Pakistan rejects accusations by the Afghan first vice-president Amrullah Saleh that the Pakistani Air Force provides air support to the Taliban. Pakistani authorities rebuffed the accusation on Friday, saying that the air force limits itself to safeguarding Pakistani territory.
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July 16, 2021 (Friday)
3.5 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
Indian Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui is killed while covering a clash between the Taliban and Afghan government forces on the border with Pakistan. A senior Afghan officer is also killed in the attack. Reuters president Michael Friedenberg and editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni say that they are urgently seeking information with authorities in the region. Reports by the government indicate that Siddiqui was killed in Taliban crossfire.
Arts and culture
Eiffel Tower reopens to tourists after nearly nine-month closure due to the second wave of the pandemic and renovations, which is the longest closure since World War II. However, all visitors over age 18 will need to show a Health Pass providing they have been fully vaccinated, tested negative, or recovered from COVID-19 beginning July 21.
Disasters and accidents
Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina pleads to world leaders and the international community to help combat climate change amid a situation of food insecurity with some people on the verge of famine in the southern region of Madagascar. Rajoelina highlights the "urgency" in addressing the issue.
The death toll from the severe floods in western Germany increases to 133. Ninety people died in Rhineland-Palatinate and forty-three died in North Rhine-Westphalia. The death toll in Belgium also increases to 27.
Health and environment
Vietnam surpasses 40,000 cases of COVID-19.
The Philippines reports its first death and first locally transmitted cases from the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in 11 people that were locally infected with the variant and one person who died at a hospital in Manila on June 28.
Sri Lanka receives its first shipment of 1.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the United States.
Greece imposes new restrictions for access to the hospitality and entertainment sectors to those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19, particularly for those who want to visit indoor spaces like restaurants, bars and cafés.
The United Kingdom reports 51,870 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the first time that the country has reported more than 50,000 cases since January 15.
The state of Victoria enters a lockdown for the fifth time since the pandemic began, after experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases spreading south from the New South Wales outbreak.
Authorities in Papua New Guinea urge people to get vaccinated as the first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant was confirmed yesterday in the Filipino captain of a ship which was docked in Port Moresby. Currently less than 1% of Papuans are vaccinated.
The Health Ministry announces that all travel to Spain and Kyrgyzstan will be banned amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. The order will be in effect on July 23.
Tunisia reports a record 205 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 17,214 deaths. The country also faces shortage of oxygen as hospital struggle with collapse.
Argentina begins a five-day mourning period, decreed yesterday by President Alberto Fernández, to honor the more than 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the country. All flags are ordered to fly at half-mast.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that it has granted priority review for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. A decision on whether to fully approve the vaccine will likely be made within two months.
International relations
The United States Treasury Department sanctions eight Chinese officials over the crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists amid a trial of 47 of them on charges of "subverting state power".
Law and crime
Human rights organizations file criminal complaints against 25 Salvadoran soldiers for the killings of four Dutch journalists during the country's civil war in 1982. The journalists worked for the Dutch Interkerkelijke Omroep Nederland agency.
Thai Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin announces that the cultivation and export of kratom will be legalized in the country on August 24, barring any constitutional objections. It was previously declassified as an illegal drug in May.
Science and technology
The Hubble Space Telescope is successfully brought back online after a hardware failure with its payload computer on June 13, which left it unable to perform scientific operations for more than a month.
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