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COVID-19 pandemic

NEOWISE seen from Utah

A security breach in the administration system of Twitter results in many prominent accounts promoting a bitcoin scam.
At least sixteen people are killed in border clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces.
Comet NEOWISE (pictured) is visible to the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere.

July 18, 2020 (Saturday)

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Disasters and accidents

Crime in France
- A fire inside Nantes Cathedral in Nantes, France, causes significant damage with the 400-year-old grand organ and stained glass windows destroyed in the blaze. Police are treating the fire as arson, saying three fires appear to have been started deliberately inside the cathedral. (BBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - President Hassan Rouhani says that the health ministry estimated as many as 25 million Iranians have been infected by COVID-19 and that 30 to 35 million will be infected by the virus in the coming months as he urges the public to take the virus seriously. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia becomes the country with most cases in Southeast Asia, recording 84,882 infections, while authorities say that the actual number could be much higher due to undetected cases. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
  - Romania surpasses 2,000 deaths from COVID-19 and sets a daily record of 889 new cases. (Romania Insider)

Law and crime

George Floyd protests
- George Floyd protests in Oregon
  - George Floyd protests in Portland
    - Several protesters in Portland, Oregon, are arrested. Authorities said protesters allegedly blocked exits of government buildings and launched fireworks. Saturday morning's arrests came after the US Attorney for Oregon on Friday requested an investigation into masked, camouflaged federal authorities who have recently arrested Portland protesters. (CNN)
- George Floyd protests in Canada
  - Three Black Lives Matter protesters are charged in Toronto for pouring pink paint on the statues of John A. Macdonald at Queen’s Park and Egerton Ryerson at Ryerson University. (CBC News)
2020 Khabarovsk protests
- About 50,000 people take part in a protest rally in Khabarovsk, Russia. Protests are also taking place in Vladivostok. (BBC News)
Late-2019 Sudanese protests
- The government announces legal action against activists and journalists who "insulted" the military. They had accused the military of various killings during last year's protests, which the army denies. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison delays parliament due to the spread of COVID-19. (Reuters)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 Major League Baseball season
  - The Government of Canada rejects an exemption for the Toronto Blue Jays to play their home games in Rogers Centre, in Toronto. (ESPN)

July 17, 2020 (Friday)

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Arts and culture

List of changes made due to the George Floyd protests
- United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper issues a new Department policy that effectively bans the display and depiction of the Confederate flag at any U.S. military installation around the world. "The flags we fly must accord with the military imperatives of good order and discipline, treating all our people with dignity and respect, and rejecting divisive symbols," wrote the Secretary. (Reuters) (CNN)

Business and economy

COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announces he will donate a quarter of his US$4,806 monthly salary to help health services fight the virus. He also encouraged other public officials to follow his move. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India surpasses one million cases, as the death count reaches 25,000. (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reported a record daily increase in COVID-19 cases, with 293 new cases. (Voice of America)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan, COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan
    - Kyrgyzstan announces it has added thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths to its COVID-19 tallies, describing the corresponding pneumonia-related cases, which had not been confirmed by tests, as most likely linked to the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. Neighboring Kazakhstan announces it will do the same starting next month. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in California
    - Manhattan Beach announces that they will fine people who don’t wear masks. (Los Angeles Times)
    - California Governor Gavin Newsom lays out new rules for schools with high COVID-19 rates to do virtual learning and close campuses until they meet certain health standards. (Politico)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
    - Officials in Miami announce that they will impose a curfew at South Beach as Florida tops 10,000 cases. (CBS News)
  - Military medics are deployed to hospitals in Texas and California as cases surge. (The Chicago Tribune)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Victoria state reports a record daily increase in COVID-19 cases, with 428 new cases and three new deaths. Australia in overall records 438 new cases, highest since mid-March. (Reuters) (ABC News (Australia))

International relations

Egypt–Turkey relations, Turkey–United Arab Emirates relations, Second Libyan Civil War
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounces Egypt and the United Arab Emirates for supporting the eastern-based Libyan forces of Khalifa Haftar. Turkey says it will maintain its support for the Government of National Accord (GNA) and called the UAE's actions as "piratical". (Reuters)
North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korea revokes licenses to anti-Pyongyang groups which often send leaflets to the border with political messages. The South Korean government says these groups are "seriously hindering the unification policy of the government". The groups accuse the government of censorship. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

George Floyd protests
- George Floyd protests in Illinois
  - George Floyd protests in Chicago
    - Protesters attempt to remove a statue of Christopher Columbus at Grant Park, prompting a standoff between police. (Newsweek)
- George Floyd protests in Kentucky
  - Prosecutors drop felony charges against 87 people who protested the Breonna Taylor police killing outside of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home. (The New York Times)
Iranian police disperse protesters, who this week marched against the death sentence upon three political activists, and vow to "decisively" deal with further protests. The protesters march under the slogan "#StopExecutionsinIran". (DW)
Police in Germany arrest a gunman, nicknamed Rambo due to his acts, who disarmed four policemen and escaped in the Black Forest five days before. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis dies of pancreatic cancer at the age of 80. (The New York Times)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 Major League Baseball season
  - Major League Baseball announces five more players have tested positive for COVID-19. (ESPN)
The Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League are expected to change their name. (ESPN)

July 16, 2020 (Thursday)

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Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
    - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that New York is expected to move into phase four of its reopening plan. However, indoor public spaces will remain closed. (MarketWatch)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
    - Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announces that masks will be made mandatory in public spaces. The order is expected to go into effect on July 20. (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
    - Miami-Dade County is expected to give people who violate COVID-19 guidelines a $100 fine. (WTVJ)
  - The Centers for Disease Control extends the United States ban on cruise ships to September 30, citing ongoing COVID-19 cruise ship outbreaks. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
  - Spain honors their COVID-19 victims at the Royal Palace of Madrid. (Reuters)
  - Spain reports their highest COVID-19 infection count since May 10, with 580 cases. These cases have increased in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia. (The New York Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
  - Reuters reports that the occupation of geisha in Tokyo is threatened by the pandemic, with awkward working conditions and the absence of new apprentices. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - Brazil surpasses two million cases. The death toll reaches 76,000. (AP)

Law and crime

Censorship of Facebook
- Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi says his country is "looking seriously at banning Facebook in the country" after "many people complained how it is used to hurt people", being himself a target of "defamation". (RNZ)
George Floyd protests, George Floyd protests in Oregon
- Kate Brown, governor of Oregon, criticizes President Donald Trump and acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf amid reports of federal agents detaining protesters in Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the state. Wolf tweeted the previous day that the forces were sent to the city due to it being "under siege for 47 straight days by a violent mob." (The Hill)
In the United Kingdom, the Court of Appeal rules that 20-year-old British-born Shamima Begum, who left the country to join ISIL in 2015, can return to the UK to fight for her citizenship after the Home Office revoked it while she was living in a refugee camp in Syria, due to her joining a terrorist group. The Home Office says the court's decision is "very disappointing" and that it would apply for permission to appeal. (BBC)
The European Court of Justice issues a ruling invalidating the EU–US Privacy Shield framework that allows EU-to-US data transfers by companies. (c|net)

Politics and elections

2020 North Macedonian parliamentary election
- The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is projected to win a plurality of votes in North Macedonia's latest election. The nationalist VMRO-DPMNE would come a close second. (DW)
Politics of Gabon
- Rose Christiane Raponda becomes the first female Prime Minister of Gabon. (Bloomberg)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 NFL season
  - The National Football League announces 72 of its players have tested positive for COVID-19. (Bleacher Report)

July 15, 2020 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Saudi-led coalition airstrikes kill at least seven civilians when they hit houses in the Al Jawf Governorate of Yemen. The Houthis report nine killed, two of them children. The coalition did not immediately comment on the airstrike. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom
- A statue of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid is briefly erected without permission on the plinth of the toppled statue of Edward Colston in the city center of Bristol before being removed the next day. (CBS News)

Business and economy

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA announce that when their planned merger is completed, expected in 2021, the merged company will be known as Stellantis. (Detroit Free Press)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Iran explosions
- At least seven ships are burnt following an unspecified incident in the Iranian port city of Bushehr. (Al Arabiya) (Bloomberg)
At least 50 people have been killed and more than two million affected by heavy monsoon flooding in Assam, India. (BBC)
A record-setting rainstorm causes flash flooding in Palermo, Italy. The meter of water turns streets into rivers and traps motorists in their cars. Palermo mayor Leoluca Orlando says this "water bomb" dropped as much rain in two hours as the Sicilian capital gets in a full year. Two people are reported drowned; that has not been confirmed. (VOA) (EuroNews)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia announces the biggest daily rise of 87 new COVID-19 deaths, taking the nationwide death toll at 3,797. The country also announces their biggest daily rise of 1,414 new recoveries, taking the nationwide tally to 39,050. The cumulative cases reach 80,000. (detikNews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India reimposes a two-week lockdown in parts of the country as the country records 30,000 new daily cases. (Time)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama
    - Governor Kay Ivey issues a mandatory statewide face mask order through July 31. (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
    - Michigan reports 891 new cases, its highest single-day new case total since May 14. (MLive.com)

Law and crime

Killing of George Floyd
- A new police body camera video emerges of George Floyd pleading with officers before his death. (BBC)
- A lawsuit is filed against the Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's death. (The Chicago Tribune)
Crime in Norway
- A woman dies and two more people are injured during a series of stabbings in Sarpsborg, Norway. A Norwegian man, who had a relationship with the two wounded victims, is arrested. (BBC)
2020 Twitter bitcoin scam
- The Twitter accounts of notable people and businesses, including Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Bill Gates and Apple Inc., are hijacked to promote a Bitcoin scam. (CNBC)

Politics and elections

2020 United States presidential election
- Kanye West 2020 presidential campaign
  - Kanye West files paperwork with the Federal Election Commission for his presidential campaign and qualifies to appear on the ballot in Oklahoma after reports that he dropped out of the race. (Complex)
- Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign
  - President Trump replaces Brad Parscale as campaign manager with Bill Stepien, former White House political director and a field director for the 2016 presidential campaign. Parscale, who has reportedly been blamed for the poorly attended rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month, will stay on as senior adviser. (BBC) (UPI)
2020 North Macedonian parliamentary election
- Voters in North Macedonia head to the polls to elect the members of the country's assembly. It is the first election after the country adopted its new name following a decade-long dispute. The election had to be postponed once due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (The Guardian)

July 14, 2020 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Central African Republic Civil War
- A Rwandan United Nations peacekeeper was killed and two others wounded in an ambush on a convoy in Nana-Mambéré, Central African Republic. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials
- The University of Mississippi removes a monument of Confederate soldiers from the campus. The monument is expected to be relocated to a cemetery. (NBC News)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Iran explosions
- Iranian police launch an investigation following another suspicious explosion, this one at an industrial complex south of Mashhad. (Al-Monitor)
The fire on USS Bonhomme Richard continues for a third consecutive day. The United States Navy says its crews have made significant progress fighting flames and reducing smoke, but it is still unclear when the fire will be extinguished. There have been 61 injuries; 38 sailors and 23 civilians have been treated mostly for minor injuries related to firefighting. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New York
    - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo adds Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin to the state's quarantine requirement list, while Delaware is removed. (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia
    - Virginia Governor Ralph Northam says that he will increase enforcement of masks and social distancing as cases in the Hampton Roads area spike. (The Virginian-Pilot)
  - Moderna is expected to start a late stage clinical trial at 87 study locations in the United States for its COVID-19 vaccine on July 27. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in France
  - France is expected to make masks compulsory in indoor public spaces. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
  - The number of COVID-19 cases in Venezuela surpasses 10,000. (AP)
Mongolia puts five districts under a six-day quarantine after a 15-year-old boy dies of the bubonic plague in the remote Gobi-Altai province amid fears of an epidemic. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

International relations

China–United States relations, 2019–20 Hong Kong protests
- U.S. President Donald Trump signs legislation and an executive order that will "hold China accountable" for recent "oppressive actions" in Hong Kong by ending its preferential economic status with the United States. (AP) (Reuters)

Law and crime

Capital punishment
- Capital punishment in the United States
  - The Supreme Court of the United States rules 5–4 to lift the block on four federal executions scheduled for July and August. Convicted murderer Daniel Lewis Lee, whose execution was scheduled for the previous afternoon, is executed by lethal injection at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Two more executions are scheduled for later in the week. (The Washington Post)
- Capital punishment in Iran, 2019–2020 Iranian protests
  - Following a social media campaign that generated 7.5 million posts with the hashtag #do_not_execute, the Iranian authorities halt the impending executions of three anti-government protestors who were arrested during street protests in November 2019 in which hundreds of demonstrators were killed. A retrial is ordered. (BBC)
George Floyd protests
- George Floyd protests in Kentucky
  - Nearly 100 people protesting the police killing of Breonna Taylor are arrested outside the home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. (NBC News)

Politics and elections

2020 United States elections
- 2020 United States Senate elections
  - People in Maine, Alabama, and Texas are expected to cast their votes in both regular and run off primaries. (CNN)
  - Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville defeats former attorney general Jeff Sessions in the Alabama Republican primary. Tuberville will face Democratic incumbent Doug Jones. (Vox)
July 2020 New Zealand National Party leadership election
- Todd Muller resigns as leader of the New Zealand National Party citing health and family reasons. A party caucus elects Judith Collins as the party's new leader. (Stuff) (Stuff₂)
2020 Belarusian presidential election
- The Belarusian election commission bars two prominent opposition candidates to current President Alexander Lukashenko from running in the election, ensuring a victory for Lukashenko. The barred candidates are Viktar Babaryka who was disqualified for an open criminal case against him and Valery Tsepkalo whose signatures on a supporting petition were nullified. (Reuters)
2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries
- Exit polls results show a strong support for young pro-democracy candidates, including independent activist Joshua Wong and League of Social Democrats candidate Jimmy Sham. A spokesperson for the Liaison Office of China in Hong Kong says that the election could be in violation of the new security law and could be nullified. (NHK-World)
International students in the United States
- The Trump administration reverses its student visa policy, announced on July 6, to deport international students whose courses move fully online. The plan met stiff opposition. At least 59 universities and the attorneys general of 18 states sued to block this directive. Federal district judge Allison Burroughs dismisses the first case brought to court as moot because the federal government has agreed to rescind the policy. (BBC) (USA Today)

Science and technology

UK Digital Media minister Oliver Dowden announces to the House of Commons that the country's mobile providers will be barred from buying 5G equipment from Huawei starting December 31, and will be required to remove it from their networks by 2027. Lord Browne resigned from his position as chairman of Huawei's UK branch shortly before the announcement. (BBC)

July 13, 2020 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- The Houthis launch missiles and drones into Saudi Arabia during an overnight attack. The movement claims it successfully hit Saudi warplanes, military installations, an airport and the Jizan oil facility, operated by Aramco. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki says they destroyed four missiles and six drones launched against the kingdom from capital of Yemen, Sanaa. (Al Jazeera)
War in Afghanistan; July 2020 Afghanistan attacks
- The Taliban attack an intelligence building in Aybak, Samangan Province, leaving 11 people dead and 63 people injured. The attack started with a suicide car bombing at the government compound and finished after gunmen were killed by Afghan security forces. (Reuters)
2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani skirmishes; Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Several Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers are killed and/or wounded after a clash at the border of the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Diageo plc announces that Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky will soon be sold in paper bottles. The bottles will be made from wood pulp and will be fully recyclable. A trial run is scheduled for spring 2021. In addition, Diageo is co-launching Pulpex with venture management firm Pilot Lite that will make paper bottles for beverage companies such as Unilever and PepsiCo. (BBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in California
    - California Governor Gavin Newsom orders further restrictions and prohibitions on indoor activities, building on previous orders. California has seen a sustained rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, resulting in the state pausing and rolling back some reopening plans. (CNBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
    - Michigan begins tighter restrictions on public face mask usage, including $500 fines for refusal to wear one and the potential loss of business licenses for failure to enforce their usage. (MLive.com)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Turkmenistan
  - State media issues an order from the Ministry of Health mandating that all citizens wear masks to combat "dust", and maintain a distance between people of at least one meter (3 feet). The Turkmen government maintains that the country remains free of COVID-19 but refuses to explain the purpose of these mandates. (CTV News)

International relations

China–United States relations
- In response to the United States placing sanctions on Chinese officials for their roles in the internment of Uyghurs, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announces it will place sanctions on several American politicians, such as Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, and the government agency Congressional-Executive Commission on China for "wrong actions". (BBC)
- The U.S. State Department formally rejects most of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea. (U.S. Department of State)

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 family during a home invasion in Arkansas in 1996. It will be the first federal execution since 2003. (BBC)
- Federal district judge Tanya S. Chutkan blocks the four federal executions scheduled for July and August including that of Daniel Lewis Lee, whose execution was scheduled for later today per the Chicago U.S. Court of Appeals' ruling Sunday. Judge Chutkan said this will allow continuation of the condemned men’s legal challenges to the new lethal injection protocol. She stated scientific evidence before the court overwhelmingly indicates the 2019 protocol is very likely to cause extreme pain and needless suffering during their executions. The federal government is likely to appeal her ruling. (Reuters) (NPR)

Politics and elections

2020 Polish presidential election
- The National Electoral Commission announces that incumbent President Andrzej Duda has been re-elected after winning 51.2% of the votes in a second round run-off with challenger Rafał Trzaskowski. (BBC)
Politics of Ivory Coast
- Ivory Coast's Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan resigns days after the death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. His office says he is leaving for personal reasons. (Reuters)
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law says he is in the United Kingdom after fleeing persecution from a controversial security law implemented by the Hong Kong government. (BBC)

Sports

Washington Redskins name controversy
- The Washington Redskins announce they are dropping the team nickname and logo after decades of criticism of them being offensive to Native Americans. The new name will be announced later. (AP) (USA Today)

July 12, 2020 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Darfur
- Nine people were killed and twenty others injured during a shooting on a camp for internally displaced people in Kutum, Sudan. (Al Jazeera)
2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani skirmishes; Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- 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 CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), from detention after six days. (Reuters)