Portal:Current events/2020 August 18

August 18, 2020 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2020 Malian protests, 2020 Malian coup d'état
- Gunfire and a mutiny take place at a military base in Kati, Koulikoro, Mali. Soldiers arrest senior military officers as the government deploys troops to the area. (AP)
- The Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du Mali (ORTM) headquarters in the capital Bamako are evacuated amid reports of a coup attempt. The French and Norwegian embassies urge their citizens to remain indoors after being notified of mutiny in the Armed Forces. (DW)
- Two security forces later confirm to Reuters that President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and Prime Minister Boubou Cissé have been detained by the mutinying forces. The two men are believed to have been transported to Kati. (France 24) (Anadolu Agency) (Al Jazeera)
- Bamako and the Presidential Palace is reportedly under the control of coup forces with tanks and other military vehicles on the streets. Anti-government protesters set fire to a Ministry of Justice building, while hundreds of opposition supporters gather on the streets to celebrate the coup. (BBC News)
- The European Union's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell condemns the attempted coup, rejecting any anticonstitutional change and calls for dialogue. He also announces that contacts are being made to decide the international community's response. (European Union)
Islamic terrorism in Europe; Terrorism in Germany
- Three motorcyclists are rammed and left seriously wounded on a motorway in Berlin, Germany during a vehicle-ramming attack. The perpetrator is arrested and identified as an Islamic extremist. (BBC News)
War in Afghanistan
- August 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - 14 rockets strike Kabul, wounding ten people. The rockets mostly struck the diplomatic "Green Zone", which is home to several embassies and the NATO Resolute Support headquarters. Two suspects were arrested in connection with the attack, which the Taliban has denied responsibility for. (Reuters)
Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- A Russian major general is killed and two others are injured by a roadside bomb in Syria while en route to Hmeimim Air Base from Deir ez-Zor. (Anadolu Agency)

Disasters and accidents

2020 California wildfires
- California Governor Gavin Newsom declares a state of emergency to ensure the state receives vital resources as at least 27 wildfires are raging across the state, exacerbating a stifling heat wave. (NBC News via msn.com)
2020 Masbate earthquake
- A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hits Cataingan, Masbate, Philippines, with at least one person reported to have been killed. (The Independent)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - France is slated to make face masks mandatory for all shared spaces in offices and factories where there is more than one employee present. The measure is set to begin on September 1. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Chancellor Angela Merkel rules out easing further COVID-19-related public health restrictions amidst a rise in new cases. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - Ireland "significantly" tightens restrictions after a rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. All businesses are told to let employees work from home, new limits are placed on outdoor gatherings, and the government warns people to avoid public transport. The new rules will be in place until at least September 13. (Sky News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announces that Energy Minister Alexander Novak has tested positive for COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccine
  - Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces that his country has signed a deal with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to manufacture a vaccine against COVID-19 that the company is developing with the Oxford Vaccine Group. The vaccine is currently in Phase III efficacy trials and AstraZeneca says it is targeting a formulation of results by the end of the year. Morrison states that the deal also allows citizens to receive immediate and free access to the vaccines, if successful. (AFP via SCMP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon
  - The acting government reimposes a curfew for two weeks amid a spike in COVID-19 infections. (Al Arabiya)

International relations

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the military
- South Korea–United States relations, Korean conflict
  - The United States Armed Forces resume joint military exercises with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces after several COVID-19 cases were confirmed at United States Forces Korea bases since February. (AFP via The Manila Times)
Belarus–Lithuania relations, 2020 Belarusian protests
- Lithuanian MPs approve economic sanctions against Belarus over the contested presidential elections. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius says Lithuania is "sending a strong message to the world" and refuses to recognize Alexander Lukashenko as President. (AP)

Law and crime

Assassination of Rafic Hariri
- The Special Tribunal for Lebanon finds Salim Ayyash, a senior member of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, guilty of assassinating former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in Beirut in 2005, following a five-year trial. (The Guardian)
2010 G20 Toronto summit protests
- The Toronto Police Service agrees to pay compensation of C$16.5 million (US$12.5M) to about 1,100 protesters who were wrongfully arrested in the city during the 2010 G20 summit. (The Guardian)
MV Wakashio oil spill
- Police in Mauritius arrest the Captain of the ship which spilled huge amounts of petrol off the coast of the country, causing a major environmental disaster. (Reuters)
Papua New Guinea police officers shoot and kill 11 prisoners after a mass jailbreak on Friday. At least 34 prisoners remain at large. (RNZ)

Politics and elections

2020 United States Postal Service crisis
- U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, in response to politicians' criticism that proposed changes to U.S. mail services could slow the handling of mail-in ballots, suspends all mail service changes until after the November election. He also said there will be no changes to retail hours at post offices, mail collection boxes will remain where they are, and no mail processing facilities will be closed. A number of states, including Washington and New York, said they are planning legal moves to block the Postal Service changes. (Reuters)
Politics of Equatorial Guinea
- President Teodoro Obiang appoints Obama Asue as Prime Minister again, four days after he resigned generating criticism from the opposition. (La Vanguardia)