Armed conflicts and attacks
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Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, Revocation of the special status of 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. (Reuters)
Health and environment
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COVID-19 pandemic
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COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
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COVID-19 pandemic in France
- 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. (The New York Times) (The Telegraph)
- 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. (DW)
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COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
- 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. (CBS News) (Politico)
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COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
- 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. (Greek Reporter)
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COVID-19 pandemic in France
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COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces that the current Alert Level settings will be extended for another 12 days. (Newshub)
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COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
International relations
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Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
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COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
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COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
- 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. (France 24)
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COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
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COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
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Belarus–Lithuania relations, 2020 Belarusian presidential election, 2020 Belarusian protests
- 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". (Urdu Point)
Law and crime
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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. (CNN) (BBC)
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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 decline to comment when contacted by Reuters. (Reuters)
- 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. (BBC)
Politics and elections
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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. (New York Times)
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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. (Reuters)