Thursday,  Aug 13th, 2020

The number of new COVID-19 cases in India rises by nearly 67,000, a record high since the pandemic began. (Hindustan Times)

Spain reports 2,935 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which is the highest number of new cases since the lockdown was lifted in June. (Reuters)

Galicia bans smoking in public places over concerns that it increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission. (BBC)

Canary Islands also intends to ban outdoor smoking when social distancing cannot be guaranteed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The smoking ban will take effect tomorrow, and wearing face masks will be mandatory in all public spaces. (RTÉ)

The United Kingdom imposes a two-week quarantine for travellers or people coming from France and the Netherlands, as well as Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba. The measure will take effect on 04:00 BST on Saturday, August 15. (BBC)

Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza signs an order requiring anyone arriving from Croatia, Greece, Spain, and Malta to be tested for COVID-19 in an attempt to avoid a spike of new cases in the country. The country is also banning travellers from Colombia over concerns of new infections. (Swiss Info)

The End

 

29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.

523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas.

554 – Emperor Justinian I rewards Liberius for his long and distinguished service in the Pragmatic Sanction, granting him extensive estates in Italy.

582 – Maurice becomes Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

1553 – Michael Servetus is arrested by John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland as a heretic.

1624 – The French king Louis XIII appoints Cardinal Richelieu as prime minister.

1704 – War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim: English and Imperial forces are victorious over French and Bavarian troops.

1792 – King Louis XVI of France is formally arrested by the National Tribunal, and declared an enemy of the people.

1913 – First production in the UK of stainless steel by Harry Brearley.

1918 – Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) established as a public company in Germany.

1920 – Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Warsaw begins and will last till August 25. The Red Army is defeated.

1937 – Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Shanghai begins

1961 – Cold War: East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants’ attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started.^[3]

1968 – Alexandros Panagoulis attempts to assassinate the Greek dictator Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens.

1978 – One hundred fifty Palestinians in Beirut are killed in a terrorist attack during the second phase of the Lebanese Civil War.

2008 – Russo-Georgian War: Russian units occupy the Georgian city of Gori.