Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• US Drone Strike Kills High-ranking al-Shabab Bomb-maker in Somalia VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Authorities in Somalia say a U.S. drone strike on Thursday killed a high-ranking member of the Islamist terrorist group al-Shabab, hours before the country's leaders agreed on a plan for upcoming elections in which national security will be a major issue.
• USS Nitze Recovers Over 3,000 Pounds of Marijuana US Navy 21 Aug 2020 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) with embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) seized 725 kilograms of suspected cocaine and 3,190 pounds of suspected marijuana, August 4.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS Ronald Reagan Pulls into Guam for Safe Haven Liberty US Navy 21 Aug 2020 -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) pulled into U.S. Naval Base Guam for a Safe Haven Liberty port visit Aug. 22.
• USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Flight Operations US Navy 21 Aug 2020 -- The "Shadowhawks" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 held an inflight change of command ceremony Aug. 26, while embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).
• Media Background Briefing on the Air Force Inspector General's Investigation of RC-26B Operations, 1-4 June 2020 DoD 21 Aug 2020 -- Senior Defense Official
• Acquisition Enterprise Capabilities to Continue Post Pandemic DoD News 21 Aug 2020 -- When the COVID-19 virus developed into a pandemic in the United States, the nation needed large quantities of medical supplies that were not readily available. In response, the Defense Department stood up the COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force to help other government agencies meet their needs by tapping into the department's acquisition enterprise.
• Flying high | RQ-21 soars into history with first Australian flight USMC News 21 Aug 2020 -- A U.S. Marine Corps RQ-21A Blackjack was flown for the first time in Australia as part of the annual Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, August 8.
• Gunfighter Flag 20-1 enhances capabilities against near-peer adversaries US Air Force 21 Aug 2020 -- The true strength of the U.S. military lies in its joint, allied and partner capabilities. That is, the combined power and coordinated efforts between branches of the U.S. military and nations across the world. Few places provide a more realistic training ground than the high desert found at Mountain Home Air Force Base.
• USS Seawolf Operates in 6th Fleet US Navy 21 Aug 2020 -- The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Seawolf (SSN 21) is operating in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations and conducted a brief stop for personnel in the vicinity of Tromso, Norway, Aug. 21, 2020.
• USS Princeton Conducts Mass Casualty Drill US Navy 21 Aug 2020 -- Sailors assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser conduct a mass casualty drill.
• NAVSUP WSS Supports Blue Angels Transition to Super Hornets US Navy 21 Aug 2020 -- The first of 18 F/A-18E Super Hornets touched down at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., July 27 ushering in a new era for the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, or Blue Angels, as they retire the legacy F/A-18 Hornet that has wowed audiences for 35 years. This transition was supported from the earliest stages by Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Weapon Systems Support (WSS).
• Space Challenges Prompt DOD Response, Space Superiority DoD News 21 Aug 2020 -- U.S. Space Command operations in space deter conflict; deliver space combat power for the joint force, allies and partners; and defeat aggression if necessary, a leader of that command said. These are just some of the challenges being met and overcome to maintain space superiority.
• Space Command Leadership Changes Hands DoD News 21 Aug 2020 -- For decades, the world has enjoyed the freedom to operate in space, and today, billions of people worldwide rely on space-based capabilities. ''Yet we now find that space has become highly contested, and the gains the United States possesses are threatened,'' Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said at the U.S. Space Command change-of-command ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• NATO AWACS joins binational training event in Poland NATO 21 Aug 2020 -- From August 21 to 28, 2020 a NATO AWACS aircraft will deploy to Krakow, Poland to join a binational training event of Alliance members Poland and the United States. Working closely together with the Polish Control and Reporting Centre, the AWACS crew will support the Polish and US fighter aircraft by providing exercise air command and control.
• Russian Su-30SM Intercepted US Spy Plane Aircraft Over Black Sea, MoD Says Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- The development comes a day after an Su-30SM escorted French and British reconnaissance planes that were spotted over the Black Sea and two days after an Su-27 intercepted a Boeing P-8 Poseidon and RC-135, also over the Black Sea.
• PLA announces large-scale, live-fire drills in Yellow Sea Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will hold large-scale, live-fire exercises in the Yellow Sea from Saturday to Wednesday, and Chinese military experts predicted on Friday that the drills could feature anti-ship, air defense and anti-submarine exercises to prepare for possible military conflicts with the US, which has been frequently sending bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and warships near China.
• Xi instructs army to complete follow-up flood control work People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), has instructed the armed forces to make unremitting efforts to complete the follow-up tasks of flood control and disaster relief.
• Qingdao to close coastal area for military exercise PLA Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- A swath of ocean off China's east coast will be temporarily closed to all vessels from Saturday to Wednesday for a military drill, per a notice issued on Friday by the government of Qingdao, the eastern port city of Shandong province.
• Defence Secretary's speech at meeting of UK, German and French defence ministers UK MOD 21 Aug 2020 -- Ben Wallace gave a speech at his first in-person meeting with the German and French defence ministers since the coronavirus outbreak.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Aug. 21, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 21 August 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Aug 2020
• Manila Files Fresh Diplomatic Protest Against Beijing Over South China Sea Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- Manila lodged a diplomatic protest against Beijing over its coast guard's confiscation of Philippine fishing gear from a disputed South China Sea shoal, the foreign office said, in its third bilateral complaint this year about Chinese actions in the waterway.
• Terrorists targeted in Yemen's Bayda received Arab, Western support: Yemeni military Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- The Yemeni military says Daesh and al-Qaeda terrorists recently targeted in operations in the province of al-Bayda received support from the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen and Western countries.
• Thousands rally in Yemen against UAE-Israel normalization deal Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- Thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets in the southwestern city of Ta'izz to protest against a recent agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel to normalize relations.
• Terrorists targeted in Yemen's Bayda received Arab, Western support: Yemeni military Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- The Yemeni military says Daesh and al-Qaeda terrorists recently targeted in operations in the province of al-Bayda received support from the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen and Western countries.
• Syrians Will Meet to Draft New Constitution After Nine-Month Break VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Syrian government, opposition and civil society representatives will meet for the first time in nine months Monday to resume negotiations to draft a new constitution for their war-torn country.
• Clashes of Pro-Turkish Militants in Syria Result in Civilian Casualties, Russian Military Says Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- Numerous clashes take place between the units of pro-Turkish militants in Syria, resulting in civilian casualties, the head of the Russian centre for Syrian reconciliation, Rear Adm. Alexander Shcherbitsky, said at a daily briefing on Friday.
• Anniversary of Assad's Brutal Chemical Weapons Attack on Ghouta US Dept. of State 21 Aug 2020 -- Today marks a somber anniversary in the history of the Syrian conflict. In the early morning hours of August 21, 2013, in the Damascus suburbs of Ghouta, the Assad regime killed more than 1,400 Syrians, many of them children, with the chemical agent sarin.
• Iraqi resistance groups threaten to target US interests in case of no deal on troops pullout Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- Iraqi resistance groups threaten to target the American interests in the Arab country if Prime Minister Mustafa al-Khadhimi's ongoing visit to Washington fails to produce an agreement on US forces' withdrawal from the Iraqi soil.
• Libya government announces immediate ceasefire Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- Libya's internationally-recognized government has announced a nationwide ceasefire and called for demilitarization in the strategic city of Sirte, which is held by strongman Khalifa Haftar's rebels.
• Libyan Sides Declare Ceasefire, Demilitarised Zones, Call on Int'l Forces to Withdraw Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- Libya is currently divided between two rival governments – an elected parliament in the east of the country, supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA), and the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the west, headed by Fayez Sarraj.
• Myanmar Military Accepts Federalism Concept As Peace Summit Wraps Up Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- Myanmar's powerful military accepted the concept of federalism on Friday after decades of resistance to the idea, signing an agreement on the final day of government-sponsored peace talks to set the stage for building a federal democratic union after 2020.
• UN Refugee Agency Urges Myanmar Actions to Solve 3-Year-Old Rohingya Refugee Crisis Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- Myanmar must address citizenship policies and other barriers to the return of ethnic Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh three years ago to escape a deadly military crackdown on the Muslim minority, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement on Friday.
• Rohingya crisis needs lasting solutions, renewed commitment amid COVID-19 pandemic, UN refugee agency UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- Three years after violence in Myanmar forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas to seek refuge in Bangladesh, the international community must adapt its assistance to the critical needs of those displaced and the host communities supporting them, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
• Israel-UAE normalization pact 'treacherous stab in the back of Palestinian people: Hamas leader Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- The head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has censured the deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel to establish full normal diplomatic relations, describing the agreement as a "treacherous stab in the back of the Palestinian nation."
• US Warship in Crete as Greek-Turkish Standoff Grows VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- The massive American warship, the USS Hershel Woody Williams, has arrived at the Greek island of Crete as tensions escalate between NATO allies Greece and Turkey over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

News Reports

• Former Army Special Forces Officer Charged in Russian Espionage Conspiracy US Dept. of Justice 21 Aug 2020 -- Former Green Beret Allegedly Conspired to Provide National Defense Information to Russian Intelligence
• Former US Army Officer Arrested on Charges of Spying for Russia VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- A former U.S. Army Special Forces officer was arrested on Friday on charges of spying for Russia, the second foreign espionage case announced by federal prosecutors this week.
• Former US Army Green Beret Charged Over Alleged Russian Espionage Conspiracy Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- A former member of the US Army Special Forces has been arrested by federal agents and now faces life imprisonment after he allegedly conspired with "Russian intelligence operatives to provide them with United States national defense information."
• U.S. Will Seek To Reinstate Death Penalty For Boston Marathon Bomber, Says Attorney General RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- The U.S. Justice Department will seek to reinstate the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the ethnic Chechen convicted of killing three people and injuring hundreds of others during the 2013 Boston Marathon.
• Traumas of terrorism cannot be erased, but victims' voices must never be forgotten UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- The impact of terrorism on victims can "last a lifetime and reverberate across generations", the UN chief said on Friday during a virtual commemoration for International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
• Thousands Rally in Mali in Support of Military Junta VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Thousands crowded into Mali's capital Friday in a raucous show of support for the military junta that forced President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's resignation and the government's disbanding earlier this week.
• Mali Coup Highlights Unresolved Regional Issues VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- A delegation of African leaders is headed to Mali, where the military junta denies it mounted a coup and rejects calls to release Mali's president, saying that Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, also known as IBK, is safer with them for now.
• Former US Envoy to Mali Urges Military to Stand Down VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- After a coup that led to the resignation of Mali's president, the international community is watching closely and debating how best to help the West African country avoid collapse.
• ECOWAS to Hold Talks with Military Junta in Mali VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- A delegation from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold talks in Mali Friday with the military junta holding ousted Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and other government leaders.
• AU says "unconstitutional change" of gov't in Mali further complicates security situation People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- The African Union (AU) Commission said the "unconstitutional change" of government in Mali further complicates the situation on the ground, particularly the implementation of the peace and reconciliation agreement as well as the current efforts in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime in the country.
• Mali to reopen land, air borders after mutiny: CNSP People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- The National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), a transitional governing body set up by mutinous Malian soldiers, informed Thursday night that the land and air borders of Mali are to reopen on Friday.
• New Malian Authorities Arrest General Responsible for State Security – Reports Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- The new Malian authorities, who came to power after the recent coup, have detained the state security director, General Moussa Diawara, according to Malian media.
• Detained Malian President May Be Deported to Senegal, Military Source Says Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- The new Malian authorities, who came to power after the recent coup, are discussing with Senegal the possible deportation of detained President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to the country, a Malian military source said.
• UN refugee chief underlines continued support to Lebanon UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Friday urged the international community to continue to stand by the people of Lebanon as they recover from the blast that devastated the capital, Beirut, earlier this month.
• Plane with Russian Opposition Leader Departs for Germany VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- An airplane taking Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to Berlin for medical treatment left the Siberian city of Omsk on Saturday.
• Russian Opposition Leader's Family says Moscow Covering Up Poisoning Attempt VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Family and associates of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny accuse Moscow of blocking his medical evacuation to Germany to cover up what they say is an attempt to poison him.
• German Doctors Given Access to Russia's Navalny, Head Doctor Says Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- German doctors were given access to Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny during a concilium on Friday at a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk, its head doctor said.
• Navalny's Wife Calls On Putin To Allow His Evacuation To Germany RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- The wife of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, who is in a coma in a Siberian hospital with suspected poisoning, has appealed to President Vladimir Putin to allow her husband's evacuation to Germany for urgent medical care.
• No trace of poison found in Navalny tests: Russian doctor Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- A senior doctor in a Russian hospital says no trace of any poison has been found in tests conducted on Alexei Navalny, an opposition figure, who is reportedly in serious condition in a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk.
• No Traces of Poison Found in Navalny's Samples, Doctor Says Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- Alexei Navalny's condition rapidly deteriorated on Thursday, while he was on board a flight to Moscow, resulting in an urgent landing in Omsk, where he was admitted to an intensive care unit at a local hospital.
• Medics Believe Russian Opposition Figure Navalny is Too Unstable to be Moved for Further Treatment Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny ended up in a hospital's intensive care unit after falling gravely ill and subsequently going into a coma. While doctors are still trying to determine the cause, a spokesperson for Navalny has already claimed he was poisoned.
• China Unveils New Strategy for Economic Growth Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- As China struggles to restore economic growth, its official phrase-makers have been working overtime to rebrand the government's strategy with a slogan that will sell at home and abroad.
• China Video Ad Calls for 100 Uighur Women to 'Urgently' Marry Han Men VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- A video clip asking 100 Uighur women to "urgently" sign up for intermarriage with Chinese men has been circulating on social media platforms in recent weeks, with observers and Uighur human rights activists calling it another attempt by the Communist Party of China (CCP) to Sinicize the Turkic-speaking ethnic groups in Xinjiang region.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on August 21, 2020 PRC MofA 21 Aug 2020
• Talks with US to start soon, ministry says People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- China and the United States have agreed to hold talks "in the coming days" on economic and trade issues, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said on Thursday, after reports that planned high-level talks on their phase-one trade deal had been postponed.
• Hong Kong Textbook Revisions Will Lead to 'Brainwashing,' Teachers Warn Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- Authorities in Hong Kong are targeting the Liberal Studies program in the city's schools, and look likely to use it to "brainwash" students into unquestioning patriotism and loyalty to the ruling Chinese Communist Party, students and teachers said on Friday.
• A Tale of Two Pollsters: How China's Copycat Muddies The Waters in Hong Kong Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- Beijing-backed media in Hong Kong recently began citing public opinion research findings from a previously unknown pollster, with a name that is confusingly similar to a well-known and trusted research body.
• China's Gaofen-7 satellite put into service PLA Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- The China National Space Administration announced on Thursday that the Gaofen-7 Earth observation satellite has been put into service, representing significant progress for the country's surveying and mapping capabilities.
• Will US Make Clear-cut Commitment to Defend Taiwan From China? VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- For almost 70 years, the United States has never explicitly committed itself to the defense of Taiwan against Chinese invasion. Now, with U.S.-China relations at a historic low, worries over a Chinese assault on Taiwan are growing, and the fundamental U.S. policy may be changing.
• Taiwan hinders Chinese mainland investment, hurts own interests Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- The Taiwan authority is hindering Chinese mainland investment in Taiwan, prohibiting Taiwanese businesses from cooperating with mainland-related enterprises, which is hurting the interests and well-being of Taiwanese, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Friday.
• Interview: 'From an Overall Safety Point of View, There is Not a Huge Concern' About Flooding at Yongbyon Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- The Korean peninsula has been hit by record-breaking precipitation, with state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reporting last week that floods had destroyed 40,000 hectares (154 square miles) of farmland, 16,680 homes, and 630 other buildings all over the country.
• Reconstruction of Flood-Hit Roads and Bridges Brisk in DPRK KCNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Reconstruction of the flood-hit roads and bridges is brisk in the DPRK.
• Joint Commission On Iran Nuclear Deal To Meet September 1 RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- The joint commission on the Iran nuclear agreement will meet in Vienna on September 1, the European Union has said, after the U.S. and its European allies sparred over Washington's bid to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran.
• Designations for Iranian Human Rights Offenders US Dept. of State 21 Aug 2020 -- Friday, August 21 marks the annual Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
• Three Including One US Citizen Charged With Moving Money To Iran In Khamenei's Behalf Radio Farda 21 Aug 2020 -- In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of Justice said one US citizen and two Pakistani nationals have been charged for campaigning to transport U.S. currency from the United States to Iran on behalf of Iran's Supreme Leader in 2018 and 2019.
• Pompeo Defends U.S. Move To Trigger 'Snapback' Of Sanctions On Iran RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has defended Washington's move to formally begin the process of activating a mechanism aimed at reimposing UN sanctions on Iran citing Iranian violations of a 2015 nuclear deal, which Washington exited in 2018.
• Pompeo claims anti-Iran sanctions will return in 30 days IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed on Friday that Washington delivered a letter to the UN for snapback invocation against Iran to bring back sanctions in 30 days.
• Pompeo: US ready to block Russia, China from violating Iran sanctions Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the United States is prepared to block Russia and China from any attempts to violate sanctions against Iran.
• US 'snapback' sanctions on Iran purely political maneuver: Chinese FM Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- The US call on the UN Security Council to reimpose sanctions on Iran is a purely political maneuver to achieve its political goals, and pushing for the resolution or delivering a letter to the council cannot justify its move, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
• US in no position to snap back Security Council sanctions: Iran Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- Iran has dismissed propagation by certain foreign media outlets that a request by Washington would reinstate the United Nations Security Council's sanctions against Tehran.
• Trump admin. to get isolated, disgraced once again: Iran FM Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- Iran's foreign minister says the US administration's attempt to snap back the UN Security Council's sanctions against Tehran will result in nothing but another disgrace for US President Donald Trump.
• Zarif: US devoid of any right to reapply provisions of terminated resolutions IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a letter to the chairman of the UN Security Council blasted the US' illegal attempts to snapback sanctions on Iran, reiterating that the US has no right to reapply provisions of terminated resolutions.
• Iran envoy: UNSC to reject US demand of initiating trigger mechanism IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi expressed confidence that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will once again reject the US demand to enforce the trigger mechanism against Iran due to lack of any legal standing.
• Iran denounces U.S. attempt to restore UN sanctions People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- Iran on Thursday denounced U.S. attempt to activate the "snapback" mechanism to restore the United Nations (UN) sanctions on the Islamic republic as "unlawful."
• Araghchi: US act in UNSC is null, void IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi in a message described US' anti-Iran act in the United Nations Security Council as null and void.
• China: US ineligible to demand UNSC snapback invocation IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- China Permanent Mission to the United Nations in a message underlined that the US is ineligible to demand the UNSC snapback invocation against Iran.
• Russia terms US attempts to instate Iran sanctions as illegal IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya condemned the US attempts to reimpose sanctions against Iran and described them as "illegal."
• China: US demand to reinstate snapback mechanism "political show" IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- A spokesperson for China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations said the US attempt to reinstate snapback mechanism was illegal and termed it as a "political show".
• China says US push for Iran sanctions 'self-serving political manipulation' Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- China says the United States' call for the re-imposition of the United Nations sanctions on Iran is 'nothing but a self-serving political manipulation,' stressing once again that Washington has no right to make such a demand after its unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal of 2015.
• Iran Defiant AS European JCPOA Members Refuse To Support US Move To Return UN Sanctions Radio Farda 21 Aug 2020 -- Reactions from Iran have ranged from defiant to gleeful as Britain, France and Germany, the three European partners to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, refused to support the United States move to reactivate all previous United Nations sanctions against Iran.
• EU foreign policy chief: The US not entitled to apply trigger mechanism against Iran IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell referring to the US unilateral withdrawal from Joint Comprehension Plan of Action (JCPOA), adding that the US is not a participant to the agreement, so it cannot resort to a mechanism for restoring sanctions against Iran.
• France, Germany and UK do not support U.S. in seeking to reimpose sanctions on Iran: joint statement People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- France, Germany and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on Thursday saying that they cannot support the United States in seeking to reimpose sanctions on Iran.
• E3 not to support US snapback invocation IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- France, Germany and the United Kingdom (E3) in a statement announced that they will not support the US in snapback invocation against Iran which is incompatible with current efforts to support Iran nuclear deal.
• Assassinations in Iraq US Dept. of State 20 Aug 2020 -- We are outraged by the targeted assassinations of civil society activists and attacks on protesters in Basrah and Baghdad.
• Iraq: UN Mission condemns killings of activists in Basra UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has strongly condemned the killing of two activists and attacks against others in the southern city of Basra, urging increased efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
• Lukashenka Claims Belarus Crisis Resolved In Days As Opposition Calls For More Strikes RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- Belarus's leading opposition figure has said Belarusians "will never accept" President Alyaksandr Lukashenko's leadership, who has vowed to resolve his country's political crisis "in the coming days."
• As Lukashenka Clings To Power, His Trusty Machismo Is Losing Its Allure RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka took to the podium in Minsk early this month - shortly after his government disqualified three strong rivals in the upcoming presidential election - to assuage fears that his iron grip over the country was under threat.
• Can Fatal Moments Seal an Autocrat's Fate? VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Autocrats fall when people lose their fear – and that moment can be signaled dramatically by a simple jeer. As it was last week when Europe's so-called "last dictator," Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko, was booed during a speech at a Minsk factory by workers who chanted for him to step down.
• Turkey Calls Natural Gas Discovery 'Historic Day' for Energy-Dependent Country VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday the discovery of a vast natural gas field in the Black Sea. With the prospect of long-term energy security, Erdogan is also vowing to step up energy exploration in Aegean and eastern Mediterranean waters that Greece says it controls.
• Turkey discovers natural gas in Black Sea: President Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday said that Turkey has discovered significant natural gas reserves in the Black Sea.
• Turkey announces discovery of large natural gas reserve in Black Sea Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- Turkey has announced the discovery of a large natural gas reserve off its Black Sea coast, which could ease the country's dependence on energy imports.
• Turkish Drilling Ship Finds 320 Billion Cubic Metre Gas Field in Black Sea, Erdogan Says Sputnik 21 Aug 2020 -- Ankara has been engaged in a row with Greece over drilling in the Mediterranean since the research vessel Oruc Reis launched drilling ops to the south of Antalya and west of Cyprus in maritime territories claimed by Greece.
• Post-Brexit UK-EU deal not easy to achieve, says British chief negotiator Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- A post-Brexit deal between Britain and the European Union will not be easy to achieve, the British government's chief negotiator David Frost said Friday after the latest round of talks ended.`
• EU Negotiator Says Timely Brexit Deal 'Unlikely' VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Friday the latest round of trade talks with Britain was at a stalemate and a deal at this time looks "unlikely."
• Ukrainian Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Resigns RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- The head of Ukraine's Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office says he has resigned after five years in the post.
• Kenya Police Fire Tear Gas at COVID-19 Corruption Protesters VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Kenyan authorities have arrested protesters who allege equipment to fight COVID-19 is being mismanaged. Police used tear gas to disperse the activists at a park in central Nairobi.
• UN rights office 'appalled' at violence against human rights defenders in the Philippines UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has called for effective measures to protect rights defenders in the Philippines, amid a spate of deadly attacks against them.
• As Burkina Faso grapples with COVID-19, new UN data reveals 'alarming deterioration' in food security UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- An estimated 3.3 million people in Burkina Faso are facing acute food insecurity, two United Nations agencies warned on Friday.