Key Storylines
- AFRICA: A judge ruled that South Africa’s ex-president Jacob Zuma will be released from jail next week to attend a long-running corruption case in person.
- AMERICAS: Talks between Nicolas Maduro’s government and the Venezuelan opposition are expected to begin in Mexico on August 13.
- ASIA: Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations Kyaw Moe Tun, has alerted the world body to a “reported massacre” by the military junta.
- EUROPE: Ukrainian police said that a war veteran, who threatened to detonate a hand grenade inside the government building in Kiev, has been detained.
- MIDDLE EAST: A UK maritime agency said that the suspicious hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Oman has ended, and the vessel is safe.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The Centre for Information Resilience has uncovered a network of more than 350 fake social media profiles disseminating pro-China narratives and attempting to discredit those seen as opponents of China’s government.
Top Story
- Lebanon: Clashes between protesters and police take place on anniversary of Beirut blast
- The Lebanese Red Cross announced that eighty-four people were injured in clashes between riot police and protesters during demonstrations near the parliament building.
- Police responded by firing tear gas and beating demonstrators with batons.
- The demands from the protesters are lifting political immunity for those responsible and holding a transparent investigation into the blasts.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said that Lebanon’s leaders “owe their people the truth” about the massive blast that claimed hundreds of lives in Beirut last year.
- According to a statement from Lebanon’s presidency, President Michel Aoun said that Lebanon is going through its “most difficult time,” calling for urgent help from the international community.
- US President Joe Biden promised $100 million in new aid for Lebanon as he pressed the nation to undergo reforms.
- Xinhua, Al Jazeera, AP, AFP, Xinhua2, AFP2
Africa
- Nigeria: Amnesty International accused security forces of using excessive force and killing at least 115 people in a crackdown on separatists in the southeast. (AFP)
- South Africa: A judge ruled that ex-president Jacob Zuma will be released from jail next week to attend a long-running corruption case in person. (AFP)
- DR Congo: The doctors’ union in the country called off a three-week strike over pay that had brought hospitals to a standstill during its third wave of coronavirus. (AFP)
- Sudan: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok about the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and agreed to push for negotiations leading to a ceasefire. (Reuters)
Americas
- Region: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it may deny visas to current or former Central American government officials accused of corruption. (Reuters)
- Haiti: The head of Miami-based CTU Security, who hired the Colombian bodyguards accused of killing president Jovenel Moise, denied any involvement in the assassination and blamed the president’s own bodyguards. (Reuters)
- United States: The White House announced a plan to reopen borders only to foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (AFP)
- Venezuela: Talks between Nicolas Maduro’s government and the opposition are expected to begin in Mexico on August 13. (Reuters)
Asia
- North Korea: The government has instituted flood prevention measures in major rice farming areas in the southwest amid forecasts of heavy rain. (Yonhap)
- Thailand: The country reported a daily record 20,920 coronavirus cases. (Reuters)
- Pakistan: The country’s national security advisor said that Afghanistan’s government and the Taliban must both compromise and reach a peace settlement amid a US troop withdrawal. (AFP)
- Myanmar: The country’s ambassador to the United Nations Kyaw Moe Tun, has alerted the world body to a “reported massacre” by the military junta. (AFP)
- Indonesia: The country’s coronavirus death toll topped 100,000 as it struggles to control the spread of the Delta variant. (AFP)
Europe
- Greece: Over 150 houses have been destroyed in a wildfire on the island of Evia, as monks in the local Saint David Monastery have refused to evacuate. (The Guardian)
- Ukraine: Police said that a war veteran, who threatened to detonate a hand grenade inside the government building in Kiev, has been detained. (AFP)
- Russia: The OSCE stated that it will not send observers to the country for next month’s general election due to limitations imposed by authorities. (AFP)
- United Kingdom: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed to present the country as a “dialogue partner” now that it has left the European Union. (Kyodo News)
- France: Dozens of restaurants in the western region of Brittany defied controversial rules requiring them to check whether diners have been vaccinated, tested negative for Covid-19 or recovered from the virus before serving them. (AFP)
Middle East
- Region: A British security guard killed in a drone attack on a ship off the coast of Oman, allegedly by Iran, has been named. (BBC)
- Region: A UK maritime agency said that the suspicious hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Oman has ended, and the vessel is safe. (AFP)
- Syria: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons demanded more information about the reported recent destruction of two chlorine cylinders that had been linked to a 2018 deadly attack in the town of Douma. (AP)
- Iran: The country’s total COVID-19 infections have exceeded four million after a new record of nearly 40,000 daily cases. (Xinhua)
- Lebanon: Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit urged political factions to save the country from its ongoing crisis. (Xinhua)
Tech & Communications
- Tech: The Centre for Information Resilience has uncovered a network of more than 350 fake social media profiles disseminating pro-China narratives and attempting to discredit those seen as opponents of China’s government. (BBC)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 05AUG21)
- Confirmed cases: 200,370,643
- Deaths: 4,259,874
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 05AUG21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (06AUG21)
- Russia: Joint military exercise with India in Volgograd. (to 12AUG)
- Bolivia: Independence Day.
- Jamaica: Independence Day.
- Global: Anniversary of first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
- Turkmenistan: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to visit Turkmenistan, meet with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
- Global: 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
- Asia: ASEAN Regional Forum of Foreign Ministers (Virtual)
- United States: Secretary of State Blinken concludes participation in five virtual ASEAN ministerial meetings.
- Global: G20 Research Ministerial Meeting
END
