6 The EconomistAugust 22nd 2020
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virus and its consequences
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coronavirus or download the
Economist app.The world this week Politics
Alexander Lukashenko, the
president of Belarus, contin-
ued to cling to power despite
large demonstrations and
strikes, after he fraudulently
claimed victory in an election
on August 9th. The European
Union’s leaders have refused to
recognise the result, and
vowed to enact sanctions
against officials involved in
ballot fraud and in brutal
attacks on demonstrators by
Belarussian police. Vladimir
Putin, Russia’s president, has
not indicated whether he will
come to his neighbour’s aid.Alexei Navalny, a Russian
anti-corruption activist and
the country’s main opposition
leader, was taken into
intensive care after falling ill
on a flight from Siberia to
Moscow. Doctors suspected
that he had been poisoned.Francedeployed two fighter
jets and a naval frigate to the
eastern Mediterranean in
response to Turkishmoves to
send gas-exploration vessels
into disputed waters. The area
is claimed by Greece. The
Greek and Turkish navies have
periodically been put on high
alert since the tussle began last
month.Another round of peace talks
involving the government of
Myanmar, the Burmese army
and several ethnic groups were
held in Naypyidaw, the capital.
Hopes of ending the country’s
ethnic strife have faded.Around 10,000 people
marched in Bangkok calling for
a return to democracy and the
reform of the monarchy, the
biggest anti-government rally
in Thailandsince the junta
seized power in 2014. The
protesters risked imprison-ment under the country’s
draconian lèse majestélaws,
but that did not stop them
giving three fingers to the
authorities, a gesture inspired
by “The Hunger Games”.New Zealand’sgeneral elec-
tion was delayed until October
17th because of a recent uptick
in cases of covid-19.America suspended its
extradition treaty with Hong
Kongand two other agree-
ments with the territory. It is
the latest in a number of
actions taken by the American
government in response to
Beijing’s imposition of a
national-security law, which
the State Department said had
“crushed the freedoms of the
people of Hong Kong”.Chinastepped up the pressure
on Australiafor its vocal criti-
cism of various Chinese poli-
cies by announcing an anti-
dumping investigation into
the country’s wine exports.The United Arab Emirates
agreed to establish diplomatic
relations with Israel, becom-
ing the first Gulf state and just
the third Arab country to for-
mally recognise the Jewish
state. The move was praised by
several Arab leaders, leading to
speculation that other coun-
tries in the region would soon
follow the uae’s lead. The
Palestinians said they had not
been told about the agreement.A un-backed tribunal found
Salim Ayyash guilty in absentia
of killing Rafik Hariri, a former
Lebanese prime minister, and
21 others in a bomb attack in
Beirut in 2005. Three other
defendants were acquitted.
Though all four were members
of Hizbullah, a Shia party-cum-
militia close to the govern-
ments of Iran and Syria, the
judges found no evidence that
either Hizbullah’s leadership
or Syria was involved.Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Mali’s
president, was forced to resign
after being arrested by rebel
soldiers in a coup. Mr Keita
dissolved parliament and said
he wished to avert bloodshed.An attack by al-Shabab, a group
linked to al-Qaeda, on a seaside
hotel in Somalia’scapital,
Mogadishu, killed at least 11
people.America’s postmaster-general,
Louis DeJoy, suspended pro-
posed changes to the postal
service’soperations until after
November’s presidential elec-
tion. Democrats accuse Mr
DeJoy, who is one of Donald
Trump’s big political donors, of
trying to suppress postal votes.The Democrats held their
national convention, virtually
and without the usual razza-
matazz. Although Milwaukee
was the event’s official hub, the
roll call that officially nomi-
nated Joe Bidenas the party’s
candidate for president was
broadcast from each state.Bill Morneau resigned as Cana-
da’sfinance minister. Mem-
bers of Mr Morneau’s family
went on trips in 2017 paid for
by weCharity, which this year
won a government contract to
administer a student-grant
programme. The ethics com-
missioner is investigating
whether Mr Morneau and the
prime minister, Justin
Trudeau, violated conflict-of-
interest rules. weCharity has
also paid tens of thousands of
dollars to Mr Trudeau’s mother
and brother to speak at events.Anti-abortion activists gath-
ered at a hospital in Brazil’s
north-eastern city of Recife to
try to stop a ten-year-old girl
from having an abortion. Her
name had been revealed by an
associate of the minister for
women. Feminists rallied to
support the girl, who had been
raped by her uncle. She was
entitled to the procedure under
Brazil’s strict abortion laws.Thousands of Argentines
demonstrated against the
government’s plan to extend
lockdown measures. Protesters
also object to a proposed
reform of the judiciary, which
they suspect will serve the
interests of Cristina Fernández
de Kirchner, the vice-presi-
dent, who has been indicted
for corruption.CoronavirusbriefsIndia’scasessoaredpast2.8m,
the third-highest in total
behind America and Brazil.Restrictions on social
gatherings were reimposed in
Seoul, after South Korea
reported its highest number of
daily infections since March.
Churches are a big source of
the outbreak.Irelandreintroduced some
restrictions and again asked
people to work from home.The World Health Organisation
warned against a growing
“vaccine nationalism”, as
countries seek to hoard the
prospective drugs rather than
ensure their global availability.Swedenand the Netherlands
declined to make face masks
mandatory in public despite
rising numbers of infections.
Both countries have imple-
mented comparatively lenient
social-distancing measures,
and have higher-than-average
rates of excess deaths.Weekly confirmedcasesbyarea,’To 6am GMT August 20th 2020Confirmeddeaths*
Per 100k Total This week
Belgium 86 9,969 69
Peru 81 26,658 5,
Spain 62 28,797 218
Britain 61 41,397 68
Italy 59 35,412 187
Sweden 57 5,802 28
Chile 55 10,578 373
Brazil 52 111,100 6,
United States 52 172,807 7,
France 46 30,300 55
Sources: Johns Hopkins University CSSE; UN;
The Economist *Definitions differ by country6004002000IndiaMar Apr May JulJun AugUSLatin AmericaOtherEurope