https://www.businessinsider.com/ferrari-360-modena-limo-limousine-for-sale-australia-car-rental-2020-8

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-travel-industry-job-losses-197-million-wttc-2020-8

https://www.businessinsider.com/epidemiologists-debunk-the-14-biggest-myths-about-covid-19-coronavirus-2020-8

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-telemental-health-report-2019-9

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/us-china-coronavirus-covid-19-failure-threatens-global-dominance-greenspan-2020-8-1029511571
 

Tuesday,  Aug. 18th, 2020 

Record heat wave, lightning strikes, fire tornado fuel California wildfires  California is grappling with triple-digit temperatures, a freak lightning storm in the Bay Area, and high winds, all of which are contributing to wildfires breaking out throughout the state and, on Saturday, at least one rare fire tornado in Lassen County, north of Lake Tahoe. The National Weather Service in Reno issued a first-ever fire tornado warning on Saturday and said Sunday it planned to investigate the rare phenomenon as soon as the wildfire was under control. Moisture from an offshore tropical storm caused nonstop lightning in the Bay Area and elsewhere in the state, igniting new spot fires. Much of the state hit triple-digit temperatures over the weekend, and Death Valley recorded a record-high 130 degrees. The heat wave led to rolling blackouts in parts of the state. Source: The Associated Press

Japan suffers its biggest economic slump on record as its economy’s GDP fell 7.8% in April-June quarter, which translates to 27.8% annual fall. (BBC)

Australia reports 25 new COVID-19 deaths – all of them in Victoria – the deadliest day since the pandemic began. (ABC News Australia)

Lukashenko states that there will be no fresh elections “until you kill me”, he warns as he urges people to let people who want to work to work amid a general strike. (Sky News)

The 2020 Democratic National Convention begins, running until Thursday. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris are expected to be officially nominated for their party’s choice for President and Vice President, respectively, in the upcoming election. (NPR)

The End

 

Monday, Aug. 17th, 2020

Russia says it is “ready to assist Belarus in accordance with a collective military pact if necessary” as opposition leader in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya calls for a massive march. (Reuters)

In a defiant speech, Alexander Lukashenko addresses supporters in Independence Square, Minsk, where he claims Belarus would “die as a state” if new elections were held, and accuses NATO of “massing on the border”. Opposition critics say most of those at the rally were coerced into attending and had been bussed in from other parts of the country. (Sky News)

The Belarusian Ambassador to Slovakia, Igor Leshchenya, defects to the opposition after posting a video declaring his support for the protests. (The Independent)

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak sign an agreement in Warsaw to redeploy about 1,000 U.S. troops from Germany to Poland so as to bring the total to 5,500. The agreement also includes a potential increase to 20,000 U.S. troops if Poland is under threat. (BBC)

The MSC Grandiosa disembarks from Genoa, Italy, on a seven-day cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, the first major cruise ship to sail in the Sea in almost five months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (BBC)

The number of deaths from COVID-19 in India surpass 50,000. (Hindustan Times)

The number of daily new COVID-19 cases in South Korea tops 200 for the first time in five months, with 279 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The cases are traced to several conservative churches in the Seoul Capital Area. (Reuters)

Hundreds of protesters at the Plaza de Colón in Madrid demand the government to rescind the compulsory wearing of face masks in public, which had been imposed following the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in July. Protesters claim that such restrictions are an attempt by the government to curtail people’s freedoms. (AFP via The Straits Times)

The End

Sunday, Aug. 16th, 2020

Antifa militants, far-right groups, and pro-Confederacy groups clash at Stone Mountain, near the city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. (The Daily Beast) (CBS News) 

Right-wing group members of the Proud Boys clash with counter-protesters in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with police carrying out several arrests. (AP)

Russia announces the production of the first batch of its Sputnik V vaccine. (Hindustan Times)

President Cyril Ramaphosa announces a plan to ease nearly all restrictions on the economy from Monday, August 17, including lifting a controversial ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco that had been imposed since July, as infections “reaches the peak”. (BBC)

https://www.theweek.com/speedreads/930249/4-surprising-reasons-scientists-think-asymptomatic-coronavirus-cases-are-common

The number of daily new COVID-19 cases in South Korea tops 200 for the first time in five months, with 279 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The cases are linked to clusters traced to several conservative churches in the Seoul Capital Area. (Reuters)

Russia says it is “ready to assist Belarus in accordance with a collective military pact if necessary” as opposition leader in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya calls for a massive march. (Reuters)

Extreme heat, fires continue to plague California 

Searing heat and wildfires continued to plague California on Saturday, with the former prompting another round of rolling blackouts in parts of the state to help relieve the larger grid. The heat wave that is expected to affect most western states through next week is one of the most intense in years. Meanwhile, the explosive Loyalton Fire north of Lake Tahoe has burned through about 20,000 acres and is only 5 percent contained. On Saturday, it formed into a rare phenomenon known as a fire tornado, which the National Weather Service called “extremely dangerous fire behavior.” Mandatory evacuations are in place for three counties in the surrounding area as the blaze continues to burn. Source: Fox News

FDA authorizes potentially pandemic-changing saliva test  The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday issued an emergency use authorization for the SalivaDirect COVID-19 diagnostic test developed by the Yale School of Public Health in partnership with the National Basketball Association. The test processes saliva to rapidly determine whether a person has been infected with the coronavirus and does not require any type of swab or specific collection device. Andy Slavitt, a former acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Obama administration, said the test has a chance to become one of the first “major game changers in fighting the pandemic.” He praised the physical comfort level of the test, as well its affordability, turnaround time, and accuracy, noting that it could come in handy for schools, universities, and office buildings. Source: The Week

 

The End