Taliban insurgents enter Qala e Naw, the provincial capital of Badghis Province, with heavy fighting reported as the militants move "towards the centre of the city". All government officials in the city have been moved to a nearby army base, while the Taliban have freed about 400 prisoners from the city's prison.
S&P 500
-0.79%
$6,229
BTC
+0.56%
$108,769
OIL (WTI)
-0.24%
$67
July 7, 2021 (Wednesday)
2.9 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
The United States Armed Forces report that two personnel were injured in rocket attacks on Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, which houses US troops.
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is assassinated by a squad of gunmen at his home in Pétion-Ville. His wife, First Lady Martine Moïse, is also shot and critically wounded.
Health and environment
Bangladesh reports a record 201 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 15,593.
The United Kingdom reports 32,548 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since January 22.
Indonesia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 34,379 new cases and a record for the fourth consecutive day of 1,040 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.37 million and the nationwide death toll to 62,908.
Sri Lankan authorities ban all public gatherings and protests under the instruction of the Director General of Health Services due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Fiji reports a record for the second consecutive day of 791 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the national total of cases to 7,940. The Ministry of Health and Medical Services also reports three deaths from COVID-19, all in Suva.
Law and crime
Centerra Gold files additional claims against the Kyrgyz government in binding arbitration and asserted claims against state-owned Kyrgyzaltyn JSC in response to the seizure of the Kumtor Gold Mine in Kyrgyzstan.
The Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo votes 89–0 to pass a resolution officially condemning the Srebrenica massacre and establishing a commemerative holiday for its victims. Serb minority-interests party Serb List boycotted the vote.
Politics and elections
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dismisses 12 cabinet ministers, including Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, following intense criticisms over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ravi Shankar Prasad, who held multiple concurrent positions as Law, Information Technology, and Communications Minister, also resigns.
The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest party in the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition, withdraws its support for Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and calls for his resignation. The move occurred despite Yassin appointing UMNO vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob as Deputy Prime Minister and major party stalwart Hishammuddin Hussein as Senior Security Minister earlier in the day in order to prevent this. UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says that the decision was due to Yassin's poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Hamidi specifically singling out the ineffective and contradictory implementation of the lockdowns as the main point of contention.
Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven is narrowly re-elected to stay in power after losing a no confidence vote last month.
Isaac Herzog is sworn in as the President of Israel in a ceremony at the Knesset, where he takes the oath of office using the same 107-year-old Bible that his father Chaim Herzog used when he assumed the presidency in 1983.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, warns Hungary to repeal its controversial amendments to its Child Protection Act, which bans the dissemination of content in schools deemed to "promote homosexuality", or else face "the full force of EU law". Poland is expected to block any attempt to impose the maximum EU penalty of suspending Hungary's voting rights.
Sports
The Tampa Bay Lightning wins the Stanley Cup Final four games to one against the Montreal Canadiens. It is their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory and their third overall. Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP during the playoffs.
Get the app
