Portal:Current events/2021 June 29

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • Intense fighting between Taliban insurgents and government forces kills 28 civilians and injures another 290 during the past week, according to the head of a hospital in Kunduz, with the majority of the dead being children, women and elderly people. The Taliban has moved beyond its southern strongholds and has intensified the fighting in the north, according to military experts. (Reuters)
  • German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announces that Germany has completed the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, thereby ending its involvement in the war. (Sputnik News)
  • The last Italian troops leave Afghanistan after handing over their base in Herat to Afghan security forces, thereby ending Italy's involvement in the war. (Euronews)
• Tigray War
  • The Tigray People's Liberation Front and Tigray Defense Forces pledge to "drive enemies out" of the regional capital Mekelle after a unilateral ceasefire was declared by Ethiopia on Monday. Tigrayan forces say that the city of Mekelle is completely under the control of their forces. (Al Jazeera)
  • Eritrean troops withdraw from the towns of Adwa, Axum, and Shire. (CTV News)
  • After seizing the regional capital, Tigray People's Liberation Front spokesman Getachew Reda states that Tigrayan forces would invade the neighbouring Amhara Region and Eritrea to "destroy the enemy", claiming that the enemy, "whether from the Eritrean side or Amhara side or Addis Ababa, doesn't have the capability to threaten the security of our people anymore". (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials, House Resolution 3005
  • The U.S. House of Representatives votes 285–120 on a bill to remove Confederate statues from the United States Capitol, as well as replacing the bust of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, known for the pro-slavery Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling, with one of Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice on the court. The bill will head to the U.S. Senate. (CNBC)

Business and economy

• Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announces that by 2035, all new cars and light trucks sold in the country have to be zero-emission. The target, previously set for 2040 for all passenger vehicles, was moved up after a recent report by the International Energy Agency said that to achieve net zero-emissions by mid-century, all new light vehicle sales had to be electric. (Financial Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Western North America heat wave
  • More than 130 people die in British Columbia, Canada, and six more across the United States due to the extreme hot temperatures that are affecting the country. (BBC News)
  • The temperature reaches 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) in Lytton, British Columbia, breaking the all-time record for hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada for the third day in a row. The temperature reached 47.6 °C (117.7 °F) in Lytton on June 28 and 46.6 °C (115.9 °F) on June 27, both records. (CBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
      • Bangladesh surpasses 900,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Financial Express)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • The Drugs Controller General of India grants emergency use approval for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine imported by Cipla. (Livemint)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports its first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant with more than 10 people detected in Mashhad. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina further closes its borders, allowing only 600 entries per day, in an attempt to reduce the spread of the Delta variant as the country has so far reported over 4.4 million cases and more than 93,000 deaths from COVID-19. (ADN Digital)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Perth, Brisbane and their respective surrounding towns enter lockdown as coronavirus spreads from the Sydney cluster. People will only be allowed to leave home for essential work or study, medical or compassionate reasons, essential shopping, or outdoor exercise (with restrictions), and masks must be worn outdoors. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Russia reports a record 652 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 134,545. (The Moscow Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
      • Tunisia reports a record 5,251 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, prompting the government to extend the curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. beginning from July 1. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe
      • Zimbabwe imposes a curfew from 6:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., bans inter-city travel, and reduces business hours to 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in response to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • A study shows that the vaccine developed by Moderna is effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants including the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant. (CNBC)
    • U.S. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announces that the Biden administration will ship 2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Peru and 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Pakistan. Additionally, the United States will also send vaccine doses to Bangladesh. (Reuters) (The Straits Times)

International relations

• Israel–United Arab Emirates relations
  • Israel Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visits the United Arab Emirates, making it the first visit to the country by an Israel government official since the two countries normalized relations nine months ago. (Al Jazeera)
• Kosovo–Serbia relations
  • In an interview with the Serbian division of Euronews, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić says that any hopes of his country reclaiming Kosovo is unrealistic, and that he is willing to enter a "rational and compromise solution" regarding recognition of Kosovo's independence. However, he says that any agreement reached between the two countries needs to ultimately be decided by referendum. (Exit.al)

Law and crime

• The Constitutional Court of South Africa finds former President Jacob Zuma guilty of contempt of court over his refusal to answer questions on corruption charges and sentences him to 15 months' imprisonment. (DW)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Vanuatu
  • Prime Minister Bob Loughman wins a confidence vote by the parliament after a no-confidence motion had been introduced to remove his government by opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu. However, Loughman's hold on power remains tenuous as the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the seats of 19 government MPs were to be declared vacant. Loughman's government has already appealed the ruling. (RNZ)
• 2021 Eswatini protests
  • Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku denies reports that King Mswati III has fled the country amid ongoing nationwide protests. (News24) (Swaziland News)