Portal:Current events/2020 August 5

August 5, 2020 (Wednesday)

Arts and culture

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins the groundwork of the Lord Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, which was the former location of the demolished Babri Masjid. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
  - The Indonesian economy contracts 5.32% in second quarter of 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the worst economic contraction in the country since the first quarter of 1999. (Kompas)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Beirut explosions
- The death toll from the explosions in the Port of Beirut rises to 135 people, with more than 5,000 injured and dozens still missing. (Al Jazeera)
- In response to the explosions, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon delays the pronouncement of the verdict in the criminal case concerning the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri from August 7 to August 18. (Reuters)
- Several Beirut port officials are placed under house arrest as an investigation starts into how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate was left unsecured at a warehouse at the port for six years. (ITV)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
    - Ukraine reports a record high of 1,271 new COVID-19 cases and 24 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to statement from National Security and Defense Council. (The New York Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain reports 1,772 new cases of COVID-19 infection in the last 24 hours, which is the highest number since nationwide state of emergency was lifted in June. (The New York Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - France reports 1,695 new cases in the last 24 hours, which is the highest number since the end of May. The seven-day moving average stood above the 1,300 threshold for the first time since the end of April. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Queensland declares all of New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory to be COVID-19 hotspots and will close its border with both regions on Saturday August 8 at 1 a.m. (AEST). (9 News)
  - Victoria reports 725 new COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths in the last 24 hours. It is the highest number of reported cases and the deadliest day since the pandemic started in the state itself and Australia in general. (The Age)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
  - Aichi Prefecture declares its own state of emergency after the number of COVID-19 cases tops 100 after nine consecutive days. The state of emergency will be enforced for 19 days until August 24. (The Asahi Shimbun)
- COVID-19 pandemic in United States
  - Twitter restricts President Donald Trump's campaign from tweeting after its account shared a video of Trump's interview with Fox News in which he said children are "almost immune" to COVID-19. (CNN)

Law and crime

Capital punishment in Iran
- Iran executes a man for killing a member of the Revolutionary Guards during anti-government unrest in 2017. His execution was carried out as a retribution sentence demanded by the victim's family. (Reuters)
Former Guatemalan Economic Minister Acisclo Valladares Urruela is charged by American prosecutors for laundering US$10 million on behalf of drug traffickers, and using the profits to bribe officials back home. (Reuters)
Zhang Yuhuan is acquitted of murdering two boys in October 1993 and freed after serving 27 years in prison in Jiangxi as China's longest-serving wrongfully convicted inmate. The killer of the boys remains unknown. (BBC)

Politics and elections

2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election
- Sri Lanka holds parliamentary elections after the parliament was dissolved by president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in March. Originally scheduled to be held in April, the election was postponed twice due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (The Guardian)
Croatia–Serbia relations
- Croatia marks the 25th anniversary of Operation Storm, a military victory against the proto-state of Serbian Krajina that ended the Croatian War of Independence. The ceremony in the town of Knin, former capital of Serbian Krajina, was for the first time ever attended by an ethnic Serb political representative, Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milošević. (Al Jazeera)
Taiwan–United States relations, China–United States relations
- United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar travels to Taiwan for a multi-day official visit. He is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country in 40 years after the U.S. stopped recognising Taiwan in 1979 and has had unofficial ties since then. The PRC, which claims Taiwan as a breakaway province, condemns the visit. (Reuters)
Vanuatu's former prime minister, Charlot Salwai, is referred to the Supreme Court to stand trial for alleged corruption. His lawyer says he is confident they will win the case. (RNZ)

Science and technology

Artemis program
- SpaceX Starship prototype SN5 successfully carries out a 150-meter (490 ft) flight test at the SpaceX South Texas Launch Site. (BBC News)
Google shuts down 2,500 channels on its video sharing platform YouTube that were linked to Chinese disinformation. The channels generally posted "spammy, non-political content", but a small subset touched on politics, the company said. (Reuters)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season
  - The University of Connecticut cancels its 2020 football season, becoming the first NCAA Division I FBS school to scrap its 2020 season. (UConn Huskies) (ESPN)