Russia Doctors treating Russian anti-corruption activist and opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Omsk refute claims that Navalny was poisoned before his flight from Tomsk to Moscow the previous day, citing that tests had shown no trace of any poison in his body. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has offered to transfer Navalny to Berlin for further treatment by sending an air ambulance to Omsk, but doctors have refused to discharge him, saying Navalny is in an "unstable" condition. Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh claim the refusal is a ploy to hide the poisoning and "put his life at risk".
2019–2020 Iraqi protests Protesters in the southern city of Basra set fire to a local parliament office after gathering to demand the resignation of governor Asaad Al Eidani for the killing of two activists last week.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics Police arrest anti-corruption protesters in Nairobi for allegedly disobeying social distancing measures. Protesters, however, claim the arrests were an attempt by authorities to silence dissent and report that police have used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Irish Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary resigns after attending a golf dinner with more than 80 people, which came a day after Dublin announced a tightening of lockdown restrictions. Gardaí are now investigating possible breaches of COVID-19 regulations on the event.
President The press office of deposed Bolivian President Evo Morales rejects a criminal complaint filed this week by the Ministry of Justice accusing him of trafficking and raping a 16-year-old girl, claiming it was part of a "dirty war" waged by the interim government.
Joseph James DeAngelo Former California police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, also known as the Golden State Killer, receives multiple consecutive life sentences without parole in the county superior court in Sacramento. DeAngelo pleaded guilty in June to 13 counts of first-degree murder in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table.
Lori Loughlin American actress Lori Loughlin is sentenced to two months in prison and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, is sentenced to five months in prison for their role in the college admissions scandal.
Salman of Saudi Arabia King Salman of Saudi Arabia dismisses Awwad Eid Al-Aradi Al-Balawi, the directorate general of the Border Guards, and several other officials over structural encroachment in the Red Sea Project.
Zimbabwe A court in Zimbabwe denies, for the third time, bail to opposition politician and activist Jacob Ngarivhume after ruling he "could be a danger to the public if released", over protests he organized last month. His lawyer says he is "stunned" by the court's decision.
Afghanistan–Pakistan relations The Pakistani Foreign Ministry reveals that it on August 18 placed financial sanctions on dozens of Taliban members, including chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and deputy head and Haqqani network leader Sirajuddin Haqqani. The sanctions were placed to avoid placing the country on the Financial Action Task Force blacklist.
Iran–United States relations A U.S. attempt to extend United Nations sanctions against Iran under a JCPoA "snapback" provision is opposed by 13 Security Council members, who argue that the U.S. left the agreement with Iran in 2018.
Mali–United States relations The U.S. announces through its Sahel Region representative J. Peter Pham that it is halting military cooperation with Mali over the recent coup until the recent situation is "clarified".
COVID-19 pandemic American company Pfizer and German company BioNTech say that they are on track to being submitted for regulatory review as early as October.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announces that restaurants in the state can now open at 100% dine-in capacity.
Italy reports 947 new cases, touching the same levels recorded in mid-May, when the government started easing its stringent lockdown measures.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announces on state radio that he will tighten border crossing rules in Hungary on September 1 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the number of new infections rises in neighbouring countries.
At least 41 schools in Berlin have reported students or teachers are infected with COVID-19 less than two weeks after they reopened. Hundreds of students and teachers are in quarantine and Elementary schools, high schools and trade schools are affected.
The opposition-controlled region of the northwest of Syria reports its first death from COVID-19, that of an 80-year-old woman who suffered from severe renal insufficiency and high blood pressure.
South Korea reports 324 new cases in the previous 24 hours. This is the highest number of new cases since March 8, as the authorities warn of a cluster of infections in Seoul threatening to spread nationwide.
The state government of Rakhine imposes a night-time curfew in the state's capital of Sittwe, after the Ministry of Health and Sports reported a surge in local cases.
Israel surpasses 100,000 cases as the government struggles with a resurgence of infections. The death tally stands at 809.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces mass COVID-19 testing for residents starting on September 1, with the assistance of a 60-person team from the mainland, which is the first time Chinese health officials have assisted the special administrative region in its battle to control the epidemic.
2020 California wildfires The LNU Lightning Complex Fire grows to 220,000 acres, with 7% of the fire contained.
Structures at the Big Basin Redwoods State Park are damaged or destroyed by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in Santa Cruz County.
Turkish president Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the drilling ship "Fatih" has found 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, Turkey's biggest natural gas find to date. If Turkey can extract the gas commercially, it will be able to reduce its reliance on imported energy.
COVID-19 pandemic State-run oil company Saudi Aramco suspends plans to build a US$10 billion oil refinery in Liaoning, China, due to decreased global demand for oil. Its Chinese partners said they will press ahead with the project.
The S&P Global Ratings downgrades Lebanon's credit rating for its external debt to "selective default" (SD), following defaults due to the resignation of the government in the aftermath of the August 4 explosion in Beirut and the implementation of a two-week lockdown from August 18 following a surge in infections.
The Singaporean Ministry of Health announces that it would permit the entry of travelers from Brunei and New Zealand, effective September 1, citing the countries' effective responses to pandemic.
The UK's national debt exceeds £2 trillion ($2.61tn) for the first time, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
Vice Chancellor and Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz announces a plan to loan around €218 billion ($258bn) for a bailout to mitigate the impact of the country's recession caused by the pandemic, thereby suspending the debt brake.
BTS The official music video for BTS' Dynamite breaks the all-time record on YouTube for the highest number of views on a single video in 24 hours, generating 101,100,000 views in its first 24 hours.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Three people, including two policemen and the mayor's son, are killed by Islamic State-linked militants attack a Christian village in Kaftoun, Lebanon.
Second Libyan Civil War GNA's rival leader of the eastern-based front Aguila Saleh Issa appeals to a halt of hostilities from both sides and supports the ceasefire to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya. There has been no comment from Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Khalifa Haftar.
Chief of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj orders a ceasefire in all the territory of Libya. The statement ordered "to all military forces to immediately ceasefire and all combat operations in all Libyan territories".