Portal:Current events/2021 July 31

July 31, 2021 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - Government forces and the Taliban clash in Herat, the provincial capital of Herat Province, where the Islamist group has seized many districts. The Taliban also captures adjoining border crossings with Iran and Turkmenistan as the United Nations accuses them of killing a United Nations serviceman yesterday during an attack on a UN compound. (France 24)
    - The Taliban enters Kandahar as intense fighting is reported in three major cities. Kandahar MP spokesman Gul Ahmad Kamin says that the fighting there is the worst that has been seen in 20 years, with the Taliban seeking to establish their temporary capital there. Kamin also says that the situation is worsening "hour by hour" as he warns that if Kandahar falls, five or six other provinces in the region would also be captured by the Taliban. It is also reported that the Taliban made rapid major gains in rural areas. (BBC News)
Sinai insurgency
- Eight soldiers are killed by ISIL during anti-terrorism operations in northern Sinai, Egypt. Eighty-nine ISIL militants are also killed. Arms and ammunitions are confiscated, while hundreds of explosive devices, some explosive belts, thirteen tunnel entrances and 200 arms-loaded vehicles are destroyed. (Al Jazeera)
Yemeni Civil War
- The deputy governor of Al Bayda Governorate says that Houthi insurgents have taken control of Naman and Nateh districts, displacing many civilians. (The Defense Post)

Disasters and accidents

Thirty-three people are dead during a collision between a fuel truck and a crowded bus in Kibuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reports a record 4,058 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, while the number of new cases across Japan reaches a record 12,341. (CBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Laos
    - Laos reports a record 380 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 6,299. (The Laotian Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 17,786 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,113,272. (The Star)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
    - Pakistan reports its first five cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Epsilon variant in Lahore, which was originally detected in California. (DAWN)
    - Sindh province imposes a partial lockdown in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi in order to reduce the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The lockdown is in effect until August 8. (Hindustan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports a record 18,912 new cases and 178 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 597,287 and the nationwide death toll to 4,857. (The Straits Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador
    - El Salvador reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant, which was originally detected in India. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      - Florida reports a record 21,683 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 19,334 cases reported on January 7. (Tampa Bay Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
  - Health minister Carla Vizzotti reports that Argentina has applied nearly 32 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Argentina has so far reported 4.9 million cases and over 105,000 deaths from COVID-19. (CNDigital)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Brisbane and surrounding towns enter a lockdown after an increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases linked to the ongoing cluster in New South Wales. (The Guardian)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Réunion
  - Amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, the French overseas territory of Réunion enters a two-week partial lockdown which restricts the movement of people to 10 km (6.2 mi) during the day and 5 km (3.1 mi) on Sunday as well as closing all cafés, restaurants and gyms. A curfew is also being imposed between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. when movement is not allowed except for essential reasons. (France 24)

Politics and elections

2021 Myanmar protests
- As the six-month anniversary of the military coup against civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi approaches, protests occur in Mandalay with university students waving flags and saying that there is "no possibility of dialogue" with the junta. The junta says that former civilian leaders are spreading "biased information". (Reuters)
Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina calls on the military to take "responsibility for threats to national sovereignty and threats to national security" after a plot to assassinate him was foiled last week. Rajoelina called on the new military graduates to uphold democracy. (Madagascar Tribune)

Sports

2020 Summer Olympics
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, Georgia at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics
  - The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games revokes accreditation for two Georgian judokas for violating COVID-19 protocols by leaving the athletes village for a sightseeing trip to meet "one of their good acquaintances" who lives in Japan. (BBC Sport)
- Qatar at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics
  - Qatari weightlifter Fares El-Bakh wins the men's 96 kg event, receiving Qatar's first-ever Olympic gold medal. (The Peninsula)