Friday, Aug 14th, 2020

The Ocala, Florida, City Council overrides Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn’s veto of the Council’s earlier emergency ordinance that requires people to wear masks inside businesses. (WCJB)

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 City’s mayor, Kent Guinn, vetoed the county rule on Monday. (The Ocala Star-Banner)

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp drops his lawsuit against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over the city’s mask mandate. (ABC News)

Two Indianapolis police officers are expected to face charges for using excessive force during protests over the death of George Floyd. (ABC News)

 

The United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates announce in a joint statement that Israel and the UAE will establish normalized diplomatic relations, in exchange for Israeli suspension of plans to annex occupied West Bank territory. (BBC)

 

 

Factory workers from state-run factories joined the protest. Tens of thousands of people protested for the fifth day in a row against the election results. The protesters marched through Minsk and formed human chains. (Reuters)

 

 

Senate adjourns until September with no coronavirus relief deal The Senate adjourned on Thursday until September 8 without reaching a deal on the next coronavirus relief bill. The next stimulus package is now likely weeks away, leaving millions of unemployed Americans without jobless benefits that were provided from the early days of the pandemic until the end of July when the CARES Act expired without a replacement bill lined up. Democrats have argued the $600 weekly boost should continue, while Republicans say it should be reduced. Both sides have accused the other of refusing to compromise. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said Democrats are willing to trim their bill if Republicans will add to theirs. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said if lawmakers make a deal while on recess, senators will return to vote. Source: CNBC

New unemployment claims dip below 1 million, layoffs remain high New unemployment claims dipped below 1 million for the first time since March in the past week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Still, the total of 963,000 new claims is well more than the pre-pandemic record of 695,000, and shows that layoffs are still high. Unemployment claims first jumped in March, hitting a peak of nearly 7 million. They’ve dropped significantly since then, but recovery recently slowed as unemployment claims lingered over 1 million for weeks on end. A total of 15.5 million people are receiving unemployment benefits, well above the pre-pandemic record of 6.6 million. Unemployed Americans were receiving an extra $600/week boost to the their unemployment benefits until the federal government’s coronavirus stimulus package expired at the end of July. Source: Labor Department

At least four people are killed and another six injured by a roadside bomb exploding in Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. (TOLOnews)

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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