July 31, 2014 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine: War in Donbass:
- The Ukrainian government declares a unilateral one-day cease-fire in order to facilitate for a team of forensics experts and crash investigators to reach the site where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 went down two weeks ago, after days of delay caused by heavy fighting in the area. (Washington Post)
- At least 120 soldiers of the Ukrainian military have been confirmed killed in battle since July 17. (Kyiv Post)
- The government-appointed Imam of China is killed in an attack in Kashgar, Xinjiang province. (Al Jazeera)
Business and economy
- Alexander Deryugin, director of the Center for Regional Reform Studies at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, says that sanctions against entities investing in Crimea have generated a great level of risk even for Russian companies because they too would face problems when working abroad after being exposed in Crimea. (Moscow Times)
- Following a court order that payments to most bondholders be stopped until holdouts were paid, Argentina has defaulted on some of its bonds after negotiations fell short of reaching a deal with hedge fund investors demanding a full payout of US$1.3 billion on bonds. (BBC News) (New York Times)
Disasters and accidents
- Gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung kill at least 20 people and injure more than 270. (BBC News)
Health
- 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak:
- The World Health Organization announces a US$100 million emergency response plan to combat the outbreak, which has killed at least 729 people. (BBC News)