Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Mop-up operations continue in South Africa after violent unrest was stemmed by military intervention, with significant roads reopened across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
- AMERICAS: A Major League Baseball game between the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals was suspended in the sixth inning after a shooting outside the ballpark caused echoes of gunfire inside the stadium and fans to scramble for safety in the dugout.
- ASIA: Thailand set a record of 11,397 new COVID-19 cases, the third consecutive day, the Southeast Asian country has recorded record numbers.
- EUROPE: U.K. Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak will not isolate despite being contacted by NHS track and trace after Sajid Javid tested positive for COVID-19.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran insists that a prisoner swap deal has been agreed upon with the United States despite Washington denying an agreement had been reached.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: China’s Mars rover Zhurong has traveled more than 509 meters on the surface of the red planet.
Top Story
- Europe: Leaders react to the continued increase of deaths from severe flooding on the continent.
- The death toll in devastating flooding in western Germany and Belgium is now at least 170.
- Chancellor Merkel will visit flood-affected areas as more than 150 German citizens lose their lives to the floods.
- Armin Laschet, the front-runner to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel in the September election, has apologized for a scene where he was seen laughing in the background.
- According to the German Interior Ministry, around 22,000 firefighters and aid workers are conducting rescue and recovery operations in North Rhine-Westphalia alone.
- In Belgium, the army has been sent to four of the country’s ten provinces to help with rescue and evacuations, and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo stated July 20th is a national day of mourning.
- Reporting: Reuters, DPA, AP, CNN, BBC,
Africa
- Ghana: More than 10,000 poultry birds died from the avian flu outbreak reported in the nation. (Xinhua)
- Mali: Three Chinese nationals and two Mauritanians were kidnapped in the southwest in the latest attack in the war-torn Sahel state. (AFP)
- South Africa: Mop-up operations continue in the nation after violent unrest was stemmed by military intervention, with significant roads reopened across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces. (Bloomberg)
Americas
- Haiti: The widow of Haiti’s assassinated president has returned to the Caribbean nation after being treated in Florida for wounds suffered in the attack. (BBC)
- United States: Dozens of people have been arrested in Los Angeles following a violent protest by anti-transgender demonstrators who targeted a Koreatown spa with a trans-inclusive policy allowing trans women to use women’s facilities. (The Guardian)
- United States: A Major League Baseball game between the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals was suspended in the sixth inning after a shooting outside the ballpark caused echoes of gunfire inside the stadium and fans to scramble for safety in the dugout. (The Guardian)
Asia
- India: The nation recorded 41,157 new COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 31.1 million. (Reuters)
- Japan: Less than a week before the start of the Olympic Games, two athletes became the first to test positive for COVID-19 at Tokyo’s Olympic Village (DPA)
- South Korea: The nation will airlift all troops from a ship on anti-piracy patrol in the Middle East, while a replacement team will bring the vessel home after dozens of soldiers on board tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
- Thailand: The country set a record of 11,397 new COVID-19 cases, the third consecutive day that the Southeast Asian country has recorded record numbers. (Reuters)
Europe
- Germany: Rising infection figures and partly stagnating vaccination figures are fueling concerns in the nation about a fourth COVID-19 wave in autumn. (DPA)
- Italy: Former prime minister Giuseppe Conte presented a statute for a revival of the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) after a long delay. (DPA)
- United Kingdom: Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak will not isolate despite being contacted by NHS track and trace after Sajid Javid tested positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)
- United Kingdom: The nation has recorded another 54,674 COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 5,386,340. (Xinhua)
Middle East
- Iran: The United States accused Tehran of an “outrageous” effort to deflect blame for the impasse in nuclear talks and denied that any deal had been reached on a prisoner swap. (Reuters)
- Iran: The nation still insists that a prisoner swap deal has been agreed upon with the United States despite Washington denying an agreement had been reached. (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia: Muslim pilgrims in the kingdom started their Hajj pilgrimage, an annual event strictly curtailed for the second consecutive year over Covid-19 concerns. (DPA)
Tech & Communications
- Space: China’s Mars rover Zhurong has traveled more than 509 meters on the surface of the red planet. (Xinhua)
World
- Cyclones:
- Hurricanes:
- Hurricane Felicia
- Location:15.5N 127.1W
- Movement: WNW
- Wind:140 mph
- Map
- Hurricane Felicia
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 18JUL21)
- Confirmed cases: 190,040,855
- Deaths: 4,083,301
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 18JUL21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (19JUL21)
- Global: U.N. holds Food Systems Pre-Summit.
- Global: United Nations Security Council consultations on Syria and the Middle East.
- Botswana: President’s Day.
- Japan: Verdict and sentencing of Americans accused of helping Nissan boss escape the country.
- Myanmar: Martyrs’ Day.
- Nicaragua: The Sandinista Revolution Day.
- South Africa: Former President Jacob Zuma corruption trial resumes.
- United Kingdom: Social contact limits end in England.
- United States: First Couple welcome Jordanian king, queen, and crown prince to the White House.
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