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July 27, 2021 (Tuesday)
3.8 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
According to the government of Ethiopia's Somali Region, militants from the Afar Region attack for the fourth day the Somali town of Garbaiisa, killing up to 300 people. In response, protesters set up roadblocks along a highway leading to Djibouti and damaged parts of the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway, threatening Ethiopia's economy. This comes after multiple days of fighting between Afar and Somali militants in Garbaiisa.
Arts and culture
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York orders American handicraft chain Hobby Lobby to forfeit a 3,600-year-old tablet containing a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh to the federal government, after the company illegally purchased it in a private auction in 2014. The Justice Department had been looking to claim the tablet since 2013, as it was suspected to have been stolen from an Iraqi archeological site in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, so it could be repatriated back to Iraq.
Disasters and accidents
The Dixie Fire grows to 208,206 acres, which is larger than the size of New York City.
Two people are killed, 31 are injured and five more are missing after an explosion at an industrial park housing several chemical companies in Leverkusen, NRW, Germany.
Health and environment
Bangladesh reports a record for the second consecutive day of 258 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 19,779.
Iran reports a record for the second consecutive day of 34,951 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3.758 million.
Tokyo reports a record 2,848 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
Kazakhstan reports a record 6,797 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 542,703.
Kuwait announces that it will ban unvaccinated people from travelling internationally beginning on August 1. However, the rule exempts children under the age of 16, those with a health ministry certificate saying that they cannot be vaccinated, and pregnant women who have a proof of pregnancy certificate.
Saudi Arabia will require COVID-19 vaccinations for people to access workplaces and attend social events. The order will come into effect on August 1.
Uzbekistan reports a record 789 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 125,784.
The White House issues an indoor mask mandate for staff amid the spread of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas cancels in-person events and will self-isolate after coming in contact with an official in the department who later tested positive for COVID-19.
The Arkansas Children's Hospital reports 24 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record.
Mississippi Department of Corrections commissioner Burl Cain announces that the state will suspend visits to prisons as part of an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
U.S. CDC director Rochelle Walensky announces that residents, including vaccinated Americans, are recommended to wear masks in indoor public spaces amid the spread of the Delta variant.
Iceland begins to require international travellers who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19 to present a negative PCR or Antigen test result from the previous 72 hours due to the spread of the Delta variant.
The United Kingdom eases its quarantine rules for essential workers in many fields who no longer need to quarantine for 10 days if they are fully vaccinated and only need to receive a COVID-19 test after the previous rules led to a shortage of workers.
Chile reports 753 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the lowest daily total in the country since April 2020.
International relations
North and South Korea restore hotlines between the two countries, more than a year after Pyongyang cut ties in June 2020. The move comes after months of correspondence by letters of negotiations between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in an attempt to improve relations between the two countries.
Law and crime
The trial against Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu and ten others for financial crimes opens in the Holy See. Becciu and a monsignor are the only two to appear in court in person. Becciu denied any wrongdoing and the trial was adjourned. Pope Francis had previously stripped Becciu of his immunity and approved his indictment. Becciu's lawyers asked the court not to order the Cardinal's arrest.
A court in Hong Kong found 24-year-old Tong Ying-kit, the first person to be charged under the national security law, guilty of terrorism and secession after driving his motorcycle into police.
Sports
Turkmen weightlifter Polina Guryeva gets second place in the Women's 59 kg event, winning Turkmenistan its first Olympic medal.
Bermudian triathlete Flora Duffy wins the Women's event, giving Bermuda its first Olympic gold metal.
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