Wednesday,  Aug. 26th, 2020

Manchester United captain and England international Harry Maguire is given a suspended sentence of 21 months and 10 days in prison by a Greek court for repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery of police, violence against public employees and insult, following his arrest on the island of Mykonos. (BBC)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-24/covid-s-lingering-malaise-adds-to-35-trillion-economic-cost?srnd=premium

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/dow-jones-industrial-average-shakeup-exxon-pfizer-raytheon-removed-2020-8-1029531716

Biden holds narrow lead in critical swing states Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden hasn’t seen a typical post-convention bump in his polling numbers. And while he was once handily leading in several states Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, those advantages are starting to slip. Clinton lost Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in 2016 — three states that were usually seen as reliably Democratic before that election. Even as of late August 2016, Clinton had a clear lead over Trump in those states: 9 points in Michigan, 9.2 in Pennsylvania, and 11.5 in Wisconsin. But while Biden still has leads in those states, just as he did a month ago, those advantages have narrowed to below Clinton’s pre-election margins. Nationally, Biden still has a wide 8.8 point lead over Trump, even higher than the 5.7-point lead Clinton had at this point in 2016. Source: FiveThirtyEight

The city of Berlin bans any and all future protests against the city’s quarantine measures after organizers of a rally earlier in the month failed to ensure its 20,000 marchers wore masks and practiced social distancing. (MSN)

RNC Night 1: Donald Trump Jr. defends his father, Nikki Haley says U.S. is ‘not racist’ The Republican National Convention kicked off on Monday with the party officially nominating President Trump for re-election. The night’s speakers discussed the economy, the coronavirus pandemic, and race in America, with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley saying the United States is “a work in progress” but “not a racist country.” Donald Trump Jr. defended his father’s response to the coronavirus, which has left at least 177,000 Americans dead, and accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of being part of the “radical left wing.” Also making appearances were Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, former Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis husband and wife made famous after photos went viral showing them pointing their guns at protesters walking by their house. Source: The Week

2 dead, 1 wounded in Kenosha after ‘vigilantes’ clash with protesters At least two people were shot dead and another wounded in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Tuesday night in a third night of protests against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, Kenosha police said early Wednesday. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said nobody has been apprehended for the shootings, but they have identified at least one suspect and he felt “very confident we’ll have him in a very short time.” Police in riot gear pushed protesters away from the courthouse down Sheridan Road earlier Tuesday night, where the protesters collided with armed men Beth described as “a militia” and “like a vigilante group” that has been patrolling Kenosha since some protesters damaged property Monday night. Videos on social media show one white man armed with a long gun shooting at several protesters. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Two people were fatally shot and one wounded during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin over the shooting of Jacob Blake. Police are investigating whether the incident occurred during a confrontation between protesters and armed men. (CNN)

At least 64 people were arrested in Louisville, Kentucky as crowds marched over the death of Breonna Taylor. The protests were peaceful until a group of demonstrators “crossed several intersections, creating dangerous situations as traffic continued to try to make its way in the area,” claimed Robert Schroeder, interim chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department. (CNN)

Florida judge blocks state’s school reopening order, saying it ‘disregards safety’ A Florida judge on Monday ruled that the state’s school reopening order is unconstitutional, as it “arbitrarily disregards safety” and “denies local school boards decision making” as to when their schools can open. The American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second-largest teachers’ union, and the Florida Education Association sued Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran over the order, which was issued on July 6 and stated that if school districts did not give students the option of returning to the classroom by Aug. 31, they would risk losing funding. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said her union and teachers were pushing back on a “reckless disregard of human life” and “politics overtaking safety and the science and the well-being of communities.” A Florida Department of Education spokeswoman confirmed the state has filed an appeal.  Source: The New York Times

Authorities intensify the crackdown on opposition leaders, jailing activists Sergei Dylevsky and Olga Kovalkova, handing the former a 10-day jail sentence. Diplomat Pavel Latushko is summoned for questioning, as well as acclaimed writer Svetlana Alexievich. (AP)

South Korea orders most schools in Seoul Capital Area to close and move classes back online as the country battles a resurgence in cases. All students, except for high school seniors, in the cities of Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, will take classes online until September 11. (Reuters)

The End

Tuesday,  Aug. 25th, 2020

National Guard deployed amid Kenosha protests after police shoot Jacob Blake Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) called 125 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Monday to combat protests after police shot and seriously injured Jacob Blake in his car on Sunday. Cellphone video captured by a witness shows two officers with their guns drawn following Blake, a Black man, as he walked toward his SUV and firing on him when he opened the door. Hundreds of protesters gathered Sunday night to condemn the shooting and the Kenosha Police Department, and continued when Kenosha’s mayor moved a Monday afternoon news conference into the city’s public safety building. Police in riot gear used pepper spray and other irritants on protesters and journalists outside the building as they tried to get inside. Blake is in serious condition at a Milwaukee hospital. Source: Kenosha News

Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin has deployed the National Guard to maintain “public safety” after police shot Jacob Blake on Sunday. Hundreds of people marched on police headquarters that night to demonstrate against the shooting. Up to 200 members of the National Guard will be deployed. (BBC)

The 2020 Republican National Convention begins, running until Thursday. Incumbents President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are expected to be officially nominated to run for re-election, facing off against former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris in November. (CNN)

The Charité hospital in Berlin, Germany, where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is admitted, reveals that doctors have found cholinesterase inhibitors in his body that suggest he may have been poisoned. Doctors in Omsk, Russia, where Navalny was initially admitted, earlier claimed that there was no evidence of poison in his body. (CBS News)

Putin critic Navalny was poisoned, German hospital says  Charite Hospital in Berlin on Monday said that Alexey Navalny, the Russian opposition leader and Putin critic who fell ill last week, is suffering from “intoxication by a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors.” It did not identify the substance he was allegedly poisoned with. Navalny was hospitalized last week after falling ill on a flight to Moscow from Siberia, and his press secretary said at the time that “we suspect that Alexei was poisoned by something mixed into [his] tea.” A state-run hospital in Siberia, however, claimed he suffered from “a sudden drop in blood sugar” due to a “metabolic disorder.” Navalny is still in a coma in Germany, and the Berlin hospital said “his state of health is serious, but there is currently no acute danger to his life.”  Source: CBS News

A major blackout is reported in Syria after an explosion hits the Arab Gas Pipeline in the Rif Dimashq Governorate. Syrian Oil Minister Ali Ghanem says the explosion was a “terrorist attack”, but does not elaborate on who was behind it. (Al Jazeera)

TikTok sues U.S. President Donald Trump over his executive orders, signed earlier this month, that would effectively ban the app within the United States, calling it part of a “broader campaign of anti-China rhetoric” in the lead up to the presidential election. (Reuters)

Seoul orders face masks to be worn in both indoor and outdoor public places for the first time as it battles a surge in cases centred in the densely populated metropolitan area. (Liputan6)

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews proposes to extend the state of emergency to at least September 2021. (9News)

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Israel, 11 days after the country agreed to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates. Pompeo embarks on a tour of the Middle East and Sudan to persuade the other Arab states to normalize relations with Israel as well. (Al Jazeera)

Ohio Rep. John Becker draws up 10 articles of impeachment on Ohio Governor Mike DeWine over his COVID-19 orders. Rep. Nino Vitale and Rep. Paul Zeltwanger are co-sponsors for the impeachment inquiries. (Cleveland News)

The Coordinating Council of the Belarusian opposition report that two of its members, Sergei Dylevsky and Olga Kovalkova, have been detained by police in Minsk. (AP via ABC News)

The Cyprus Papers, consisting of more than 1,400 confidential approved applications relating to the Cyprus Investment Programme run by the Republic of Cyprus, are published by the international broadcaster Al Jazeera, which says they have been sold to criminals and fugitives who, by purchasing a Cypriot passport, become European Union citizens. The European Commission, as well as a leading anti-corruption NGO, want this program phased out. (Al Jazeera)

New York attorney general takes legal action against Trump Organization  New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office in a legal filing on Monday asked a judge to force the Trump Organization to provide information it has been seeking in a probe of the company’s financial dealings. The investigation is focused on whether the Trump Organization “improperly inflated the value of Mr. Trump’s assets on financial statements in order to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits,” a filing said. James’ office said she’s seeking to compel testimony from Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, as well as “thousands of documents” that are being withheld. The Trump Organization’s chief legal officer said James’ “continued harassment of the company as we approach the election … once again confirms that this investigation is all about politics.” Source:  CNN

Jerry Falwell Jr. reportedly resigns from Liberty University  Jerry Falwell Jr. has resigned as president of Liberty University, The Religion News Service reports. The news comes just hours after a Washington Examiner report in which one of Falwell’s business partners alleged that he had a years-long sexual relationship with Falwell and his wife, Becki. Falwell was already under scrutiny and went on indefinite leave from his presidency earlier this month after posting a photo of himself with his arm around a woman while they both had their pants partially unzipped, though that was not the first time he found himself in the spotlight while leading the private evangelic Christian university. Liberty alumni and former faculty for weeks had been calling for Falwell to permanently step down from the post which he’s held since 2007. Source: The Religion News Service