Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Nigerian health officials say they received the 200 ventilators promised by US President Donald Trump in April to help the country in its fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
- AMERICAS: Former US Vice President Joe Biden named California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate for November’s presidential election.
- ASIA: New Zealand’s new coronavirus outbreak forced the government to delay the dissolution of parliament just five weeks ahead of the next general election which the opposition party now wants to delay.
- EUROPE: EU Foreign Ministers are set to meet this week to discuss sanctions against Belarus following the country’s recent disputed election and violent crackdown down on protesters, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said.
- MIDDLE EAST: Israel’s military said it conducted overnight attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after the recent launching of incendiary balloons from across the shared border with the territory.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: A Texas court ruled that Apple must pay more than $500 million in damages and interest for infringements of 4G patents held by intellectual property company PanOptis.
Top Story
- United Kingdom: Economy declines by record 20% as unemployment fears grow.
- The UK’s economy saw a 20.4% quarter-on-quarter drop in the April to June period, which is the worst decline the country’s economy has seen since records began in 1955, as the country grapples with the fallout of the global coronavirus pandemic.
- Since the UK’s economy saw a 2.2% contraction in the first three months of the year, the latest statistics mean the British economy has been pushed into a recession for the first time since 2009.
- The latest figures mean the UK suffered the worst economic hit from the coronavirus in Europe and among other leading economies including the US, Germany, France and Italy.
- The UK also saw the most number of coronavirus deaths in Europe, with the official coronavirus-related death toll standing at 46,611 deaths.
- Reporting: DPA, Reuters, WSJ, BBC, AP
Africa
- Mali: Thousands of people took to the streets of capital Bamako to once again hold protests against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and demand his resignation despite international mediation efforts to resolve the country’s political crisis. (Reuters)
- Mauritius: Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth said he expects compensation from the Japanese shipping company responsible for the oil spill off the island nation’s coast. (UPI)
- Nigeria: Health officials say they received the 200 ventilators promised by US President Donald Trump in April to help the country in its fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
Americas
- Region: Indigenous groups living at the headwaters of the Amazon river called upon European banks to stop funding oil development in the region due to the threat it poses to them and the damage it causes to the region’s fragile ecosystem. (Guardian)
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro dismissed reports of fires in the Amazon rainforest as “lies” even though data produced by his own government showed thousands of fires are surging across the region. (Reuters)
- Colombia: The National Electoral Council launched an investigation into whether President Ivan Duque and his party violated campaign financing rules during the 2018 election. (AFP)
- Mexico: Emilio Lozoya, the former head of state-run oil company Pemex, accused former President Enrique Pena Nieto of accepting money from scandal-marred Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht during his 2012 election campaign, in what is turning into a widening corruption scandal. (DPA)
- United States: Former Vice President Joe Biden named California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate for November’s presidential election. (AP)
Asia
- China: Hong Kong’s government says it will end its extradition agreements with France and Germany after the two European countries made the same move to protest shrinking freedoms in the city. (AFP)
- India: Three people died in the city of Bangalore after police clashed with crowds protesting against an allegedly blasphemous Facebook post about the Prophet Muhammad. (BBC)
- New Zealand: The country’s new coronavirus outbreak forced the government to delay the dissolution of parliament just five weeks ahead of the next general election which the opposition party now wants to delay. (Guardian)
- Philippines: A group of the country’s scientists are set to meet with representatives of the Russian researchers behind Moscow’s coronavirus vaccine to discuss possible participation in clinical trials and access to its research data. (Reuters)
- Taiwan: US Health Chief Alex Azar ended his trip to the country with a visit to late President Lee Teng-hui’s shrine where he praised his role in steering the island’s transition to democracy. (AFP)
Europe
- Region: EU Foreign Ministers are set to meet this week to discuss sanctions against Belarus following the country’s recent disputed election and violent crackdown down on protesters, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said. (Reuters)
- Belgium: The country’s capital Brussels region made it mandatory to wear face masks in public, as the country battles one of the most serious coronavirus outbreaks in the continent. (AFP)
- Germany: The country saw its biggest daily increase in new coronavirus cases in more than three months, as Health Minister Jens Spahn warned of outbreaks in nearly all parts of the country due to holiday returnees and party-goers. (Reuters)
- The Netherlands: Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said the government plans to introduce mandatory home quarantine for people who have come in close contact with someone infected with the new coronavirus, as well as for travelers returning from high-risk countries. (AP)
Middle East
- Israel: The military said it conducted overnight attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after the recent launching of incendiary balloons from across the shared border with the territory. (AFP)
- Lebanon: People in Beirut held a vigil for the more than 200 victims of the huge explosion that devastated the city’s port a week ago. (BBC)
- United Arab Emirates: The government ended its entry restriction for foreign residents that required foreign residents currently overseas to seek approval before returning to the country. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: A Texas court ruled that Apple must pay more than $500 million in damages and interest for infringements of 4G patents held by intellectual property company PanOptis. (AFP)
World
- Cyclones:
- Tropical Storm Mekkhala
- Location: 216 nautical miles W-SW of Taipei, Taiwan
- Wind: 80 mph
- Movement: N-NW at 13 mph
- Map
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Depression Eleven
- Location: 1405 miles E-SE of the Northern Leeward Islands
- Wind: 35 mph
- Movement: W at 13 mph
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 12AUG20: 20,307,862
- Total Recovered Cases as of 12AUG20: 12,602,544
- Deaths as of 12AUG20: 741,737
- 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 08AUG20: 75
- Probable Cases as of 08AUG20: 4
- Deaths as of 08AUG20: 33
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Tropical Depression Eleven
- Tropical Storm Mekkhala
Tomorrow’s Outlook (13AUG20)
- Australia: The government will release employment data.
- Lebanon: Parliament is expected to meet and discuss the aftermath of the recent port blast and subsequent political fallout.
- Singapore: Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will visit and meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
- Slovenia: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to visit and meet with President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša.
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