Portal:Current events/2020 July 18

• Japan launches a ¥70 billion payment scheme to pay firms to move factories out of China to either Japan itself or countries within the Southeast Asian region in an attempt to better secure its supply chains. 57 firms, including face mask manufacturer Iris Ohyama, are among the first to receive the subsidy. (Bloomberg)

• Crime in France
  • A fire inside Nantes Cathedral in Nantes, France, destroys the 400-year-old grand organ, which had survived two major fires in 1944 and 1972, and some stained glass windows. Police are treating the fire as arson, saying three fires appear to have been started deliberately. (BBC News)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • New York records 743 hospitalizations, its lowest since March 18. (CBS News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
      • Around 85 infants in Nueces County test positive for coronavirus. (The Hill)
    • The Food and Drug Administration issues an emergency use authorization for COVID-19 pool testing. (CNN)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • President Hassan Rouhani says that the health ministry estimated as many as 25 million Iranians have been infected by the virus and that 30 to 35 million will be infected in the coming months as he urges the public to take the virus seriously. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia becomes the country with most cases in Southeast Asia, recording 84,882 infections, while authorities say that the actual number could be much higher due to undetected cases. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews announces that masks will be mandatory in the Melbourne area. (ABC Net AU)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
    • Romania surpasses 2,000 deaths from COVID-19 and sets a daily record of 889 new cases. (Romania Insider)

• George Floyd protests
  • George Floyd protests in the United States
    • George Floyd protests in Illinois
      • George Floyd protests in Chicago
        • Protesters gather near the home of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. (CNN)
    • George Floyd protests in Oregon
      • George Floyd protests in Portland
        • Several protesters in Portland, Oregon, are arrested. Authorities said protesters allegedly blocked exits of government buildings and launched fireworks. Saturday morning's arrests came after the US Attorney for Oregon on Friday requested an investigation into masked, camouflaged federal authorities who have recently arrested Portland protesters. (CNN)
  • List of George Floyd protests outside the United States
    • George Floyd protests in Canada
      • Three Black Lives Matter protesters are charged in Toronto for pouring pink paint on the statues of John A. Macdonald at Queen's Park and Egerton Ryerson at Ryerson University. (CBC News)
    • Policy brutality in France
      • Protesters mark the anniversary of the death of Adama Traoré. (The Guardian)
• Aftermath of the Sudanese Revolution, Late-2019 Sudanese protests
  • The government announces legal action against activists and journalists who "insulted" the military. They had accused the military of various killings during last year's protests, which the army denies. (Reuters)
  • Amid a reform of the country's Islamist laws, Sudan lifts the death penalty for homosexuality and ends flogging as punishment for homosexuals. (CGTN)
• Seven people aged between 17 to 22 are found dead, some with gunshot wounds, near Gatun Lake in Panama. The group are believed to have gone out to swim on the lake when the attack took place. The motive for the attack is also under investigation. (Al Jazeera)

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
  • Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
        • The largest street demonstration in Thailand since the 2014 Thai coup d'état erupts at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok with around 2,500 protesters demanding the government's resignation, parliament's dissolution, and the rewriting of the constitution, defying a coronavirus ban on gatherings (Reuters)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
        • Israelis protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of COVID-19 and corruption. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Prime Minister Scott Morrison delays parliament due to the spread of COVID-19. (Reuters)
• 2020 Russian protests
  • About 50,000 people take part in a second Saturday protest rally in Khabarovsk, Russia, against the arrest of Governor Sergei Furgal on charges of involvement in multiple murders 15 years ago, which Furgal denies. The protests, which also reflect the simmering discontent with the Kremlin’s policies, are the largest ever in Khabarovsk, a city of 590,000. The police didn't interfere with the rally. Protests are also taking place in Vladivostok and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. (BBC News) (EuroNews)
• Kuwait's 91-year-old Emir, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, is admitted to hospital for what aides described as "routine" medical tests. Crown Prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir's 83-year-old half-brother and designated successor, will temporarily carry out some of the Emir's duties. (BBC News) (Al Jazeera)

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • 2020 Major League Baseball season, 2020 Toronto Blue Jays season, COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto
    • The Government of Canada rejects an exemption for the Toronto Blue Jays to play their home games in Rogers Centre in Toronto. (ESPN)