Explosions and exchanges of fire are heard during an armed incident involving Israeli troops and Hezbollah at the border between Israel and Lebanon. Four Hezbollah militants crossed the border and fled back to Lebanon after being shot at, while IDF reported no Israeli casualties. An Israeli shell smashed in a Lebanese civilian home, narrowly missing a family in the house at the time, but nobody was hurt. (The New York Times)(Reuters)
Two protesters in Baghdad are killed by Iraqi security forces when they are hit by teargas canisters in the head and on the neck; the forces also opened fire at demonstrators in Tahrir Square. The protesters were protesting power cuts in the midst of a heatwave. It was the first major spate of violence at the Square in months. Prime MinisterMustafa Al-Kadhimi condemns the killings and orders an investigation. (Reuters)
ECOWAS demands the release of Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cissé, who was kidnapped in March just days before a disputed election, asks 31 elected MPs whose results were disputed to resign, and requests an urgent inquiry into protesters' deaths on 10–12 July. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta is given ten days to respond to the bloc's proposals or face sanctions. (BBC News)
Ukraine's military says pro-Russian separatists have violated a ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine just hours after it was declared, after opening fire on Ukrainian positions with anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms. Ukrainian forces did not return fire. (Reuters)
The price ofgold hits a record high of US$1,944 per ounce as uncertainty over the global economy grows due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. The previous record was set in 2011 when prices hit US$1,921 per ounce. (CNN)
Hong Kong announces a ban on all dine-in services at restaurants and restricting public gatherings not from the same family to only two people starting 29 July and orders the compulsory wearing of masks in outdoor public areas, with only medical exemptions. Sports venues and swimming pools are also closed. (Bisnis Indonesia)(Bloomberg)
Hong Kong reports a record 145 cases of COVID-19; 142 of them are locally transmitted. (Reuters)
China reports 61 new cases, up from 46 cases a day earlier, with new infections not involving people returning from overseas hitting the highest number since early March of 57. (U.S. News & World Report)
India reports 50,362 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. This is the highest one day increase since the pandemic hit the country and the first time daily new cases in India crossed 50,000 mark. (Times of India)
After three residents tested positive for COVID-19, Vietnam announces it will evacuate 80,000 people, mostly domestic tourists, from Da Nang. The evacuation will span at least four days and involve roughly 100 domestic flights per day. (Sky News)
Victoria reports its record number of new COVID-19 cases so far, with 532 cases in the last 24 hours, as well as six deaths. This number also made it Australia's highest one day increase of new cases. (ABC News Australia)
New South Wales reports 17 new cases of COVID-19. Of these, eight are returning travellers in hotel quarantine and another nine are locally transmitted, including one case under investigation. (The Australian)
Prime Minister James Marape announces a two-week lockdown of the capital amid a spike of infections in the city. Schools are also ordered to close. (RNZ)
Belgium announces the unveiling of drastic social distancing measures aimed at avoiding a new lockdown. These measures include restricting social contact outside every household to five people over the next four weeks and limiting crowds at public events to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. This measure will take effect next Wednesday. (France24)
Antwerp imposes a curfew from 11.30 p.m. to 6 a.m and the mandatory wearing of face masks in public spaces should a distance of 1.5 meters between individuals not be observed. (The Washington Post)
Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterte says he has no choice but to treat the disputes in the South China Sea diplomatically because the alternative is to "go to war with China", defending a government decision not to press a ruling that went in favor of the Philippines. Separately, Duterte claimed China may offer vaccines “on credit” if not as a donation and grants package. (Reuters)(Asia Times)
United States Attorney GeneralWilliam Barr defends the Department of Justice's decision to send security forces to Portland in a congressional testimony. Portland has seen 61 consecutive days of protests, which escalated after federal officers arrived this month. (BBC News)
Indonesian police arrest four executives at Indonesian recruitment agencies and charge them with human trafficking in connection with the alleged torturing to death of an Indonesian worker on board a Chinese fishing vessel last month. (Channel News Asia)
Monday's regularly scheduled baseball games between the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins, and the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, are postponed because 14 members of the Marlins traveling party, including 12 players, tested positive for COVID-19. Tuesday's Orioles-Marlins game is also postponed; the status of the second Yankees-Phillies game will be announced later. Miami just finished a three-game series in Philadelphia this past weekend. Before Sunday’s series finale, Miami learned that four of its players had tested positive and adjusted its lineup accordingly. (WFLA-TV)(The New York Times)