Portal:Current events/2021 July 13

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July 13, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - 2021 Taliban offensive
    - The Taliban say that they do not want to take their "fight in the mountains and deserts to infighting in cities" but warn against failed attempts at negotiations as the group advances in the country. The Taliban also condemns Turkey for sending protection to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport as part of a "violation of sovereignty" which they labeled as "reprehensible". (Al Jazeera)
2021 South African unrest
- The death toll from the protests following the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma increases to 72, as more violent incidents occur. Ten of the victims died during a stampede in Soweto, while others died during lootings, shootings and explosions. More than 1,000 people have been arrested. (BBC News) (The Miami Herald)

Business and economy

France's Autorité de la concurrence fines Google a record €500M ($593M) for breaching an April 2020 ruling that ordered the company to negotiate "in good faith" licensing deals with publishers and news agencies for any re-use of copyrighted content. The fine amounts to about 1.1% of the company's yearly profits. (NBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Uttar Pradesh
      - The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh reports two new cases of the Lineage B.1.617 Kappa variant. (The Siasat Daily)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 47,899 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.6 million. (detikNews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 11,079 new cases and 125 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 855,949 and the nationwide death toll to 6,385. (Free Malaysia Today)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
    - Cyprus reports a record for the second consecutive day of 1,081 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 86,185. (Financial Mirror)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
    - France reports a new single-day record of the 1.3 million vaccine appointments as the Government pressures people to get vaccinated. (Global News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record 780 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 144,492. (RFE/RL)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malta
    - Malta abandons a plan to close its border to unvaccinated travellers. Instead, they impose a mandatory quarantine. The new policy follows criticism from the European Commission that they are discriminatory. (Times of Malta)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain surpasses four million cases of COVID-19. (Euronews)
- COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador
  - The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador suspends all public and private gatherings of large groups of people and enforces mandatory mask wearing for the next 90 days amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. (Reuters)

International relations

United States–Venezuela relations, Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The United States Department of State "strongly condemns" the arrest of opposition politician Freddy Guevara yesterday in Caracas. Guevara is a close ally of disputed president and opposition leader Juan Guaidó. (Reuters)
United States–Cuba relations, United States involvement in regime change in Latin America
- Miami Mayor Francis Suarez urges the United States to consider air strikes on Cuba. Additionally, Cuban exile leaders such as Cuban Democratic Directorate spokesperson Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat calls for the Biden administration to intervene in the country. (WLRN-TV)

Law and crime

Canadian Indian residential school gravesites, Canadian Indian residential school system
- Members of the Penelakut Tribe in south-western British Columbia announce the discovery of at least 160 "undocumented and unmarked graves" close to Kuper Island Indian Residential School. (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

2021 Cuban protests
- In Miami, protesters temporarily block the Palmetto Expressway in both directions in order to show support for Cuban protestors. (Miami Herald)
- The San Isidro Movement says that over 100 people have been arrested since protests began in Cuba. Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares also calls for the release of Cuban journalist Camila Acosta. (KEYT-TV) (The Guardian)
- Cuban YouTuber Dina Fernandez, also known as Dina Stars, says that she was detained by Cuban security forces in Havana during an interview. (CNN en Español)
2021 Samoan constitutional crisis
- Naomi Mataʻafa accuses Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi of a desperate "attack on the rule of law" and calls on him to recognize defeat in the past election. Several Pacific Island nations such as the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands have recognized Mataʻafa as the new Prime Minister of Samoa. (RNZ)