Portal:Current events/2020 August 11

August 11, 2020 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Somali Civil War
- At least ten people have been killed in a shootout between jailed Al-Shabaab militants and security officers at a prison in Mogadishu, Somalia. An investigation is under way into how the militants obtained weapons, with some reports suggested that an inmate disarmed a warden and then a group of them raided the armoury. (BBC News)
Afghan peace process
- Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen warns that attacks on newly freed prisoners will drive them back to the battlefield despite orders from their leaders. The government denies attacking, or re-arresting them without cause. (The Hour)
Gaza–Israel clashes in 2020
- Israel launches multiple airstrikes in the Gaza Strip after incendiary balloons launch from Gaza into Israel. (Haaretz)
Benoît Maria, a French human rights activist who helped indigenous people in Guatemala, is shot dead while driving near San Antonio Ilotenango in Quiché. (BBC News)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 recession
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  - The Office for National Statistics reports the worst quarterly job losses in the United Kingdom since the financial crisis in 2009. (BBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
  - Singapore enters technical recession for the first time in a decade after its economy contracts by 13.2% in the second quarter, which translates to a record 42.9% plunge in its annualised GDP. (The Straits Times)
Facebook introduces new regulations blocking American publishers with political ties from running ads masquerading as news articles in its news section. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Greece imposes a curfew on bars, restaurants, and cafes in several regions following an increase in COVID-19 cases. The curfew lasts from midnight until 7 a.m. local time. (ITV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Russian President Vladimir Putin announces the approval of a vaccine against COVID‑19, named Gam-COVID-Vac, claiming it as a "world-first", amid continued concern and unanswered questions over its safety and effectiveness. (CNN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom records 1,148 cases, their highest since June 21. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    - Fiji suspends its seasonal ban on the harvest, sale, and consumption of coral trout and grouper to fight economic hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic. (RNZ)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - New Zealand reports its first cases of community transmission in 102 days, four cases in a single family. Auckland will move to Alert Level 3 from August 12 at 12 noon until midnight on August 14. The rest of the country will move to Alert Level 2. (New Zealand Herald)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Bhutan
  - Bhutan imposes a nationwide lockdown after a locally transmitted COVID-19 case was reported in Gelephu town and the female patient had come in close contact with many people in Paro, Thimphu and several other places. (Business Standard)
- The total number of worldwide confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpasses 20 million. The United States remains the global leader of case numbers, accounting for more than 25 percent cumulative. (CNN)
Natick, Massachusetts, issues town-wide water restrictions, limiting water use by Natick residents, in response to an ongoing drought affecting most parts of New England. (Patch)

Law and crime

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
- Three men are fined by a court in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, for hijacking the oil tanker MV Elobey VI off the coast of Equatorial Guinea and holding the crew hostage for US$200,000 in March. They are the first people to be convicted under Nigeria's new anti-piracy law. (Reuters)
2020 Bangalore riots
- The violent clashes took place in eastern Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The violence cause the death of at least 3 people in police firing while injuring 60 police personnel during the clashes. (The Indian Express)

Politics and elections

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - Marion County, Florida, Sheriff Billy Woods forbids his employees and those visiting his offices from wearing face masks in most circumstances. The Ocala City Council passed an emergency ordinance last week requiring people to wear masks inside businesses. Ocala’s mayor, Kent Guinn, vetoed the county rule on Monday. (The Ocala Star-Banner) (The New York Times)
2020 Belarusian presidential election, 2020 Belarusian protests
- Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya flees Belarus to her family in Lithuania, according to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Antanas Linkevičius. Tsikhanouskaya had gone into hiding after the disputed election, which she accuses President Alexander Lukashenko of rigging. (Reuters)
2020 Egyptian Senate election
- Citizens of Egypt head to the polls to elect 200 members of the newly created senate. The new upper house of the parliament will be an advisory body only and is expected to be dominated by supporters of president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. (Reuters)
2020 Malian protests
- Anti-government protests resume in the Malian capital of Bamako, as thousands take to the street demanding the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta after talks between the government and the protesters stalled. (Al Jazeera)
2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election
- Preliminary results see the ruling People’s National Movement winning a plurality of 22 seats in Trinidad and Tobago's latest election. The United National Congress is assumed to come in second with 19 seats. (Reuters)
2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection
- Former Vice President Joe Biden chooses Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the presumptive 2020 Democratic vice presidential nominee. She is the first black woman and first Asian-American vice presidential nominee for a major party. (CNN)

Science and technology

French privacy watchdog group CNIL launches a preliminary investigation into TikTok, as part of a European Union-wide taskforce monitoring the app's operations. (Reuters)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- Two of the "Power Five" conferences of NCAA Division I FBS, the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, postpone their fall 2020 sports seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pac-12 also announces that winter sports whose seasons were scheduled to begin in calendar year 2020, most notably basketball, will not start play until at least January 1, 2021. (NPR) (ESPN)