Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced the new constitution will be put up for a referendum vote on 01 November 2020, meeting the demands made by the protest movement that ousted veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika last year.
- AMERICAS: Honduran Finance Minister Marco Midence said he tested positive for coronavirus, despite recently securing the position.
- ASIA: India’s coronavirus infections surged past 4.2 million as it passed Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of cases.
- EUROPE: In Montenegro tens of thousands of people protested the Serbian national symbols used by pro-Serbian opposition parties that declared victory in the recent elections.
- MIDDLE EAST: The US Navy is searching for a sailor who went missing from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during a patrol of the northern Arabian Sea amid tensions with Iran.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: China will conduct intensive satellite launches for its space-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) network in 2021, sources within China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) reported.
Top Story
- Europe: Brexit talks continue between the United Kingdom and the European Union as the chances of a no-deal Brexit increase.
- British ministers are planning to introduce new legislation that would override requirements for new Northern Ireland customs arrangements, an essential part of last year’s European Union (EU) withdrawal agreement.
- The European Union’s Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier stated that negotiations on future relations were difficult and declined to comment on a report Britain was planning to override parts of the withdrawal deal.
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain could walk away from the talks within weeks and added that a no-deal exit would be a “good outcome for the U.K.”
- Environment Secretary George Eustice claimed the UK was not ignoring the withdrawal agreement and that the new law was to address “loose ends” where the prior agreement was too ambiguous.
- Britain will resolve its current disagreements with the EU about the Northern Ireland protocol but is considering “fall back options,” a government spokesperson said after a report suggested ministers were considering undermining the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
- Reporting: BBC, Reuters, AP, The Guardian, Reuters
Africa
- Algeria: President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced the new constitution will be put up for a referendum vote on 01 November 2020, meeting the demands made by the protest movement that ousted veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika last year. (Reuters)
- Central African Republic: The nation’s bishops denounced the armed groups fighting in the country in an open letter released to the public, ahead of December’s presidential elections. (AFP)
- Mauritius: Japan told the nation it will aid them on an “unprecedented scale,” Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated after a Japanese-owned ship struck a coral reef off its southeast coast causing a massive oil spill. (Reuters)
Americas
- Bolivia: The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) announced steps to guarantee the voting process for citizens living in 30 countries to prepare for the 18 October presidential election. (Xinhua)
- Honduras: Finance Minister Marco Midence said he tested positive for coronavirus, despite securing the position of Finance Minister recently. (Reuters)
- Mexico: The Health Ministry reported 4,614 new coronavirus cases, bringing its national total to 634,023 cases. (Xinhua)
Asia
- India: The nation’s coronavirus infections surged past 4.2 million as it passed Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of cases. (Reuters)
- Indonesia: Almost 300 Rohingya Muslim refugees were discovered on a beach in Indonesia’s Aceh province and were evacuated by military, police, and Red Cross volunteers, authorities reported. (AP)
- Japan: The government needs to reform its health ministry after the coronavirus pandemic decreases, Chief Cabinet Secretary and Prime Minister hopeful Yoshihide Suga said in a newspaper interview. (Reuters)
- South Korea: Typhoon Haishen made landfall in Ulsan, north of South Korea’s second-largest city Busan, hitting the country with heavy rains and strong winds, the weather agency said. (YNA)
Europe
- Germany: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the nation increased by 814 to 250,799, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases reported. (Reuters)
- Montenegro: Tens of thousands of people protested the Serbian national symbols used by pro-Serbian opposition parties that declared victory in recent elections. (RFE)
- United Kingdom: A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and seven counts of attempted murder in the aftermath of a series of stabbings in Birmingham city center, West Midlands police reported. (The Guardian)
Middle East
- Region: The US Navy is searching for a sailor who went missing from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during a patrol of the northern Arabian Sea amid tensions with Iran. (AP)
- Lebanon: The nation’s number of coronavirus infections increased by 415 cases to 20,426, while the death toll rose by 04 to 191, the Health Ministry announced. (Xinhua)
- Saudi Arabia: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and United States President Donald Trump talked up the efforts of the Group of 20 (G20) to combat coronavirus during a phone call, Saudi Press Agency reported. (Xinhua)
- Yemen: More than 20 people died during fighting in the northern province of Al-Jawf as government troops tried to take back positions lost months ago to Houthi rebels. (AFP)
Tech & Communications
- Telecommunications: China will conduct intensive satellite launches for the country’s space-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) network in 2021, sources within China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) reported. (Xinhua)
World
- Cyclones:
- Super Typhoon Haishen
- Location: 38.3 N 129 E
- Movement: N at 29 mph
- Wind: 70mph
- Map
- Super Typhoon Haishen
- Hurricanes:
- Earthquakes:
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 06SEP20: 27,115,056
- Total Recovered Cases as of 06SEP20: 18,133,725
- Deaths as of 06SEP20: 889,037
- Countries with Confirmed Cases: 188
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: DR Congo (11th Ebola outbreak figures from Equateur Province)
- Confirmed Cases as of 30AUG20: 103
- Probable Cases as of 30AUG20: 6
- Deaths as of 30AUG20: 47
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
Tomorrow’s Outlook (08SEP20)
- Asia-Pacific: Japan to ease coronavirus travel restrictions to allow long-term residents from Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Taiwan to return to the country.
- Europe: Next round of trade negotiations between the EU and the UK.
- Europe: End of the period of consultations on the EU’s Digital Services Act.
- Europe: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to visit Lebanon.
- Europe: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
- Algeria: Journalist Khaled Drareni’s case to be decided in court.
- Egypt: Runoff Senate election.
- Jordan: The nation will resume international flights.
- Nigeria: National Association of Nigerian Students to hold mass demonstrations against an increase in petrol, stamp, and electricity prices.
- South Africa: Former President Jacob Zuma due in court to face corruption charges.
END