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Topics in the news

COVID-19 pandemic

Lee Hsien Loong

In the Singaporean general election, Lee Hsien Loong (pictured) is re-elected Prime Minister as his People's Action Party retains its supermajority.
Bulgaria and Croatia join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism 2, the first major step in their adoption of the euro.
A bus plunges into a reservoir in Anshun, China, killing 21 people and injuring 16.
Floods in Kyushu, Japan, kill more than 60 people.

July 13, 2020 (Monday)

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Law and crime

Capital punishment in the United States
- An appeals court overturns a ruling by a federal judge blocking the execution of convicted murderer Daniel Lewis Lee, who along with Chevie Kehoe, murdered a Jewish family during a home invasion in 1996. It will be the first federal execution since 2003. (BBC)

Politics and elections

2020 Polish presidential election
- The National Electoral Commission announces that incumbent President of Poland Andrzej Duda has been re-elected after winning 51.2% of the votes in a second round run-off with challenger Rafał Trzaskowski. (BBC)

July 12, 2020 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Armenia–Azerbaijan relations
- Armenian and Azerbaijani forces exchange fire on the border, leaving three Azeri soldiers dead and five wounded, according to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence. No Armenian casualties are reported. (The Eurasian Times) (Armenia Radio)

Business and economy

The McClatchy company, one of the largest and most respected American news publishers, announces that hedge fund Chatham Asset Management won its bankruptcy sale in a court-supervised auction. Chatham, which owns the National Enquirer, has been an investor in the company since 2009. Court confirmation, likely at a hearing on July 24, is required. McClatchy has been burdened by heavy debt from its large pension obligations and the acquisition of newspaper chain Knight Ridder. (Reuters) (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

A fire, followed by an explosion, breaks out on the USS Bonhomme Richard at the U.S. Naval base in San Diego, California. At least 18 sailors are currently hospitalized. It is unclear where the fire started or what the source of the explosion was. (The New York Times) (The Hill)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, Japan–United States relations
  - U.S. military officials report 61 cases of COVID-19 at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and Camp Hansen. Governor of Okinawa Prefecture Denny Tamaki said late on Saturday that "Okinawans are shocked by what we were told", and demanded more action from the U.S. military which has since put the two bases under lockdown. (AP News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
  - The death toll in Mexico rises above 35,000, surpassing Italy. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the Sudanese Revolution
- Amid a series of reforms, Sudan bans female genital mutilation, decriminalizes apostasy, ends public flogging and lifts a 36-year ban on the consumption of alcohol for non-Muslims, according to Justice Minister Nasreldin Abdelbari. (BBC)
China releases law professor Xu Zhangrun, who had criticized President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, from detention after six days. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 Polish presidential election
- The second round of the latest presidential election in Poland takes place. Incumbent President Andrzej Duda faces Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski. (The Guardian)

July 11, 2020 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- At least six civilians are killed when their vehicle hits a roadside bomb in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. A provincial government spokesman blames the Taliban though no group claimed responsibility. (AP via Al Arabiya)
Syrian civil war
- The United Nations Security Council approves aid deliveries to northwest Syria through one border crossing with Turkey, a day after its authorization for the six-year-long humanitarian operation ended. Russia and China abstain today on this week's fifth attempt to approve this help. (Reuters)
Bosnia and Herzegovina commemorates 25 years since the Srebrenica massacre. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on The Walt Disney Company
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
  - Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom reopens at Walt Disney World with new safety guidelines despite rising cases in Florida. Masks are expected to be mandatory and capacity is expected to be limited. (CNBC) (The Wall Street Journal)
A sealed copy of the 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros. sells for US$114,000, a world record for a video game. (Nintendo Life)
The World Council of Churches, which counts 350 churches as members, calls on Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reverse his decision to turn the celebrated Hagia Sophia museum back into a mosque. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

In the second case in a week in Australia, a surfing teenage boy is killed by a shark near Grafton, New South Wales. (AP News)
A fire breaks out at the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in San Gabriel, California, resulting in the collapse of its roof and considerable damage to the nearly 250-year-old building's interior. (The New York Times)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New York
    - The COVID-19 hospitalizations and average three-day death toll in New York reach lower levels for the first time since March. (CBS News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana
    - Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issues an executive order requiring people to wear face masks in public. (Axios)
- COVID-19 pandemic in India
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Karnataka
    - The Karnataka government announces that Bengaluru will be on lockdown from July 14 to July 22. (Gulf News)
  - Indian film actor Amitabh Bachchan is hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. His son, Abhishek Bachchan, also tests positive. (CNN)

Law and crime

Police respond to a shooting and hostage situation at a pentecostal church in Zuurbekom, Gauteng, South Africa. At least five people are killed. South African police free an undetermined number of hostages, and arrest more than 40 people. Among those arrested were members of the police, defense forces and correctional services. The attackers reportedly were part of a splinter group in a leadership dispute at the long-troubled church. (Reuters) (BBC) (AP)
Two Texas police officers are fatally shot in McAllen, Texas. (The Hill)

Politics and elections

2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries
- Election starts for pro-democracy politicians and activists to choose representatives to run in the upcoming legislative election in September. (Reuters)
Serbia COVID-19 protests and riots
- Serbians protest for a fourth consecutive day; the protest initially started out against the government COVID-19 measures but would morph into anti-government protests. 71 people are arrested. (DW News)
Congolese Justice Minister Celestin Tunda resigns following disputes with President Félix Tshisekedi over Tunda and allies's proposal to allow politicians more control over criminal prosecution cases. (Al Jazeera)
Thousands of protesters march in Khabarovsk, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, against Thursday's arrest of LDPR governor Sergey Furgal for allegedly organizing the murder of entrepreneurs 15 years ago. (Reuters)
Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta announces dissolution of the constitutional court in an attempt to calm unrest that saw four people killed in anti-government protests in the capital Bamako on Friday. (Bloomberg) (BBC)

July 10, 2020 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Malian police throw tear gas and open fire at anti-government protesters occupying the national parliament building and the offices of state broadcaster Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du Mali in Bamako. At least one person died from their injuries. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issues a presidential decree converting Istanbul's Hagia Sophia back to a mosque, after a court annulled the 1934 decree that transformed it into a museum. (CNN)
Dame Vera Lynn, who died last month, receives a military funeral in East Sussex, England, on the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. (BBC)

Business and economy

Boycott Chinese products, China–India relations
- The Indian government asks e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart to display the country of origin on new products listed by sellers on their sites by August 1 and items that were already being sold by October 1 without stipulating a mandatory deadline. The move comes during heightened tensions between India and China following the 2020 China–India skirmishes and a campaign to boycott Chinese-origin products in India. (The Economic Times)
Enlargement of the eurozone
- The European Central Bank accepts Bulgaria and Croatia into the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, a mandatory stage for countries that wish to adopt the euro. This is the currency bloc's first major expansion in half a decade. (Reuters)
The U.S. Department of Transportation revokes permission to Pakistan International Airlines to conduct charter flights to the U.S., citing concerns by the Federal Aviation Administration over pilot certifications. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Venice, Italy, tests the MOSE system of 78 mobile floodgates for the first time. Construction of MOSE was authorized by Comitatone, the city's Venetian Lagoon committee, in April 2003. Commissioner Elisabetta Spitz said the project still needs another 18 months of testing. In November 2019, Venice was hit by the worst floods in half a century. (BBC)
Tropical Storm Fay makes landfall in New Jersey, causing Tropical Storm force winds over Delaware, New Jersey, and Coastal New York. Minimal wind damage occurred, but flooding closed several roads, and injured a police officer in New York City. (Weather Channel)

Health and environment

Authorities in Kazakhstan deny a report published by Chinese officials alleging that the country is experiencing an outbreak of "unknown pneumonia" potentially deadlier than COVID-19. (CNN)

Law and crime

ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy
- Members of the Philippine House Committee on Legislative Franchises vote against the franchise renewal of the ABS-CBN Corporation, the country's largest media conglomerate. (Reuters via The Guardian)
COVID-19 pandemic in France
- The bus driver who was left brain dead after being attacked by passengers who refused to wear face masks in Bayonne, France, dies of his injuries. (BBC)
Special Counsel investigation (2017–2019)
- U.S. President Donald Trump commutes the sentence of longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone on seven felony crimes days before Stone was to report to a federal prison to serve a 40-month term. (The New York Times) (Fox News)

Politics and elections

2020 Singaporean general election
- Voting begins in Singapore's latest general election. The ruling People's Action Party is projected to maintain its majority, albeit with the oppositional Workers' Party gaining seats. (Reuters)

July 9, 2020 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Afghan peace process, War in Afghanistan
- An Afghan government spokesman says it will continue to release Taliban prisoners though disagreement prevails over the release of some 600 of them that are considered a "threat to national security". The Taliban could not be reached for comment and it is not clear whether they are willing to accept to start talks based on the list of prisoners set to be freed. (Reuters)
Insurgency in the Sahel
- The United States says it is "deeply concerned" about abuses by state security forces in the Sahel and threatens to cut aid to the G5 nations that form a coalition in the area – Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad – if those issues are not addressed. The U.S. also welcomes a summit to be held between the G5 nations and France and Spain. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - President Rodrigo Duterte rejects the prospect of reopening the country during a televised cabinet meeting. He goes on to claim that following the examples of the United States', Brazil's and others' "bold actions" would result in "pandemonium", and the potential resultant spike in COVID-19 cases would land the nation in "deep shit". (Vice)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia announced the biggest daily rise of 2,657 new COVID-19 cases, taking the nationwide tally to 70,736. West Java reported the highest surge with 962 cases. This significant increase comes from the Army’s Officer Candidate School (Secapa) cluster. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia
    - Interim Bolivian President Jeanine Áñez tests positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
    - Diosdado Cabello confirms he tested positive for COVID-19. (ABC News)

International relations

India–Nepal relations
- Nepal decides to block broadcasts of Indian news channels in Nepal with the exception of Doordarshan News, effective immediately. The move comes in the wake of reports on Nepal carried by some Indian news channels, including their allegedly "defamatory shows" on Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli along with the Chinese envoy. (Himalayan Times)
Chinese intelligence activity abroad
- In its annual report, Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV warns consumers that personal data they provide to Chinese payment companies or other tech firms, such as Tencent, Alibaba and others, could end up in the hands of China's government. (WREX)

Law and crime

Supreme Court of the United States
- The court rules in McGirt v. Oklahoma and Sharp v. Murphy that nearly half of Oklahoma is Native American tribal land. (The New York Times)
- The court rules in Trump v. Vance that prosecutors in New York can seek President Donald Trump's financial records in a major case on the scope and limits of presidential power, but also ruled in Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP that lower courts had not properly assessed the separation of powers between Congress and the President when the House of Representatives attempted to similarly subpoena his tax returns. (The New York Times)
Governor of Khabarovsk Krai Sergey Furgal is arrested by Russian police over a series of murders of several businessmen in 2004 and 2005 in his region, according to the Investigative Committee of Russia. (Sky News)

Politics and elections

Park Won-soon, the Mayor of Seoul, is found dead after being declared missing earlier the same day. (Yonhap News Agency)
Irish Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe is elected president of the Eurogroup, beating the candidatures of Spanish Minister Nadia Calviño and of Luxembourgish Minister Pierre Gramegna. He will succeed Mário Centeno. (Politico)

July 8, 2020 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Internal conflict in Myanmar
- Amnesty International says it has conducted a report which says that Myanmar's armed forces "have killed civilians, including children in indiscriminate air attacks" in Rakhine and Chin states, urging the United Nations Security Council to launch a war crimes investigation. Myanmar has been fighting the separatist Arakan Army in the region. The government did not immediately respond to calls for comment. (Al Jazeera)
Insurgency in the Maghreb
- At least 180 bodies have been found in mass graves in Djibo, Burkina Faso, where soldiers are fighting jihadists. It is suspected that the government forces were involved in mass extrajudicial executions. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan
- A suicide bomber kills three people when he drives a military vehicle packed with explosives near the provincial governor's residence in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Taliban claims responsibility. (Reuters)
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
- Local Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sheikh Wazeem Bari and two members of his family are shot dead in Bandipore district, Jammu and Kashmir. Senior Ministry of Home Affairs official K. Vijay Kumar blames the Islamic terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed. (Hindustan Times)

Business and economy

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on airlines
- Delta Air Lines ends service to 11 airports in an effort to reduce domestic flights by 80% and international flights by 90% due to aviation restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Business Insider)

Disasters and accidents

One person is killed and four others injured when a 20-metre crane collapses at a building site where flats were being constructed in the Bow district of East London, United Kingdom. (Reuters)
American actress Naya Rivera is declared missing at Lake Piru in the Los Padres National Forest of Ventura County, California, after she reportedly rented a boat and swam in the lake with her four-year-old son. Rivera's son was found on the boat unharmed, while the Ventura County Sheriff's Office have initiated a search and rescue operation for the actress. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - The United States surpasses three million cases of COVID-19 and sets a daily record of 62,021 new cases. (USA Today)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
    - Romania surpasses 30,000 cases of COVID-19 and sets a daily record of 555 new cases. (Romania Insider)

International relations

Mexico–United States relations, Canada–United States relations
- U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a meeting at the White House with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to discuss the new United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declines to attend. (The Washington Post)
Lithuania–Russia relations
- Lithuania bans Russian state-owned television network RT due to its connection with Dmitry Kiselyov, who is sanctioned by the European Union for his role in the 2014 Ukrainian crisis. (LRT)

Law and crime

Affordable Care Act legal challenges, Contraceptive mandate
- In a 7–2 decision on Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania, the United States Supreme Court upholds regulations that allow employers with religious or moral objections to decline to provide contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act. (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)
Former Governor of Chihuahua and wanted fugitive César Duarte Jáquez is arrested by police in Miami, Florida, after being in hiding since 2017. He is wanted on corruption charges in Mexico, after allegedly misappropriating public funds. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Politics of Ivory Coast
- Ivory Coast's Prime Minister and candidate for the presidential election Amadou Gon Coulibaly dies in office after falling ill at a ministerial meeting. He had recently returned from France after undergoing treatment for heart problems. (BBC)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- Major League Soccer resumes its 2020 season after a four-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with a month-long tournament in Orlando, Florida. FC Dallas will sit out the tournament after 10 players and a coach were diagnosed with COVID-19. (Fox News)

July 7, 2020 (Tuesday)

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Disasters and accidents

Anshun bus crash
- A bus carrying students to an exam plunges into a reservoir in Anshun, Guizhou, China, killing 21 and leaving 16 injured. (Reuters)
At least two people die and over 20 are injured when two trains collide near Pernink in the Czech Republic. (Reuters)
Hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers are deployed to battle wildfires in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk Oblast. The fires have killed six people and destroyed more than 120 houses. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai says some of the fires may have been caused by arson. (The National)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    - Sinovac Biotech is starting Phase III trials of its potential COVID-19 vaccine following a fast-track approval for the trials by Brazilian regulators last week. The study, done in partnership with Brazilian vaccine producer Instituto Butantan, will recruit nearly 9,000 healthcare professionals working in COVID-19-specialized facilities and start this month. (Al Jazeera)
    - President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
    - Chile surpasses 300,000 cases of COVID-19. (Cooperativa)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut
    - Connecticut reports zero deaths for the first time in four months. (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
    - Texas surpasses 200,000 cases of COVID-19. (USA Today)
  - The United States has averaged just under 50,000 new cases daily over the last week, twice as high as a month ago. (CNN)
  - Contact tracing is no longer possible across the Southern United States due to rapid COVID-19 surges in the region. (Fox8) (Fox10)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
  - Iran reports a record high death toll of 200 in the last 24 hours. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

International relations

Assassination of Qasem Soleimani
- United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnès Callamard concludes, in a report to be presented at the United Nations Human Rights Council, that the killing of Qasem Soleimani in January by the United States was "unlawful". Callamard says that based on U.S. evidence, the killing was "arbitrary" and "violated the UN charter". (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Censorship in Vietnam
- In what is seen as an increase in arrests of political activists, a court in Vietnam sentences a 29-year-old Facebook user to eight years in prison for making anti-government posts, including several criticizing communist leader Ho Chi Minh. The man was also sentenced to serve three years of house arrest after finishing his prison term. (Reuters)
Tom Meighan, former lead vocalist of the band Kasabian, pleads guilty to assaulting his former partner. (The Guardian)