Portal:Current events/2020 August 22

August 22, 2020 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Afghan peace process, August 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - At least 14 security forces are killed across Afghanistan in attacks in Takhar, Badakhshan, and Kabul. The Taliban claims responsibility for the first two attacks but denies involvement in Kabul's. The group reiterated that it will not enter peace talks with the government until all prisoners are released. (Al Jazeera)
2020 Democratic Republic of the Congo massacres
- Suspected Islamist militants kill 13 people during raids on two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the army and a village chief report. It is the latest of such attacks that the United Nations says may be war crimes. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have killed more than 1,000 people since 2019, according to UN figures. (Reuters)
Colombian conflict
- Three massacres kill 28 people, in Arauca, Cauca, and Nariño. These complete a week with five massacres, adding up to more than 33 this year. Gangs are believed to be responsible for nearly 80 percent of massacres in Colombia this year, the vast majority of them occurring in departments with illegal coca-producing enclaves. (Colombia Reports) (Buenos Aires Times)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Atlantic hurricane season
- Two simultaneous tropical storms, Laura and Marco, threaten Gulf Coast residents in the coming days. Laura is currently over Puerto Rico, while Marco is making its way through the Yucatan Channel. This would mark the first time in over 60 years in which two tropical storms were active simultaneously in the Gulf of Mexico. (CNN) (CNN²)
COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
- At least 13 people are killed after police raid a nightclub in Lima for breaching restrictions that were imposed in response to the pandemic. Police report that a stampede occurred as patrons tried to escape, resulting in casualties, while others were killed due to asphyxiation. (Reuters via Hindustan Times)
A cargo aircraft crashes upon takeoff from Juba International Airport in Juba, South Sudan, en route to the cities of Aweil and Wau, killing at least 17 people. (Xinhua)

Health and environment

International relations

A 90-minute meeting held between delegates representing the Economic Community of West African States and leaders of the recent coup d'état in Mali over a return to civilian rule is cut short to 20 minutes for unknown reasons. (Reuters)

Law and crime

George Floyd Protests
- George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon
  - Department of Homeland Security officers force demonstrators out of a plaza near Multnomah County Justice Center as dueling demonstrations in Portland, Oregon by right-wing and left-wing protesters turn violent. Images show hundreds of people involved, many of them wearing helmets and carrying makeshift shields. Some demonstrators appeared to use pepper spray and at least one person appeared to pull a gun, but no arrests have been made so far. (NBC News)
- George Floyd protests in Michigan
  - Forty people are arrested while protesting Operation Legend in Detroit. Police also used tear gas and pepper spray on the crowd of about 100 people. (WDIV)
Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok says that Sudan is ready to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to facilitate the international body access to alleged war criminals over the Darfur War, including former ruler Omar al-Bashir. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, 2020 United States Postal Service crisis
  - In a 257–150 vote, the House of Representatives approves a bill that would reverse changes to the operations of the Postal Service implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, amid a series of backlogs and delays in the delivery of mail following his appointment in June. The bill also aims to provide the agency financial support worth $25 billion in preparation for an expected surge in postal voting in the upcoming election due to the pandemic. (AP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
2020 Ivorian presidential election
- Incumbent President Alassane Ouattara is formally chosen by his party, the Rally of the Republicans, to run for a third term in the October election. However, opposition and civil society groups claim the move is unconstitutional, as the Constitution limits a president to only two terms. (France 24)
2020 Northern Territory general election
- Australia's Northern Territory re-elects the incumbent Labor Party government. (ABC)
Alexei Navalny is admitted to the Charité hospital in Berlin, Germany, following a medical evacuation flight from Omsk, Russia. The chairman of the Cinema for Peace Foundation, which organized the evacuation, says the comatose Russian opposition leader is in a "stable condition". (CNN)