting in August. (G1)
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey passes a new social media regulation bill that requires foreign sites to appoint Turkish-based representatives to help monitor content, and will punish companies that don't comply with fines and throttling bandwidth. (Reuters)
The number of cases in Peru reaches past 400,000. (The Asian Age)
The number of deaths in Brazil reaches past 90,000. (New Straits Times)
The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) announces it is giving up its aspiration of self-rule in Yemen to implement a stalled peace deal brokered by Saudi Arabia. A spokesman for the group says they have "achieved their goal". The STC believes in establishing an independent state in southern Yemen similar to the one that existed between 1967 and 1990. (AP)
Vietnam repatriates 219 of its citizen from Equatorial Guinea with at least 120 of them reported to be COVID-19 infectees. (VnExpress)
2020 Hong Kong legislative election At least 12 Hong Kong pro-democracy nominees for the September election are disqualified, among them, Dennis Kwok, Joshua Wong, Tiffany Yuen, and three others from the Civic Party. Other nominations were still being reviewed, the government said in a statement expressing support for the disqualifications. (AP)
At least 12 Hong Kong pro-democracy nominees for the September election are disqualified, among them, Dennis Kwok, Joshua Wong, Tiffany Yuen, and three others from the Civic Party. Other nominations were still being reviewed, the government said in a statement expressing support for the disqualifications. (AP)
Syrian civil war A car bombing attack leaves 5 people dead and another 12 injured in Tel Halef village, Syria. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan July 2020 Afghanistan attacks A car bombing in Puli Alam, Logar Province, kills at least 17 people and injures 30 others. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the group has "nothing to do" with the bombing. (BBC News) Nine Taliban militants, including two leaders, are killed by security forces during clashes in Ghazni Province. (TOLOnews)
2020 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricane Isaias Hurricane Isaias is expected to head towards Florida, prompting the state to close their COVID-19 test sites. The hurricane has made landfall in Puerto Rico, causing landslides, flooding, and power outages. (CBS News) (CNN)
A car bombing attack leaves 5 people dead and another 12 injured in Tel Halef village, Syria. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Europe COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine Ukraine reports a record high of 1,197 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. (The Jerusalem Post) COVID-19 pandemic in Romania Romania reports a record high of 1,356 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. (Romania Insider) COVID-19 pandemic in Poland Poland reports a record high of 615 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, and authorities warn of a reinstatement of quarantine measures for travellers from other countries. (Swissinfo) (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong Hong Kong reports its largest single day record of 149 new cases of COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours as well as one death. From that new cases, 145 of them are locally transmitted. (Reuters) (South China Morning Post) Hong Kong government has reversed a day-old total ban on restaurants serving dine-in customers that was introduced to control the spread of COVID-19, and publishes new guidelines that allow restaurants could operate dine-in facilities but only during the day, at 50% capacity, and with no more than two people at a table. (AFP via The Guardian)
COVID-19 pandemic in Poland Poland reports a record high of 615 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, and authorities warn of a reinstatement of quarantine measures for travellers from other countries. (Swissinfo) (Reuters)
Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The United States economy suffers its worst quarter since World War II, with the GDP shrinking by an annualized rate of 32.9% in the April–June period. (The Guardian)
Hong Kong government has reversed a day-old total ban on restaurants serving dine-in customers that was introduced to control the spread of COVID-19, and publishes new guidelines that allow restaurants could operate dine-in facilities but only during the day, at 50% capacity, and with no more than two people at a table. (AFP via The Guardian)
Hurricane Isaias Hurricane Isaias is expected to head towards Florida, prompting the state to close their COVID-19 test sites. The hurricane has made landfall in Puerto Rico, causing landslides, flooding, and power outages. (CBS News) (CNN)
Hurricane Isaias is expected to head towards Florida, prompting the state to close their COVID-19 test sites. The hurricane has made landfall in Puerto Rico, causing landslides, flooding, and power outages. (CBS News) (CNN)
July 2020 Afghanistan attacks A car bombing in Puli Alam, Logar Province, kills at least 17 people and injures 30 others. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the group has "nothing to do" with the bombing. (BBC News)
Poland reports a record high of 615 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, and authorities warn of a reinstatement of quarantine measures for travellers from other countries. (Swissinfo) (Reuters)
