Portal:Current events/2021 August 29

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan
    • Operation Allies Refuge
      • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that there are still 300 American citizens left to evacuate from Afghanistan. He also says that the Taliban will allow the evacuations to continue. (RealClearPolitics) (Arutz Sheva)
    • The U.S. and 97 other countries reach an agreement with the Taliban to continue evacuations past the August 31 withdrawal deadline. (Axios)
  • Drone strikes in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
    • A U.S. airstrike targets a vehicle driven by an aid worker for U.S. based Nutrition and Education International, who was bringing home water for his family. At least 10 people are killed during the strike, including seven children. Some of those killed had previously worked for international organisations and held visas allowing them entry to the United States. There are reports of other civilians being killed too. The majority of the casualties were residents of the area. (BBC News) (New York Times)
  • Two Pakistani soldiers are shot dead by unknown gunmen at the border with Afghanistan. Two or three of the attackers are killed after a gunfight. (Al Jazeera English)
  • A rocket is launched near the airport in Kabul, hitting a house and killing a child. (Al Jazeera English)
  • Atta Muhammad Nur and Abdul Rashid Dostum say that they are forming a group to negotiate with the Taliban and also say that surrender is "out of the question". They both said that they plan to meet Taliban representatives for a new government. Both men fled to Uzbekistan when Mazar-i-Sharif fell but have since returned to Afghanistan. (Reuters)
  • Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen blames former president Ashraf Ghani for the "chaos" in Kabul. Shaheen says that Ghani must return the money that he allegedly stole and says that it was not necessary for Ghani to leave the country as the Taliban "just wanted a peaceful transfer of power". (Hindustan Times)
• Syrian civil war
  • 2021 Daraa clashes
    • The army bombards the last rebel enclave in the southern city of Daraa, killing six people. The army declined to comment but released a statement saying that it was losing patience with what it called "armed groups and terrorists". The site of the bombing is the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad which marked the start of the war. (Reuters)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Houthi forces attack the Al Anad Air Base in Lahij Governorate, Yemen, with drones and ballistic missiles, killing 43 soldiers and wounding 56 others. (Al Jazeera English)
• A gunman kills a civilian before stealing her car in Garland, Texas. He then drove with the vehicle and opened fire outside a police station, before being shot dead by police. Authorities are investigating a possible terrorist background as the perpetrator left a note in which he expressed the motive behind his act. (The Dallas Morning News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Hurricane Ida quickly intensifies overnight into a Category 4 storm and threatens the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards says that the possible impact of Ida could be "historical" and a test for the flooding protection systems. Authorities in Mississippi announce a closure of schools on Monday ahead of the potential impact. Ida later makes landfall in Louisiana on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. (The New York Times) (CNN)
  • Hurricane force winds cause the Mississippi River to flow in reverse in an "extremely uncommon" event. (CNN) (Bloomberg)
• A boat collide into a freight barge on the Huallaga River, in Yurimaguas, Peru, killing at least 21 people. (Yahoo News via Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh
      • Bangladesh signs an agreement with the World Health Organization to purchase 105 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in order to ensure the vaccine's supply for the whole population. (United News of Bangladesh)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
        • Israel expands booster dose eligibility to all people over the age of 12 who received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least five months ago. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore
        • The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Singapore surpasses 80%. (Bloomberg News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen
      • Yemen receives its first shipment of 151,000 doses of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States. (Arab News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Germany removes Spain from its list of high-risk areas, which means that unvaccinated travellers are no longer required to quarantine as long as they present proof of a negative test result or have recovered from COVID-19. (EuroWeekly News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
        • First Minister Nicola Sturgeon self-isolates after being close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Australia reports a record 1,323 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, as well as a record 1,218 new cases in New South Wales. (Australian Associated Press)

Law and crime

• LGBT rights in South Africa, LGBT rights in Uganda
  • The Home Affairs Ministry of South Africa orders the release of two gay men who were arrested and imprisoned in Johannesburg after escaping Uganda. The couple requested to remain in South Africa out of fears of persecution in Uganda. The South Gauteng High Court ordered the immediate release of the men and also ordered that they be allowed to remain in South Africa. (Independent Online)
• Law of Singapore, Race in Singapore, Xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • During the annual National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces that pertinent legislation called the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act will be passed to tackle racism due to an increase of racist incidents. (Yahoo! News Singapore)