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COVID-19 pandemic

Najib Razak

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak (pictured) is found guilty on all seven charges in the first trial related to the 1MDB scandal.
A series of attacks over disputed farmland in Darfur, Sudan, leaves more than eighty people dead and several villages destroyed.
Three individuals are arrested for involvement with a security breach at Twitter that resulted in many prominent accounts promoting a bitcoin scam.

August 2, 2020 (Sunday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- Suspected Boko Haram militants attack an internally displaced persons camp with grenades in Far North, Cameroon, killing 15 people and wounding six others. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Syrian civil war
- The Syrian government condemns a deal signed between an unnamed U.S. oil firm and Kurdish rebels of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to manage the Kurdish-controlled northeastern oil fields. The statement says the deal is "stealing" Syrian crude. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the U.S. is supportive of the deal; the Kurdish forces could not be reached for comment. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Isaias
  - Now a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h), Isaias is less than a mile off the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Florida's Atlantic Coast, moving north-northwest at about 8 mph (13 km/h). Tropical storm warnings have been issued as far north as Surf City, North Carolina. (Orlando Sentinel) (National Hurricane Center)
  - Earlier this week, one man was killed in the Dominican Republic, when a power line fell on his horse, killing both the rider and the animal, and a woman was killed in Puerto Rican flooding while crossing a bridge. The storm has resulted in uprooted trees, destroyed crops and homes, and widespread flooding and small landslides. (The Weather Channel)
Apple Fire
- Nearly 8,000 people are evacuated from the town of Cherry Valley, California, United States, during a growing wildfire there. The Apple Fire has burned over 12,000 acres and is zero percent contained. (CNN)
Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard halt a massive search and rescue operation for seven Marines and Navy sailors who went missing on Thursday off the coast of San Clemente Island, California. All the missing are now presumed dead. (USA Today)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India's Interior Minister Amit Shah tests positive for COVID-19 and is admitted to hospital. (Al Arabiya)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - President Rodrigo Duterte reimposes Modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), one of the strictest lockdown measures on Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces of the Philippine capital for 15 days. (Rappler)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
    - A military spokesman says that plans to undertake joint military exercises with the U.S. military have been suspended after nine Thai soldiers who returned from Hawaii tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
  - Victorian premier Daniel Andrews declares a state of disaster across the state and imposed stage 4 lockdown in Metropolitan Melbourne. The new measures include nighttime curfew, which will be implemented across Melbourne from 20:00 to 05:00 (AEST). The restrictions comes into effect at 18:00 (6 pm) and last until September 13. (BBC)
  - The rest of Victoria places under stage three restrictions and will take effect on August 6. (ABC News Australia)
- COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships
  - At least 40 passengers and crew from the MS Roald Amundsen cruise ship test positive for COVID-19 after two recent Arctic voyages. Health authorities are trying to trace other passengers that may be infected. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Crew Dragon Endeavour makes the first splashdown in 45 years after successfully completing Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. (Space.com)

August 1, 2020 (Saturday)

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Business and economy

China–United States trade war
- Chinese IT company ByteDance agrees to divest from the U.S. branch of TikTok, in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to ban the app within the country. If the deal is approved, Microsoft will handle the app's personal data rather than ByteDance, averting a main source of contention with U.S. officials. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Isaias
  - Category One Isaias makes landfall on northern Andros Island heading toward Grand Bahama. The storm, strength slightly reduced to 75 mph (120 KM.H) with heavy rains and coastal flooding, will move over the Straits of Florida tonight and approach the southeast coast of Florida early Sunday. North Carolina orders the evacuation of Ocracoke Island. (USA Today) (National Hurricane Center)
2020 Punjab alcohol poisoning
- Officials say at least 86 people have died in recent days due to consuming toxic illegally-made alcohol in Punjab, India. Police are carrying out raids in the state, confiscating supplies of the suspected alcohol and have made 25 arrests. (BBC)
Flash floods in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, kill 16 people, injure four others and damage several houses. (TOLONews)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Okinawa declares a state of emergency for two weeks until August 15 and asks people to stay home after the popular tourist destination sees an "explosive spread" of COVID-19 cases. (The Straits Times)
    - Tokyo reports 472 new cases, its highest toll to date for the city. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait
    - The Kuwaiti Directorate General of Civil Aviation bans flights to 31 countries as Kuwait International Airport resumes operations at reduced capacity. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India reports a record more than 57,000 new cases, as well as 764 deaths in the last 24 hours. (NDTV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines report 4,963 new cases, its highest toll to date. The cases rise to 98,232 and the deaths jump by 17 to reach a total of 2,039. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Queensland closes its border with Greater Sydney at 1 am (AEST) after its premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared all of Sydney a COVID-19 hotspot on July 29.(9 News)
  - Australian COVID-19 death toll reaches 200. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
  - South Africa surpasses 500,000 cases after adding a total of 10,107 new cases Saturday night. (AP)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, Religion in South Korea, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
- Lee Man-hee, a Shincheonji Church of Jesus pastor, is arrested for allegedly hiding contact information from virus trackers and embezzling 5.6 billion won. (The Guardian)
12 people, including Booker Prize-nominated author Tsitsi Dangarembga, are released from detention by Zimbabwean authorities for participating in anti-government protests in the capital of Harare yesterday. They are to return for trials on September 18. (Al Jazeera)
The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announces the detainment of Jamshid Sharmahd, the leader of the pro-Pahlavi group Kingdom Assembly of Iran, for coordinating the 2008 attack on worshippers in Shiraz. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 Khabarovsk Krai protests
- Protests in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, Russia continue for the fourth consecutive weekend. Protesters demand the release of regional governor Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on charges of murder, which he denies. Thousands of people reportedly join the protest. (Reuters)
Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
- A demonstration against coronavirus restrictions attended by thousands of people in Berlin, Germany, is terminated by police over "non-respect of hygiene rules". Police say they launched legal action against the organisers. (Al Jazeera)

Science and technology

The Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates becomes operational following delays since 2017. It is the first commercial nuclear power station in the Arab world. (BBC)

July 31, 2020 (Friday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2020 Chaman border clash
- Twenty-two people are killed in clashes between Afghan civilians and Pakistani military forces. Fifteen people died and 80 others injured in Kandahar after Pakistani soldiers attacked civilian areas, while seven people were killed and 31 others injured in Pakistan when a crowd trying to enter Afghanistan became unruly and attacked military installations. The Afghan government warns of action if Pakistan "continues its rocket attacks", while the Pakistani military says it opened fire in self-defense, returning fire to the Afghan side. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
  - The Spanish economy suffers a historically large fall in the second quarter of 18.5% of GDP and enters in recession, making Spain the European country most economically devastated by the pandemic. (El Mundo)
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - House Majority leader Steny Hoyer announces that the House will cancel recess in efforts to negotiate a COVID-19 relief bill. (CBS News)
James Murdoch, the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, resigns from the board of News Corporation citing "disagreements over editorial content ... (and) some strategic decisions." News Corp owns media in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Isaias heads toward the Bahamas and the U.S. as a category 1 hurricane, after causing floods and landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. A hurricane warning is issued for Florida's Atlantic Coast. (DW) (Weather Channel)
A minibus accident in Crimea (a disputed territory of Ukraine and Russia) leaves at least nine people dead and another nine wounded. (Reuters)
An Alfa Pendular high-speed train derails in Coimbra, Portugal, killing two people and injuring at least 30 others. (BBC)
Seven people are killed in a mid-air collision near Soldotna, Alaska, United States. Among those killed was Alaska State Representative Gary Knopp. (The New York Times) (KTUU-TV)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports a record 82 new COVID-19 cases in a day. (Vietnamese Heath Ministry)
    - Vietnam reports its first two deaths from COVID-19. The two men, "Patient 428" and "Patient 437" died of "complications from background diseases and COVID-19". (VnExpress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - President Rodrigo Duterte downgrades the lockdown restrictions on Cebu City to the level of "general community quarantine", while extending the same level of restriction on Metro Manila until mid-August. (Al Jazeera)
    - The Philippines report a record high of 4,063 new cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo registers another record of new COVID-19 cases in a single day since the pandemic began, with 463 new cases. Governor Yuriko Koike says the city may need to declare its own state of emergency if the virus continues to spread. (The Japan Times)
    - Japan reports another record of more than 1,500 cases in a single day. (Kyodo News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India reports a record 55,079 new COVID-19 cases, as well as 779 deaths. In the last 24 hours, 37,223 COVID-19 patients were cured and discharged, which also is the highest number of recoveries since the pandemic began. (Livemint)
    - India surpasses Italy in COVID-19 deaths, becoming the fifth-highest. (India.com)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    - China reports 127 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. From that, 123 of them were locally transmitted which includes 112 in Xinjiang and 11 in Liaoning. It is the highest number of cases reported since March 5. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Bahamas, COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - The Bahamas announces that travelers from the United States will be required to either present a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine for 14 days. (USA Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - The number of COVID-19 deaths in Mexico reaches 46,688, surpassing the United Kingdom. The death toll in the country is the third-highest in the world. (CNA) (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - The United States government is expected to pay $2.1 billion to Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline to try to develop and deliver 100 million doses of their potential COVID-19 vaccine. (CNBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  - COVID-19 pandemic in England
    - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson postpones lockdown easing in England, for at least two weeks, after an increase in coronavirus cases. (BBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
  - Fiji reports its first death from COVID-19. Health minister Ifereimi Waqainabete reported it as a 66-year-old man who had been repatriated from India where he had been receiving treatment. The man apparently contracted it while in India. (RNZ)
- The World Health Organization reports a record increase in global COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, with the total rising by more than 292,000. (Reuters)

Law and crime

2020 Twitter bitcoin scam
- A 17-year-old boy in Tampa, Florida, U.S., is arrested and charged for his role in the Twitter bitcoin hack earlier this month. Two others, a man in Orlando, Florida and a man in the United Kingdom, were also charged. (Yahoo! Finance)
Nine people are killed and five others injured during a shooting amid a dispute over ownership of a forest in Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Dawn)
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit overturns the death sentence of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on five counts, ruling the judge erred several times in their initial decision. A new sentencing trial will take place. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Afghan peace process
- The government and the Taliban begin a three-day truce to start intra-Afghan talks. Early today, President Ashraf Ghani ordered the release of 500 Taliban prisoners to "show goodwill" to start the talks. (DW)
2020 Hong Kong legislative election
- Citing the threat of COVID-19, Chief Executive Carrie Lam invokes emergency powers to postpone Hong Kong's election. (WNBC-TV)
The UK House of Lords adds 36 new peers to their ranks. New members include Boris Johnson's brother Jo Johnson, former cricket captain Sir Ian Botham, Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev, and former chancellors Kenneth Clarke and Philip Hammond. Lord Speaker Norman Fowler criticizes these peerages for making the House too large. (BBC)

Science and technology

Twitter suspensions
- White supremacist David Duke is permanently suspended from Twitter for repeatedly violating its rules on hate speech. (The Washington Post)
China–United States trade war
- U.S. President Donald Trump announces his intentions to ban TikTok from operating in the U.S.. (The Hill)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- Major League Baseball (MLB) reschedules today's series opener between the Milwaukee Brewers and host St. Louis Cardinals to be part of a Sunday doubleheader because two St. Louis players received positive results from COVID-19 tests administered following the conclusion of the Cards-Minneapolis Twins series. The Twins played the Cleveland Indians last night. This is the 15th MLB game postponed by positive COVID-19 results just eight days into the 2020 season. (CBS Sports) (Reuters)

July 30, 2020 (Thursday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- July 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - A car bombing in Puli Alam, Logar Province, kills at least 17 people and wounds 30 others. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the group has "nothing to do" with the bombing. (BBC)
- Nine Taliban militants, including two leaders, are killed by security forces during clashes in Ghazni Province. (TOLOnews)
Syrian civil war
- A car bombing attack leaves 5 people dead and another 12 injured in Tel Halef village, Syria. (Reuters)
Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
- A bomb kill a soldier in Diyala Governorate, Iraq. (National Iraqi News Agency)
A man shoots dead two policemen in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Dawn)

Business and economy

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)

Disasters and accidents

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)
Kōriyama explosion
- An explosion destroys a restaurant in Kōriyama, Japan, killing one person and injuring another 18. A gas leak is suspected to be the cause of the accident. (The Mainichi Shimbun)
United States Marine Corps
- One Marine is killed and one Sailor and seven additional Marines went missing when their Amphibious Assault Vehicle sinks near San Clemente Island off the coast of Southern California. They were from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, San Diego County. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reports 367 new COVID-19 cases. It is the highest jump of new cases since the pandemic began. (Asahi Shimbun)
    - Japan reports a single day record high of 1,274 new COVID-19 cases. (The Japan Times)
  - 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 India
    - India reports its largest single day record of 52,123 new cases of COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    - Mainland China reports 105 new COVID-19 cases and 96 of them are in Xinjiang. (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 the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
    - Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issues a mask mandate, which is expected to go into effect on August 1. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Victoria records 723 new cases, as well as 13 deaths. It is the highest jump of number of cases and deadliest day since the start of the pandemic in Australia. (The Age)
  - New South Wales reports its first COVID-19 cases from prison inmates as the state reports 18 new cases. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro tests positive for COVID-19. (NPR)
- The number of worldwide recoveries of COVID-19 surpasses ten million. (Johns Hopkins University)

International relations

Malaysia–Philippines relations, North Borneo dispute
- Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein summons the Philippine ambassador after Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted Monday to the U.S. embassy in Manila that Sabah does not belong to Malaysia. Locsin summons the Malaysian ambassador in tit-for-tat. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Agbudu shooting
- A mass shooting in Kogi State, Nigeria leaves 14 people dead and another six injured. Thirteen of the fatalities were member of the same family. Police said that a long-standing row over land rights is suspected to be the motive behind the attack. (The Guardian Nigeria)
Shooting of Michael Brown
- St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell announces that Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer that shot and killed Michael Brown, will not be charged. (The New York Times)
Twelve people are dead and nine others injured during a mass shooting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, carried out by a drunk soldier. (Reuters)
Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, a 29-year-old student, is sentenced for nine years in a Russian penal colony for assaulting two police officers while drunk last year in Moscow. Reed's father told reporters after the verdict he is planning to appeal directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Al Jazeera)
A court in Uganda sentences a poacher who killed a rare gorilla named Rafiki to 11 years in prison. Rafiki, a 25-year-old silverback who was the head of a gorilla group in the southwestern Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, was killed with a spear in early June. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

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)
Presidency of Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested November's presidential election could be postponed, saying increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results. Under the U.S. Constitution, Trump does not have the authority to postpone the election himself; a delay would have to be approved by both houses of Congress. (BBC)

Science and technology

Exploration of Mars
- The Mars 2020 mission carrying the Perseverance rover and Mars helicopter Ingenuity successfully launches atop an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral SLC-41 (Space.com)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2019–20 NBA season
  - The National Basketball Association season resumes at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex after a 141-day suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season resumes with the New Orleans Pelicans taking on the Utah Jazz. (People) (CBS Sports)
A Saudi-backed consortium ends its bid to purchase Premier League team Newcastle United. The takeover bid was stalled due to concerns about Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the Kingdom's promotion of the pirate TV station beoutQ. (Al Jazeera)

July 29, 2020 (Wednesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

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)
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)

Arts and culture

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)

Business and economy

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)
The Central Bank of Brazil announces that it will start producing 200 reais bills starting in August. (G1)
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)

Disasters and accidents

A train derails following a bridge collapse on Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Arizona, sparking a fire. (NBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - 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 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 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 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 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 Zimbabwe
  - Incumbent Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Perrance Shiri dies from COVID-19 at the age of 65. (Reuters)

International relations

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)
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)

Law and crime

George Floyd protests
- 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)
- George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon
  - Oregon Governor Kate Brown announces that federal agents deployed to Portland, including all Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, will start withdrawing tomorrow, per her conversation with Vice President Mike Pence. (Business Insider)
- 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)

July 28, 2020 (Tuesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

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)

Disasters and accidents

A 63-year-old woman is killed in a great white shark attack near Bailey Island, off the coast of Maine, United States. It is the first ever fatal shark attack on record in Maine, and only the second attack ever recorded in the state. (BBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - 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)
  - 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 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 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)

International relations

United States–Zimbabwe relations
- Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU–PF threatens U.S. ambassador Brian A. Nichols with expulsion and calls him a "thug", accusing him of funding organizers of anti-government protests planned for Friday. The embassy denies the accusations of meddling in local politics and did not comment on the insult. (AP)

Law and crime

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) (Channel News Asia)
George Floyd protests in Australia
- The New South Wales Police arrests six people, including organizer Paddy Gibson, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney; five of those were handed penalty infringement notices. They arrested them because they were breaching a public health order. (ABC News Australia)
2020 Nova Scotia attacks
- 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)
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)

Politics and elections

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)
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera sacks six ministers in his cabinet, including Interior Minister Gonzalo Blumel, as a response to the current political crisis. Last week, a constitutional reform to change the pension system and increase support for COVID-19-affected families was approved with cross-party support despite the government's rejection. (Reuters)

Science and technology

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)

July 27, 2020 (Monday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Darfur
- 2020 Darfur attacks
  - The UN says approximately 500 gunmen attacked a Masalit community in West Darfur, looting, burning down houses, and killing more than 60 people. (DW)
2020 Israel–Hezbollah clashes
- Explosions and exchanges of fire are heard during an armed incident involving Israeli troops and Hezbollah at the border between Israel and Lebanon. Four Hezbollah militants crossed the border and fled back to Lebanon after being shot at, while IDF reported no Israeli casualties. An Israeli shell smashed in a Lebanese civilian home, narrowly missing a family in the house at the time, but nobody was hurt. (The New York Times) (Reuters)
2019–2020 Iraqi protests
- Two protesters in Baghdad are killed by Iraqi security forces when they are hit by teargas canisters in the head and on the neck; the forces also opened fire at demonstrators in Tahrir Square. The protesters were protesting power cuts in the midst of a heatwave. It was the first major spate of violence at the Square in months. Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi condemns the killings and orders an investigation. (Reuters)
Mali War
- ECOWAS demands the release of Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cissé, who was kidnapped in March just days before a disputed election, asks 31 elected MPs whose results were disputed to resign, and requests an urgent inquiry into protesters' deaths on 10–12 July. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta is given ten days to respond to the bloc's proposals or face sanctions. (BBC)
War in Donbass
- Ukraine's military says pro-Russian separatists have violated a ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine just hours after it was declared, after opening fire on Ukrainian positions with anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms. Ukrainian forces did not return fire. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Musician Drake breaks the record for the most top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing Madonna. (Billboard)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The price of gold hits a record high of US$1,944 per ounce as uncertainty over the global economy grows due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. The previous record was set in 2011 when prices hit US$1,921 per ounce. (CNN)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Hong Kong announces a ban on all dine-in services at restaurants and restricting public gatherings not from the same family to only two people starting 29 July and orders the compulsory wearing of masks in outdoor public areas, with only medical exemptions. Sports venues and swimming pools are also closed. (Bisnis Indonesia) (Bloomberg)
    - Hong Kong reports a record 145 cases of COVID-19; 142 of them are locally transmitted. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    - China reports 61 new cases, up from 46 cases a day earlier, with new infections not involving people returning from overseas hitting the highest number since early March of 57. (U.S. News & World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India reports 50,362 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. This is the highest one day increase since the pandemic hit the country and the first time daily new cases in India crossed 50,000 mark. (Times of India)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia's total COVID-19 cases pass 100,000; 58% of them are recovered. (detikHealth)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - After three residents tested positive for COVID-19, Vietnam announces it will evacuate 80,000 people, mostly domestic tourists, from Da Nang. The evacuation will span at least four days and involve roughly 100 domestic flights per day. (Sky News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - Victoria reports its record number of new COVID-19 cases so far, with 532 cases in the last 24 hours, as well as six deaths. This number also made it Australia's highest one day increase of new cases. (ABC News Australia)
    - New South Wales reports 17 new cases of COVID-19. Of these, eight are returning travellers in hotel quarantine and another nine are locally transmitted, including one case under investigation. (The Australian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea
    - Prime Minister James Marape announces a two-week lockdown of the capital amid a spike of infections in the city. Schools are also ordered to close. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
  - Belgium announces the unveiling of drastic social distancing measures aimed at avoiding a new lockdown. These measures include restricting social contact outside every household to five people over the next four weeks and limiting crowds at public events to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. This measure will take effect next Wednesday. (France 24)
  - Antwerp imposes a curfew from 11.30 p.m. to 6 a.m and the mandatory wearing of face masks in public spaces should a distance of 1.5 meters between individuals not be observed. (The Washington Post)

International relations

China–Philippines relations
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he has no choice but to treat the disputes in the South China Sea diplomatically because the alternative is to "go to war with China", defending a government decision not to press a ruling that went in favor of the Philippines. Separately, Duterte claimed China may offer vaccines “on credit” if not as a donation and grants package. (Reuters) (Asia Times)
China–India relations
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Government of India bans 47 Chinese-origin apps that are clones of the original 59 Chinese apps which were banned in June, including TikTok and Helo following the 2020 China-India skirmishes. India has also prepared a list of over 250 Chinese apps that it will examine for any user privacy or national security violations including Tencent-backed gaming app PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. (India Today)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya announces it will begin an audit of the central banks of the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord and the rival House of Representatives, saying it is a “critical step” in eventually uniting both factions. (Reuters)

Law and crime

George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon
- United States Attorney General William Barr defends the Department of Justice's decision to send security forces to Portland in a congressional testimony. Portland has seen 61 consecutive days of protests, which escalated after federal officers arrived this month. (BBC)
Rene Boucher is sentenced to an additional eight months in prison for assaulting United States Senator Rand Paul in 2017. (NBC News)
French Environment Minister Barbara Pompili announces that France will ban the use of terrace heaters in restaurants and cafes by the end of this winter to cut down on carbon emissions. (Reuters)
German prosecutors launch an investigation into a retired Bavarian police officer and his wife for sending several threatening emails to politicians of Turkish background, including the head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, signing them with "NSU 2.0". (Reuters)
Indonesian police arrest four executives at Indonesian recruitment agencies and charge them with human trafficking in connection with the alleged torturing to death of an Indonesian worker on board a Chinese fishing vessel last month. (Channel News Asia)

Politics and elections

2020 Singaporean general election
- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his new Cabinet of Singapore is sworn-in at dual locations at the Istana and the Parliament House due to the ongoing COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. (Channel News Asia)
George Floyd protests
- Six Democratic mayors, of Portland, Chicago, Seattle, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kansas City, Missouri, and Washington, D.C., urge the US Congress to block the Trump administration from sending federal law enforcement agents to their cities, saying the agents' presence, against the request of local authorities, is unlawful. (BBC)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 NFL season
  - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell cancels the preseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (NFL)
- 2020 Major League Baseball season
  - Monday's regularly scheduled baseball games between the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins, and the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, are postponed because 14 members of the Marlins traveling party, including 12 players, tested positive for COVID-19. Tuesday's Orioles-Marlins game is also postponed; the status of the second Yankees-Phillies game will be announced later. Miami just finished a three-game series in Philadelphia this past weekend. Before Sunday’s series finale, Miami learned that four of its players had tested positive and adjusted its lineup accordingly. (WFLA-TV) (The New York Times)