Portal:Current events/2020 August 13

August 13, 2020 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- August 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - At least four people are killed and another six injured by a roadside bomb exploding in Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. (TOLOnews)

Business and economy

Apple Inc. litigation, Google 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. (The Verge)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - The number of new COVID-19 cases in India rises by nearly 67,000, a record high since the pandemic began. (Hindustan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq
    - Iraq reports the highest single-day increase of over 3,800 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. (Arab News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
  - 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. (Reuters)
  - Galicia bans smoking in public places over concerns that it increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission. (BBC News)
  - 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. (RTÉ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
  - With 12 deaths, Venezuela reports its deadliest day since the beginning of the pandemic. (EFE)
  - Governor of Capital District Darío Vivas dies from COVID-19. (El Confidencial)

International relations

Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - 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. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - 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. (Swiss Info) (Euronews)
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". (Al Arabiya)
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. (Al Arabiya)
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. (BBC News)
Foreign relations of Israel, Arab–Israeli peace projects
- 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. (BBC News)

Law and crime

Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia
  - Georgia Governor Brian Kemp drops his lawsuit against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over the city's mask mandate. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

2020 Belarusian protests
- 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. (The Guardian)
- 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. (BBC News)
- Belarusian women form human chains to condemn a crackdown on protests over the disputed election. (BBC News)
- 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. (Reuters)
2019–2020 Lebanese protests, aftermath of the 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. (AP)
2020 Bolivian general election
- The interim government of Bolivia confirms 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. (Reuters)
Politics of North Korea
- Kim Tok-hun is named the new Premier, succeeding Kim Jae-ryong. (Shine)