Portal:Current events/2020 August 28

August 28, 2020 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- August 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - Thirteen people are killed and two others injured after two bombs explode in Spin Boldak, Kandahar. (TOLOnews)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador
  - The International Monetary Fund reaches an agreement with the government of Ecuador to lend $6.5 billion to help fund the country's economy amid the pandemic and the subsequent fall in oil prices and finalize a debt restructuring deal with its international investors. (Financial Times)

Disasters and accidents

MV Wakashio oil spill
- The death toll of dolphins in Mauritius rises to 38, according to a government official. The dolphins showed signs of wounds but no trace of hydrocarbons in their bodies. Greenpeace urged yesterday the government to launch an "urgent investigation to determine the cause of the deaths and any ties to the Wakashio oil spill". (Reuters)
Officials in Niger say that floods have killed 45 people and displaced more than 226,000 people since Monday, after torrential rains caused the Niger River to overflow. Prime Minister Brigi Rafini pledges aid. (AP)
A polar bear kills a 38-year-old Dutch man at campsite near Longyearbyen, on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The bear was then shot dead near Svalbard Airport. It is the first fatal bear attack on Svalbard since a British student was attacked and killed in 2011. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      - Michigan surpasses 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. (MLive.com)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - Canada extends emergency orders that place restrictions on international travel and make mandatory two-week quarantines for anyone entering the country until September 30. (Global News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India reports more than 77,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide total to more than 3.38 million, the highest single day spike for the country for the second consecutive day, and the highest single day caseload in the world apart from the United States. (The Washington Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports 3,003 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide total to 165,887. This is a new record high for the second consecutive day since the pandemic began in the country. (detikHealth)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announces that the country's level 2 restrictions, set to expire on August 30, would be extended for at least another week until September 6 as the Ministry of Health and Welfare reports over 370 new infections over the past 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - The health ministry says that France is seeing an "exponential" rise in cases as the country records its second-highest record of reported cases since March, with 7,379 new cases in the last 24 hours, raising the possibility of another nationwide lockdown. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - The Ministry of Citizen Protection announces changes to Greece's travel restrictions, effective August 31 until at least September 19, due to a rise in cases in recent weeks. Changes include requiring visitors from a list of countries to show a negative test result to enter and a suspension of flights to and from Catalonia, Spain, but lifting restrictions on the Netherlands. (Reuters via CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - Hungary announces that it will close its borders to foreigners on September 1 in an attempt to curb a rise in infections, and Hungarians returning from abroad will have to go into two-week quarantine. Hungarians can only leave if they have provided two negative tests. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Malawi
  - The government announces that the Lilongwe International Airport and all public schools in the country will reopen on September 1 and 7, respectively, following a reported significant decrease in new cases and deaths. (Anadolu Agency)

International relations

Norway–Russia relations
- The Russian foreign ministry announces the expulsion of a senior diplomat at the Norwegian embassy in Moscow and declared him persona non grata as a "retaliatory measure" after the Norwegian foreign ministry had expelled the deputy trade representative of the Russian embassy in Oslo on August 19 for alleged espionage. (AFP via The Moscow Times)
European Union–Turkey relations, Greece–Turkey relations
- Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell threatens Turkey with sanctions unless it and Greece reconcile their differences over maritime borders and gas drilling rights near Cyprus. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

George Floyd protests
- 50,000 people gather in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 1963 civil rights march and in protest against police violence. The event is called the "Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks", a reference to George Floyd's killing. The relatives of Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Eric Garner deliver speeches at the march alongside civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III. (BBC News)
Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- An administrative court in Berlin overturns the city government's ban on protests and demonstrations, citing "no indication" that the government's rationale for the ban of protesters breaching social distancing measures would occur. (AFP via Bangkok Post)
Essex lorry deaths
- A 40-year-old haulier from County Armagh, Northern Ireland, pleads guilty in the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales to the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese people, as well as conspiring to assist unlawful immigration. (AAP via Wellington Times)
Egyptian authorities arrest Mahmoud Ezzat, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was serving a sentence in absentia and was detained in a hideout in Cairo. (Al Arabiya)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says that the life of top Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is "at serious risk" after receiving multiple death threats via phone calls and social media. His hospital is located in the middle of a conflict zone and the Congolese government pledged to protect him after he survived an assassination attempt years ago. (Reuters)
A Pakistani court sentences three leaders of Jamat-ud-Dawa to between one and 16 years in prison for helping coordinate the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The sentences come as the deadline for the country to avoid getting placed on the Financial Action Task Force blacklist approaches. (Reuters)
Rioting erupts in Malmö, Sweden, following a Quran book burning event by far-right Danish politician Rasmus Paludan in the city. Police say as many as 300 people gathered to protest the anti-Islam activities, which then became violent as protesters set fires and attacked police. (Reuters)
The Brazilian Ministry of Health announces expansions to the country's abortion laws regarding cases of pregnancy from rape, which include requiring the victim to provide "a detailed account" to doctors, a report to police, and the victim being "expressly warned" of the possibility of prosecution for fraud for false or unverified claims. Chamber of Deputies minority leader Jandira Feghali filed a bill in response to block the decree, claiming it "constitutes psychological violence against women". (AFP via The Straits Times)

Politics and elections

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe announces his intention to resign due to his deteriorating health. (CNN) (Kyodo News)
Prime Minister of Libya Fayez al-Sarraj, of the Government of National Accord in Tripoli, suspends Minister of Interior Fathi Bashagha from duties. Sarraj says Bashaga will be investigated over a violent crackdown on street protests. (Reuters)

Science and technology

American neurotechnology company Neuralink unveils a pig, named "Gertrude", that has been living with a brain-implanted chip for two months at an event in San Francisco. (Reuters)