Ten mine clearers are killed and 12 others are injured while working at a Halo Trust compound in Baghlan. Afghan officials blamed the Taliban for the attack while the ISIL claimed responsibility for it. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack and Halo Trust reports that local Taliban militants arrived at the scene of the attack defending the miners and shooting the attackers. (BBC News)
France reopens indoor dining for bars and restaurants as well as gyms as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline and the number of vaccinations increases. Rules for travellers from within the European Union are also eased, while cultural venues can relax their measures. The curfew has also been changed to 11:00 p.m. (The Straits Times)
The United Kingdom reports 7,540 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day total since February 26 amid an increase in the number of Delta variant cases. (ITV News)
The World Mosquito Programme reports that an experiment in which mosquitoes purposefully infected with Wolbachia bacteria were released in Yogyakarta, Indonesia saw rates of dengue fever cases in the city drop by 77%, and an 86% reduction in related hospitalizations. (BBC News)
Law and crime
A court in Russia begins the process of evaluation of a request to label opposition activist Alexei Navalny's network Anti-Corruption Foundation as "extremists", which, according to Navalny's lawyers and allies, would prevent them from running for office and carrying out their activities. (Reuters)
Vietnam announces that it plans to postpone the Southeast Asia Games, one of the five subregional Games of the Olympic Council of Asia, until next year, citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight of the 11 member states of the Southeast Asian Games Federation have objected to Vietnam's proposal to postpone the competition, according to a statement from the Olympic Council of Malaysia. (CNA)