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Topics in the news

COVID-19 pandemic

Presidential edition of the Russian constitution

Floods in Kyushu, Japan, kill 49 people.
The Russian electorate votes to amend the Russian constitution (pictured).
European police agencies infiltrate EncroChat, an alleged criminal chat system, leading to the arrests of more than 800 people.
More than 170 people are killed in a landslide at a jade mine in Hpakant, Myanmar.

July 8, 2020 (Wednesday)

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July 7, 2020 (Tuesday)

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Disasters and accidents

A bus carrying students to an exam plunges into a reservoir in Anshun, Guizhou, China, killing 21 and leaving 16 injured. (Reuters)
Hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers are deployed to battle wildfires in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk Oblast, which have killed six people and destroyed more than 120 houses. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai says some of the fires may have been caused due to arson. (The National)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    - 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 Texas
    - Texas surpasses 200,000 cases of COVID-19. (USA Today)
  - Contact tracing is no longer possible across the Southern United States due to rapid COVID-19 surges. The country averaged just under 50,000 new cases daily over the last week; the highest rate recorded, and twice as high as a month ago. (CNN)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
  - Iran reports a 200 record high death toll in the last 24 hours, says Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari on TV. (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 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, lead vocalist of the band Kasabian, pleads guilty to assaulting his former partner. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador
  - Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner resigns over the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
  - Thousands of people protest outside the House of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in the capital Belgrade, in response to President Aleksandar Vucic's plan on introducing stricter lockdown measures in Belgrade, due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city. A small group of protesters storm the building after pushing through a police cordon. (Reuters)

July 6, 2020 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi insurgency
- A group of unknown assailants assassinate prominent Iraqi historian and government advisor Hisham al-Hashimi, near his home in Zayouna, Baghdad. No group has claimed responsibility for his killing. (Reuters)

Business and economy

New Zealand news media company Stuff announces it will temporarily stop posting articles to Facebook and Instagram, saying they have not done enough to address fake news, hate speech, and false advertising. (The Guardian) (Stuff)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Kyushu floods
- The death toll from floods in Kyushu, Japan, rises to 49 people. The country is bracing for more heavy rain. (The Japan Times)
More than 400 people are evacuated from their homes in Iloilo City in the Philippines after an explosion on a power barge caused an oil spill. (AP)
An overturned fuel tanker catches fire while dozens of people were attempting to siphon off fuel, killing seven people and injuring more than 40 others, near Pueblo Viejo, Magdalena in northern Colombia. (BBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India records 24,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing Russia to become the country with the third highest number of cases in the world at 697,413 cases. (BBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar
  - Qatar exceeds 100,000 cases, becoming one of the world's highest per capita infections, having a population of 2.8 million. (Al Jazeera)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait
  - Kuwait surpasses 50,000 infections after reporting 538 new cases in the past 24 hours. Its death toll jumps to 373. (Al Jazeera)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia
    - Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tests positive for COVID-19. (CNN)

Law and crime

Philippine Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020
- Two lawyer groups file petitions to the Philippine Supreme Court to question the constitutionality of the recent anti-terrorism law. Opposition lawmaker Edcel Lagman, who contributed to one of the petitions, claims that the law's "imprecise and vague definitions" make its enforcement susceptible to infringements on certain civil liberties. (Al Jazeera)
Hong Kong national security law
- A court in Hong Kong denies bail to Tong Ying-kit, a 23-year-old man who was arrested last week for driving a motorbike into police officers and carrying a separatist banner. Also, prominent pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow appear in court. Wong pleads not guilty to inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly last year while Chow pleads guilty to similar charges. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, censorship in China
- In Beijing, authorities arrest Xu Zhangrun, a law professor who published essays strongly criticizing President Xi Jinping over censored academia on the COVID-19 pandemic and accusing him of ruling "tyrannically." (Al Jazeera)
Spain's National Audience agrees to extradite former CEO of PEMEX Emilio Lozoya Austin to Mexico where he is wanted on charges of bribery and money laundering. He denies any wrongdoing. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 Brazilian municipal elections; COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
- The Brazilian Congress and Superior Electoral Court announce the postponement of this year's municipal elections to November 15 (first round) and 29 (second round) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Folha de S. Paulo)

Science and technology

2020 in spaceflight
- Israel Aerospace Industries successfully launches the Ofeq-16 reconnaissance satellite via a Shavit rocket. The Israeli Defense Ministry describes the satellite as a "optoelectronic reconnaissance satellite with advanced capabilities". (Times of Israel)

July 5, 2020 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Somali Civil War
- A local politician is abducted and killed by Al-Shabaab militants in Bal'ad, Middle Shabelle, Somalia. (Voice of America)
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
- A Katyusha rocket falls in the Green Zone of Baghdad, Iraq, injuring a child and damaging a house. Iraqi security forces also thwart another rocket launched at Camp Taji, which houses U.S. troops. Also, a MIM-104 Patriot defense system shoots down a missile launched against the U.S. embassy. (Al Arabiya)
Second Libyan Civil War
- The Government of National Accord (GNA) warns of a "response in the right place and at the right time" after a "foreign air force" bombed the Al-Watiya Air Base in an overnight air raid, according to the GNA's Deputy Defence Minister Salah al-Namrush. Al-Namrush did not specify which foreign air force was behind the raid, which is believed to have targeted a Turkish anti-aircraft missile system. (Al Jazeera)
Hachalu Hundessa riots
- The death toll amid civil unrest in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, rises to 166 people, including 11 security personnel. More than 1,000 people have been arrested. (BBC)

Arts and culture

COVID-19 pandemic in India
- The government extends the lockdown in the city of Agra and delays the reopening of the Taj Mahal for tourists and visitors after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Mercedes-Benz announces that it will be recalling 668,954 vehicles in China over possible issues with oil leakage. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Kyushu floods
- The death toll from floods in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, rises to 20 and 14 people remain missing. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with a disaster task force team to step up rescue efforts. Meanwhile, weather agencies warn people to remain alert as more rains are predicted. (Reuters)
Eight people are feared dead following a mid-air collision between two planes flying over Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, US, both of which then crashed into the waters. Two of the victims' bodies have already been recovered. (CNN)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
    - Michigan reports no new deaths from COVID-19 for the first time since March 17. (MLive.com)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
  - Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports the highest daily death toll to date from COVID-19, recording 163 deaths. Iran's cases reach 240,438 while the deaths jump to 11,571. (Reuters)

Law and crime

List of mass shootings in the United States in 2020
- At least two people are killed and eight injured, four critically, in a mass shooting at a nightclub in Greenville, South Carolina. No suspects have been arrested. (WYFF) (AP) (CNN)
A bus driver in the French city of Bayonne is left brain dead after reportedly being assaulted by passengers who refused to wear face masks. Bus services in the city have been severely disrupted as drivers refuse to work following the incident. (BBC)

Politics and elections

2020 Croatian parliamentary election
- Croatia holds parliamentary elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising infection rates and the pandemic's effects on the economy might influence the outcome of the election. (Reuters)
2020 Dominican Republic general election
- After having been postponed once due to the COVID-19 pandemic, general elections are held in the Dominican Republic. The electorate can vote for the new members of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies as well as the country's next president. (BBC)
- Conservative candidate and opposition leader Luis Abinader is proclaimed the winner, ending 16 years of centre-left rule. (BBC)
2020 New Caledonian independence referendum
- The Labour Party (New Caledonia) expresses its support for independence from France in the upcoming referendum, the party leader Louis Kotra Uregei says after abstaining in 2018. (RNZ)
Yuriko Koike wins her second term as Governor of Tokyo. (AP)

July 4, 2020 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Somali Civil War
- A remote-controlled mine detonates in Baidoa, Somalia, killing five people and injuring 10. (Xinhua)
- A suicide car bomber detonates at a checkpoint in Mogadishu, Somalia, injuring at least five people. (Reuters)
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea, China–United States relations
- The USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan participate in dual-carrier operations and exercises in the disputed South China Sea. (Reuters via NBC)
Syrian civil war
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announces that 44 combatants have been killed in clashes between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Syrian Army since Thursday. (Al Arabiya)

Arts and culture

List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests
- Black Lives Matter protesters tear down the Statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore, Maryland, and throw it into the city's Inner Harbor. Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott had previously called for the statue to be removed. (CNN)
President Donald Trump announces the building of National Garden of American Heroes through executive order, which will consist of statues of notable American political figures, activists, businesspeople, and pop culture icons. (CBS News)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  - Pubs and barbershops are allowed to re-open in England for the first time since March. (NBC)
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - Donald Trump signs an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program to extend the filing deadline to August 8. (AP via NBC)

Disasters and accidents

Heavy rains and mudslides occur in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. At least 14 residents of a nursing home in Kuma are feared dead after they are found "in cardio-respiratory arrest", according to prefecture Governor Ikuo Kabashima. Another 10 people are missing and dozens stranded on rooftops. (Al Jazeera)
A fire is reported at a power plant in the city of Ahvaz, in south-western Iran, while a chlorine gas leak injures 70 workers at a petrochemicals plant near Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni. The incidents come after a string of other unexplained blazes and explosions at Iranian facilities. (The Guardian)
A Siberian tiger kills a zookeeper at Zürich Zoo in Zürich, Switzerland. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
  - The Catalan government locks down the county of Segrià, with 200,000 inhabitants, due to a major outbreak, becoming the first confinement after the end of the state of emergency. (Daily Mirror)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
  - President Hassan Rouhani announces new measures to curb the spread of the virus, including mandatory wearing of masks in covered public areas. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 drug development
  - The World Health Organization suspends its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination of HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir after they fail to reduce mortality in infected patients. (Reuters)

International relations

North Korea–United States relations
- North Korean First Vice-Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui says her country has "no interest" in a face-to-face meeting with the United States unless the U.S. discards its "hostile" policies toward North Korea. (Al Jazeera)
Canada–China relations
- The Chinese embassy in Ottawa issues a rebuke of Canada, saying that it has "grossly interfered" in its affairs a day after Canada suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong. (Reuters)

Law and crime

George Floyd protests
- Phoenix, Arizona police officers threaten, shoot and kill a man inside a parked car in an incident captured on bystander video, sparking protests in the city. Police say he pointed a gun at them first. (CNN)

Politics and elections

2020 United States presidential election, Kanye West 2020 presidential campaign
- American rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West formally announces his campaign in the U.S. presidential election on Twitter, running as an independent. (Billboard)
LGBT rights in Poland
- President of Poland Andrzej Duda announces that he will propose a constitutional amendment to outlaw LGBT adoption in Poland. (The Guardian)

Science and technology

For the first time scientists at the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope discover neutral hydrogen atoms outside of the Milky Way. (RT)

July 3, 2020 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Mexican Drug War
- Mexican Army troops kill 12 drug cartel gunmen in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. In separate incidents, police kill five attackers in Torreón, Coahuila, and five police officers are shot dead in Guanajuato. (ABC News)
Mali War
- The Malian Armed Forces says nine troops were killed and two others wounded in an ambush by suspected jihadists in Mopti. (Al Jazeera)
At least eight police officers are killed and five others injured in Uttar Pradesh, India, in an ambush as they were attempting to arrest a suspect for murder. The attack was carried out by several gunmen, two of whom were later killed by other officers. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

The University of Cambridge accepts the resignation of historian David Starkey and strips him of his honorary fellowship, following controversy over his remarks about slavery on a podcast. (BBC)

Business and economy

2020 China–India skirmishes § Economic response
- Indian Minister of Power R. K. Singh announces that India will halt the importation of US$2.8 billion worth of Chinese power equipment due to heightened tensions between the two nations. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

Sheikhupura train-van crash
- A passenger train collides with a van carrying Sikh pilgrims near Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan, killing at least 21 people. (BBC via Yahoo! News)
An explosion at a fireworks factory in Hendek, Sakarya, Turkey, kills four people and injures 73 others. (AP)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
    - Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tests positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia
    - Saudi Arabia surpasses 200,000 cases after reporting 4,193 infections in the past 24 hours while the death toll jumps to 1,802. (Al Arabiya)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - The European Union approves the use of the drug remdesivir to treat severe cases of COVID-19. (DW)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - An investigation led by the Federal University of Santa Catarina uncovers traces of SARS-CoV-2 in Florianópolis sewage samples drawn on November 27, 2019, two months earlier than the first official confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Americas on January 21, 2020, and much earlier than the first reported case in Brazil at the end of February. (CGTN) (Web24)
UNICEF and the government of New Zealand pledge funding to Kiribati to target the high mortality rate among infants. The Pacific nation has a record of one in 25 children dying before the age of one due to preventable diseases. (RNZ)
German lawmakers agree to a deal to end nuclear power by 2022 and the use of coal by 2038. (AP via Seattle Times)

International relations

Libya–Russia relations
- Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov announces that Russia will re-open its embassy in Libya. (Reuters via US News and World Report)
2020 Polish presidential election, Germany–Poland relations
- Polish president Andrzej Duda accuses Germany of meddling in the country's presidential election after the tabloid Fakt, owned by German publisher Axel Springer, reported yesterday that he pardoned a man convicted of pedophilia. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi
- An Istanbul court begins an in absentia trial of 20 Saudi Arabians they accuse of involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. (Al Jazeera)
St Paul's Cathedral bomb plot
- British Muslim convert Safiyya Shaikh is sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to suicide bomb St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. (BBC)
Scotland's Court of Session fines Greenpeace £80,000 for breaching an injunction against the occupation of a Transocean oil rig in the North Sea. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2019–20 Hong Kong protests
- China appoints Zheng Yanxiong to head up the newly formed Office for Safeguarding National Security of the CPG in the HKSAR; Yanxiong is best known for his suppression of protests in Wukan in 2011. (BBC)
Politics of France
- Jean Castex is appointed Prime Minister of France by President Emmanuel Macron following the resignation of Édouard Philippe and amid speculation of a possible cabinet reshuffle. (CNBC) (Politico)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signs the Anti-Terrorism Act into law, repealing the Human Security Act signed in 2007. (The New York Times) (Al Jazeera)

Sports

The Athletics Integrity Unit announces the ban of Kenyan runner Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich from athletics for four years after missing multiple doping tests. (AP via The Charlotte Observer)
The Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians are reviewing their names in response to the ongoing George Floyd protests. (NPR)

July 2, 2020 (Thursday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mali War
- Gunmen on motorbikes attack an ethnic Dogon village in Mopti Region, Mali, killing 32 villagers, according to local authorities. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Casual Dining Group, which owns the Bella Italia and Café Rouge United Kingdom restaurant chains, collapses into administration with 1,900 immediate job losses. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Hpakant jade mine disaster
- At least 162 miners are killed by a landslide at a jade mining site in Hpakant, Kachin, Myanmar. (BBC)
A fire and explosion hit a centrifuge production plant at a nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, Iran. No deaths or injuries are reported. (AP)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico
    - New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announces there will be $100 fines for people and businesses that do not wear masks. (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kansas
    - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issues an executive order mandating citizens wear facemasks in public and at their workplace. (AP via United States News & World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
    - Texas Governor Greg Abbott orders citizens must wear face coverings when in public. This follows yesterday's reported state record daily high of more than 8,000 virus cases. Those who do not comply will receive an initial warning; those who refuse will face a fine of up to $250. (BBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oman
  - Oman sees a jump of cases in a day, with 1,361 new cases and three deaths, reaching a total of 42,555 cases and 188 deaths. The Health Minister says that the country will boost its hospitals' capacity and intensive care units. (Reuters)
The deaths of 275 elephants are confirmed in the Okavango Delta due to an unknown cause. Both poaching and anthrax have been ruled out by authorities. (CBS)

International relations

Venezuelan presidential crisis
- United Kingdom–Venezuela relations
  - In a case to decide who controls a $2 billion worth of gold from the Central Bank of Venezuela stored in the Bank of England, the High Court of Justice in London rules that the United Kingdom "unequivocally recognises Mr. Guaidó as President of Venezuela", refusing to give Nicolás Maduro access to the gold. (Reuters) (BBC)
- United States–Venezuela relations, Iran–United States relations
  - United States District Judge James E. Boasberg issues a warrant for the seizure of the more than 1.1 million barrels of gasoline in the four Iranian tankers en route to Venezuela. (Middle East Monitor)

Law and crime

In a Europe-wide operation, police penetrate EncroChat, a top-secret communications system used by criminals to sell drugs and plan attacks. (BBC)
Nauru's President Lionel Aingimea announces tougher penalties for those convicted of sex offenses, including penalties on minors who, under the new law, will not have their age as a mitigating factor. (RNZ)
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, former girlfriend of American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on suspicion of grooming victims of Epstein. She has also been charged with assisting Epstein's abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom victims known to be underage. (BBC)
A court in Pakistan orders that the four killers of The Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl remain in jail for at least three further months. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Politics and elections

COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- David Clark resigns as New Zealand's Minister of Health after security mistakes at quarantine facilities just days after the country had been declared free of COVID-19. Clark also received strong criticism for personally breaching lockdown rules twice. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had refused calls to sack the minister. (Reuters)
2019–20 Hong Kong protests
- Prominent pro-democracy camp politician and activist Nathan Law confirms he has safely fled Hong Kong, following the passage of a new national security law by China. He did not disclose which country he had fled to. (Deutsche Welle)