Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Army colonel Assimi Goita claimed leadership of Mali’s new junta, as the junta’s spokesman reassured the public that daily life could now resume.
- AMERICAS: US Senator Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for Vice President.
- ASIA: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for a rare congress of the ruling Workers’ Party in January aimed at addressing policy “shortcomings” and establishing a new five-year plan for his country’s stagnant economy.
- EUROPE: Poland’s Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz submitted his resignation, which marks the fourth high-level departure this week from the country’s ruling government.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iranian authorities inaugurated a new cruise missile, as well as a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 1,400 km.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: China said Taiwan’s recent allegations of being hacked by groups linked to the Chinese government were “malicious slander”.
Top Story
- Russia: Opposition leader Alexei Navalny allegedly poisoned.
- Opposition politician Alexei Navalny is in a coma after being “poisoned by something mixed” in his tea, Navalny’s spokeswoman said.
- Navalny, who also led anti-corruption campaigns and is one of President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics, lost consciousness during a flight which then had to make an emergency landing in the city of Omsk.
- Navalny was then admitted to a hospital in Omsk, where he currently remains in a stable but serious condition.
- Doctors at the hospital say they are considering a variety of diagnosis, including poisoning, but refused to give any further details.
- Meanwhile, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported that police were not considering deliberate poisoning.
- Reporting: AP, BBC, WSJ, Reuters, WaPo, AFP, NYT
Africa
- Region: The Kenyan Foreign Ministry said it secured the release of journalist Yassin Juma from an Ethiopian prison, where he was being held without charge for over a month, and had fallen ill with COVID-19. (AFP)
- Egypt: Supporters of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won the vast majority of declared seats in the newly created Senate, official first round results and media reports showed. (Reuters)
- Libya: The UN’s refugee agency said at least 45 migrants and refugees, including five children, died in the deadliest shipwreck off the country’s coast this year. (BBC)
- Mali: Army colonel Assimi Goita claimed leadership of the country’s new junta, as the junta’s spokesman reassured the public that daily life could now resume. (Reuters)
- Nigeria: The army said it remains in “full control” of the northeastern town of Kukawa, where some reports say hundreds of people have been taken hostage by jihadists. (AFP)
Americas
- Brazil: Airline magnates German and Jose Efromovich, who are the biggest shareholders in Colombian airline Avianca, were arrested by authorities as part of the country’s sweeping anti-corruption “Operation Car Wash” probe. (AFP)
- Colombia: Former FARC rebels started testifying before a special court over allegations that FARC recruited child soldiers to fight its guerrilla war against the government. (AFP)
- Mexico: Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the government told Russia it would like to carry out phase 3 testing of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine in the country. (Reuters)
- Trinidad & Tobago: Prime Minister Keith Rowley started his second term in office after he and his revamped Cabinet were sworn in. (VOA)
- United States: Senator Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for Vice President. (Reuters)
Asia
- China: The Foreign Ministry says Hong Kong will suspend its agreement on mutual legal assistance with the United States, in response to Washington ending some agreements with Hong Kong. (Reuters)
- North Korea: The country’s leader Kim Jong Un called for a rare congress of the ruling Workers’ Party in January aimed at addressing policy “shortcomings” and establishing a new five-year plan for the country’s stagnant economy. (AFP)
- South Korea: Health authorities say the coronavirus is back “in full swing” and spreading nationwide after members of a church attended a political demonstration. (Reuters)
- Thailand: Police arrested seven pro-democracy activists as the authorities crackdown on a growing protest movement against the government. (AP)
Europe
- France: The country recorded 3,776 new COVID-19 infections marking another post-lockdown spike in cases, but President Emmanuel Macron ruled out imposing another national lockdown. (Reuters)
- Germany: The country recorded its highest daily increase in new coronavirus cases since April, with official figures showing 1,707 new cases of the virus in the past 24 hours. (AFP)
- Greece: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis dismissed the reports of Athens illegally pushing back asylum-seekers at sea and accused neighboring Turkey of peddling “misinformation” about Athens’ “tough but fair” border management policies. (AFP)
- Poland: Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz submitted his resignation, which marks the fourth high-level departure this week from the country’s ruling government. (AP)
Middle East
- Iran: Authorities inaugurated a new cruise missile, as well as a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 1,400 km. (Reuters)
- Israel: The army says their tanks shelled Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip in retaliation to continued waves of incendiary balloons being launched from the territory. (AFP)
- United Arab Emirates: The country could reportedly buy F-35 fighter jets from the US in a side agreement to its recent overtures towards Israel. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Cyberwarfare: China said Taiwan’s recent allegations of being hacked by groups linked to the Chinese government were “malicious slander”. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones:
- Tropical Storm Higos
- Location: 67 nautical miles W of Hong Kong
- Wind: 45 mph
- Movement: NW at 10 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Higos
- Hurricanes:
- Hurricane Genevieve
- Location: 190 miles S of Baja California
- Wind: 115 mph
- Movement: N-NW at 9 mph
- Map
- Hurricane Genevieve
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 20AUG20: 22,427,054
- Total Recovered Cases as of 20AUG20: 14,349,473
- Deaths as of 20AUG20: 788,015
- 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 15AUG20: 84
- Probable Cases as of 15AUG20: 4
- Deaths as of 15AUG20: 36
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
Tomorrow’s Outlook (21AUG20)
- Global: International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism – 2018
- Europe: EU and British officials to hold Brexit discussions.
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