August 2, 2021 (Monday)

President Ashraf Ghani blames the worsening security situation in Afghanistan on the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops amid a rapid advance of the Taliban across the country. Ghani warns that the Islamist group has not severed ties with other terrorist groups. The Taliban rejects Ghani's statement.

According to Ethiopian refugees and Sudanese witnesses, at least 30 bodies have washed up on the Sudanese banks of the Tekeze River. Most of them had been shot and tied up. According to Dr. Tewodros Tefera, a surgeon who escaped from the Ethiopian border town of Humera, three of the bodies belonged to Tigrayans from Humera.

The death toll from the severe floods that are affecting Henan, China, increases to 302 people.

Malaysia reports a record 219 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,403.

Iran reports a record 37,189 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3.94 million.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for civil servants, healthcare workers, care home employees and school teachers. Otherwise, these people would have to pay for regular testing. Currently, only 36% of people in Hong Kong are fully vaccinated whereas 46% of people have received at least one dose.

Chiba, Kanagawa, Osaka, and Saitama prefectures enter a state of emergency due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases during the 2020 Summer Olympics. A quasi-state of emergency is also being imposed in Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures with both measures being in effect until August 31.

The U.S. CDC announces that over 70% of adults in the United States have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, nearly a month after the July 4th target originally set by President Joe Biden.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announces that the state will reissue their mask mandate in schools, churches, businesses and other indoor public spaces amid a fourth wave of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health approves the emergency use of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine for children between the ages of 3 and 17 years old in the UAE.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announces that he has tested positive for COVID-19, despite having received a COVID-19 vaccine.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issues a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. A deadline has been issued by September 7.

Cyprus begins a vaccination programme for children between the ages of 12 and 15 years old who are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines after 20% of new COVID-19 cases occurred in that age group.

German health minister Jens Spahn and leaders of 16 states agree to offer booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine for elderly and at-risk groups beginning in September and make vaccinations widely available for children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old amid concerns about "reduced immune response" due to the spread of the Delta variant.

The United Kingdom eases its quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers from the United States and European Union countries other than France where most of them are in the "amber list" category in order to reunite family and friends whose loved ones live abroad. Travellers will still need to take either a lateral flow or PCR test before their departure, and a PCR test on the second day after their arrival.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announces a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for school employees, contractors and volunteers.

Health officials in San Francisco and other Bay Area counties reimpose a mask mandate in the area as part of an effort to reduce the spread of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant.

Police in Hong Kong arrest singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming for violating campaign laws in 2018.

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya enters the Polish embassy in Tokyo after refusing to board a flight to Belarus at Haneda Airport and asking for Japanese police protection. Her husband has left Belarus and entered Ukraine. The Japanese government says that it will take measures to protect Tsimanouskaya's stay as multiple European countries offer her asylum.

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court announces an investigation into President Jair Bolsonaro over claims of voter fraud into next year’s election.

The Dewan Rakyat suspends their special parliamentary meeting for two weeks after COVID-19 cases were detected in the parliament. Malaysian opposition MPs, including Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad, gathered in Merdeka Square after being blocked by police from entering the parliament to protest the suspension. The MPs demanded for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin to resign.

Indonesian Badminton players Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu win the country's first gold medal for the Women's Doubles category of badminton. This makes Indonesia the second country, after China, to have won a gold medal in all five categories of Badminton.

New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard becomes the first transgender woman to compete in the Olympics.