CDC on Tuesday said the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 520 to 169,870 and reported 5,422,242 cases, an increase of 40,117 cases from its previous count

John Kerry: ‘Donald Trump inherited a growing economy and a more peaceful world and, like everything he inherited, he bankrupted it’ - https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1295915902077210625

A doctor checking comatose COVID-19 patients for signs of a stroke instead stumbled onto a new clue about how the virus may harm the lungs — thanks to a test that used tiny air bubbles and a robot. - https://www.apnews.com/586d95c9d56afa220a7905cc00b63b0b

Germany has logged its highest number of new cases since May, the latest in a sustained increase of figures. There were 1,510 new cases in the past 24 hours, reported the country's public health body, the Robert Koch Institute. The number was last higher on May 1, with over 1,600 new infections.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has blamed the rise on increased mobility, including summer travel, and more contact between people. She called on Germans to stick to regulations to stop figures rising.
So far, the country has logged at total of over 228,000 cases and 9,246 deaths. - https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-digest-germany-cases-at-highest-level-in-months/a-54618997

Heavy seasonal rains wreaked havoc along the Yangtze river and across China, according to reports on Wednesday.
Some 100,000 people have been evacuated from the cities of Leshan and Ya'an, in worst-hit Sichuan province, as water levels rose and concerns grew over safety.
Flood waters also threatened UNESCO world heritage site, the Leshan Buddha – a 71-meter (233-foot) -tall statue carved into the side of a mountain that overlooks three converging rivers. - https://www.dw.com/en/china-floods-sichuan-buddha/a-54622058

Trump on Wednesday discouraged Americans from purchasing Goodyear tires after it was reported that company employees in Kansas were told not to wear “Make America Great Again” attire or other politically-affiliated gear. - https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/512690-trump-urges-boycott-of-goodyear-tires-after-maga-attire-report

Germany: Dogs must be walked twice a day under new rule
"Pets are not cuddly toys," German Agricultural Minister Julia Klöckner said. The new rules, if passed, would also limit the number of dogs owned by breeders and introduce maximum temperature for pets' living quarters. - https://www.dw.com/en/germany-dogs-must-be-walked-twice-a-day-under-new-rule/a-54627195

France has reported a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases - 4,771 - up a thousand on Wednesday's figure. It is the first time more than 4,000 daily cases have been seen since May.
Meanwhile Spain, Germany and Italy have also recorded their highest numbers of cases since late April or May. - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53856609

A plane with German specialists and equipment necessary to transfer Navalny landed at Omsk airport on Friday morning, prepared to take the politician to a top clinic in Berlin. But doctors at the Siberian hospital said his condition was too unstable to transport him. - https://apnews.com/82f110b286b9ed01d2fecda3dcb25c70

Coronavirus cases linked to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota last week have now reached across state lines to Nebraska, public health officials said.
At least seven Covid-19 cases in Nebraska's Panhandle region have been tied to the rally - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/21/us/sturgis-motorcyle-rally-sd-covid-nebraska-trnd/index.html

"Helpless Means You Can't Do Anything. There's a Lot We Can Do."
In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Donald Trump's pandemic adviser, discusses the anger of his opponents, his relationship with the president, mistakes made in the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 and his cautious optimism that a vaccine will be available soon. - https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/anthony-fauci-helpless-means-you-can-t-do-anyting-there-s-a-lot-we-can-do-a-211cdaf5-d0b1-41f4-b62c-25b76f4d8828

Kids are still taking pretty big risks, according to several new studies of youthful behavior from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Teenagers are only using condoms about half the time when they have sex, they're not always wearing seat belts when they drive, more than a third admit to texting while driving and a third are vaping, the CDC's annual survey of teens found. - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/21/health/teens-unsafe-behavior-health-risks-wellness/index.html

For three years, QAnon spread from the dark edges of the internet to mainstream social networks, and the social networks did little to stop it happening. Now Facebook and Twitter are trying to crack down — but it may be too late. What was once a fringe conspiracy theory has now been openly endorsed by some congressional candidates with a real shot of winning, and complimented by the President of the United States. - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/21/tech/qanon-politicians-social-media/index.html

A group of people are to receive €1,200 'universal basic income' per month for three years in a new German study.
Germany is launching a new trial to find out how universal basic income affects the attitude and lives of those who receive it.
As part of the Pilotprojekt Grundeinkommen (Basic Income Pilot Project) study, 120 people will receive €1,200 each month for three years. - https://www.thelocal.de/20200821/what-you-need-to-know-about-germanys-new-universal-basic-income-trial

Three pop concerts are being staged on one day in Germany to enable scientists to investigate the risks of such mass indoor events during the pandemic.
Some 4,000 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 50 were urged to sign up for Saturday's study in Leipzig, carried out by Halle University.
Singer-songwriter Tim Bendzko agreed to perform at all three successive gigs.
The study came as Germany recorded its highest number of Covid-19 infections since the end of April. - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53875370

A South African who was thought to be the oldest man in the world has died at the age of 116.
Fredie Blom's identity documents showed he was born in Eastern Cape province in May 1904, although that was never verified by Guinness World Records.
When he was teenager, his entire family was wiped out by the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. He went on to survive two world wars and apartheid. - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53875675

Dry rooms and air-conditioned indoor spaces hike Covid-viral infection, conclude Indian and German researchers in their meta-study. They're urging optimum humidity standards for building interiors and public transport. - https://p.dw.com/p/3hGIX

A survey has found that 76% of Germans think Europe's relations with the US would improve under Democrat Joe Biden's leadership. A January study showed that Germany's confidence in President Trump is relatively low. - https://p.dw.com/p/3hL3e

Girls in the rural areas of Tanzania are often trapped in a cycle that includes female genital mutilation, forced marriage and teen pregnancy. Women in the country are now fighting to free the next generation from the suffering and oppression. https://baja-search.com/2CQen7w

Nobody gets let off the hook for this. Nobody. - https://twitter.com/actdottv/status/1296881001168158720