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

 

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Saturday,  Aug 15th, 2020

President Alexander Lukashenko issues an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he considers the protests “not a threat to just Belarus anymore”. Statements by both sides contained a pointed reference to the Union State between the two countries. Meanwhile, opposition candidate leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is exiled in Lithuania, calls for more protests. (Reuters)

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen mandates the wearing of face masks on all public transport in the country, effective August 22, in an effort to control the spread of the virus. (AFP via Daily Sabah)

South Korea reports 166 new cases of COVID-19. From that number, 139 were traced to Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and a significant portion of them were linked to cluster infections involving churchgoers. It is the highest number of reported new cases since March 11. (Kyodo News)

After a spike in new cases, the government decides to tighten social distancing measures in Seoul and surrounding areas. Many measures that are to be implemented include restricting numbers of gatherings and sports events played behind closed doors. (Tempo)

Minister of State Owned Enterprises and chief of the COVID-19 recovery team, Erick Thohir, announces that the government would bar foreign visitors until the completion of a vaccine. Indonesian scientists are testing a COVID-19 vaccine with Sinovac Biotech, which Thohir says is likely to be completed next year. (Kyodo News)

Algeria begins to reopen their mosques, beaches, cafes, and parks five months after their lockdown. (ABC News)

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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