Oman says the hijacking of the Asphalt Princess, a Panama-flagged ship, is over. The United Kingdom also confirms this report. The vessel was hijacked yesterday in the Arabian Sea in as-of-yet undetermined circumstances amidst rising tensions between some nations and Iran.
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August 4, 2021 (Wednesday)
3.5 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
Militants attack four villages in the town of Markoye, Burkina Faso, opening fire in the streets and killing 11 civilians, 15 soldiers and four members of a government-backed civilian militia. Ten of the perpetrators are killed during a shootout after the attack.
Three rockets are fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, sparking fires near Kiryat Shmona; the Israel Defense Forces responds with artillery and airstrikes.
Disasters and accidents
Two passenger trains collide head-on near Milavče, Plzeň Region, Czech Republic, killing three people and injuring 58 others.
Seventeen people are killed in northern Bangladesh during a lightning strike on a boat celebrating a wedding.
Health and environment
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide surpasses 200 million.
The Chinese immigration authority suspends the issuing of ordinary passports and other documents needed for exiting the country for "non-essential and non-emergency" reasons as the country restricts overseas travel in order to prevent the spread of the Delta variant.
Iran surpasses four million cases from COVID-19 after a record 39,957 new cases were reported for the third consecutive day.
Macau launches compulsory COVID-19 testing for all 680,000 people at 41 testing centres and will close all cinemas, gyms, bars, and other entertainment venues beginning midnight after the first local cases were reported in the city in more than 16 months. Four members of a family were infected with the Delta variant.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown announces that healthcare workers will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or otherwise undergo testing.
The French overseas territory of Guadeloupe enters a three-week partial lockdown that closes all bars, gyms, stadiums, and swimming pools; and restricts restaurants to only offer lunchtime service. A curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. is also enforced while the travel of individuals is restricted to a radius of 10 km (6.2 mi) from their residence except for urgent reasons. The new partial lockdown comes amid a "catastrophic" increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
New Zealand surpasses two million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administrations, with almost 770,000 people having been fully vaccinated.
Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara self-isolates after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
The British government announces that France will be removed from England's "amber plus" category, meaning that fully-vaccinated travellers will no longer need to quarantine. Additionally, seven other countries will be added to the "green list" category. These changes will be in effect beginning August 8 at 4:00 a.m.
The European Commission signs an agreement with Novavax to purchase 200 million doses of its protein-based COVID-19 vaccines, including an option to purchase another 100 million doses through 2023.
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker issues a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, as well as a mask mandate for schools and indoor sporting events.
Louisiana reports 2,247 hospitalizations in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record.
British Columbia reports 342 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest daily total since May 27.
Brazil surpasses 20 million COVID-19 cases.
International relations
The Sudanese government unanimously approves a draft bill to join the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Law and crime
The trial of Maria Kalesnikava, one of the main organizers of the anti-Lukashenko protests, opens in Minsk. Kalesnikava faces up to 12 years of imprisonment if she is found guilty on charges of extremism.
Police in Kyiv arrest a man with a grenade who entered the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers building, threatening to detonate it.
Sports
The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games confirms the first COVID-19 cluster infection since the Games began, after four athletes and one team official from the Greek artistic swimming group test positive. The five individuals, in addition to the seven other members of the team who tested negative, were moved away from the Olympic village and isolated.
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