The EconomistAugust 29th 2020 5For our latest coverage of the
virus and its consequences
please visit economist.com/
coronavirus or download the
Economist app.The world this week Politics
Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most
prominent opposition leader
and anti-corruption activist,
fell into a coma after being
poisoned. He was held for two
days in a Russian hospital,
before being released and
flown to Germany, where
doctors said they thought the
poison included cholinester-
ase inhibitors, an ingredient in
some Russian-made military
toxins. Kremlin flacks said
perhaps he was suffering from
low blood sugar. Germany has
offered him asylum.Hundreds of thousands of
protesters continued to de-
mand the resignation of Alex-
ander Lukashenko, Belarus’s
dictator, despite facing arrest
and torture. Mr Lukashenko
flew by helicopter to a secure
location and brandished an
ak-47 rifle. Western countries
have not recognised a rigged
election on August 9th that Mr
Lukashenko “won”.Phil Hogan, the eu’s commis-
sioner for trade, resigned after
violating covid-19 social-dis-
tancing rules while on a trip to
his home country of Ireland.Africa was declared free from
wild polio, after decades of
work by governments, volun-
teers and global health bodies.
Nigeria was the last African
country to be given the all-
clear. The disease is now only
found in Afghanistan and
Pakistan. There is no cure, but
there is a vaccine.The unSecurity Council
blocked America’s effort to
restore unsanctions on Iran,
which were lifted as part of a
nuclear deal that America
ditched in 2018. The rotating
president of the council said
many members disagreed withAmerica’s position. Mean-
while, Iran agreed to grant
inspectors from the Interna-
tional Atomic Energy Agency
access to two nuclear sites after
a months-long stand-off.Israeliwarplanes bombed
targets in Gazabelonging to
Hamas, the Islamist group that
runs the territory. The strikes
were a response to Palestinians
launching incendiary balloons
towards Israel. There were no
reports of casualties.Several pro-democracy activ-
ists were arrested in Thailand
as student protests raged
against the military-backed
regime. Facebook obeyed an
order to block access to a group
with 1m members that the state
claims is rude to the mon-
archy—a crime in Thailand.In IndiaPrashant Bhushan, a
lawyer, was found guilty of
contempt of court for a tweet
chiding the chief justice for
flouting social-distancing
rules and another saying
courts were abetting the ero-
sion of democracy in India.
The ruling on the two tweets
was 108 pages long.A white supremacist who
massacred 51 people at two
mosques in Christchurchwas
sentenced to life in prison
without the possibility of
parole. It was the first time
such a sentence has been
handed down in New Zealand.Abu Sayyaf, an insurgent
Islamist group in the Philip-
pines, carried out two suicide-
bombings in the city of Jolo,
killing 14 people.A deposition containing star-
tling allegations of corruption
against three former Mexican
presidents and other poli-
ticians and officials was leaked
to the press. The current presi-
dent, Andrés Manuel López
Obrador, proposed holding a
referendum to decide whether
to prosecute them. Critics
noted that this would make a
mockery of the rule of law.Canada’sConservative Party,
the main opposition to theLiberal government of Justin
Trudeau, chose Erin O’Toole to
be its new leader.Prosecutors in Brazil charged
Flordelis dos Santos de Souza,
a gospel singer who is now a
congresswoman, with conspir-
ing to murder her husband, an
evangelical pastor. They ac-
cused six of her 55 children
(most of whom are adopted) of
participating in the murder. Ms
dos Santos claimed her hus-
band, who was shot 30 times,
was killed in a robbery.America’s Republicansheld
their convention, with most of
the speechifying broadcast via
video link. Donald Trump used
the White House as a backdrop
for parts of the jamboree. Mike
Pompeo also flouted protocol
by praising Mr Trump’s ac-
complishments. Secretaries of
state normally keep a low
profile at overtly political
functions.Mr Pompeo broadcast his
speech from Israel, where he
had earlier called on other
Arab statesto follow the lead
of the United Arab Emirates
and normalise relations with
the Jewish state.Protests against the shooting
of a black man by police in
Kenosha, Wisconsin, that left
him paralysed, descended into
violence. A white teenager was
charged with shooting dead
two people.Hurricane Laurabattered
Haiti and the Dominican Re-
public, killing dozens, before
roaring across America’s Gulf
coast, hitting Louisiana and
east Texas. The National
Hurricane Centre said that the
expected storm surge was
“unsurvivable”.Steve Bannon, a former advis-
er to Mr Trump and inspiration
to nationalists and populists
globally, was charged with
swindling donors to a charity
that supports building a wall
along the Mexican border. He
was arrested on a yacht owned
by Guo Wengui, a Chinese
billionaire who lives in exile in
New York.CoronavirusbriefsResearchersinHongKong
reported the world’s first
genetically verified case of
someone who has been
reinfectedwith covid-19,
suggesting that immunity
from the disease does not
necessarily last long. The who
called for more studies.Mexicoofficially passed
62,000 deaths in total and
574,000 cases. Unofficially, the
real numbers are thought to be
perhaps three times higher. In
the United Statesthe number
of new cases continued to fall.Japanwas reportedly set to lift
its ban on foreign residents
returning to the country.Joe Bidensaid he would “listen
to the scientists” and, if elected
president, would be willing to
shut the economy to stop
another wave of infections.The World Economic Forum
postponed next year’s Davos
summit from January until the
middle of the year.Weeklyconfirmedcasesbyarea,’To 6am GMT August 27th 2020Confirmeddeaths*
Per 100k Total This week
Belgium 85 9,879 27
Peru 85 28,001 1,
Spain 62 28,971 174
Britain 61 41,465 68
Italy 59 35,458 46
Sweden 58 5,817 15
Chile 58 10,990 412
Brazil 55 117,665 6,
United States 54 179,281 6,
Mexico 48 62,076 3,
Sources: Johns Hopkins University CSSE; UN;
The Economist *Definitions differ by countryIndia6004002000
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