Portal:Current events/2020 August 6

August 6, 2020 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The Philippine economy falls into recession for the first time in 29 years after the economy shrank by 16.5% in the April to June quarter from the same period last year, which is the biggest slump in the government's quarterly GDP data dating back to 1981. (CNA)
China–United States trade war
- Invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, U.S. President Donald Trump issues several executive orders barring firms and American citizens from trading and doing financial transactions with Chinese technology companies ByteDance and Tencent, effectively banning their respective apps TikTok and WeChat within the United States. The orders are set to go into effect in 45 days. (Reuters)
Trump tariffs
- Trump implements a tariff of 10% on aluminum imports from Canada, pursuant to Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act. The United States previously imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum in 2018 citing national security concerns, before removing them last year as part of the USCMA Free Trade Agreement. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau vows "dollar-for-dollar" countermeasures. (CBC)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Beirut explosions, 2019–2020 Lebanese protests
- Security forces fired tear gas to disperse dozens of anti-government protesters in Beirut calling for the Lebanese government's resignation near the parliament building. Several people were wounded in the clashes. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

International relations

Belarus–United States relations, 2020 Belarusian presidential election
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says security forces have arrested "a number of" U.S. citizens, just days before the country goes to the polls for a presidential election. In the speech, Lukashenko claims Belarus is the victim of a "hybrid war", and that "we should expect dirty tricks from any side". (Reuters)
Egypt–Greece relations
- Egypt and Greece sign a bilateral agreement which establishes a new exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Eastern Mediterranean between the two countries. The agreement prompts anger from Turkey, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry describing the deal as "null and void". (Ekathimerini) (Anadolu Agency)

Law and crime

Canada–China relations
- A court in China sentences a Canadian man to death on drug charges. His alleged accomplice receives life imprisonment. Police had confiscated 120 kilograms (266 pounds) of ketamine from the defendant's home. He is the third Canadian citizen to receive the death sentence for drug smuggling since Canadian authorities arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in late 2018 on an extradition request from the United States. (AP)
Two security alerts are triggered in Belfast aimed at the newly formed East Belfast GAA team. The bomb threats are later deemed as hoaxes aiming to destabilize the team which is aiming to bring together both sides of the political divide. (BBC News)
Former Saudi Ministry of the Interior official Saad bin Khalid Al Jabry accuses Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of attempting to assassinate him in Canada, where he currently lives in exile, two weeks after the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The would-be assassins, believed to be the Tiger Squad, were stopped at Toronto Pearson International Airport after Canadian border officials became suspicious of them following interviews. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani appoints public administrator Mohamed Ould Bilal as Prime Minister after the government of previous Prime Minister Ismail Ould Bedde Ould Cheikh Sidiya resigned hours earlier. (Al Jazeera)
Minister of Defense of Peru Walter Martos is named the new Prime Minister after the approval of the motion of no-confidence against Pedro Cateriano. (Expreso)

Science and technology

Twitter says it will label state media, official government accounts and their staff. State-funded media outlets with "editorial independence", such as the National Public Radio in the U.S., or BBC in the UK, will not be among those labelled, according to a spokesman for the social media site. (Reuters)