Portal:Current events/2020 August 2

August 2, 2020 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- Nguetchewe attack
  - Suspected Boko Haram militants attack an IDP camp with a grenade in Far North, Cameroon, killing 16 people and wounding six others. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Syrian civil war
- The Syrian government condemns a deal signed between Delta Crescent Energy, a U.S. oil firm and Kurdish rebels of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to manage the Kurdish-controlled northeastern oil fields. The statement says the deal is "stealing" Syrian crude. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. is supportive of the deal. (Reuters) (Oil Price)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Isaias
  - A tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h), Isaias is less than a mile off the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Florida's Atlantic Coast, moving north-northwest at about 8 mph (13 km/h). Tropical storm warnings have been issued as far north as Surf City, North Carolina. (Orlando Sentinel) (National Hurricane Center)
  - Earlier this week, one man was killed in the Dominican Republic, when a power line fell on his horse, killing both the rider and the animal, and a woman was killed in Puerto Rican flooding while crossing a bridge. The storm has resulted in uprooted trees, destroyed crops and homes, and widespread flooding and small landslides. (The Weather Channel)
Apple Fire
- Nearly 8,000 people are evacuated from the town of Cherry Valley, California, United States, due to a growing wildfire. The Apple Fire has burned over 20,500 acres and is five percent contained. (USA Today)
The United States Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard halt a massive search and rescue operation for seven Marines and Navy sailors who went missing on Thursday off the coast of San Clemente Island in California. All the missing are now presumed dead. (USA Today)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India's Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, tests positive for COVID-19 and is admitted to hospital. (Al Arabiya)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - President Rodrigo Duterte reimposes modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), one of the strictest lockdown measures on Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces of the Philippine capital for 15 days. (Rappler)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
    - A military spokesman says that plans to undertake joint military exercises with the U.S. military have been suspended after nine Thai soldiers who returned from Hawaii tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
  - Victorian premier Daniel Andrews declares a state of disaster across the state and imposed stage 4 lockdown in Metropolitan Melbourne. The new measures include nighttime curfew, which will be implemented across Melbourne from 20:00 to 05:00 (AEST). The restrictions comes into effect at 18:00 (6 p.m.) and last until September 13. (BBC News)
  - The rest of Victoria places under stage three restrictions and will take effect on August 6. (ABC News Australia)
- COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships
  - At least 40 passengers and crew from the MS Roald Amundsen cruise ship test positive for COVID-19 after two recent Arctic voyages. Health authorities are trying to trace other passengers that may be infected. (Reuters)

International relations

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international relations, Iran–United Arab Emirates relations
- In rare talks, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a video call to discuss various regional issues, including combating COVID-19 in their respective countries. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Mexican Drug War
- Guanajuato state officials announce that Mexican security forces captured former Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel leader José Antonio Yépez Ortiz alongside five other people. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

George Floyd protests
- George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon
  - Hundreds of people gather and protest in Portland, Oregon, marking the 66th night of protests in the city. (CNN)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the media of instigating anti-corruption protests against him and downplaying incidents of violence by the protesters. Earlier in the day, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ordered his son Yair to take down a Tweet doxing the leaders of the protests. (Times of Israel) (Al Jazeera)

Science and technology

Crew Dragon Endeavour makes its first splashdown after successfully completing the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. (Space.com)