WORLD AGENDA
World events scheduled for August
August 1, 2020 - August 31, 2020 - Each month Graphic News publishes a World Agenda of forthcoming events that will shape the world in the month ahead. Events in August include the Democrat and Republican National Conventions in the U.S., a presidential election in Belarus, China’s plan to hold military drills in the South China Sea, and the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Aug 2, U.S.: Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are due to return to Earth, completing the first crewed test of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to the ISS
Aug 6-9, Japan: The atomic bombings 75 years ago of Hiroshima and Nagasaki left the world aghast. The anniversary falls amid escalating political and military tensions between the U.S., Russia and China
Aug 9, Belarus: Alexander Lukashenko, president since 1994 and dubbed Europe’s last dictator, looks certain to be re-elected, but some loyalists have turned on him
Aug 17-24, U.S.: Aug, U.S.: Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden and Republican incumbent Donald Trump are formally nominated. Biden supporters convene in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while Trump hosts a virus-reduced, half-day rally in Charlotte, North Carolina
Aug 28, U.S.: Civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton has called for a new March on Washington on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream …” speech, to fight for policing and criminal justice reforms
Aug 29-Sep 20, France: The Tour de France gets underway, two months late because of coronavirus. Authorities are under pressure to ban the usual crowds amid the ongoing risk of infection
Aug, China: Military drills will reportedly simulate the seizure of Taiwan’s Pratas Islands, a cluster of atolls known in China as the Dongsha Islands. The plan has sparked fear in Taiwan and alarm in Washington
Aug, U.S.: Start-up company Hyperion plans to unveil its zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered XP-1, based on technology originally developed for NASA. There are few details on how and where owners will be able to refuel