Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • An Israeli army raid at a "refugee camp" in Judea and Samaria region West Bank occurs, killing four Palestinians and wounding another. An undercover unit came under heavy fire from a large number of Palestinian terrorists during an attempt to arrest a suspect. (BBC)
• Fall of Kabul (2021)
  • Russia accuses President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani of fleeing with "four cars and a helicopter full of cash" and that he left money behind as it would not all fit in. Ghani's whereabouts are still unknown although multiple sources claim he fled to Tajikistan. (Reuters)
  • The first Afghan President after the 2001 US invasion, Hamid Karzai, announces that he and his daughters are remaining in Kabul as he appeals the Taliban to respect his life and civilians in Afghanistan. (India Times)
  • Saudi Arabia calls on the Taliban and "all Afghan parties" to "preserve lives and property". The statement further states that "Saudi Arabia stands with the decision of the Afghan people without interference". (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Haiti earthquake
  • The death toll from the earthquake that struck Haiti two days ago, rise to 1,297 people. More than 5,700 others are injured. (BBC)
  • Tropical Storm Grace threatens earthquake-hit Haiti as it approaches the island of Hispaniola with sustained winds of 35 mph (56 km/h), and higher gusts. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Territory, COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria
      • Greater Darwin and Katherine enter a three-day lockdown after new community transmissions of COVID-19 was reported. Meanwhile, lockdown restrictions in Melbourne are extended and tightened for two weeks, with a controversial nighttime curfew reinstated. (The Australian) (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
    • The German Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends that all children aged 12 to 17 years old to receive a COVID-19 vaccine due to increased risks among them posed by the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant and further vaccine's safety data. (Spiegel)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Hong Kong reclassifies 15 countries and territories, including the U.S., France, Malaysia, and Thailand, to "high-risk" category, which means that beginning from August 20, there will be mandatory 21-day quarantine and tougher boarding requirements for travellers arriving from those countries due to surge of the COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. (South China Morning Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    • Iran reports a record 655 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours on the first day of general lockdown, bringing the nationwide death toll to 98,483. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, Malaysian movement control order
    • The Government of Malaysia begins to allow 11 more economic sectors in states under Phase 1 of the national recovery plan (NRP) to reopen and operators in 11 sectors must ensure their customers to show a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate before enter. (Free Malaysia Today)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia
    • North Macedonia restricts the access of cafés, restaurants and public events to those who have been vaccinated at least one dose or has been recovered from COVID-19 within the past 45 days and limiting the capacity of restaurant to 30 people with only outdoor parts of restaurant to open in order to curb the rising COVID-19 cases. (U.S. News and World Report)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    • COVID-19 pandemic in England, COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
      • A requirement for fully vaccinated people and people under 18 years old to self-isolate is removed in England and Northern Ireland if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. They are now advised to take a PCR test despite it being voluntary and wear a face covering in enclosed spaces. (BBC)

Law and crime

• The Speaker of the Tongan Parliament, Lord Fakafanua, introduces the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) Bill 2021 for debate in the legislative assembly. The Speaker wants a mandatory death sentence for serious drug offenses. Tonga has a moratorium on the death penalty and has not used it in more than four decades. (RNZ)
• The last living Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan appears before a court in Phnom Penh to appeal his conviction, in an attempt to overturn it. The 90-year-old's hearing is expected to last a few days as analysts say that it is very unlikely that he will succeed in his appeal. (Deutsche Welle)

Politics and elections

• 2020–21 Malaysian political crisis
  • Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigns from office, leading the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition government to collapse. Yassin will remain as the caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed. (CNA)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • President Gotabaya Rajapaksa replaces his health minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi with Keheliya Rambukwella, who was also the media minister and government spokesman, with the former becoming the transport minister, amid public criticism over understating COVID-19 infections and her endorsement of sorcery and magic potions to battle the virus. (Al Jazeera)