2020 Belarusian protests President Alexander Lukashenko issues an appeal to Russia as he considers "it is not a threat to just Belarus anymore". Meanwhile, pro-democracy and opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is exiled in Lithuania, calls for more protests.
2020 Thai protests Student activist Parit Chiwarak was released on bail on saturday after being arrested on friday for co-organising a rally in July. He was charged with violating the Covid-19 measures and breaching internal security. Protest have been taking place in Thailand since July against the government. Parit Chiwarak has said he will continue to protest against the government and for reforms in the Thai monarchy.
Poland–United States relations U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak sign an agreement in Warsaw to redeploy about 1,000 U.S. troops from Germany to Poland so as to bring the total to 5,500. The agreement also includes a potential increase to 20,000 U.S. troops if Poland is under threat.
2020 Belarusian presidential election The leaders of the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, issue a joint statement calling on Belarus to hold a new "free and fair" election with international observers.
COVID-19 pandemic South Korea reports 166 new cases of COVID-19. From that number, 139 were traced to Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and a significant portion of them were linked to cluster infections involving churchgoers. It is the highest number of reported new cases since March 11.
Minister of State Owned Enterprises and chief of the COVID-19 recovery team, Erick Thohir, announces that the government would bar foreign visitors until the completion of the CoronaVac vaccine, which he says is likely next year.
2020 Bolivian general election On Thursday (local time) the interim government of Bolivia confirmed that the elections will be held on October 18. Anyone who tries to change the date may face penalties. Opposition parties called to have the elections sooner after the elections earlier this year were postponed because of COVID-19. Protesters have blocked streets and protested calling for the elections to take place sooner, after it was announced in July. The European Union and United Nations support the new election date.
2020 Bulgarian protests Prime Minister Boyko Borisov pledges to resign if the nation's National Assembly passes his motion to call for a constituent assembly to change the nation's constitution.
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice says Yale University is illegally discriminating against White Americans and Asian Americans in its undergraduate admissions process, following a two-year investigation into the university. A Yale spokeswoman "categorically" denies the federal accusations.
2020 Thai protests Thai police arrest a student leader over an anti-government protest last month. The student was arrested in the outskirts of Bangkok while traveling to a protest. Human Rights Watch reports that he will be charged with breaching multiple laws. Police declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
2020 Belarusian protests Amnesty International says "widespread torture" is taking place inside detention centres in Belarus, with more than 6,700 people detained since protests against Lukashenko broke out following the disputed presidential election result. Amnesty International says detainees described being stripped naked, beaten and threatened with rape. The BBC also reports evidence of torture, including at the Okrestina detention centre in Minsk.
Sanctions on Iran The United Nations Security Council has resoundingly rejected a United States bid to extend a global arms embargo on Iran. In a Security Council vote, United States only got support from the Dominican Republic for its resolution to indefinitely extend the arms embargo on Iran, leaving it far short of the minimum nine "yes" votes required for adoption. Eleven members on the 15-member body, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, abstained while Russia and China opposed extending the ban but did not need to use their vetoes.
Belarus–Lithuania relations Lithuania becomes the first EU state to openly reject the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko as President of Belarus. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says "We can not call Mister Lukashenko legitimate because there were no free democratic elections in Belarus".
Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic Germany declares all of Spain except for the Canary Islands a high risk region following a spike of COVID-19 cases in the country. Designations as risk regions are typically followed by the German Foreign Ministry warning against touristic travel to those areas and mean people returning from those areas face a test or two weeks' compulsory quarantine.
COVID-19 pandemic Education Secretary Leonor Briones suspends the commencement of the 2020–21 academic year for primary and secondary schools until October 5 due to the continuous rise of cases in the country.
Greece announces that they would limit public gatherings to 50 people and impose a midnight curfew on bars and restaurants in Athens and other areas. This measure is to last until August 24 in parts of the country where infection numbers have risen.
Amid an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases, the government of Spain closes all nightclubs and bans smoking in public sites in the event that the social distancing is not assured.
The government declares Paris and Marseilles as "active zones", or high-risk zones. The move allows local authorities in those designated areas to impose restrictions.
France reports 2,846 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, as well as more than 12,300 new cases this week, making it the highest number of cases since the lockdown was eased in May.
Moro conflict Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari surrenders Abduljihad Susukan, a sub-commander of the ISIL-affiliated Abu Sayyaf militant group, to the Philippine National Police in Davao City, following the latter's involvement in the 2015 Roseller Lim and Samal Island kidnappings and beheadings. Susukan surrendered to Misuari in April 2020.
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Islamist insurgents kill at least two police officers and injured another in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The attack comes days after the first anniversary of the revocation of Kashmir’s constitutional autonomy.
2020 Beirut explosions Parliament approves a state of emergency in Beirut and grants the military sweeping powers, such as declaring curfews, preventing public gatherings and censoring the media, as well as referring civilians to military courts over alleged security breaches. Human rights groups criticize the decision.
2020 Belarusian protests Factory workers from state-run factories joined the protest. Tens of thousands of people protested for the fifth day in a row against the election results. The protesters marched through Minsk and formed human chains.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet condemns the use of violence by Belarusian authorities against protesters, and calls for the release of all political prisoners in the country.
A 25-year-old man from the city of Gomel becomes the second protester killed since protests in Belarus against the government began. He died while in police custody, according to his family.
Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States Georgia Governor Brian Kemp drops his lawsuit against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over the city's mask mandate.
Foreign relations of Israel The United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates announce in a joint statement that Israel and the UAE will establish normalized diplomatic relations, in exchange for Israeli suspension of plans to annex occupied West Bank territory.
Greek–Turkish relations France deploys two Dassault Rafale fighter jets and the frigate "La Fayette" to the eastern Mediterranean because of tensions between Greece and Turkey over oil and gas exploration in disputed waters. French President Emmanuel Macron says the French military will monitor the situation.
Hezbollah foreign relations Lithuania labels Hezbollah a terrorist organization and bans its members from entering the country, according to a statement by the office of the foreign minister.
Iran–Saudi Arabia relations The Saudi ambassador to the United Nations, Abdul Aziz al-Wasel, calls for an extension of the arms embargo on Iran saying that Iran "smuggles weapons to militias to disturb the peace in the Middle East".
Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza signs an order requiring anyone arriving from Croatia, Greece, Spain, and Malta to be tested for COVID-19 in an attempt to avoid a spike of new cases in the country. The country is also banning travellers from Colombia over concerns of new infections.
The United Kingdom imposes a two-week quarantine for travellers or people coming from France and the Netherlands, as well as Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba. The measure will take effect on 04:00 BST on Saturday, August 15.
The Canary Islands also intend to ban outdoor smoking when social distancing cannot be guaranteed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The smoking ban will take effect tomorrow, and wearing face masks will be mandatory in all public spaces.
Galicia bans smoking in public places over concerns that it increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Spain reports 2,935 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which is the highest number of new cases since the lockdown was lifted in June.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in India rises by nearly 67,000, a record high since the pandemic began.
Apple Inc. litigation Epic Games sues both Apple Inc. and Google in an antitrust case after the removal of "Fortnite" from the Apple App Store and Google Play earlier in the day, alleging that the two companies hold an unfair monopoly over development for their respective ecosystems. The game was removed for implementing a feature allowing Epic to directly sell microtransactions while bypassing the 30% cut imposed on developers per transaction by both Apple and Google.
War in Afghanistan At least four people are killed and another six injured by a roadside bomb exploding in Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.