Portal:Current events/2020 July 4

July 4, 2020 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arts and culture

List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests
- Black Lives Matter protesters tear down the Statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore, Maryland, and throw it into the city's Inner Harbor. Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott had previously called for the statue to be removed. (CNN)
President Donald Trump announces the building of National Garden of American Heroes through executive order, which will consist of statues of notable American political figures, activists, businesspeople, and pop culture icons. (CBS News)

Business and economy

Disasters and accidents

Heavy rains and mudslides occur in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. At least 14 residents of a nursing home in Kuma are feared dead after they are found "in cardio-respiratory arrest", according to prefecture Governor Ikuo Kabashima. Another 10 people are missing and dozens stranded on rooftops. (Al Jazeera)
A fire is reported at a power plant in the city of Ahvaz, in south-western Iran, while a chlorine gas leak injures 70 workers at a petrochemicals plant near Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni. The incidents come after a string of other unexplained blazes and explosions at Iranian facilities. (The Guardian)
A Siberian tiger kills a zookeeper at Zürich Zoo in Zürich, Switzerland. (Reuters)

Health and environment

International relations

North Korea–United States relations
- North Korean First Vice-Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui says her country has "no interest" in a face-to-face meeting with the United States unless the U.S. discards its "hostile" policies toward North Korea. (Al Jazeera)
Canada–China relations
- The Chinese embassy in Ottawa issues a rebuke of Canada, saying that it has "grossly interfered" in its affairs a day after Canada suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Phoenix, Arizona police officers threaten, shoot and kill a man inside a parked car in an incident captured on bystander video, sparking protests in the city. Police say he pointed a gun at them first. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Science and technology