Portal:Current events/2020 July 16

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that New York is expected to move into phase four of its reopening plan. However, indoor public spaces will remain closed. (MarketWatch)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
      • Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announces that masks will be made mandatory in public spaces. The order is expected to go into effect on July 20. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      • Miami-Dade County is expected to give people who violate COVID-19 guidelines a $100 fine. (WTVJ)
    • The Centers for Disease Control extends the United States ban on cruise ships to September 30, citing ongoing COVID-19 cruise ship outbreaks. (ABC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    • Spain honors their COVID-19 victims at the Royal Palace of Madrid. (Reuters)
    • Spain reports their highest COVID-19 infection count since May 10, with 580 cases. These cases have increased in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil surpasses two million cases. The death toll reaches 76,000. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    • Reuters reports that the occupation of geisha in Tokyo is threatened by the pandemic, with awkward working conditions and the absence of new apprentices. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Censorship of Facebook
  • Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi says his country is "looking seriously at banning Facebook in the country" after "many people complained how it is used to hurt people", being himself a target of "defamation". (RNZ)
• George Floyd protests, George Floyd protests in Oregon
  • Kate Brown, governor of Oregon, criticizes President Donald Trump and acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf amid reports of federal agents detaining protesters in Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the state. Wolf tweeted the previous day that the forces were sent to the city due to it being "under siege for 47 straight days by a violent mob." (The Hill)
• In the United Kingdom, the Court of Appeal rules that 20-year-old British-born Shamima Begum, who left the country to join ISIL in 2015, can return to the UK to fight for her citizenship after the Home Office revoked it while she was living in a refugee camp in Syria, due to her joining a terrorist group. The Home Office says the court's decision is "very disappointing" and that it would apply for permission to appeal. (BBC News)
• The European Court of Justice issues a ruling invalidating the EU–US Privacy Shield framework that allows EU-to-US data transfers by companies. (c|net)

Politics and elections

• 2020 North Macedonian parliamentary election
  • The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is projected to win a plurality of votes in North Macedonia's latest election. The nationalist VMRO-DPMNE would come a close second. (DW)
• Politics of Gabon
  • Rose Christiane Raponda becomes the first female Prime Minister of Gabon. (Bloomberg)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • 2020 NFL season
    • The National Football League announces 72 of its players have tested positive for COVID-19. (Bleacher Report)