Portal:Current events/2020 July 23

July 23, 2020 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mali War
- Operation Barkhane
  - The office of French President Emmanuel Macron says that a French soldier was killed during operations against militants in Mali. According to the press release, the soldier died when his armored vehicle was hit by an IED. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan; July 2020 Afghanistan attacks
- The Taliban attacked the Maruf District, Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing two policemen and wounding twelve others. The assault was repulsed, resulting in 27 Taliban fighters being killed. (Xinhua)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- The Cabinet Office of Japan plans to declare that its economy has entered a recession after 71 months of growth. (Asahi Shimbun)
German universal bank Degussa Bank is put up for sale as parent company M. M. Warburg raises funds to pay off fines and debts incurred from its participation in Germany's biggest post-war fraud scheme. The Bank is valued between €200-400 million. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reports its highest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases, with 366 new cases reported. (Bloomberg)
    - Japan reports its record number of new COVID-19 cases for two consecutive day, with 980 new cases reported. (Kyodo News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Hong Kong reports 118 new COVID-19 cases, a new record in two consecutive days. The new cases include 111 cases that were locally transmitted. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India reports a record of 45,720 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total number of cases to 1.24 million. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation
    - Baghdad International Airport reopens for commercial flights after months of closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Arab News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - The United States surpasses four million cases of COVID-19. (USA Today)

International relations

Afghan peace process
- The United States condemns Wednesday's airstrikes against the Taliban in Herat which resulted in 45 deaths, many of them civilians. The U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said that children were killed and also condemned recent Taliban attacks. The Afghan government defends the airstrikes as an operation against the group. (Reuters)
China–United Kingdom relations
- China says the UK is violating international law by allowing a path to British citizenship for Hong Kong residents with a BNO passport, and threatens to stop recognising the BNO. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Killing of George Floyd
- George Floyd protests
  - George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon
    - Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is tear-gassed in the city's downtown, according to video from a New York Times journalist. The video shows Wheeler, wearing goggles and a face mask amid a crowd of people, holding his nose and closing his eyes in distress as a cloud of tear gas drifts by him. It is unknown at this time who is responsible for deploying the tear gas and there is nothing to indicate the mayor was targeted. (CNN)
    - Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announces that there will be an investigation into the Justice Department’s use of force against protesters. (CBS News)
- Police reform in the United States
  - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signs a law banning various forms of chokeholds. (The Hastings Tribune)
2019 Samoa assassination plot
- The Supreme Court of Samoa denies a bid by two of the three defendants in the case to be able to return to Australia, where they have permanent residencies. The Court argued that, aside of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "no amount of surety bond would overcome the risk of the men not returning for their trial", which is set for November. (RNZ)
LGBT rights in Israel
- Israeli MPs pass a bill to begin the process to outlaw conversion therapy, being the first Middle Eastern country to do so. The bill was passed as two of the main coalition parties joined the opposition in supporting it. It must pass two more approvals to become a new law. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
  - President Donald Trump announces that the 2020 Republican National Convention in Jacksonville will be cancelled. (NPR)
- 2020 Bolivian general election
  - The general election is postponed until October 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, which has infected more than 64,000 people, and killed more than 2,300. This is the second time the Interim Government has delayed the elections since the 2019 Bolivian political crisis late last year that forced the resignation of former president Evo Morales. (Reuters)
The 91-year-old Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah flies to the United States to seek further medical treatment after undergoing successful surgery days ago. (AP)

Science and technology

Censorship in Malaysia
- Malaysian Communications Minister Saifuddin Abdullah retracts his announcement yesterday that video producers on social media would require a license per the 1981 National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (FINAS) Act, following public outcry. The initial proposal was made following the government's dispute with Al Jazeera over a documentary concerning the discrimination migrant workers faced in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. (South China Morning Post)
Militarisation of space
- The United Kingdom and United States accuse Russia of conducting an anti-satellite weapon test in space. Russia's Ministry of Defence says it was testing new technology on Russian space equipment. (BBC News)
The China National Space Administration successfully launches Tianwen-1, China's first independent interplanetary mission to Mars, from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, Hainan. The mission includes an orbiter, lander and rover, which will search for evidence of both current and past life on the planet. (NBC News)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 Major League Baseball season
  - Major League Baseball begins its season after a four-month delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. (ESPN)
National Hockey League
- The Seattle expansion team set to begin play in the 2021–22 season announces its name of Seattle Kraken. (NHL)
Washington Redskins name controversy
- The Washington Redskins change their name to the Washington Football Team for the rest of 2020. The new name is a placeholder, and a permanent name will be announced in the future. (The Washington Post)