Portal:Current events/October 2020

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October 2020 was the tenth month of that leap year. The month, which began on a Thursday, ended on a Saturday after 31 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from October 2020.

October 1, 2020 (2020-10-01) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Two French journalists working for the newspaper Le Monde are seriously injured by Azeri shelling, according to an Armenian government source. Two Armenian journalists are also injured in a separate incident. (Reuters) (Star Tribune)
  • Former President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, expresses concern over the escalation of the situation. He also calls for Baku and Yerevan to launch negotiations. (News AM)
  • Turkey issues a statement dismissing the demands for a ceasefire from the United States, France, and Russia. (BBC News)
  • The Armenian ambassador to the United States, Varuzhan Nersesyan, says, "Right now, what is necessary is an intervention of the highest levels, together with other mediators, Russia and France, to stop the violence." (Newsweek)

Business and economy

• The Tokyo Stock Exchange halts all trading for the day after it suffered one of the worst technical glitches in its history. It is undecided if it will reopen on Friday. The Nikkei 225 and TOPIX were also impacted, as they rely on the same system. (DW)
• The Supreme Court of Ireland rules that the bread used by American restaurant franchise Subway cannot be classified as bread, due to its high sugar content. The franchise henceforth will be required to pay a 13.5% value-added tax for their bread instead of being exempted as before. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Beirut explosion
  • The state-run National News Agency says that Lebanon's state prosecution has asked Interpol to detain two Russian citizens, the captain and owner of the MV Rhosus, a ship that carried thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate to Beirut in 2013. (Reuters via U.S. News)
• Eight people are killed and ten others are injured as a series of wildfires sweeps through part of eastern Ukraine. (Reuters)
• British businessman and TV show host Zef Eisenberg is killed in a crash while attempting a new land speed record at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire, England. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the Community of Madrid
        • The Spanish government orders a partial lockdown in Madrid and surrounding areas badly affected by COVID-19 after a rise in cases. Under the new restrictions, residents will not be allowed to leave the area unless they have to make an essential journey. However, Madrid's regional government says that the lockdown is not legally valid. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports 2,548 new cases in the past 24 hours, partly due to higher swab tests that were conducted. It is the biggest daily jump of cases in five months and the first time the country has reported more than 2,000 cases since April. (Anadolu Agency)
      • The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he would ask parliament to extend the country's state of emergency to the end of January 2021, as the government tries to avoid the surge in cases seen in other European countries. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    • Malaysia reports 260 new cases, the second biggest daily spike since the pandemic began. The sharp increase in infections comes after a surge in travel to and from Sabah for the state elections. The national tally now stands at 11,484 cases with a total of 136 deaths. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state), 2020 Washington wildfires
      • A family of seven people who lost their homes during the Labor Day fires in the state tests positive for COVID-19. (Fox13news) (CNN)
    • President Donald Trump confirms that top aide Hope Hicks has tested positive for coronavirus and says he and First Lady Melania Trump will begin their "quarantine process" while waiting for their own test results. (CNN)

International relations

• Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union
  • After the United Kingdom ignored their demands made in early September to scrap the Internal Market Bill by the end of the month, the European Commission sends a letter to the government of the United Kingdom informing them of its intent to pursue international legal action over the bill, which the European Union claims violates international law by overriding article four of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. (AFP via Asia Times)

Law and crime

• 2017 Las Vegas shooting
  • Amidst the third anniversary of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department backtracks on an earlier decision and has included, in the official death toll, two women who died from gunshot wound complications over the past year, thereby increasing it from 58 to 60. (AP) (The Las-Vegas Review Journal)
• Belgium's court of appeal recognizes the genealogical DNA test result of Delphine Boël as the daughter of King Albert II, thereby instating her to the title of Princess of Belgium with the predicate "Her Royal Highness". Having been recognized as the illegitimate daughter of Albert, Boël was given the honorific Jonkvrouw, the lowest rank within the Belgian titled nobility, prior to the decision. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Politics and elections

• Alessandro Cardelli and Mirko Dolcini are sworn in Captains Regent of San Marino. Cardelli becomes the world's youngest head of state. (San Marino RTV)

Science and technology

• Life on Venus
  • According to a study from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, Venus would be able to support life if Jupiter hadn't altered its orbit around the Sun nearly 4 billion years ago. (Phys.org) (CNN)

October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijani forces shell the Artsakh capital of Stepanakert, wounding ten civilians and partially destroying several buildings, including the Artsakh Rescue Service headquarters, according to Armenian officials. (Arab News) (Sputnik)

Business and economy

• A consortium between Mohsin and Zuber Issa, owners of the British-based retailer Euro Garages, and the private equity firm TDR Capital acquire a majority stake in the supermarket chain Asda worth £6.8 billion (US$8.7 billion) from American retailer Walmart. Walmart will maintain a minority shareholding. (AFP via Mint)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the Community of Madrid
        • The perimeter confinement of Europe's worst hot spot, in Madrid, ordered by the Ministry of Health, begins for two weeks. President of the Community of Madrid Isabel Díaz Ayuso takes legal action against the resolution. (ABC Australia) (El País)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
      • Slovenia reports 238 new cases, an all-time daily high. (RTVSLO)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • White House COVID-19 outbreak
        • President Donald Trump announces that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 and are in quarantine. (BBC News)
        • On the advice of his physician and "out of an abundance of caution", Trump is flown to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. (BBC News)
        • Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tests positive for COVID-19, hours after President Trump revealed that he tested positive. (Detroit Free Press)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    • Malaysia reported 287 new cases on Friday, all of which were found in the country and not among travellers from overseas. It is the highest number of reported cases in the country since the beginning of the outbreak. (Bloomberg)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
    • Tunisia reports 1,308 new confirmed cases on Wednesday, the health ministry says. This is a new record high since the beginning of the pandemic, prompting the government to impose a nightly curfew in Sousse and Monastir governorates. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • AstraZeneca announces that they would resume vaccine trials in Japan. (Japan Today)

International relations

• Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Australia–New Zealand relations
    • Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern finalise plans for a trans-Tasman "travel bubble". Australia will permit the entry of travellers from New Zealand into New South Wales and the Northern Territory if they have stayed in New Zealand for at least two weeks effective October 16. New Zealand, however, has not reciprocated any lifting of travel restrictions for Australian travellers. (The Guardian)
• Belarus–European Union relations, European Union–Turkey relations, International reactions to the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and protests
  • The European Council agrees on sanctions against Belarus. Opposition by Cyprus is lifted by also agreeing on a warning to Turkey. (Reuters) (The Washington Post)
• Cambodia–United States relations
  • The Pentagon says it is "concerned" about reports that Cambodia has demolished a U.S.-funded facility at the Ream Naval Base, which could be linked to Chinese military and economic pressure on the country. The Center for Strategic and International Studies says the Cambodian government appears to have razed the building last month. (Reuters)
• Russia–Venezuela relations, COVID-19 vaccine
  • Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announces that the country will receive shipments of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Czech Senate election
  • The first round of the latest Senate elections are being held in the Czech Republic. The voters can decide over the composition of a third of the Senate's 81 total seats. (Foreign Brief)
• Islam in France
  • President Emmanuel Macron announces a crackdown on "Islamist separatism" in Muslim communities in France, saying a bill tackling Islamist separatism would be sent to parliament early next year. Among the measures, will include a ban on foreign imams, restrictions on home schooling, and the creation of an "Institute of Islamology" to tackle Islamic fundamentalism. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Discoveries of exoplanets
  • Scientists reveal the image of Beta Pictoris c (β Pic c), an exoplanet that is located 63 light years away. (ScienceAlert)
• SpaceX announces that they aborted a launch of a GPS Block III satellite two seconds before taking off. (CNET)

October 3, 2020 (2020-10-03) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • A car bombing near the district governor’s compound in Shinwar District, Nangarhar Province, kills at least 15 people and wounds another 30. Gunmen tried to enter the district governor’s compound but were killed by security forces. (TOLOnews)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev criticizes international mediators calling for a ceasefire, saying the war won't end until Armenian forces withdraw from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. (Daily Sabah)
  • Azerbaijan says its troops have captured Suqovuşan (Madaghis), Talış, Mehdili, Aşağı Maralyan, Şəybəy, Quycaq and Aşağı Əbdürrəhmanlı following clashes with Armenian and Artsakh forces. President Ilham Aliyev tweets "Madagiz is ours. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!". (APA)
  • Iran says ten shells have fallen inside Iranian territory as fighting rages between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. More than 35 stray mortar shells have hit Iran since the recent fighting began, causing damage to housing units and the injury of a child. (Almasdar News)
• War in Darfur
  • The transitional government of Sudan signs a peace deal with the main rebel groups fighting in the conflict. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, which had refused to engage in previous talks, joined this time. The U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth, hails the deal as a "historic achievement". (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• 2020 in archaeology
  • Egypt unveils 59 coffins of priests and clerks from the 26th dynasty nearly 2,500 years ago. (Reuters)
• Irreecha
  • The Oromo people celebrate the Irreecha thanksgiving festival amid political tensions and the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Washington Post)

Disasters and accidents

• One person is killed and another missing after heavy floods affect the Piedmont region in Italy, while a firefighter is killed by a tree in Aosta Valley. Twenty-one other people go missing but are rescued alive. (Il Fatto Quotidiano)
• Flash flooding in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia, causes hundreds of people to evacuate, with waters reaching as high as two meters. (Antara)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France reports 16,972 new cases in the past 24 hours, setting a new record for the country since the beginning of the pandemic. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports 2,844 new cases in the last 24 hours as swab tests conducted by the country remain steady at over 100,000. It is the highest number of reported cases since April, when the country was still in lockdown. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports 963 new daily cases, bringing the cumulative total to 78,247 confirmed cases and 1,995 deaths. Ever since the end of national lockdown in May, this has been the seventh time that the country has registered some record increases in new cases, with all other six records occurring during the month of September. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom reports 12,872 new cases, a record number of reported cases since the start of the pandemic; however, the Department of Health and Social Care says that there has been a delay in publishing a number of cases due to a technical glitch, which has now been resolved, meaning the total reported over the coming days will include some additional cases in the period between September 24 and October 1. (ITV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • White House COVID-19 outbreak
        • U.S. Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin tests positive for COVID-19, joining U.S. Senators Thom Tillis from North Carolina and Mike Lee from Utah as high-profile politicians infected with COVID-19 who attended recent events with President Donald Trump. (CNN)
        • Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also tests positive for COVID-19 and checks himself into the Morristown Medical Center. (Reuters) (Bloomberg.com)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil
      • São Paulo State governor João Doria asks health regulator Anvisa for approval to use COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac, a major step in what could be one of the first vaccination programs in the Americas. In late July, São Paulo was one of the first sites of Phase III clinical trials for Sinovac. Doria plans to begin inoculating the population of São Paulo by mid-December, which is one of the world’s most ambitious schedules. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in India
    • India surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, becoming the third country to reach that milestone behind the United States and Brazil. (France 24)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the Solomon Islands
    • Solomon Islands records its first case, a student who arrived from the Philippines. (The Straits Times)

Law and crime

• 2019–2020 Chilean protests
  • Protests spark in Santiago after footage of a police officer throwing a 16-year-old boy from a bridge over the Mapocho River is released. The incident occurred on Friday while Carabineros were repressing a protest near Plaza Baquedano in downtown Santiago. (The Guardian)
  • Opposition politicians call for the resignation of Carabineros General Director Mario Rozas and announce an impeachment to the Ministry of Interior due to several incidents against protesters. Also, they announce they will reject the annual budget for Carabineros unless changes are implemented. (La Tercera)
  • The officer is under arrest and charged with attempted murder by the National Public Prosecutor. (La Tercera)
• List of foreign nationals detained in Iran
  • French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah is temporarily released from prison in Tehran but with an electronic tag. Adelkhah had been detained since June 2019 and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in May 2020 for "conspiring against national security". (AFP via RFI)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Green Party of Canada leadership election
  • The former 2019 federal Green Party candidate for Toronto Centre and older sister of Canadian actress Ngozi Paul, Annamie Paul, is elected as the new leader of the federal Green Party. (CBC)
• Jordan's Prime Minister Omar Al-Razzaz resigns. King Abdullah asks him to stay on as a caretaker premier until the king appoints a successor. (US News & World Report)

October 4, 2020 (2020-10-04) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijan's second-largest city Ganja is shelled by Artsakh forces, destroying several buildings and killing at least one civilian. Ganja International Airport is also bombed. Azerbaijani Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov says it is a "clearly provocative" move that was "expanding the conflict". (BBC News)
  • The Artsakh capital Stepanakert is struck with MLRS missiles resulting in heavy casualties and leaving the city without power. Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan warns major cities in Azerbaijan are now "legitimate targets of the defence army" following the strikes on Stepanakert. (Eurasianet) (BBC News)
  • Azerbaijani troops reportedly seize control of the city of Cəbrayil (Jabrayil) from Artsakh forces. Armenia denies the city has fallen. (Ahval News)
  • Azerbaijan says medium-range missiles have hit its Khizi and Absheron districts, as well as the city of Mingachevir. (APA)
• Terrorism in Germany, Antisemitism in 21st century Germany
  • An attack by an Islamic extremist kills one tourist and injures the other. The suspect was later arrested. (Reuters)
  • Amid the celebration of Sukkot, a 26-year-old Jewish student suffers a traumatic brain injury after being attacked with a shovel by a 29-year-old German Kazakh man as he entered a synagogue in Hamburg. Police later discover a piece of paper with a swastika on it in one of the attacker's trouser pockets. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas denounces the attack as "repugnant antisemitism". (AFP via The Times of Israel)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema
  • Cineworld announces it is temporarily shutting down all its cinemas in the United Kingdom and United States, putting more than 5,500 jobs at risk, after reporting £1.3bn in losses since the COVID-19 lockdown. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Five people who went missing during heavy floods in France two days ago are found dead in river banks in the Italian region of Liguria, while a man is found dead at the border between the two countries. Italy is also affected by floods. A man has died in his car during the floods in the French region of Saint-Martin-Vésubie. (Il Fatto Quotidiano) (L'Union)
• A multiple-vehicle collision on a main road in Fuyu, Jilin, China, kills 18 people. Police say an inquiry is under way into the cause of the accident. (Sky News)
• Eight migrants are dead, while 12 more are missing, after three unidentified smugglers hijacked their boat off the coast of Djibouti, according to eyewitnesses and the International Organization for Migration. The agency reports that the migrants had attempted to reach Saudi Arabia via Yemen, but were forced to return to the Horn of Africa due to COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions. (AFP via Macau Business)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland surpass 100,000 cases of COVID-19. (Reuters via National Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 10,499 new cases in the past 24 hours, setting a record for the highest number of daily new cases since May 15, when the outbreak was at its peak and lockdowns were in place in parts of the country. This is also the first time that daily new infections surpassed 10,000 since May. (Daily Sabah)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19 after a backlog of infections left out of Public Health England's daily figures between September 25 and October 2 led to a record 22,961 cases reported in 24 hours. The glitch led to 15,841 cases not being passed on to data dashboards used for contact tracing. (The Guardian)

International relations

• The Presidents of Palau, Nauru, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands issue a statement threatening to leave the Pacific Islands Forum if their nominee is not chosen as Secretary-General. Micronesian President David W. Panuelo says the issue is "non-negotiable". (RNZ)

Law and crime

• Nigerian Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu bans the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other tactical units from engaging in stop-and-search operations at traffic stops and from setting up roadblocks, as well as mandating that all police officers wear uniforms while on-duty, in response to mounting allegations of agents unlawfully arresting and torturing suspects. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2020 New Caledonian independence referendum
  • New Caledonians reject independence from France with 53.26% of votes, according to final results. Turnout is reportedly high. President Emmanuel Macron welcomes the result as a "sign of confidence in the republic". (BBC News)
• October 2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election
  • Parliamentary elections are being held in Kyrgyzstan amidst an economic crisis. (Reuters)
• The Malian interim government releases 110 jihadists from their Bamako prison after releasing 70 yesterday. It is believed that their release is part of a prisoner exchange to secure the release of opposition politician Soumaïla Cissé, who was kidnapped earlier this year. (AP)

October 5, 2020 (2020-10-05) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • A suicide bomber targeting the convoy of Rahmatullah Yarmal, the governor of Laghman Province, kills eight people and wounds 38 others. Yarmal survives the attack. (TOLO News)
• 2020 Kyrgyzstani protests
  • Violent protests occur in Kyrgyzstan in response to the results of yesterday's parliamentary election. Kyrgyz police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters. (BBC News)
  • Anti-government protesters seize the presidential White House and Supreme Council buildings in the capital Bishkek. (The Straits Times)
  • Former President Almazbek Atambayev is freed from prison by demonstrators. (Sputnik)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Timeline of military engagements in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
    • Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence says the Armenian Armed Forces are bombarding the Azerbaijani cities of Beylagan, Barda, Tartar, and Ganja. Azeri artillery pounds Stepanakert for a fourth consecutive day, killing 5 civilians, according to an Al Jazeera journalist in the city. (Al Jazeera) (APA)

Business and economy

• Animal welfare and rights in Israel
  • The government announces it will ban the animal fur trade, becoming the first country to do so. Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel says "Utilising the skin and fur of wildlife for the fashion industry is immoral". Anyone found selling or buying fur after the ban, with the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jews, will face a fine of up to €18,500 or a year in prison. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Gamma (2020)
  • Six people are killed as Tropical Storm Gamma approaches the coast of Mexico. (Accu Weather)
• Two more people who went missing in France during floods are found dead on the coasts of Liguria, Italy. Two workers in Bajardo, Liguria, are dead after their vehicle crashes while cleaning floods-related debris. The total death toll for the violent storms rise to 13. (TGCOM24) (Ansa)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
        • White House COVID-19 outbreak
          • White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany announces that she, along with two of her deputies Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt, have tested positive for COVID-19 and will undergo quarantine. (CNBC)
          • US President Donald Trump returns to the White House to continue his treatment there after a three-night stay in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. (BBC News)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
        • New York governor Andrew Cuomo orders schools to close starting tomorrow in several "hot spots" around the state, including parts of the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. This comes after COVID-19 test positivity rates rose above 3% in those areas for seven days in a row. Cuomo declined to close non-essential businesses and religious institutions. (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
      • The Health Ministry reported a record jump of 2,789 deaths and 28,115 cases in Mexico, far surpassing the previous record of 1,092 deaths and 9,556 cases. The government said the record was due to a change of methodology which includes additional cases that were not reported from June. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announces that he will undergo a two-week home quarantine, after Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, who attended a National Security meeting he chaired on Saturday, tested positive for COVID-19. (CNA)
      • Malaysia reports 432 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new record of daily infections since the beginning of the outbreak. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 3,902 new cases, taking the nationwide total of cumulative cases to 475,674. At the same time, the country announces a record 235 new deaths in 24 hours, which takes the death toll to 27,192. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • The government places Paris and its Île-de-France region to maximum alert following a surge of infection rates, prompting Île-de-France to shut down all bars, gymnasiums, and swimming pools completely and all festive gatherings in establishments are banned from being open to the public effective tomorrow. The restrictions will last two weeks, but restaurants will remain open with strict health protocols. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland
      • Iceland orders all bars, gyms and entertainment venues to close, and cuts the number of people allowed to gather in public from 200 to 20 amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • The regional government of Castilla y León announce to confine the cities of León and Palencia given the rising number of infections detected there over the last 14 days. The measure, which will take effect tomorrow, will include closing times for establishments at 11:00 p.m. local time with the last customer permitted to enter an hour earlier, and capacity in bars and restaurants limited to 50% indoors and 60% outdoor in a similar move that was implemented in Madrid. (El Pais in English)
• Nobel Prize
  • The 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine is awarded to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice for their discovery of the Hepatitis C virus. (CNN)

International relations

• United Kingdom–Venezuela relations, Venezuelan presidential crisis
  • The Court of Appeals for England and Wales overturns a ruling earlier this year by the High Court of Justice that stated the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro did not have the right to access the Central Bank of Venezuela's gold, worth more than US$1.8 billion, currently stored by the Bank of England due to the UK government's recognition of oppositional leader Juan Guaidó as the actual president. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• The Indonesian parliament passes a controversial job creation omnibus bill into law amid mounting criticism over its provisions on labour rights, indigenous community rights, and environmental protection. Labour unions and civil rights groups plan to hold large-scale protests. (Antara)
• The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority bans all flights over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (Al Jazeera)
• Former Vice President of the Maldives Ahmed Adeeb is sentenced to 20 years prison and fined US$129,892 for corruption relating to the leasing of islands for hotel development. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2019–20 Algerian protests
  • Between 400 and 500 Algerians defy the ban on protests and march on the capital of Algiers to both commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the 1988 pro-democracy protests and riots and renew calls for the resignation of the ruling military junta. (Al Jazeera)

Science and technology

• 2020 in paleontology
  • According to a study from the Scientific Reports, the Otodus megalodon was the largest shark to swim in Earth's oceans. Its body size was 15 meters (50 feet). (Phys.org) (Forbes)
• Discoveries of exoplanets
  • According to a research published in the Astrobiology journal by Washington State University professor Dirk Schulze-Makuch, there are 24 possible exoplanets that are superhabitable outside the Solar System. (CNET) (SciTechDaily)
• Tasmanian devils are introduced to the Australian mainland for the first time in 3,000 years. (CBS News)

October 6, 2020 (2020-10-06) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • History of the Syrian Civil War (2020–present)
    • Al-Bab truck bombing
      • A truck bombing kills at least 18 people and injures another 75 in al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, Syria. (Al Jazeera English)
• 2020 Kyrgyzstani protests
  • Protesters in Kyrgyzstan break into parliament in the capital Bishkek, throwing paper from windows and setting the building on fire. A person is killed and 686 others are injured. (Reuters)
  • The electoral authorities in Kyrgyzstan annul the results of the parliamentary elections following the protests. (BBC News)
  • Opposition groups claim to be in power after seizing government buildings in the capital. President Sooronbay Jeenbekov says he is facing a coup d'état. Several provincial governors reportedly resign. (Reuters)
  • Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov, who is a close ally of the ruling President, resigns. He is replaced by Sadyr Japarov. (DW)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijan accuses the Armenian Armed Forces of attacking the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline with banned cluster munitions, killing a civilian in Goranboy District. Armenia rejects the accusation. (RFE/RL)
• Mali War
  • Jihadist group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin releases Malian opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, who had been held captive since March, and French aid worker Sophie Pétronin, who had been held captive since 2016. (The Guardian)
• Papua conflict
  • Members of the Free Papua Movement fire five bullets at the Indonesian Army security post in Pasar Baru Kenyam, Nduga district, Papua. A civilian is injured. (Antara)

Disasters and accidents

• Hurricane Delta
  • Hurricane Delta strengthens into a powerful Category 4 hurricane, with additional strengthening anticipated until landfall in Quintana Roo, Mexico. (National Hurricane Center)
  • Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency ahead of the storm. (WDSU-TV)
• The death toll of the floods brought on by the 2020–21 European windstorm season, which is affecting France and Italy rise to 14 as the body of a worker is found in the Italian region of Liguria. The man went missing during the beginning of the floods three days ago. (TGCOM24)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • White House COVID-19 outbreak
        • White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller tests positive for COVID-19. (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • New York state will reinstate restrictions on businesses, houses of worship and schools in and near areas where coronavirus cases are spiking, governor Andrew Cuomo said. The new rules will affect parts of Brooklyn, New York and Queens in New York City, sections of Orange and Rockland counties in the Hudson Valley, and an area within Binghamton in the Southern Tier. This restrictions will take effect no later than Friday. (ABC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • The number of daily cases in Malaysia reaches 691, a record for two consecutive days. The Health Ministry's director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah says that of those new cases, 397 of them were from Kedah, with most of them being caused by an outbreak in a prison. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • The United Arab Emirates surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 cases. In addition, six people have died in the past 24 hours, the highest single day figure since May. (The National)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • The Andorran Prime Minister Xavier Espot self-isolates for 10 days after having a close contact with a positive for COVID-19. (Diari d'Andorra)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
      • Finland reports its highest daily number of COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 227 new cases reported, surpassing the previous peak in April. They also exceed the rate that the country has set for other countries before their citizens are allowed to visit without being quarantined. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland reports 58 new deaths, a record high for a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vatican City
      • The Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State announces that as of 7 October it will also be mandatory to wear masks outdoors when it is not possible to maintain a safety distance. This rule will also apply in the extraterritorial properties of the Vatican in the city of Rome. (Catholic News Agency)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • The European Medicines Agency announces that they will launch a review for vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. (CNBC)

International relations

• Indonesia–Philippines relations
  • Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Edhy Prabowo says that they have detained two Filipino fishing boats with 21 crew members on board, in Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone. (Antara)

Law and crime

• The European Court of Justice rules that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's higher education reforms violate the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, saying they placed undue burdens on foreign universities operating in the country. Philanthropist George Soros, whose Central European University was targeted by Orbán's laws, laments that "the decision [came] too late" and that the university will not return back after being forced out because "[Hungary's] prevailing laws don’t meet the requirements of academic freedom". (ABC News)

Science and technology

• Nobel Prize in Physics
  • The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Roger Penrose "for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity," and to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea M. Ghez "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy." (CBC)
• Mars makes its closest approach to Earth since 2018. Mars will not be closer to Earth again until 2035. (Space.com)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ice hockey, 2020 NHL Entry Draft
    • The NHL Entry Draft, originally postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is held remotely with the New York Rangers selecting winger Alexis Lafrenière with the first overall pick. (New York Daily News)

October 7, 2020 (2020-10-07) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • A bomb kills at least three people in Tagab District, Kapisa Province. (TOLOnews)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • A report from the United Nations recommends that war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement be referred to the International Criminal Court. (The Washington Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Hurricane Delta
    • Hurricane Delta makes landfall in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula at 5:30 CDT. (The Weather Channel)
    • Carlos Joaquín González, governor of Quintana Roo, says that "half of the state is without power" due to Hurricane Delta. (The Weather Channel)
    • New Iberia, Louisiana, issues a city wide curfew as Hurricane Delta approaches. (KLFY-TV)
• Russian authorities evacuate people from over a dozen villages in the Ryazan Oblast, following a large fire and explosions at a military arms depot. No casualties are reported. (Reuters)
• A bus accident leaves at least 18 people dead in Ivory Coast. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • The Andorran government orders all bars in the Principality to close and only offer food at home, and restricts the hours of restaurants between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time, and between 7 p.m. and midnight local time. (El Periòdic)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • The regional government in Brussels declares that bars and cafes in the city will be forced to close for a month effective tomorrow, even if they only sell tea or coffee, after the Belgian capital overtook Paris in terms of infections per inhabitant. (Swiss Info)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Bulgaria registers 436 new cases in the past 24 hours, a record high for a single day since the beginning of the pandemic, as shown by data from the national information platform on the disease. A total of 22,306 cases have been registered in the country. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The Czech Republic reports a record 4,457 new cases in a single day, according to data from the Health Ministry, as in infections over the past month are now rising at the fastest pace in Europe, seeing 326.8 per 100,000 over the past two weeks. (Daily Sabah)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • French health authorities reported 18,746 new confirmed cases in 24 hours, a new all-time daily high since the beginning of the outbreak, taking the nationwide total at 653,509. President Emmanuel Macron responded to that record cases by saying there will be a new restrictions to curb spread of the virus. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Berlin's nightlife is facing a closing time for the first time since 1950, effective October 10, as bars, restaurants, and off-licences will have to close between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time. Under new rules that have been announced, public gatherings of more than five people from more than two households, as well as private gatherings of more than ten people, will also be banned. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy imposes a compulsory nationwide outdoor mask mandate, with fines ranging from 400 to 1,000 euros (AS$659 to AS$1,650; US$463 to US$1,163) for violators in a bid to curb the second wave of COVID-19. This decree passes at the same time the country reports 3,678 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest figure since the peak of the outbreak in April. Exceptions include outdoor sporting activities, children under six years of age, and people with health conditions that preclude wearing masks. (Sydney Morning Herald) (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland reports 3,003 new cases and 75 new deaths in the last 24 hours. It is the highest jump of number of cases and deadliest day since the start of the pandemic. (Radio Poland)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania records 2,958 new cases, as well as 82 deaths. It is the highest jump of number of cases and deadliest day since the start of the pandemic. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
      • Governor Tony Evers announces that the state will open a field hospital at the state fairgrounds near Milwaukee. (The Hill)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil surpasses five million COVID-19 cases, becoming the third country to reach that milestone after the United States and India. (Bloomberg)
• Canadian Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announces that Canada will ban plastic bags, drinking straws, cutlery and other single-use items by the end of 2021. (CTV)

International relations

• Iran–United States relations, Internet censorship in the United States
  • The U.S. Department of Justice announces the seizure of 92 domain names believed to be used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to "spread pro-Iranian disinformation". (Middle East Eye)

Law and crime

• Indonesia omnibus bill protests
  • Indonesian police detains nearly 400 protesters, some armed with molotov cocktails and sharp weapons. Demonstrations take place in at least 12 places, with police detaining 183 people outside local parliament in Palembang, and holding more than 200 protesters in the capital Jakarta. (CNA)
• George Floyd protests
  • Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged in George Floyd's death, is released on bail. (WCCO-TV)
• A Greek court rules that far-right political party Golden Dawn operated as a criminal organization in connection with the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas in 2013 and other crimes. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, October 2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election
  • Kyrgyz parliamentarians launch impeachment procedures against President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. (Sputnik news)
• Foreign Minister of Northern Cyprus Kudret Özersay resigns in protest of Prime Minister Ersin Tatar's decision to re-open Varosha, a Greek Cypriot-majority resort town that was abandoned after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, days before the presidential election. He also pulled the People's Party out of the ruling coalition late yesterday in light of the announcement. (The New Arab)

Science and technology

• Nobel Prize in Chemistry
  • The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna "for the development of a method for genome editing." (ABC)
• 2020 in archosaur paleontology
  • Multiple skeletons of Oksoko avarsan are discovered in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. (BBC News)
• Starman, a Tesla Roadster that was launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket three years ago by Elon Musk, makes its closest approach to Mars at a distance of 0.05 astronomical units. (CNN)

October 8, 2020 (2020-10-08) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
      • The Taliban kills six security forces and injures another six in Imam Sahib District, Kunduz Province. (TOLOnews)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Armenia says that Azerbaijani forces have shelled and severely damaged the historic Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh's city of Shusha. (Deccan Herald)

Arts and culture

• Nobel Prize in Literature
  • The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to Louise Glück "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal." (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Hurricane Delta
    • Hurricane Delta restrengthens to a category 3 hurricane and is expected to hit areas in Louisiana, including areas that were affected by Hurricane Laura. (The Washington Post)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
        • Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that the city will close an additional 61 schools to combat COVID-19 hotspots. (Patch.com)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
      • New Jersey records 1,301 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day count since May. (Politico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      • Wayne County, Michigan issues a mask mandate for outdoor spaces and businesses. (The Detroit News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • Austria reports 1,209 new cases in the past 24 hours, clearly surpassing the previous record set in March during the first wave of pandemic, according to data sent by the Interior Ministry. (U.S. News and World Report)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • The government imposes tighter restrictions in Lyon, Lille, Grenoble, and Saint-Étienne. These four cities with high infection rates will become maximum alert zones effective October 10, and bars, gymnasiums, and cafés will have to close in similar measures imposed in Paris and Marseille. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • The Robert Koch Institute reports 4,058 new cases in Germany in the past 24 hours. It is the biggest number of reported cases in a single day since April, which health minister Jens Spahn described as "alarming" and blames young people for failure to observe social distancing. (Financial Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports 1,278 new daily cases, bringing the cumulative total to 82,534 confirmed cases and 2,050 deaths. This is the first time that the country has reported more than 1,000 cases since April. (DGS) (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • The number of confirmed cases in the Netherlands jumps by a record of more than 5,800 in the past 24 hours, according to data released by health authorities, putting pressure on the government to impose new restrictions in the country. (U.S. News and World Report)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
      • Slovenia reports 387 new cases, an all-time daily high for the second day in a row. (RTVSLO)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports a record jump of 4,850 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide total to 320,564. (detikHealth)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran registers 4,392 new cases, which is a record number of reported cases since the pandemic began, taking the cumulative total to 488,236 as hospitals struggle with a surge of infections. (Reuters via National Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • The government extends an emergency provision that bars public gatherings, including widespread protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for an additional week. (Al Jazeera)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • The European Union signs a deal with Johnson & Johnson to supply up to 400 million doses of its potential vaccine. (Reuters) (Fox Business)
  • The World Health Organization reports a record one-day increase in global cases, with a total of 338,779 cases reported in the last 24 hours led by a surge of infections in Europe, where cases rise by 96,996. (Reuters)

International relations

• Saudi Arabia–United Kingdom relations
  • Three British MPs launch an investigation into the disappearances of Saudi princes Mohammed bin Nayef and Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, alongside other political dissidents in the kingdom. (The New Arab)

Law and crime

• COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the Community of Madrid
    • Madrid regional court overturns a government order to impose a partial lockdown on the city and nine satellite towns, calling the restrictions "interference by public authorities in citizens' fundamental rights without the legal mandate to support it." (France 24)
• Indonesia omnibus bill protests
  • Police fire tear gas near the presidential palace where demonstrators have gathered. (CNA)
  • The largest Islamic mass organization Nahdlatul Ulama condemns the law as 'oppressive', and calls for judicial review. (The Jakarta Post)
  • Nationwide protests and labour strikes continue across the country for a third straight day. Six hundred people have been detained so far and two students are seriously injured. (Al Jazeera)
  • In several places across the country, demonstrators occupy and damage the local parliament buildings, blockade the roads, and burn used tires. (Newsflare)
  • Demonstrators are suspected of burning a number of public facilities in the Pasar Senen area. The police post, Transjakarta bus stop, and the Grand Theater cinema around the area were burned. (CNN Indonesia)
• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • The FBI announces that 13 men from militia group Wolverine Watchmen are charged in a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home. (ABC News)
• A scroll containing a handwritten poem by deceased Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, claimed to be worth around US$300 million, is recovered in Hong Kong after having been stolen on September 10. It was found cut in half, likely because its 2.8 m (9.2 ft)-length made it difficult to display. (BBC News)

October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
      • The Taliban kills four Afghan soldiers and four police officers in Aliabad District, Kunduz Province. Five soldiers and two police are also injured in the attack. In Helmand Province, the Taliban kills at least three security forces and injures another three. (TOLOnews)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to a ceasefire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh effective 03:00 a.m. local time, following Russian-brokered peace talks in Moscow. However, fighting continues and both sides accuse each other of violating the agreement. (BBC News)
• Mali War
  • Switzerland says it has been informed that a female Swiss hostage has been killed in Mali by jihadist group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. The exact circumstances of the killing are still unclear, according to Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. (Reuters)
• An attack leaves at least eight people dead at a camp for Rohingya people in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi authorities detain 12 people after multiple attacks, including arson and gunfire, occurred for several days. (Al Jazeera English)

Arts and culture

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performing arts, COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
  • The Broadway League announces that the Broadway theaters will remain closed through May 2021. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Hurricane Delta
    • Hurricane Delta makes landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana. During its time in Louisiana, it downgraded to a Category 2 Hurricane. (CBS News)
  • An explosion kills at least four people in Beirut, Lebanon. (Reuters)
• Eighty-eight people are injured following an apartment fire in Ulsan, South Korea. (ABC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the Community of Madrid
        • The national government imposes a 15-day state of emergency in Madrid and nine surrounding cities in an attempt to bring down COVID-19 infection rates in the capital, after a court yesterday overturned a partial lockdown imposed last week. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • The reported number of new infections in France jumped by 20,339, a new record since the beginning of the pandemic, making the cumulative total at 691,977, according to data from the health ministry website. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Chancellor Angela Merkel and mayors of 11 large cities agrees on stricter controls for urban areas exceeding the government COVID-19 threshold. She said for cities with more than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a seven-day period, which Berlin and Frankfurt already exceed that number, tighter restrictions should be implemented immediately. (DW)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy registers 5,372 new cases in the past 24 hours, which it is the first time that the country reports more than 5,000 cases since late-March, prompting fears of second wave of COVID-19 that happens in other countries in Europe. (RTÉ)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports 1,394 new daily cases, bringing the cumulative totals to 83,928 confirmed cases and 2,062 deaths. Ever since the end of national lockdown in May, this has been the ninth time that the country has registered some record increases in new cases, with all other eight records occurring since the beginning of September. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 12,126 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 1.27 million, according to data from health authorities. This sets a new record for daily infections surpassing the previous record on May 11, when 11,656 new cases were reported. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 pandemic in Liechtenstein
      • The number of new cases in Switzerland and Liechtenstein increases by 1,487 in a single day, a record since the beginning of the outbreak, according to data from Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
        • Northern Ireland reports 1,080 new cases in the last 24 hours, which become the highest daily total for the number of positive tests since the Department of Health rolled out its current testing model. (BBC News)
    • Europe reports 100,000 daily COVID-19 cases for the first time since the outbreak. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal
      • Nepal surpass 100,000 cases of COVID-19. (Times of India)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Oman
      • It is announced that Oman will reintroduce a night-time ban on movement and enforce the overnight closure of shops and public places between October 11 and 24, in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This new curfew will apply from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time, and Oman's beaches will also be closed until further notice. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan
      • The number of cases in Uzbekistan exceeds 60,000. (Trend News Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      • The government announces that bars, indoor dining, gyms, and theatres in Toronto, Ottawa, and Peel Region will close due to a rise in cases. This comes after the province recorded 939 cases. (CBC News)
  • The number of confirmed cases worldwide increased over 350,000, sets a new record since the beginning of the outbreak in China, according to World Health Organization. (Voice of America)

International relations

• Iran–United States relations
  • In an expletive-laden interview on The Rush Limbaugh Show, U.S. President Donald Trump warns Iran, "not to fuck around" with the United States, and "if you do something bad to us, we are gonna do things to you that have never been done before". (The Hill)

Law and crime

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion, COVID-19 pandemic in New York
  • A federal judge refuses to block New York governor Andrew Cuomo's plan to temporarily limit the size of religious gatherings in the virus hot spots. The district judge Kiyo Matsumoto issues the ruling after an emergency hearing in a lawsuit brought by rabbis and synagogues arguing that the restrictions were unconstitutional. (The New York Times)
• 2020 California wildfires
  • Equipment from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company are seized as part of an ongoing investigation into the company’s role in the Zogg Fire. (Reuters)
• George Floyd protests, 2020–2021 United States racial unrest
  • Shooting of Alvin Cole
    • Police in Wauwatosa announces that tear gas has been deployed as protests against the killing of Alvin Cole has occurred for three consecutive days. (CNN)
• Cannabis in the United States
  • Cannabis in Vermont
    • Vermont will become the 11th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use after Governor Phil Scott said that he wouldn't veto a law passed by the state legislature. (The Hill)
• Omnibus Law on Job Creation, Indonesia omnibus bill protests
  • President Joko Widodo speaks about the controversy of Omnibus Law on Job Creation, which triggered demonstrations and riots in various regions across the country. Jokowi claims the demonstration against the Job Creation Law was motivated by "disinformation regarding the substance of this law and hoaxes on social media". (detikNews)
• Crime in Nigeria; Capital punishment in Nigeria
  • Gracious David-West, a serial killer who killed 15 women in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, between July and September 2019, is sentenced to death. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Czech Senate election
  • The second round to elect a third of the Czech Republic's Senate takes place. The first round indicated an electoral victory for Prime Minister Andrej Babiš' party ANO 2011. (Foreign Brief)
• 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
  • The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the United Nations World Food Programme "for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict." (CNN)
• Cyprus dispute
  • The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus re-opens Varosha, Famagusta, to the public. The area was abandoned in 1974 during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and access is forbidden under international law imposed by the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus. Russia condemns the decision, calling it "unacceptable", and Cyprus has requested the United Nations intervene to stop the re-opening. (The Guardian)
• 2020 United States presidential debates
  • The Commission on Presidential Debates formally cancels the second presidential debate of the 2020 election, scheduled for October 15 between Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden. It is the first time in U.S. history that a presidential debate has been cancelled. An alternative "virtual debate" was proposed due to health concerns after Trump tested positive for COVID-19, but was turned down by Trump. (CNN)
• 2020 Kyrgyzstani protests
  • President Sooronbay Jeenbekov declares a state of emergency in the capital Bishkek and deploys the country's armed forces across the city following serious political unrest that came after the now-overturned 2020 elections. (CNN)
  • Jeenbekov says that he is ready to resign once a new cabinet is approved. (Financial Times) (Nagaland Post)

Science and technology

• Internet censorship in Pakistan, Censorship of TikTok
  • Pakistan announces that it would ban Chinese app TikTok after it did not take down "immoral and indecent" content on the platform. The government kept the door open for a return of TikTok, saying "it is open for engagement" and would review its decision if TikTok develops a mechanism to moderate this content. (AP)

Sports

• 2020 Paris–Roubaix
  • In road cycling, the organizers cancel the postponed 2020 edition of Paris–Roubaix, which was originally to be held in April, but then postponed to October 25, due to new restrictions that were announced in Lille to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in France. (Sky Sports)

October 10, 2020 (2020-10-10) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • A bomb kills at least five people and injures another nine in Grishk District, Helmand Province. (TOLOnews)
    • A bus hits a roadside bomb, killing two people and injuring another ten in Shindand District, Herat Province. (TOLOnews)
• 2020 Kyrgyzstan protests
  • Kyrgyzstan special forces detain former President Almazbek Atambayev in a raid on his compound. Atambayev was freed from prison by anti-government protesters on October 5. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• Luis Fonsi's Despacito music video becomes the first video on YouTube to surpass seven billion (7,000,000,000) views. (Archive)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Hurricane Delta
    • Delta weakens to a tropical storm. (Sky News)
    • Over 700,000 power outages are reported in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. (CBS News)
• 2020 wildfire season
  • Wildfires kill at least two people in Syria. (Al Jazeera English)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The government mull reimposing a lockdown as the health ministry reports 8,618 new cases on Friday, surpassing the previous record set on Thursday and reached a fourth straight daily record for the country where infection rate per capita (398 per 100,000) is the highest in the European Union. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • The number of confirmed cases in France increases by 26,896 to 718,873, setting a record for the largest number of reported cases since the beginning of the pandemic. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 4,721 to 319,381, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases. It is the highest number of reported cases in a single day since April as the country tightens its restrictions in Berlin and Frankfurt. (Al Jazeera)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
      • National Public Health Emergency Team reports 1,012 new cases in Ireland in 24 hours. It is the highest number of reported cases in Ireland since April, when 1,068 cases were reported. (The Irish Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal registers 1,646 new daily cases, bringing the cumulative total of confirmed cases to 85,574. This is the highest daily increase for the country since the beginning of the pandemic. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • The number of daily deaths in Ukraine exceeds 100 for the first time since the pandemic began, jumping to 108, according to a statement from the NSDC, with a total of 4,887 deaths being recorded since the first cases were reported in the country. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 12,846 cases, their highest since the start of the pandemic. The number of cases reaches to 1,285,084. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
        • New York governor Andrew Cuomo announces that 826 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19, the highest number since July 15. (ABC News)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
        • The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports that around 104,000 people in Michigan have recovered since the start of the pandemic. However, the state reported 1,522 new cases and 15 deaths, bringing the statewide total number of cases to 134,656 and death toll to 6,891. (Mlives.com)
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
        • Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec says that the United States might expect deliveries of a COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021. (Wink News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba
        • The Manitoba government announced 97 new cases of COVID-19 in the province, setting a single-day record since the first cases reported in Manitoba. (CTV News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico
      • Mexico announces that it will pay $159.88 million to the World Health Organization to secure vaccine access through the agency’s COVAX plan. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran imposes additional restrictions for its capital Tehran. The new restrictions include making everyone wear a mask while indoors mandatory, and there is a fine of 500,000 rials ($1.6) for violators who do not comply with the new rules. A partial shutdown implemented in the city last week is extended until October 16. (Al Jazeera)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal
      • Nepal reports 5,008 new infections in the past 24 hours and taking the nationwide total at 105,684, the highest single day record of reported cases since the first cases were detected on January 23. (PTI via Financial Express)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • The number of COVID-19 deaths in Brazil exceeds 150,000. (Reuters)

International relations

• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
  • North Korea holds a rare nighttime military parade featuring missiles to mark the 75th anniversary of the Workers' Party. This was the country’s first military parade in two years. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• George Floyd protests, 2020–2021 United States racial unrest
  • Shooting of Alvin Cole
    • Authorities in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, announce that 28 people have been arrested during the third night of protests over the lack of charges against Joseph Mensah, the officer accused of killing 17-year-old Alvin Cole. (ABC News)
    • Demonstrations are held in Wauwatosa for a fourth consecutive day following the Milwaukee County District Attorney's decision not to prosecute Joseph Mensah for the fatal shooting of Alvin Cole. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
  • George Floyd protests in Kentucky
    • Over 500 people march at Tyler Park in Louisville to march in the name of Breonna Taylor. Rep. John Yarmuth, State Rep. Charles Booker, Kentucky State Senator Morgan McGarvey, and Louisville Urban League President Sadiqa Reynolds speak at the Tyler Park protest. (The Courier-Journal)
• Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, Corruption in Israel
    • Protesters gather to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegations of corruption and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (AP)
• Omnibus Law on Job Creation, Indonesia omnibus law protests
  • Authorities in Jakarta were cleaning up burned-out cars, government offices and bus shelters that were set ablaze by protesters enraged over an omnibus law they critics say will cripple labour rights and harm the environment. The authorities estimate the damage from the protest is Rp. 55 billion (US$3.7 million). (The Washington Post)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Belarusian protests
  • Alexander Lukashenko, disputed President of Belarus, visits opposition activists in a prison in Minsk. (ABC News)

Science and technology

• 2020 in spaceflight
  • Boulders are discovered on the Bennu asteroid by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which is expected to collect samples from the asteroid's surface later this month. (Space.com)
• NASA announces that the SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station would be delayed to mid-November. Furthermore, NASA calls for SpaceX satellite to investigate the issue that caused a GPS Block III to abort two seconds before launching on October 2. (CBS News)

Sports

• 2020 French Open
  • Iga Świątek of Poland beats Sofia Kenin of the United States in the final of the Women's Singles 6–4, 6–1. Świątek became the first Polish tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title. (The Washington Post)

October 11, 2020 (2020-10-11) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • At least 13 people, including ten Afghan soldiers, are killed and another three injured in a roadside bombing attack in Sar-e Pol Province. (TOLOnews)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijan says an Armenian missile strike on its second-largest city Ganja has destroyed a residential apartment building, killing nine people and injuring dozens of others. Armenia rejects reports of the strike. Blasts are also heard in Stepanakert as clashes resume in Nagorno-Karabakh. (BBC News) (Caspian News)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgents kill at least two Pakistani soldiers and injure three others in Manra Mendara, North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Dawn)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Two people are reported to be dead following the aftermath of Hurricane Delta in Louisiana. (CNN) (Global News)
• List of explosions
  • A gas explosion kills at least five people and injures another nine in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, Iran. (Reuters)
• European migrant crisis
  • A migrant boat capsizes off the coast of Tunisia, killing at least 11 people, who were all women and children, according to the Tunisian Navy. Around 20 others are still missing. (Reuters)
• A collision between a bus and a train kills 20 people and injures another in Thailand. (Reuters)
• Floods kill at least two people in Cambodia and five in Vietnam. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • The COVID-19 infection rate in New York drops to its lowest in two weeks for the first time since September 24. However, the state continues to battle COVID-19 clusters in Hasidic Jewish communities in Orange County, Rockland County, Brooklyn, and several areas in the Queens borough. (NNY360.com) (Newsday)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      • Florida's Department of Health reports 5,570 additional COVID-19 cases, the highest number of reported cases in a single day since August. It comes a day after Florida did not report any new cases or deaths because officials were left combing through 400,000 test results a private lab resent Friday night. (Miami Herald)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky
      • Kentucky governor Andy Beshear and his family enter quarantine after a member of his security detail who drove with his family tested positive for COVID-19. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado
      • Colorado Governor Jared Polis extends the statewide mask mandate for 30 days. (KKTV-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in California
      • California reports 2,209 hospitalizations, the lowest in the state since April. (Los Angeles Times) (Mercury News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala
        • The state of Kerala passes Maharashtra to become the state with most number of new COVID-19 cases, with 11,755 new cases being reported, the highest ever for the state. (The Indian Express)
      • India surpasses seven million COVID-19 cumulative cases, becoming the second country to reach that milestone after the United States. (AP via ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Two high-ranking Iranian officials, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht and Ali Akbar Salehi, test positive for COVID-19. (Al Arabiya)
      • Iran announces its highest single-day death toll from the virus, with 251 confirmed deaths in the last 24 hours, the same day that the country surpasses 500,000 COVID-19 cases. (AP via ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, 2020 Indonesia large-scale social restrictions
      • It is announced that the Indonesian capital Jakarta will restart its "transitional" eased large-scale social restrictions effective tomorrow, after a pace of infections has slowed within two weeks, according to a statement from the governor Anies Baswedan. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon
      • The Interior Ministry ordered the closure of pubs, bars, nightclubs and amusement parks until further notice in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. In addition, 169 towns and village across Lebanon were put into a local lockdown, which will begin tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. local time. (The Daily Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announces that South Korea will begin easing social distancing rules from Level 2 to Level 1 nationwide tomorrow, allowing limited audiences at sporting events and the reopening of nightly entertainment facilities, as long as they comply with anti-virus health protocols, as new cases have been edging lower in recent weeks. However, some restrictions will be kept in place in Seoul Capital Area and other high-risk facilities. (The Jakarta Post) (Yonhap News Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • Montpellier and Toulouse both announce maximum alert status for the city and their respective surrounding towns effective October 13, joining Paris, Marseille and four other cities due to soaring cases and hospitalization in France. (The Washington Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece reports 13 new deaths taking the nationwide total to 449, a new record since the beginning of the pandemic. (Ekathimerini)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia registers 13,634 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative nationwide total to 1,298,718, the fourth highest in the world. This marks a new record of confirmed cases in a single day since the first cases were confirmed in January. (Times of India)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom is expected to test the BCG vaccine on frontline care workers to see if it's effective against COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
      • Victorian premier Daniel Andrews extends its state of emergency and state of disaster across the state for the next four weeks until November 8. (7 News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • The government announces that they have signed a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech to purchase 1.5 million vaccine doses for 750,000 people in the country. (New Zealand Herald)

International relations

• Iran–United States relations, Iranian intervention in Iraq
  • Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia, announces that they have agreed to ceasefire operations against United States interests in Iraq. (Washington Post)

Law and crime

• 2020 Belarusian protests
  • Riot police in Belarus use water cannons and stun grenades to break up mass protests against disputed President Alexander Lukashenko. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election
  • The first round of parliamentary elections in Lithuania takes place. Voters are asked to elect the 141 members of the Seimas amidst a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases, causing fears of a low voter turnout. (DW)
• 2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election
  • Voters in Northern Cyprus vote to select the president after being delayed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The election council reports that nationalist Prime Minister Ersin Tatar narrowly defeated pro-reunification incumbent Mustafa Akıncı. As neither candidate received a majority of the vote, a run-off will be held on October 18. (Al Jazeera)
• 2020 Tajik presidential election
  • Voters in Tajikistan head to the polls to elect the country's President. Long-time authoritarian leader Emomali Rakhmon is highly expected to be declared the clear victor of the election. (DW)

Sports

• 2020 French Open
  • Rafael Nadal of Spain defeats Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final of the Men's Singles 6–0, 6–2, 7–5. With the win, Nadal equalled Roger Federer's all-time record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• 2020 NBA Finals
  • The Los Angeles Lakers win the NBA Finals following their 106–93 victory against the Miami Heat in game 6, bringing an end to the 2020 NBA Bubble in Orlando. (NBC News)

October 12, 2020 (2020-10-12) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • A highway is closed and power is shut off in parts of Helmand Province amidst brutal fighting in which 71 Taliban fighters have been killed and the deputy shadow governor of Helmand, Mawlawi Ghafoor, has been arrested. The governor's office says that Ghafoor was recently released as part of peace negotiations. (TOLO News)

Business and economy

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation
  • British Airways CEO Álex Cruz is fired as the airline struggles with both reduced passengers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and heavy criticisms from labour unions and MPs for massive firings and large pay cuts. Sean Doyle, CEO of Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus, immediately assumes his position. (BBC News)
• The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
  • The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel goes to Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson “for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats.” (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

• A massive power failure in Mumbai, India, believed to be caused by an issue with the main power grid receiving electricity, leaves millions of people without power and brings the city's rail lines to a standstill. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray orders an investigation into the cause. (BBC News) (NDTV)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      • White House COVID-19 outbreak
        • Dr. Sean Conley reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has tested negative for COVID-19 on consecutive days. Conley also said the President was no longer a risk of spreading the virus to others. (ABC Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
      • Ohio reaches 5,000 COVID-19 deaths. (Cincinnati News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
      • Hawaii reports 42 cases, the lowest in the state since July 24. (Hawaii News Now) (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)

• • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Kuala Lumpur, COVID-19 pandemic in Selangor
        • Following a rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, the federal government announces that Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Putrajaya will be put under a Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO). The tightened restrictions will be enforced between October 14 and October 27. (CNA)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Sabah
        • It is announced that all of Sabah will put under Conditional Movement Control Order between tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. local time and October 26. Under these restrictions, only two people per household will be allowed to go out to buy necessities. In addition, schools, public parks, recreational centers, tahfiz centers, and others will be closed. (New Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • For the second day in a row, Iran reports a single day record high of 272 new COVID-19 fatalities as, at the same time, the country registers 4,206 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number since start of the pandemic. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • Israel surpasses 2,000 COVID-19 deaths as the country remains in lockdown. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • Authorities in Qingdao say that they will test the entire population of more than nine million people for COVID-19 in the next five days, after new cases appeared linked to Qingdao Chest Hospital, which was treating people confirmed with the disease after returning from overseas. (Medcom.id)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in England
        • Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveils a new three-tier restrictions system aimed to simplify the range of different restrictions already in place across various parts of England. The Local COVID Alert Levels ("medium", "high", and "very high") will be implemented in different areas depending on local infection rates. (Sky News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • Minister of Finances Èric Jover tests positive for COVID-19 and becomes the first Andorran high-profile politician to get infected. (Diari d'Andorra)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • To prevent the fast spread of COVID-19, which is among the highest in Europe, Health Minister Roman Prymula announces on Twitter that the Czech government has ordered bars, restaurants, and clubs closed between October 14 and November 3, and most schools must shift to distance learning. In addition, public gatherings will also be restricted to six people, alcohol consumption in public spaces is banned, and masks are required at public transport stops. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Russia
        • Russia says that it has started vaccine trials for their Gam-COVID-Vac Sputnik V vaccine in the United Arab Emirates. The announcement comes after President Vladimir Putin had a phone call with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (CNBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vatican City
      • Four members of the Vatican Swiss Guard test positive for COVID-19, becoming the first positive cases since June. (NBC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in French Polynesia
      • French Polynesian President Edouard Fritch tests positive for COVID-19 after returning from France. (RNZI) (RNZI)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
      • The number of cases in Argentina exceeds 900,000. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Indonesia aims to start administering COVID-19 vaccines early next month, according to the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs. Sinopharm and G42 Healthcare will supply five million doses starting next month, CanSino Biologics will supply 100,000 doses that same time, and Sinovac will supply three million doses of CoronaVac by December. All three vaccines are currently in Phase III trials in various countries. (The Straits Times)
    • Johnson & Johnson has paused the Phase III trials of its COVID-19 vaccine because of an unexplained illness in one of the volunteers. (CNN)

Law and crime

• Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
    • Circuit Court Judge R. Michael Waterman refuses to block the mask mandate order by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. (CNN)
• Capital punishment in Bangladesh
  • Bangladesh plans to introduce the death penalty for rape, following days of protests about the country's high level of sexual violence against women. (BBC News)
• Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court nomination
  • 21 protesters are arrested in Washington, D.C. during the first day of confirmation hearings for Associate Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett. (Washington Post)
• U.S. state and local government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
    • The Michigan Supreme Court announces that it has struck down emergency orders from Governor Gretchen Whitmer. (CNN)
• 2020 Belarusian protests
  • The Interior Ministry of Belarus grants the police the authority to use lethal weapons against anti-Lukashenko protesters if needed. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election
  • Early data shows the oppositional Homeland Union victorious in the first round of the latest parliamentary election in Lithuania. The second round will be held on October 25. (DW)
• 2020 Philippine House of Representatives leadership crisis
  • A majority of members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines elect Lord Allan Jay Velasco as Speaker of the House of Representatives, unseating incumbent Alan Peter Cayetano amidst the political dispute over the Speakership outside the Session Hall of the Batasang Pambansa Complex. Cayetano declares Velasco's election as "illegal" and maintains that he is the Speaker. (AP via CNA)
• 2020 Tajik presidential election
  • Long-term President Emomali Rakhmon is declared the victor of Tajikistan's latest presidential election with over 90% of the votes. (DW)

Science and technology

• Facebook announces it will ban Holocaust denial on its platform. (The Independent)

October 13, 2020 (2020-10-13) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Mali War
  • 2020 Mali attacks
    • Jihadist militants killed 25 people, including 13 soldiers, in multiple attacks across central Mali. A military camp near Bandiagara is looted and burned down by the militants. (Reuters)
• War in Afghanistan
  • As many as 35,000 people flee their homes amid intense fighting between Taliban insurgents and Afghan troops in the southern Helmand Province. (BBC News)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Iran reports that it shot down an unidentified armed drone, which then crashed inside its Ardabil Province on the northern border with Azerbaijan. According to Iranian media, the drone probably was launched by Azerbaijan's military, then erroneously entered Iranian airspace. (Almasdar)

Business and economy

• Cannabis in Rwanda
  • Rwanda legalizes the production of medical cannabis for export, but the Health Ministry states that cannabis consumption of any kind in the country will remain illegal. (The East African)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Pacific typhoon season
  • Around 40 people die in Vietnam and Cambodia as Tropical Storm Nangka impacts the area. Scores of others, including rescue workers, are missing. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc orders more rescue troops to be sent to the region. (CNN)
• 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, Effects of Hurricane Irma in Florida
  • According to a study, over 400 seniors were found dead in Florida nursing homes during Hurricane Irma. (Fox News)
• 2020 California wildfires
  • The Zogg Fire, which killed four people and scorched more than 50,000 acres in Shasta County, California, is fully contained. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • The number of daily cases in the Netherlands surges by 7,393, which is new record high for a single day. (CGTN)
      • Authorities reports the first confirmed death from COVID-19 reinfection. It comes after an elderly woman, aged 89, who had a rare bone marrow type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, called Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, which compromised her immune system, died because of reinfection of the virus. (The Daily Telegraph) (CNN)
      • Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announce new restrictions, such as restarting a partial lockdown. The new measures include closing bars and restaurants, banning alcohol sales after 8:00 p.m. local time, restricting retail opening hours, and banning gatherings of more than 30 people across the country. This measure also includes making wearing cloth masks mandatory for people at least 13 years old in indoor spaces. The government says the measures will take effect tomorrow and last for at least four weeks, with a review of their impact after two weeks. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signs a decree that restricts private gatherings to more than six people inside homes and sets a limit of 30 guests for banquets organized after religious or civil ceremonies. It also bans parties, school trips, and informal amateur contact sports, while also ordering restaurants, bars, and ice-cream sellers to stop serving non-seated customers after 9:00 p.m. local time to avoid crowds. (The New York Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki goes into quarantine after making contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 13,868 new daily cases, setting a new record for a single day, pushing the overall number of infections to 1,326,178. The country also reports a record rise of 244 deaths, bringing the official death toll to 22,966. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in San Marino
      • A new decree orders a mask mandate for every outdoor space should social distancing not be guaranteed. (San Marino RTV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • The number of recoveries in Indonesia surges by a record 4,777 in the last 24 hours, increasing the overall total to 263,296 recoveries. The country also conducted a record 50,418 tests in a single day. (detikHealth)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan
      • Jordan reports a record 2,054 new daily infections in the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide total at 28,127. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • For the first time since February, Singapore reports no new daily cases. (Bloomberg.com)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announces the country has signed agreements with AstraZeneca for 77.4 million, COVAX for 51.57 million, CanSino Biologics for 35 million, and Pfizer for 34.4 million vaccine doses, respectively. The vaccines by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and the COVAX plan require two doses, whereas the CanSino product requires one dose. (Reuters)
    • Pfizer announces that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for vaccine trials on children at least 12 years old. The trials are expected to begin at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. (NPR) (New York Daily News)
  • COVID-19 drug development
    • Eli Lilly and Company suspends its clinical trial of its COVID-19 treatment that explored use of its antibody drug in combination with remdesivir because of a safety concern. (The Wall Street Journal)

International relations

• The United Nations General Assembly votes on a slate of new members of the Human Rights Council. The election of certain countries—China, Russia, Cuba, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan—draws strong criticism over their human rights records, including from UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, who described the election as "making a gang of arsonists into the fire brigade". (CBC)

Law and crime

• Indonesia omnibus law protests, Omnibus Law on Job Creation
  • Thousands of protesters from various organizations, including alumni of PA 212 and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), hold "Action 1310" to protest against the Job Creation Law in Jakarta. (Nusadaily.com)
  • The police arrest eight high-ranking members of the Action for Rescuing Indonesia Coalition (KAMI), including Syahganda Naingolan, because they were suspected of incitement related to the demonstration against the Omnibus Law in Jakarta and Medan on October 8. (Okezone)
  • TransJakarta temporarily suspends its operational services in all areas due to demonstrations taking place in the capital against the controversial omnibus law. (CNN Indonesia)
  • The People's Representative Council issues a statement regarding the Job Creation Law. Deputy Speaker Aziz Syamsuddin guarantees that there are no contraband articles in the draft law, even the parliament changes the number of pages in the law to 812 pages due to pagination being changed to legal format. The final draft of the law will be submitted to the President tomorrow. (Jawa Pos) (Kabar 24)
• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • During a federal court hearing for six suspects accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, an FBI agent testifies that the suspects had also discussed kidnapping Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. (USA Today)
• The Cypriot Interior and Finance Ministries announce they will abolish the country's "citizenship through investment" program by November 1, after Al Jazeera released a video yesterday showing that several senior officials, such as parliament president Demetris Syllouris and fellow MP Christakis Giovanis, were willing to help criminals obtain passports through the program. Attorney General George Savvidis also announced that he will launch a criminal inquiry into the officials involved. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• One-China policy
  • The premier of Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands, Daniel Suidani, survives a vote of no confidence by 24–9. Suidani, an outspoken critic of the central government's decision to switch recognition from Taiwan to China, has refused to accept any aid from China since the change in policy. (RNZ)

Science and technology

• Exploration of the Moon
  • The U.S.-led Artemis Accords are signed by the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. According to NASA, the Accords aim to establish norms of behavior between countries regarding lunar resource extraction and exploration, outline "safety zones" on the lunar surface where other countries should not interfere, and protect heritage sites on the lunar surface such as the Apollo landing sites. Successive signatories since then have been announced. (Reuters) (The Verge)
• Geology of Pluto
  • Scientists determine that white mountains previously discovered on Pluto during New Horizons' flyby owe their color to methane frost directly condensed from the atmosphere, rather than snow. (NPR)
• As Mars lines up with Earth and the Sun, it is expected to shine at its biggest and brightest during the night. (ITV) (NBC News)
• Facebook announces that it will ban ads that discourage people from getting vaccinations. (CNBC)
• Apple introduces the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro, which are the first iPhones with support for 5G networks. (USA Today)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • The Portuguese Football Federation announces that Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for COVID-19. (FPF) (BBC Sport)
  • In golf, Dustin Johnson, who currently holds the number one position in the World Golf Rankings, has tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrawn from this week's PGA Tour event, the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. (Antara)

October 14, 2020 (2020-10-14) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Spillover of the Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • Twenty civilians are killed after Islamic State militants and the allied terror group Ansar al-Sunna attack a village in Mtwara, Tanzania. Properties are damaged, forcing scores of people to abandon their homes. (Anadolu Agency)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • The Trump administration announces that they have secured the release of Mikael Gidada and Sandra Loli, two Americans that have been held hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen for 16 months. (The New York Times)
  • A Houthi spokesman says 240 of their fighters have been released. In September, the United Nations announced a swap of "1081 conflict-related prisoners". (AP via Star Tribune)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Pacific typhoon season
  • Tropical Storm Linfa
    • Member of Vietnamese National Assembly Major General Deputy commander of the 4th Military Region of Vietnam People's Army Nguyễn Văn Man is confirmed to be missing. He was among the rescue troops dispatched to the mountainous area of Phong Điền District, Thừa Thiên-Huế Province to deal with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Linfa. (VnExpress)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
        • First Minister Arlene Foster announces a "circuit breaker" lockdown in Northern Ireland effective October 16. Pubs and restaurants will have to shut down for four weeks unless they offer a takeaway service, and schools will close for two weeks until November 2. Meanwhile, places of worship, shops, and gyms can stay open. (BBC News) (Sky News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • The number of new cases in Russia reaches 14,231 in the past 24 hours, a new record for the sixth day in a row. It is the first time that the country has reported more than 14,000 cases in a single day as authorities grapple with a second wave that has pushed hospitals to near-capacity. (The Moscow Times)
      • President Vladimir Putin announces that the country has approved its second COVID-19 vaccine following preliminary trials. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports 2,072 new daily cases, its highest daily increase yet, bringing the cumulative count to 91,193 confirmed cases. (DGS)
      • Prime Minister António Costa announces the reinstatement of the "state of calamity" effective at midnight tonight. Gatherings will be limited to five people. Weddings and baptisms can be attended by a maximum of 50, but university parties will be banned. Fines for businesses not complying with the rules will be doubled from an upper limit of 5,000 to 10,000 euros. (Politico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia
      • Croatia reports 748 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest number in a single day since the pandemic began. (Total Croatia News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • President Emmanuel Macron announces a 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. local time curfew for the Île-de-France region that includes Paris, as well as Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Rouen, Saint-Étienne, and Toulouse starting October 17 for at least four weeks in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19 as the country declares another national state of health emergency after it expired on July 10. (RTÉ)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany reports 5,132 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number of reported cases in a single day since April 5, according to official figures from the Robert Koch Institute. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
      • The government announces a nationwide ban on visits to homes or gardens in almost all circumstances, except for providing care to children or elderly and vulnerable people. It also announces that Cavan, Monaghan, and Donegal, which border Northern Ireland, will move to Level 4 restrictions between midnight tomorrow until November 10, which means that non-essential retail stores will close and that all non-essential workers will work from home. (The Irish Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy registers 7,332 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new record for a single day since the pandemic began and surpassing the previous record of 6,557 cases that reported in March, when the country was still in lockdown. (National Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland reports a record 6,526 new infections and 116 deaths in a single day, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, as doctors warn that the healthcare system in the country is becoming overloaded. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 pandemic in Liechtenstein
      • Switzerland reports 2,823 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest record number in a single day since the pandemic began, thus taking the total to 68,704 confirmed cases in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. (Financial Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • The Catalan acting government announces the closure of bars, restaurants, beauty salons, and theme parks; the government also reduces the capacity in shops to 30% and 50% in gyms, cultural centers, and religious spaces for 15 days. (El Mundo)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Iran announces temporary travel restrictions on Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan, and Urmia, which includes banning travel to and from the five major cities in the country. It comes after Iran reports single-day records in both deaths and new infections, with 279 deaths and 4,830 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq
      • Iraq surpasses 10,000 COVID-19 deaths. (Al-Arabiya)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela, COVID-19 vaccine
    • Venezuela is expected to start clinical trials for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. (TASS)

International relations

• Kashmir conflict, Kashmir lockdown
  • Former chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, has been released by India. She was detained on 5 August last year, when the government stripped the region of its partial autonomy. She was in house arrest under a controversial law that allows detention without charge for up to two years. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• George Floyd protests, 2020–2021 United States racial unrest
  • Kenosha unrest
    • It is announced that Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged for killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will not face gun charges in Illinois. (The Patriot-News)
• Indonesian Omnibus Law on Job Creation
  • People's Representative Council has submitted the final draft of Job Creation Law, which contains 812 pages after many revisions to President Joko Widodo, which represented by Minister of State Secretary Pratikno. (Kompas)
• Ugandan security forces raid the offices of the National Unity Platform in Kampala and arrest several people, including opposition leader and presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, allegedly for illegally housing army uniforms. Signatures to get Ssentamu on the ballot and his 1campaign materials were also seized. (DW)
• Protesters gather outside the Israel Supreme Court and call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be investigated for a scandal surrounding a $2 billion submarine deal with Germany. (The Washington Post)

Politics and elections

• Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal
  • The New York Post reports that newly uncovered emails suggest Hunter Biden introduced his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, to a top executive at Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings. The Post obtained the alleged emails from top Donald Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani. (Fox News) (NY Post) (NY Magazine)
  • Twitter and Facebook announce they are limiting the distribution of the article until it is fact-checked. (CNET) (RealClearPolitics)

Science and technology

• Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • YouTube announces that it will ban misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines as an effort to expand its policy surrounding misinformation about COVID-19. (The Hill)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • 2020 NFL season
    • The National Football League announces that the upcoming Pro Bowl will be cancelled, the first time since 1949. However, the league announced that it would still name teams at the end of the season in the usual format through votes by fans, players, and coaches. (ESPN) (USA Today)
  • Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban and athletic director Greg Byrne both test positive for COVID-19. (ESPN)

October 15, 2020 (2020-10-15) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijan says three people have been killed and three others injured after a funeral procession in Tartar District was shelled by Armenian forces, while the Armenian prosecutor-general's office says two soldiers were killed in a drone strike in Vardenis; the soldiers were not involved in military action. (Middle East Monitor)

Business and economy

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
  • Hawaii is expected to reopen tourism to the public and lift the statewide mandatory quarantine for travellers who test negative. However, visitors will be required to wear masks and go through temperature screenings. (CNN) (TravelPulse.com)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in England, COVID-19 tier regulations in England
        • Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces that London, Essex, York, and other areas will be put under tier 2 restrictions on October 17, which means that different households will be banned from mixing indoors, including inside homes, pubs, and restaurants, and people will also be told to avoid public transport and non-essential travel. (BBC News) (ABC Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia
      • Croatia reports 793 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new record for the second day in a row. (Total Croatia News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
      • Cyprus reports a record of 104 cases in the past 24 hours, surpassing 100 for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. (Cyprus-Mail)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The Czech Republic reports a record 9,544 new cases in the last 24 hours, its highest single day tally since the pandemic began, according to data from the Health Ministry. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France reports a record 30,621 new infections in a single day as the cumulative number of cases surpasses 800,000. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • The number of new cases in Germany surges by 6,638 in the last 24 hours, according to official data from the Robert Koch Institute, a new record not seen since the pandemic began, which previously reported 6,294 cases on March 28. (RFI)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • The Greek government places the northern regional unit of Kozani on lockdown, as the region is declared an "increased threat." The measure, applicable until October 29, implies the use of masks at all sites; the prohibition of meetings in public and private spaces; the ban to travel outside the region; and the closure of restaurants, gyms, museums, courts, and shops, and the suspension of festivals. (Ekathimerini)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy registers 8,804 new infections in the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry, a new record for the second consecutive day since the start of the outbreak in the country. (Daily Sabah)
      • Campania announces that it will shut down schools until the end of this month, in an effort to curb an increase of COVID-19 cases in the region. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • After new cases reaches a record 8,099 cases in a single day, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announces new restrictions in Warsaw and other major cities that considered a "red" zone from October 17. All secondary schools in those areas will be closed, restaurants will close at 9 p.m. local time, weddings will be banned and there will be stricter limits on the numbers of people allowed in shops and on public transport and at religious services. (Daily Sabah)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports 2,101 new daily cases, its highest daily increase yet, bringing the cumulative count to 93,294 confirmed cases. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
      • Slovenia reports an all-time high of 745 cases in the past day. Cumulative numbers pass 10,000 cases. (RTVSLO)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • Cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes, entertainment parks, educational institution and swimming pools outside containment zones reopened in several states across India as part of measures allowing more activities in the country. (Firstpost)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports a single day record of 5,810 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide total of recoveries to 273,661. From that number, 2,223 new recoveries came from Central Java. (detikNews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports 409 new recoveries in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number in a single day since the outbreak began, bringing the total number of recoveries to 12,014. according to Director-General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah. (New Straits Times)

International relations

• Netherlands–Russia relations
  • The Dutch government urges Russia to return to negotiation tables after the country withdrew from talks on liability for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• COVID-19 pandemic in France
  • The French police have raided the homes of senior government and health officials such as Health Minister Olivier Véran and the director of the national health agency, Jérôme Salomon, as part of an investigation into their handling of the pandemic in the country. It comes after a court launched an inquiry earlier this year. Prime Minister Jean Castex is also under investigation, according to French media. (BBC News)
• Hong Kong national security law
  • Police raid the offices of prominent pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai ahead of his scheduled appearance in court where he has been charged with 'unlawful assembly'. Lai is the owner of the publishing company Next Digital and newspaper Apple Daily. (DW)
• Capital punishment in Bangladesh
  • A court in Bangladesh sentences five men to death for the gang rape of a girl in 2012. The verdict comes amidst public outcry regarding growing sexual violence. It was the first conviction since the government this week introduced the death penalty for rape. (Al Jazeera)
• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • Police announce the arrest of a fourteenth suspect in relation to a foiled kidnapping plot targeting Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. He has been charged at the state level with material support of an act of terrorism. (Detroit Free Press)
• End SARS
  • Over ten people are killed during a demonstration against the police force of Nigeria. (ABC News)
• Mexican Drug War
  • Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, Mexico's minister of defence during the Peña Nieto administration, is arrested in the United States on drugs charges. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal
  • Twitter locks President Donald Trump's presidential campaign Twitter account for sharing private information without that person's permission, relating to a controversial Hunter Biden video. His account has since been unlocked. (Fox News)
• 2020 United States presidential election
  • C-SPAN indefinitely suspends its political editor Steve Scully after admitting he lied about his Twitter account being hacked earlier this month. Scully had been selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to moderate the now cancelled second presidential debate of the election. On October 8, Scully tweeted "@Scaramucci should I respond to trump" after being publicly criticized by President Trump. (CNN)
• 2020 Kyrgyzstan protests
  • President Sooronbay Jeenbekov resigns following ten days of unrest and protests in response to the parliamentary election. (Reuters)
• 2020 Thai protests
  • The government issues an emergency decree following yesterday's generally peaceful protests and counter-protests, effective Thursday at 4:00 a.m. local time (Wednesday 21:00 UTC) that bans gatherings of five or more people and forbids the publication of news or online messages that "could harm national security." Two leaders of the anti-government protests, Anon Nampa and Panupong Jadnok, are arrested after the emergency decree became effective. (BBC News)
• Immigrant investor programs
  • President of the Parliament of Cyprus Demetris Syllouris resigns after being allegedly implicated in a case of sale of passports to investors with criminal records, who do not meet the necessary criteria to be able to move freely within the European Union. (Cyprus-Mail)

Science and technology

• 2020 in paleontology
  • Researchers announce the fossil discoveries of Triassic drepanosaur Skybalonyx skapter at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. (Los Angeles Times)
  • A boy discovers a fossilized hadrosaur skeleton at the Horseshoe Canyon in Alberta, Canada, dating back 69 million years. (BBC News) (Global News)

October 16, 2020 (2020-10-16) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Afghan peace process
    • The Taliban says that it plans to suspend attacks in southern Afghanistan if the United States promises to halt all strikes and night raids in keeping with the peace agreement signed in February. (San Francisco Chronicle)
  • Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
    • National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien says that the Trump administration plans to lower the troop level in Afghanistan by early 2021. (CNBC)
• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • An attack left at least 7 soldiers and 7 security guards dead in Balochistan, Pakistan. (Dawn)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • A bomb kills at least 6 soldiers in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Dawn)
• Murder of Samuel Paty
  • A history teacher is stabbed and decapitated near a school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Île-de-France, France. The killer is shot dead by police. The anti-terrorism prosecutor investigates the murder, which is described by President Emmanuel Macron as an "Islamist attack". The victim is believed to have shown caricatures of Islam's prophet Muhammad to his students during a lesson. (The Independent) (CNN)
• Gunmen attack a military base in Kindia, Guinea, about 85 km (53 mi) outside of the capital Conakry, killing the camp's commander, according to a statement released by the defence ministry. A prison in the city is also attacked, wounding an official and allowing several inmates to escape. The attacks come two days before the general elections. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Moody's downgrades the United Kingdom's debt rating to Aa3 with a stable outlook. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Andorra becomes the 190th member of the International Monetary Fund. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Colorado wildfires
  • The Cameron Peak Fire grows into 167,153 acres and becomes the largest wildfire this year in Colorado, surpassing the Pine Gulch Fire. (The Hill)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
        • Pfizer says that it will not seek emergency approval for its COVID-19 vaccine until after the upcoming election. (Politico)
        • The United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Trump administration announce a deal with Walgreens and CVS to provide COVID-19 vaccines to the elderly and staff in nursing homes. (CNBC)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
        • Illinois reports a record 4,553 new cases in a single day for the second consecutive days as Governor J.B. Pritzker said a third of the state has reached a “warning level” and the positivity rate rises above 5% the first time since early June. (Chicago Sun Times)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Nebraska
        • Governor Pete Ricketts announces new restrictions amid rising cases and hospitalizations in the state. Indoor gatherings will be reduced from a capacity of 75% to 50%, people at bars and restaurants must remain seated with no more than eight people on tables, and table sizes for weddings and funerals must be limited to no more than eight people. The restrictions will go into effect on Wednesday. (The News & Observer)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
        • The Department of Health Services (DHS) reports that 3,861 people in Wisconsin have tested positive in the last 24 hours, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. The positivity rate of 26.47% of the 14,586 tests received is the highest positivity for any day with more than 10,000 tests. (WBAY-TV)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado
        • Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announces new restrictions as cases in the city rise. Masks will be required in public spaces and gatherings will be limited to five people. (Fox News) (KCNC-TV)
      • The United States surpasses eight million cases of COVID-19. (The Wall Street Journal)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba
        • Manitoba reports 75 cases, ending a three-day streak of reporting no cases. (CBC)
        • Winnipeg is expected to close bars and casinos for two weeks as cases in the city rise. In addition, stores and restaurants in the city will reduce their capacity by 50%. Restrictions will go into effect on Monday. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
        • Northern Ireland reports 1,299 new daily cases in the last 24 hours, its highest number of a single day yet, bringing the cumulative total at 25,177. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • The federal government closes all bars and restaurants for four weeks, imposes a nationwide curfew between midnight and 5:00 a.m. local time, bans alcohol sales after 8:00 p.m. local time, sets telework as a rule, and reduces people's "social bubble", their number of close social contacts outside a household, to one in an attempt to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The new measures is set to take effect on October 19. (Le Soir) (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Bulgaria reports 914 new cases in the past 24 hours, the seventh time in the past ten days that the country has set a new record. (The Sofia Globe)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia
      • Croatia reports 1,131 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new record for the third day in a row. (koronavirus.hr)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The Czech Republic reports a record 9,721 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new record for two days in a row, according to data from the Health Ministry. (The Daily Telegraph)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • With 7,334 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, Germany sets a new record of daily cases for the second day in a row since the start of the outbreak, according to official figures released by the Robert Koch Institute. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • The number of new infections in Greece reaches a record 508 in the last 24 hours, for the first time daily new cases reach 500 in a single day. From that cases, 227 are from Athens metropolitan area. (The National Herald)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • The number of new cases in Italy reaches 10,000 for the first time, when the country reports 10,010 new infections in the past 24 hours. (ABC Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malta
      • Malta orders clubs, bars, and places of entertainment to close at 11 p.m. local time effective October 19, as the country makes mandatory the wearing of face masks in public in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Swiss Info)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland reports 132 new deaths, a record increase since the outbreak began, amid fears the pandemic is testing the country's supply of hospital beds and ventilators. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports 2,608 new daily cases, its highest daily increase yet, bringing the cumulative count to 95,902 confirmed cases. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 15,150 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new daily record since the start of the pandemic as authorities grapple with the onset of a second wave. This is the first time that the country has reported more than 15,000 cases in a single day. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia
      • Slovakia reports 2,075 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new record for the second day in a row. (The Slovak Spectator)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 pandemic in Liechtenstein
      • Switzerland reports 3,105 new cases, the highest record number in a single day since the pandemic began, thus taking the total to 74,442 confirmed cases in Switzerland and Liechtenstein as the second wave of the pandemic grips the country. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan
      • Azerbaijan announces that it will suspend secondary school classes and the use of Baku's metro system between October 19 and November 2 in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19. (National Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
      • The government agrees to ease a month-long second nationwide lockdown on October 18, after a significant decline in the number of new cases. On that day, people will be permitted to go more than one kilometer from their homes for non-essential purposes, nurseries will reopen, and restaurants will be able to serve takeaway food. (BBC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • Wallis and Futuna reports its first case of infection by SARS-CoV-2. The individual, who arrived on October 3, and later tested positive, is asymptomatic and in isolation in a hospital. The territory was the only French-administered region free of COVID-19 until today. (RNZ)

International relations

• Nuclear arms race, Russia–United States relations
  • President of Russia Vladimir Putin proposes to extend New START, the last major nuclear arms treaty standing between both Russia and the United States, "without any pre-conditions at least for one year to have an opportunity to conduct substantial negotiations". (PTI via Deccan Herald)

Law and crime

• COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
  • A Berlin court suspends an order to close bars and restaurants between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time in an attempt to tackle surging numbers of COVID-19 in the city as the court considers it disproportionate in the view of other measures taken to fight the pandemic. (TheJournal.ie)
• 2020 Thai protests
  • Two activists in Thailand are arrested on charges of attempting violence against the Queen. Bunkueanun "Francis" Paothong and Ekachai Hongkangwan are set to be charged under Section 110 of Thailand's criminal code and could result in a possible life sentence. (CNN)
• 2020 Belarusian protests
  • Belarus says that it was seeking the arrest of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya for jeopardizing national security. Nikolai Karpenkov proceeded to threaten the use of firearms against protesters. (Reuters)
• Alleged Libyan financing in the 2007 French presidential election
  • Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is charged with conspiracy for accepting Libyan money during the 2007 election. (BBC News)
• Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic in Kansas
  • A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of threatening to kidnap and kill Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple over opposition to the city's mitigation measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP) (The Wichita Eagle)

October 17, 2020 (2020-10-17) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, 2020 Ganja ballistic missile attacks
  • Azeri authorities say 13 civilians were killed and more than 40 others wounded by an Armenian Scud missile attack on Ganja, Azerbaijan. The Armenian Defence Ministry says it is not true while Turkey calls the strike a "war crime". (Al Jazeera)
  • Azerbaijan says its troops have captured the city of Füzuli in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev tweets "Fuzuli city was liberated from the occupiers. Fuzuli is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan! I cordially congratulate all the people of Azerbaijan on this occasion." (Trend)
  • Armenian air defences shoot down three Azerbaijani drones operating in its national airspace, according to the Ministry of Defence of Armenia. (Urdupoint)
  • Armenia and Azerbaijan announce they are again attempting to establish a ceasefire. (CBC)
• Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
  • At least eight Sunni Arabs are massacred by unknown men in Balad. The area is controlled by the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq militia prompting accusations against the militia. (Xinhua) (The Jerusalem Post)

Arts and culture

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, COVID-19 pandemic in New York
  • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that movie theaters in counties with no cluster zones in the state can reopen on October 23 with restrictions up to 25% in capacity with a maximum of 50 people per screen. However, movie theaters in New York City will remain closed. (Variety)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 California wildfires
  • According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, California wildfires have consumed around 1 million acres (1,600 sq. miles) over the past month. This represents approximately 1% of California's land area. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports 10,925 new infections in the past 24 hours, a new record for a single day in the country since the pandemic began. As a result, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is slated to announce new restrictions tomorrow. (Corriere della Sera) (Reuters)
      • Lombardy announces new restrictions ordering all bars closed at midnight effective today, with bars only able to serve customers seated at tables after 6 p.m. local time, and the sale of takeaway alcohol is also banned after that time. The region also prohibits the consumption of food and drink in all outside public areas under the new restrictions. (RFI)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • Austria reports 1,747 new infections in the past 24 hours, a new one-day record for the country since the pandemic began. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
      • Cyprus reports 202 new infections in the past 24 hours, a new record for the country that suggests the virus is spreading at a rapid pace as Cypriots fail to follow hygiene and social distancing protocols. (Financial Mirror)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France reports a record 32,427 new cases in the past 24 hours as curfew goes into effect in Paris and other major cities in a bid to contain the outbreak. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • The number of new cases in Germany rises by 7,830 in the past 24 hours, a record for the third consecutive day. (DPA International)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a record 6,410 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to a statement from the NSDC. In addition, 109 patients have died in the past 24 hours, the highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic. (Swiss Info)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran surpasses 30,000 COVID-19 deaths. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports 869 new infections in the past 24 hours, its highest daily count so far since the beginning of the outbreak. Of these new cases, 451 cases were from Sabah. (New Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports its first two locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in more than one month, after two Myanmar nationals living near the border with the country tested positive. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
      • Information Minister Hasan Mahmud is hospitalized at Square Hospital in Dhaka after testing positive for COVID-19. (Bdnews24.com)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana
      • Indiana's Department of Health reports a record 2,521 new cases in a single day. That brings the state's cumulative total to 145,977 cases. This total includes 100 cases that were delayed in reporting "due to a technical issue." (The Indianapolis Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
      • Ohio's Department of Health reports 2,234 new cases in the last 24 hours, which sets a new record for the fourth consecutive day. (WFMJ-TV)
    • The United States reports 70,450 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number since July 24. (The New York Times)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Russia is to begin clinical trials of its Sputnik V vaccine in India. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• End SARS
  • The Nigerian Army announces a cyber warfare operation as protests against police brutality in the country continue. (Premium Times)

Politics and elections

• 2020 New Zealand general election
  • Citizens of New Zealand head to the polls to elect the members of the country's House of Representatives. Next to the general election, the voters also decide about the country's policy regarding recreational marijuana and euthanasia. (The Guardian)
  • Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wins a second term in a historic landslide. Ardern's Labour Party becomes the first party to win a majority since the proportional system was introduced in 1996. (TVNZ) (NBC News)

October 18, 2020 (2020-10-18) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • Taliban militants kill at least eight security force members in Sahib District, Kunduz Province. (TOLOnews)
    • A car bombing kills 12 people and injures another 100 in Chaghcharan, Ghor Province, Afghanistan. (TOLOnews)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijani forces seize the strategic Khodaafarin Bridges and the adjacent Khoda Afarin Dam on the border with Iran. A video showing the Azerbaijani flag over the partially destroyed crossing is circulated on Azeri media. The bridges had been under Armenian control since 1993. (Almasdar News) (RIA)
  • Artsakh's Ministry of Defence reports 40 more its troops have been killed in clashes with Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, bringing the total Artsakh Defence Army death toll to 673 since fighting began on September 27. (Reuters)
• End SARS
  • The Governor of Osun State, Nigeria, Gboyega Oyetola, escapes an assassination attempt. As he addressed a crowd, gunmen, also carrying machetes and throwing rocks, attacked his position. According to authorities, he was unharmed, but some of his bodyguards were injured. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• The Hay Festival announces it will cease hosting festivities in Abu Dhabi unless Emirati minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan resigns. Yesterday he was accused of sexually assaulting a female British curator last February. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
  • Italy approves a new $4.7 billion stimulus package in its 2021 budget to foster an economic rebound from the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. (TRT World)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Central Vietnam floods
  • A landslide caused by heavy rain in central Vietnam hits an army barracks, killing at least 14 soldiers and leaving others missing. (The Independent)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports 11,705 new infections in the past 24 hours, the highest number in a single day yet since the outbreak started in February. (The Globe and Mail)
      • Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announces new measures that would give mayors a plan to impose curfews in their cities and towns at 9:00 p.m. local time. It also announces that it will suspend fairs and other local festivals; restaurants and bars are restricted to table service only after 6:00 p.m. local time with a maximum of six people, but they can still be closed at midnight. The new restrictions will come into effect at midnight and last until November 13. (Sky News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland
      • Switzerland announces that it will ban gatherings of more than 15 people and issues a nationwide obligation to wear masks in all indoor public places and public transport in order to combat the spread of COVID-19. The new restrictions will take effect tomorrow. (Swiss Info)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
      • Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces an easing of lockdown restrictions across Victoria, particularly Melbourne, after more than 100 days of the city's lockdown, effective at 11:59 p.m. AEST. According to new rules, five kilometre travel restrictions have been extended to 25 kilometres, with the city's two-hour time limits on gathering and exercising outside scrapped. Further restrictions are to be eased in the city on November 1, allowing retail and hospitality sectors to reopen. (9 News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • New Zealand reports the first community case since September 25. This comes after a man who worked in the Ports of Auckland and Taranaki tested positive for COVID-19. (Newshub)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia surpasses 20,000 COVID-19 cases after a record of 871 new infections was reported in a single day; 702 of them are from Sabah. In addition, a record 701 recoveries were also reported. (The Malaysian Reserve) (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
      • Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat is hospitalized in Hadassah University Hospital in Ein Karem, near Jerusalem, after his condition worsens due to COVID-19. (BBC News)

International relations

• Sanctions against Iran
  • The United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Iran formally expires. It had been in effect since 2007 and was due to expire under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says, "Today's normalization of Iran's defense cooperation with the world is a win for the cause of multilateralism and peace and security in our region". (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Murder of Samuel Paty
  • An eleventh person is detained in connection to the murder of history teacher Samuel Paty. (Reuters)
  • Pro-free speech protests take place at the Place de la République in Paris following Paty's beheading. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Bolivian general election
  • Citizens in Bolivia head to the polls to elect their new president. This is the first time elections are held since the 2019 Bolivian political crisis which saw Evo Morales resigning from power and Jeanine Áñez temporarily taking power. The two main candidates are Luis Arce, representing Morales's party Movement for Socialism, and Carlos Mesa, representing the centrist Revolutionary Left Front. (CGTN)
  • An unofficial quick-count released by Unitel Bolivia projects Arce as the clear winner. (Reuters)
• 2020 Guinean presidential election
  • Citizens in Guinea head to the polls as incumbent Alpha Condé seeks another term facing off against the only other candidate, Cellou Dalein Diallo of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea political party. (Al Jazeera)
• 2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election
  • In a surprise upset, nationalist Prime Minister Ersin Tatar narrowly defeats pro-reunification incumbent Mustafa Akıncı in the second round to become President of Northern Cyprus. (DW)
• 2019–20 Chilean protests
  • Thousands of people gather in Plaza Baquedano, in downtown Santiago, to mark the first anniversary of the Chilean protests. Two churches were burned by a group of violent protesters. (CNN)
• Tens of thousands of people protest in Karachi, Pakistan, as a part of a campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan by opposition parties which accuse him of being installed by the military. (Reuters)

October 19, 2020 (2020-10-19) (Monday)

Arts and culture

• 2020 in archaeology
  • The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry of Egypt states that they have discovered ancient coffins at the necropolis in Saqqara. (The Washington Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Tropical Storm Epsilon forms in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to bring storm-force winds to Bermuda later this week. (The Royal Gazette)
• A magnitude 7.5 earthquake strikes the Alaska Peninsula, prompting tsunami warnings. (CNBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
        • First Minister Mark Drakeford announces that Wales will introduce a "firebreak" lockdown, which will require anyone to stay home between October 23 and November 9. Under those rules, pubs, restaurants, hotels, and non-essential businesses must close; primary schools will reopen after the half-term break, but only seventh and eighth years in secondary schools can return at that time under the new "firebreak" rules. In addition, gathering with people from other households indoors or outdoors will be banned. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia's new cases surge to a new record high of 15,982 in the last 24 hours, including 5,376 in Moscow, pushing the case total to 1,415,316. (Reuters)
      • It is announced that the first results of Russia's clinical trial for its Sputnik V vaccine will include data from 5,000 to 10,000 people. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces that private gatherings of more than six people indoors and twelve people outdoors will be banned in Austria from October 23, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Dpa international)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
      • Taoiseach Micheál Martin announces that Ireland will move to Level Five for a period of six weeks. The new restrictions will take effect at midnight on October 21 and remain in place until December 1. Under Level Five restrictions, non-essential business will close, people will only be able to exercise within 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of their homes except for essential reasons, and no social or family gatherings are allowed in homes or gardens. However, schools and creches are to remain open, and elite sporting events can take place. (Gov.ie) (ITV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
      • The government formally declares 30-day nationwide "state of epidemic" (known overseas as state of emergency) starting today. There are no changes for employees, students and others, but 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. local time curfew will be imposed tomorrow. The decree also limits gatherings to six people and movement among regions unless for essential or emergency reasons will be banned. (Government of Slovenia) (Barrons)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • The President of Navarra, María Chivite, announces a perimetral lockdown of the region, closing bars and restaurants, and limiting gatherings to cohabiting people, starting on Thursday and lasting for 15 days. In the last two weeks, Navarra has experienced a cumulative incidence of more than 900 per 100,000 inhabitants. (eldiario.es)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    • Iran reports 337 new deaths in the previous 24 hours, a new record of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, pushing the death toll in the country to 30,712. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • Argentina surpasses one million cases of COVID-19, becoming the fifth country to do so after the United States, India, Brazil, and Russia. (BBC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • Canada surpasses 200,000 cases of COVID-19. (CTV News)
  • COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac appears to be safe in providing protection against COVID-19, as preliminary results of Phase III clinical trial in Brazil show. São Paulo's Instituto Butantan, one of Brazil's leading biomedical research centres carrying out the trials, says CoronaVac proved to be safe after its two doses were applied to 9,000 volunteers, but said data on how effective it is in protecting people against COVID-19 will not be released until it has been tested on all 15,000 volunteers in newly expanded trials. (South China Morning Post)
  • The total number of worldwide confirmed COVID-19 cases surpasses 40 million. The United States remains the global leader in case numbers, accounting for 20% of all cumulative cases, with India closely following at 19%. (The Guardian)

International relations

• Sudan–United States relations
  • U.S. President Donald Trump announces that the U.S. will remove Sudan from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism after Sudan deposits US$335 million in a fund to compensate families of American victims of the 1998 United States embassy bombings. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok thanks the U.S. government for the decision. The United States Congress would still have to approve restoring Sudan's sovereign immunity. (Reuters)
• Japan–Vietnam relations
  • Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says that the country has agreed with Vietnam to boost its defense ties and resume flights amid Chinese influence in the regions. (AP)

Law and crime

• Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
  • The High Court of Justice of Catalonia sentences former members of the Bureau of Catalan Parliament Ramona Barrufet, Lluís Corominas, Lluís Guinó, and Anna Simó to 20 months of disqualification and a €30,000 fine for disobeying the court when this body warned them of the illegality involved in the processing of the disconnection and self-determination referendum laws in 2017 and acting against the prohibition of the Constitutional Court of Spain. (La Vanguardia) (El Periódico)
• The United States Department of Justice announces charges against six current and former Russian military officers for allegedly attempting to engage in malware and hacking in the 2018 Winter Olympics and elections in other countries. (ABC News)
• A court denies an appeal from British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell regarding the release of her 2016 deposition. (Bloomberg.com)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Bolivian general election
  • Exit polls show Luis Arce of the MAS party winning a historic landslide. (The Washington Post)

October 20, 2020 (2020-10-20) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • The governor of Zazi Maidan District and a bodyguard are shot dead and another two injured in Khost Province. (TOLOnews)
    • At least five people are killed and another nine injured after two bombing attacks. The attack occurred in Jalrez District, Maidan Wardak Province. (TOLOnews)
    • At least twelve police officers, including the district chief, are killed when two bombs explode in Kang District, Nimruz Province. (TOLOnews)
• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Gunmen storm a jail in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and free more than 1,300 inmates, also attacking the military camp that provides security to the prison. The town's mayor blames the Allied Democratic Forces, which he says used electrical equipment. Twenty inmates return, and two are shot dead. (Al Jazeera English)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijani troops capture the town of Zəngilan and several nearby villages in Zangilan District, Nagorno-Karabakh. (The Washington Post)
• End SARS
  • Soldiers open fire against protesters for about an hour and a half during protests against police brutality in Lagos, Nigeria, killing about 20 people and wounding at least 50 others. It is reported that the soldiers had built a barricade and ambulances could not reach the protest area. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• The Canadian town of Asbestos, Quebec, votes to rename itself as Val-des-Sources. The name change, approved by a majority of the town's 7,000 residents, must now be approved by the provincial government. (The Guardian)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • After new infections in Bulgaria hit a record 1,024 cases in the past 24 hours, Health Minister Kostadin Angelov announces that the country will make wearing protective masks obligatory in all outdoor spaces on October 22 in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus by about 30% and help prevent the health system from being overwhelmed. (Sofia Globe)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
      • German authorities in Bavaria impose a lockdown in the district of Berchtesgadener Land starting at 2:00 p.m. local time today, making it the first area in Germany to go back into lockdown since April. Residents in the district for the next two weeks are not allowed to leave their homes unless for essential reasons, such as outdoor exercise, going to work, or buying groceries. (Reuters) (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece reports 667 new infections in the last 24 hours; 250 of them are from Attica. It is the highest number yet for the country since the beginning of the pandemic. (Greek Reporter)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Authorities in Lombardy are given the green light by Health Ministry to impose a curfew in the region. The curfew will last between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time, and it will take effect between October 22 and November 13. Medium and large shopping malls will close on weekends. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 16,319 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing its official number of cases to 1,431,635 and breaking its record for new infections since the pandemic began. (The Moscow Times)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Sinopharm is setting up production lines to supply up to one billion doses of two COVID-19 vaccines currently being tested on 50,000 people in Phase III trials. Sinopharm is currently testing the vaccines in ten countries, including Egypt, Argentina, Jordan, and Peru. (AP)
    • AstraZeneca is expected to resume vaccine trials in the United States as early as this week. (CNBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    • Iran reports a record 5,039 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima-Sadat Lari, bringing the total number of cases to 539,670. It is the first time that the country has reported more than 5,000 cases in a single day. (Bloomberg)

International relations

• Russia–United States relations
  • Two United States F-22 fighters intercept a pair of Russian Tu-95 bombers in international airspace near Alaska. (Fox News)

Law and crime

• 2020 Thai protests
  • A Thai court orders the suspension of an online TV station, critical of the government, named Voice TV, which has been accused of violating emergency measures aimed at ending three months of protests. Voice TV was also found to have breached the Computer Crime Act by uploading "false information". Voice TV is owned by the only son of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown in a military coup on September 19, 2006. (Reuters)
• Murder of Samuel Paty
  • The French government orders the Grand Mosque of Pantin in the Paris suburb of Pantin to close for at least six months after an investigation found the mosque's Facebook page shared a video that incited hatred towards history teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded by a radical Islamist outside his school. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin says France was confronted by an "enemy within". (Reuters)
• The United States Department of Justice files an antitrust lawsuit against Google. (BBC News)

Science and technology

• 2020 in spaceflight, New Frontiers program
  • NASA's OSIRIS-REx space probe successfully lands and collects samples from the asteroid Bennu. The samples will be returned to Earth in 2023. (CNN) (BBC News)

October 21, 2020 (2020-10-21) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • The Taliban kills at least 12 members of the police in Baharak District, Takhar Province. (TOLOnews)
• End SARS, Lekki massacre
  • Nigerian police open fire on protestors in Lekki, Lagos State, killing several people; Amnesty International puts the death toll at "at least 12". (The New York Post) (The Guardian)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Azerbaijani forces say they have captured the town of Mincivan and 13 other settlements in Zangilan District, Nagorno-Karabakh. (TASS)

Arts and culture

• Pope Francis says he supports civil unions for same-sex couples. (NBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• A stampede at a stadium in Jalalabad, Nangarhar, Afghanistan, kills 15 people and wounds 11 others. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in England, COVID-19 tier regulations in England
        • It is announced that South Yorkshire will move into tier three restrictions at 00:01 a.m. BST on October 24, after a deal was reached between local leaders and the government to provide £41 million in extra support. The restrictions will cover around 1.4 million people in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield, and the surrounding areas. (BBC News) (ITV)
      • The number of confirmed cases in the United Kingdom surges to a new record high of 26,688, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 789,229. (Sky News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Lombardy reports a new record high of new infections, with 4,120 new cases reported in the last 24 hours and positivity rates surging to 11%. (Il Giorno)
      • Italy registers 15,199 new infections in the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry, the highest daily tally since the start of the outbreak in the country. While deaths increase by 127, this is the first time virus-related deaths have surged above 100 since May. (RTÉ)
      • It is announced that Lazio will introduce a curfew between midnight and 5:00 a.m. local time starting October 23, becoming the third Italian region to impose a curfew, after Lombardy and Campania. (Il Messaggero)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • Czech Republic reports a new record high of new infections in a single day, with 11,984 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide total to 193,246. (The Times Of India)
      • In response to the surge of new cases, the Czech government announces that it will close non-essential shops and limit the people's movement to essential reasons only in new lockdown measures effective between tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. and November 3 at 11:59 p.m. local time. (Politico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Spain exceeds one million cases of COVID-19, becoming the first country in the EU to do so. (Sky News)
      • La Rioja becomes the second region to go into perimetral lockdown. (La Vanguardia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn tests positive for COVID-19. (DW)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece reports 865 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new record high, raising the number of confirmed cases to 27,334, according to data from the National Public Health Organization (Ekathimerini)
      • Greek Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias announces the designation of Kastoria into Level Four (red zone) and imposes a local lockdown in the region starting October 23 in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the region. (Greek Travel Pages)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia
      • Croatia registers 1,424 new infections in the last 24 hours, a new record high since the beginning of the pandemic. (Croatia Week)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland surpasses 200,000 COVID-19 cases after a record 10,040 new cases were reported by the Health Ministry in the last 24 hours. (Swiss Info)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record 317 new fatalities, taking the nationwide total to 24,952, as the country resists reintroducing strict lockdown measures. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia
      • Slovakia reports 2,202 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new record in a single day since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the Health Ministry. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
      • Slovenia reports 1,503 new cases in the past 24 hours, its highest number yet, taking the nationwide total to 15,982. In addition, a record eight people have died in the last 24 hours. (STA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine registers a record 6,719 new infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 309,107, according to the interactive map of the NSDC. (Kyiv Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran announces a record-high single-day spike in new cases since the first case was reported in Qom in February, with 5,616 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, according to a statement from Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima-Sadat Lari. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan
      • Jordan reports 2,648 new cases, its highest daily number since the start of the pandemic as the country faces a major outbreak, with a tripling of deaths in just the last two weeks. The record numbers increase its total of cases to 43,620. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
      • The Ohio Department of Health registers 2,366 cases in the last 24 hours. This is the highest single-day increase in cases for Ohio during the pandemic, and this brings the statewide total to 188,005. (WJW-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
      • Wisconsin reports a record 48 new deaths, bringing the state's death toll to 1,681 and the death rate up from 0.91% to 0.92%. (WBAY-TV)

Law and crime

• Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
  • The former leadership of the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan regional police, whose defendants are Major Josep Lluís Trapero, Pere Soler, Cèsar Puig, and Lieutenant Teresa Laplana, are acquitted by the National Audience of the crimes of sedition and disobedience for their role during the 2017 Catalan independence referendum. (La Vanguardia)

October 22, 2020 (2020-10-22) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Officials in Takhar Province, Afghanistan, report that 12 civilians, 11 of them children, were killed by an airstrike on a madrasa. The central government says it killed 12 Taliban fighters. (BBC News)
• Syrian civil war
  • The Sunni Muslim Grand Mufti of Damascus Sheikh Mohammed Adnan Afiouni is assassinated in a car bombing in the Syrian capital, according to state media. (Reuters)
• Terrorism in France
  • French police launch a terror investigation into a racist attack on Sunday, in which two Muslim women were repeatedly stabbed near the Eiffel Tower while the perpetrators, believed to be two other women, shouted racial slurs at the victims. The attack came as tensions mount over the murder of Samuel Paty. (Al Jazeera) (Euro Weekly News) (National Turk)

Arts and culture

• The Palm Fountain in Palm Jumeirah opens to the public in Dubai and breaks the Guinness World Records for the world's largest fountain display. (Khaleej Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
        • Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces a new restrictions banning indoor service for bars without a food license and impose non-essential business curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. CT for two weeks from tomorrow. In addition, all liquor sales at all establishments must end at 9 p.m. and all Chicagoans should refrain from gatherings of more than six people or any social gatherings after 10 p.m. (Chicago Tribune)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
        • Hawaii registers 14 additional COVID-19 fatalities, which have now pushed the state's death toll to 203. (Hawaii News Now)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
        • Governor Phil Murphy goes into quarantine after two of his staffers tested positive for COVID-19. (WNBC)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
        • Governor Jay Inslee announces that the state's COVID-19 cases have officially surpassed 100,000. (Daily Hive)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
        • Michigan reports 43 new deaths, its highest single-day total since May 30. (WJRT-TV)
      • The Food and Drug Administration approves remdesivir to treat COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. The drug, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Gilead under the brand name Veklury, is the first fully approved COVID-19 treatment in the United States. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
        • It is announced that the Canadian government and Alberta are launching a pilot program to test eligible returning travelers for COVID-19, allowing them to leave quarantine in two days once they receive a negative result instead of a normal two-week quarantine. The move could potentially bring relief to the country's struggling airline and tourism industries. Starting November 2, the new testing option will be offered at the Coutts land border crossing in southern Alberta and Calgary International Airport. (CBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • Prime Minister Jean Castex announces that 38 more departments, as well as French Polynesia, will be placed under curfew starting October 24. In total, 54 departments will now adhere to the new hourly limitations between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time, affecting almost 46 million people in these areas. (BBC News)
      • The number of new confirmed cases in France hits an alarming record high of 41,622 in the last 24 hours, making it the first time the country has reported more than 40,000 new cases. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • The number of new confirmed cases in Greece hits a record high of 882 in the past 24 hours, making it the highest number in a single day since the pandemic began, bringing the cumulative total to 28,216. (Greek Reporter)
      • Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announces new measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. These measures include the "compulsory" use of masks both indoors and outdoors and imposition of a curfew between 12:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time in all areas deemed as high-risk zones, including Athens and Thessaloniki, starting October 24. (Medical Xpress)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports a record daily increase with 3,270 new cases, bringing the cumulative counts to 109,541 confirmed cases and 2,245 deaths. (DGS)
      • Portugal announces that tomorrow, the municipalities of Felgueiras, Lousada, and Paços de Ferreira will go into a partial lockdown, which means that people will only be able to leave home for work, school, or other essential activities. In addition, visits to care homes will be banned, events can only be attended by a maximum of five people, and commercial outlets must close by 10:00 p.m. local time. (National Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • The number of new confirmed cases in Austria surges to a record 2,435 in the past 24 hours, making it the highest single-day increase since the pandemic began. (Hindustan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • Belgian incumbent Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès is admitted to an intensive care unit nearly a week after testing positive for COVID-19. (Sky News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
      • Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou announces the imposing of a curfew in Limassol and Paphos districts and a mask mandate for all outdoor spaces. (Cyprus-Mail)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, Germany has recorded more than 10,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day, when the Robert Koch Institute reported 11,287 new infections in 24 hours. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports a record high in new infections, topping 16,000 daily cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic. According to data from the Health Ministry, the nationwide total has reached 465,726 cases. (Daily Sabah)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia
      • Prime Minister Igor Matovič announces that Slovakia will shut down most of its schools and require the population to stay home apart from work, essential shopping, and nature trips between October 24 and November 1, in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19. He also plans to go ahead with nationwide free testing of 5.5 million people across the country. (Yahoo News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • The Health Ministry reports a record high of 20,986 new cases in Spain in the last 24 hours and put the cumulative 14-day incidence rate at 349 infections per 100,000 inhabitants. (El Pais in English)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in India
    • COVID-19 pandemic in West Bengal
      • On the first day of Durga Puja, West Bengal records its highest single-day spike of 4,157 new cases in the past 24 hours as doctors warn that the number could rise massively given a large number of gatherings in markets, shopping malls, and restaurants. (The Week)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
    • Morocco's Ministry of Health reports 4,151 new cases in the past 24 hours. This is the highest number of reported infections in a single day, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 186,731. (Morocco World News)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Moderna announces that they have fully enrolled their trial, with around 30,000 participants. (The Washington Post)

International relations

• Taiwan–United States relations
  • The United States Department of State approves a $1.8 billion weapon sales deal with Taiwan. (Al Jazeera)
• Iran–United States relations, Iran–Iraq relations, Iranian intervention in Iraq
  • The U.S. Department of the Treasury says it has blacklisted Iraj Masjedi, the Iranian Ambassador to Iraq, saying he has overseen the training and support of Shia militia groups, which are responsible for attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Killing of George Floyd
  • A Hennepin County, Minnesota judge drops the third-degree murder charge against former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, who was filmed kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes in May. He still faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. (NPR)
• 2020 Thai protests
  • Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha lifts the "severe" state of emergency that was imposed in Bangkok to crack down on the protesters. (CNN)
• Authorities announce the May arrest of a 19-year-old man from Kannapolis, North Carolina, who had allegedly been plotting to kill Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, after police towed his van and recovered firearms and explosives from it. He is being charged with possession of child pornography in relation to video and images later found in his electronic devices. (WTVD) (WGHP)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Guinean presidential election
  • Preliminary results show Alpha Condé winning Guinea's latest presidential election. The announcement sparks violent protests in the capital Conakry. (DW)
• 2020 Seychellois parliamentary election; 2020 Seychellois presidential election
  • Presidential and parliamentary elections are being simultaneously held in Seychelles. Voting is scheduled to last until October 24. (Seychelles News Agency)
• Vote of no confidence in the government of Pedro Sánchez
  • Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez survives a vote of no-confidence presented by the far-right Vox political party. (ABC News)
• 2020 United States presidential debates
  • President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden meet for the final debate before the election next month. (The New York Times)
• Saad Hariri is designated as Prime Minister of Lebanon, tasked with forming his fourth government, by a slim majority of the Chamber of Deputies. (Al Jazeera)
• Abortion in Poland
  • The Constitutional Tribunal of Poland rules that abortions in cases of fetal defects are unconstitutional. Once the decision comes into effect, terminations will only be allowed in cases of rape or incest, or if the mother's health is at risk. Poland's abortion laws were already among the strictest in Europe. (BBC News)

October 23, 2020 (2020-10-23) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban insurgency
    • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
      • The Taliban kills at least 20 Afghan soldiers in Khash Rod District, Nimroz Province. (TOLOnews)
• Second Libyan Civil War
  • The United Nations mission for Libya announces that the warring parties in the war have agreed to a "permanent ceasefire in all areas of Libya." The UN says it is an "important turning point towards peace and stability in Libya." The Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar, based in the east, had been at war with the Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli. (Al Arabiya)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 California wildfires
  • The Pacific Gas and Electric Company announces that it may cut power to 1 million customers in California to prevent the spread of new wildfires. (ABC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the Community of Madrid
        • The Madrid regional government announces new restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 when the current state of emergency expires tomorrow. Under the new rules, bars and restaurants will have to close by midnight and will not be able to accept new patrons after 11:00 p.m. local time, and socializing with people outside of one's household will be prohibited between midnight and 6:00 a.m. local time. Outside of these hours, social gatherings will be limited to a maximum of six people. Capacity at theaters and cinemas, as well as indoor sports facilities, will be reduced to 50%. Parks and gardens will be closed between midnight and 6:00 a.m. local time. (El Pais in English)
      • The regional government of Castile and León orders a curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time that will take effect tomorrow and last for two weeks. (RTVE)
      • The Governments of Catalonia, Euskadi, Extremadura, Asturias, Melilla, and La Rioja urge the national government to declare a state of emergency. (La Vanguardia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
        • Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon unveils parts of the draft five-level system of restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, ranging from Level Zero to Level Four. The new system will come into force on November 2 if the draft is approved by Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh, next week, and the application of different levels in different areas will be reviewed on a weekly basis. (ITV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • Belgium's Consultative Committee announces that it will tighten its restrictions on social contacts by banning fans from sporting events, closing amusement parks, and imposing a limit of 200 people allowed in theatres, concert halls, and cinemas. The measures take effect immediately and will last for four weeks until November 19, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 threatening to overwhelm hospitals. (The Brussels Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France surpasses one million COVID-19 cases after a record 42,032 new infections are reported in the last 24 hours, becoming the second European Union country to reach the milestone after Spain and the seventh country in the world to reach the same level. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports 19,143 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new record for the third consecutive day since the pandemic began, taking the nationwide total to 484,869. (ANSA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • The Flevo hospital in Almere begins to transfer two of its COVID-19 intensive care patients by helicopter to a hospital in Muenster, near the Dutch-German border, as hospitals in the Netherlands come under increasing strain from a second wave of infections. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • After Poland reports the highest single-day record of 13,632 new infections, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announces the designation of the country as a "red zone" area, which means that tomorrow it will partially close schools, with only grades one to three attending classes, restrict gatherings to five people, and restrict the operations of restaurants, cafés, and pubs to only serve take-away or delivery services. He also advises people over 70 years of age to stay home. (Times of India)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • The Portuguese Parliament approves a bill that imposes the mandatory use of a mask for people over ten years of age in crowded outdoor areas if social distancing cannot be implemented, as requested by the government, as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19. The measures will be in effect for 70 days. (The Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • The number of new cases since the beginning of the pandemic in Romania rises by a record of 5,028 in the past 24 hours, as new restrictions are introduced in Bucharest and other cities. (Digi 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 17,340 new cases, a new record high in the past 24 hours, raising the cumulative case total to 1,480,646. Despite the rise, authorities pledge not to reimpose strict lockdown measures across the country and declare the epidemic "under control." (CBS News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
      • The Arkansas Department of Health reports 1,337 new infections in the last 24 hours, a new record high since the pandemic began. In total, there are 104,135 confirmed and probable cases. (Arkansas Online)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in North Carolina
      • North Carolina reports a record number of new COVID-19 cases in the state, with 2,716 new cases in 24 hours. (WBTV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
      • Ohio reports 2,518 new cases, a new record high for a single day. (WLWT)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon
      • Oregon reports 550 new infections in the last 24 hours, a new record high since the pandemic began. 135 of them were from Multnomah County. (KGW8)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
      • Pennsylvania reports 2,219 new cases of COVID-19, its highest single-day amount since April. (WPVI-TV)
    • The United States reports a new record of 83,757 new cases in a single day. In total, nearly 8.5 million cases have been reported since the pandemic began. (CNBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • The number of new cases since the beginning of the pandemic in Iran rises by a record of 6,134 in the past 24 hours and pushes the overall count up to 556,891. This is the first time that new cases have surpassed more than 6,000. In addition, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari warns that 30 of 31 provinces are in the red zone with a high risk of COVID-19 infection. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports 10 deaths from COVID-19, making it the deadliest day since the beginning of the outbreak. (The Edge Markets)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
    • Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez tests positive for COVID-19 and becomes the highest national official to get infected. (El País)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson resume their Phase III trials in the United States for a COVID-19 vaccine after previously pausing them as a result of complications with some volunteers. (Wall Street Journal)

International relations

• Israel–Sudan normalization agreement, Israel–Sudan relations
  • Israel and Sudan agree to establish diplomatic relations. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
  • Hundreds of people protests in Naples after stricter COVID-19 measures were imposed in the city and the whole region of Campania. The protestors clashed with police, wounding seven officers with smoke bombs, burning trash bins and chanting against the President of the region, Vincenzo De Luca. Two people are arrested. (Il Fatto Quotidiano) (ITV)
• George Floyd protests, 2020–2021 United States racial unrest
  • George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
    • Federal prosecutors announce that Ivan Harrison Hunter, an alleged member of the Boogaloo Bois, has been charged for firing an AK-47 at a police station in Minneapolis during protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd. (NBC News)
• Rohingya genocide case
  • The Gambia announces that they have submitted a lawsuit against Myanmar for their role in the Rohingya genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. (Dhaka Tribune) (The Daily Star)
• The decomposed remains of seven people, believed to be undocumented migrants, are discovered in a fertiliser container in Asunción, Paraguay. The container set off from Serbia on 21 July and travelled through Croatia, Egypt, Spain and Argentina en route to Paraguay. Three of the seven were identified as being from Morocco and one from Egypt. According to the coroner, asphyxiation was the likely cause of death. (BBC News)

October 24, 2020 (2020-10-24) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • Taliban insurgency
      • The Taliban kills at least six security forces and injures two others in Nimruz Province. (TOLOnews)
    • At least nine people are killed and another one injured after two bombs explode in Ghazni, Ghazni District, Ghazni Province. (TOLOnews)
    • October 2020 Kabul suicide bombing
      • A suicide bombing kills at least 24 people and injures another 48 in Kabul. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack. (BBC News)
• Syrian Civil War
  • A United States drone strike kills 17 members of al-Qaeda in Idlib, including eleven leaders. Five civilians were also killed. (Military News)
• Anglophone Crisis
  • Kumba school massacre
    • A mass shooting at a school in Kumba, Southwest, Cameroon kills at least six children and wounds eight others in an attack apparently committed by Ambazonian separatist insurgents. The United Nations office reports eight children were killed. A spokesman for the separatist movement expresses "shock and disgust" over the attack. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Two pilots are killed after a U.S. Navy T-6B Texan II trainer aircraft crashes in Alabama. (NBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • The number of new infections in Austria rises by a record of 3,614 cases, pushing the total confirmed cases to 79,770 cases. (Today Online)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • The Brussels regional government, headed by its minister-president Rudi Vervoort, orders sports and cultural facilities to close and imposes a curfew lasting between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time. In addition, masks once again become mandatory in public spaces, shops must close at 8:00 p.m. local time, and public gatherings of more than four people are banned. The measures will last until November 19. (The Brussels Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Sofia's mayor Yordanka Fandakova announces that it will close nightclubs and discos tomorrow for two weeks in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19. She also urges universities to switch to online education and appeals to businesses to have as many employees work from home as possible. (BNR)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The number of new confirmed cases in the Czech Republic surpasses the 15,000 mark for the first time, when health authorities report a record of 15,252 new cases in a single day. (Radio Prague)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France reports 45,422 new cases of infections, the highest single-day spike in the country since the pandemic began, according to a statement from the Health Ministry. In turn, the total number of cases topped 1.08 million. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany surpasses 10,000 COVID-19 deaths, as the Robert Koch Institute reports a record 14,714 new cases in the last 24 hours. Germany is the twentieth country to surpass the 10,000 death milestone. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports a further record of 19,644 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, as the government considers further restrictions to contain a COVID-19 resurgence. (Al-Arabiya English)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Luxembourg
      • Luxembourg reports a record 862 new infections in the past 24 hours, pushing the overall total to 13,713 cases as a curfew is introduced in the country. (RTL Today)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • President Andrzej Duda tests positive for COVID-19. (DW)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports a record daily increase of 3,669 new cases, bringing the cumulative counts to 116,109 confirmed cases and 2,297 deaths. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia
      • Slovakia reports 2,890 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest tally yet since the pandemic began, as the country launches an experimental testing program for its population. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Jakarta surpasses 100,000 total COVID-19 cases, becoming the first province in Indonesia to reach that milestone. (Berita Satu)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports 1,228 new infections, a record daily jump since the start of the pandemic, bringing the total number of cases to 25,742. Of those new cases, 449 of them are from Sabah. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • Authorities in Sri Lanka close at least two fishery harbours and many stalls after 609 COVID-19 cases are linked to the country's main fish market. (Deccan Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
      • Chile surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19, while active cases reach a record low of 9,900. (National Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
      • Colombia surpasses one million confirmed COVID-19 cases, becoming the second Latin American country to surpass that milestone in less than a week. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
      • Illinois reports 6,161 new cases, the most in one day since the pandemic began. (WLS-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      • Michigan reports 3,338 new cases, a new single-day record. (MLive.com)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico
      • New Mexico reports a record high of 875 new cases in a single day, bringing the statewide total to 41,040. (The Santa Fe New Mexican)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
      • The Ohio Department of Health reports 2,858 new cases in Ohio in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record, thus pushing the statewide total to 195,806. (WKBN-TV)

Law and crime

• Domestic terrorism in the United States
  • A report published three days earlier by the Center for Strategic and International Studies finds that white supremacist and other far-right groups have perpetrated a majority of domestic terrorist attacks and plots in the first eight months of 2020. It also notes a rise in terrorist incidents perpetrated by far-left groups, as well as a decrease in fatalities from domestic terrorist attacks during that same time period compared to recent years. (The New York Times via MSN)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Egyptian parliamentary election
  • The first round of parliamentary elections starts in Egypt. The election is under criticism as most candidates are aligned with the pro-government Nation's Future Party, curbing the expectations for political change. (Al Jazeera)
• Crisis in Venezuela during the Bolivarian Revolution
  • Prominent opposition figure Leopoldo López leaves the Spanish embassy in Caracas and flees to Spain via Colombia, according to his own party, which did not elaborate how he escaped from Venezuela. López had been at the embassy for over a year to avoid house arrest. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2020 AFL season
  • Richmond defeats Geelong by a 31-point margin in the 2020 AFL Grand Final at The Gabba in Brisbane. (News.com.au)

October 25, 2020 (2020-10-25) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Sinai insurgency
  • Fourteen people are killed after bombs planted by Islamic State militants explode near civilian homes in Bir al-Abd, Egypt. The bombs were placed when militants attacked several villages in the town in July, forcing people to flee their homes, who then returned a month later when soldiers secured the area. (Associated Press)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
  • Azerbaijani troops continue to advance inside Nagorno-Karabakh, capturing the town of Qubadlı, the administrative capital of Qubadli District. (Anadolu Angency)

Arts and culture

• Cardinals created by Francis
  • Pope Francis announces the creation of 13 new cardinals, including the elevation of Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington who will become the first African-American cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. The elevation is scheduled to occur on November 28. (The Washington Post)

Business and economy

• The Metro of Lahore, Pakistan, opens to the public. (Daily Pakistan)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Prime Minister Boyko Borisov tests positive for COVID-19. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France registers a record 52,010 new confirmed infections over the past 24 hours, according to a statement from the health ministry, taking the nationwide total to 1,138,507 and becoming the world's fifth highest number of cases after the United States, India, Brazil and Russia. (NBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • In an agreement with regional authorities, Italy's Giuseppe Conte government orders cinemas, swimming pools, and gyms to close tomorrow in a further attempt to curb the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases. Bars and restaurants will have to close by 6:00 p.m. local time. The new rules will last until November 24. (CBS News)
      • The number of confirmed cases in Italy reaches a new record of 21,273 cases in the last 24 hours. It is the first time that daily new cases have surpassed 20,000 since the pandemic began. (The Washington Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
      • Hungary registers a record of 3,149 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide total of cases since the pandemic began to 59,247. (Hungary Today)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • The number of new infections in the Netherlands jumped by 10,203 cases in the past 24 hours, hitting a new record not seen since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data released by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declares a second nationwide "state of alarm" (known as state of emergency) to allow regional authorities to set different hours for the curfews as long as they are stricter, close regional borders to travel, and limit gatherings to six people not in the same household. The nationwide curfew begins between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time, except in the Canary Islands. The emergency decree can be extended from an initial 15 days to six months depending on parliamentary approval. (Euronews)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • Reserve Bank of India's Governor Shaktikanta Das tested positive for COVID-19. (The Hindu)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Yang di-Pertuan Agong King Al-Sultan Abdullah rejects a proposal by embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to declare a state of emergency to fight a surge of COVID-19 cases. (Kompas) (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • Sri Lankan authorities increase the COVID-19-related curfew zones to 56 police divisions to control the spread of the virus through community-level transmission. (The New Indian Express)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces the easing of restrictions on gyms, religious gatherings, indoor swimming pools, and other facilities in Regional Victoria effective October 27 at 11:59 p.m. AEDT. He delays an announcement about easing restrictions in Melbourne pending the outcome of tests connected to an outbreak in the northern suburbs. (ABC Australia)
    • It is announced that Tasmania will reopen to much of Mainland Australia, which was deemed as "low-risk" states, and New Zealand tomorrow. The state was the first Australian jurisdiction to close its borders in March and has not recorded a case in more than 70 days. (The Canberra Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      • Ontario reports 1,042 new cases, a new record since the start of the outbreak, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 70,373. (Global News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
      • Quebec surpasses 100,000 cases of COVID-19, becoming the first province in Canada to hit the milestone since the pandemic began in March. (The Star)

Law and crime

• Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
  • Dozens of far-right protesters in Rome clash with riot police during a demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions when 200 masked militants belonging to Forza Nuova hurl flares and firecrackers at police. Police arrest seven protesters and reported two officers injured. (TRT World)
  • More than 2,000 people protest in Naples in the evening against the announced measures. (Il Messaggero)
• European migrant crisis
  • British Special Boat Service (SBS) special forces storm the Liberian-registered Nave Andromeda after the tanker was suspected to be hijacked by a group of Nigerian stowaways off the Isle of Wight. The 22 crew members were found safe, and the seven suspected hijackers have been detained by British authorities following a 10-hour stand-off. (BBC News) (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• Elections in Canada
  • 2020 British Columbia general election
    • Premier of British Columbia John Horgan is projected to win a majority of seats for the New Democratic Party; he is the first BC NDP leader to be reelected in the province's history. (CBC) (Vancouver Sun) (CTV)
• 2020 Seychellois general election
  • In an upset election, Wavel Ramkalawan is declared the winner after defeating incumbent Danny Faure of the ruling United Seychelles party, which has been in power since the 1970s. The liberal candidate received 54% of votes cast to win the election. (AP)
• 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election
  • Lithuania holds the second round of parliamentary elections amidst an economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round was held on October 11. (The Standard)
• 2020 Chilean national plebiscite
  • A referendum to start the process to draft a new constitution is held in Chile. The referendum was one of the announcements made after the 2019–20 Chilean protests. Over 78% vote in favour of abandoning the 1980 Constitution. (France 24)
• 2019–2021 Iraqi protests
  • Thousands of Iraqis take to the streets in Baghdad and major southern cities, including Basra and Najaf, to both mark the anniversary of the protests and renew calls to end corruption. Security forces in central Baghdad threw tear gas to prevent marchers from crossing strategic bridges, injuring at least six, and around 43 officers were injured after protesters threw Molotov cocktails at them. (AP)
• Crisis in Venezuela during the Bolivarian Revolution
  • Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López arrives to Madrid, Spain, after spending the last year in the Spanish embassy to avoid house arrest. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • In football, former Barcelona and Brazil player Ronaldinho tests positive for COVID-19 and is in self-quarantine. (Goal.com)
• The Melbourne Storm win the 2020 NRL Grand Final against the Penrith Panthers 26-20,Ryan Papenhuyzen gets the 34th Clive Churchill Medal
  • The Tennessee Titans are fined $350,000 for violating the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. (Associated Press via WJRT-TV)

October 26, 2020 (2020-10-26) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • A Russian airstrike on a camp run by rebels of the Sham Legion in Kafr Takharim kills at least 35, according to a rebel source. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) puts the death toll at 78. (Reuters)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • A humanitarian ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh breaks down shortly after coming into effect, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan blaming each other for violating the truce. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Chinese financial technology firm Ant Group debuts on the Hong Kong and Shanghai Stock Exchanges, with its IPO worth up to US$34.4 billion. This surpasses Saudi Aramco, whose IPO was worth US$29.4 billion, as the strongest debut on a stock exchange. Jack Ma, whose company Alibaba Group is backing the debut, is expected to become the richest man in China as a result. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 California wildfires
  • Fast-moving fires around Orange County, California, United States, force over 70,000 residents to evacuate. Two firefighters are critically injured while battling the blazes. (AP)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports 1,240 new cases, the highest number of infections since the pandemic began in March. The country's cumulative total stands at 27,805. Of those new cases, 927 are from Sabah. (The New Straits Times)
      • Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announces that the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, and Selangor will be extended until November 9. (Mashable)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • China reports 137 asymptomatic cases during a drive to test 4.75 million people in Kashgar. It is the highest number of asymptomatic infections in nearly seven months following the discovery of a cluster of cases linked to a garment factory in Xinjiang. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The government announces that they will impose a curfew between 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time beginning October 28 and ban Sunday shopping in order to curb the surge of COVID-19 cases. Shops that sell essential goods will have to close on weekdays at 8:00 p.m. local time and on Sundays. (Radio Prague International)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • The Netherlands surpasses 300,000 COVID-19 cases after a record 10,353 new cases were reported by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the past 24 hours. (NRC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia's number of new COVID-19 cases surges to a record high of 17,347, putting the nationwide total at 1,531,224. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Victoria reports no new cases for the first time since June 9. (ABC Australia)
    • Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces the easing of restrictions on pubs, restaurants, religious gatherings, gyms and indoor swimming pools, accommodations, and other facilities in Melbourne effective tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. AEDT. (Premier of Victoria)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
      • Alberta imposes restrictions to limit most social gatherings to 15 people in Edmonton and Calgary after the province reported record cases. (CBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
      • British Columbia reports a record 817 new cases over the weekend, including 317 new cases on Saturday, 293 on Sunday, and 207 on Monday. As a result, the provincial health officer Bonnie Henry announces plans to limit gatherings in private homes to no more than immediate household plus your “safe six," which refers to the six additional people in a household’s bubble. (Global News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
      • Premier François Legault announces that restrictions in COVID-19 red zones are being extended until November 23. (Montreal Gazette)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
      • Newark Mayor Ras Baraka imposes a curfew on non-essential businesses in the city at 8 p.m. ET except grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations as COVID-19 cases in New Jersey continue to increase. (WPIX 11)

International relations

• France–Turkey relations, aftermath of the murder of Samuel Paty
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls on all Turks and the Muslim world to boycott France over French President Emmanuel Macron's crackdown on radical Islam in French society. Erdoğan says Muslims in France are now "subjected to a lynch campaign similar to that against Jews in Europe before World War II". The leaders of Germany, Italy and the Netherlands condemn Erdoğan's comments and declare their support for France. (BBC News)
• Japan rejects the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons after all nuclear powers boycott the treaty. This rejection happened days after the United Nations said there was enough signatories for it to go into effect and following pressure from atomic bomb survivors to adopt it. Japan states it is unrealistic to pursue the treaty with both nuclear and non-nuclear states being sharply divided over it, and instead the country will serve as a bridge to narrow the gap between the two sides. (ABC News)

Law and crime

• Three men are killed in a murder–suicide at a farm located in Kanturk, County Cork, Ireland. (RTE)
• U.S. Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court nomination
  • Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by a vote of 52–48 in the United States Senate and is sworn in as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. She is expected to take the second of two necessary oaths and fully become a Justice on October 27. (NPR)
• Mass shootings in the United States
  • Two people are killed and eight others injured in a mass shooting at a post-funeral gathering in Greenwood, Mississippi. Police believe the shooter used an AR-15 style rifle, but no suspects are in custody. (USA Today)
• Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
  • Demonstrations take place across dozens of cities in Italy against the new restrictions to curb the second wave of COVID-19. The protests in Milan, Turin, and Trieste turn violent, where petrol bombs were thrown at officers. Twenty-eight people are arrested in Milan. In Naples the protests continue for the fourth day. (The Washington Post)
• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • Federal prosecutors announce the discovery of ghost guns and "explosive device components", which raises the possibility of them filing terrorism charges against six suspects accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. (The Detroit News) (Michigan Live)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Chilean national referendum
  • 78% of the voters approve the process to draft a new Constitution, replacing the one established during the Pinochet dictatorship. (BBC News)
  • A constituent assembly will be elected in April 2021 after 79% of the voters in the referendum chose this option to write the new Constitution. (Financial Times)
• 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election
  • Preliminary results show the opposition Homeland Union winning the most seats in parliament, thus making a change of government highly realistic. (Politico)

Science and technology

• Lunar water
  • NASA confirms water has been spotted on the sunlit surface of the moon. (Fox News)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • AC Milan announces that goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and winger Jens Petter Hauge have tested positive for COVID-19 three days after playing against Celtic in the UEFA Europa League. The club also said that three other members of the team have gone into isolation after testing positive. (BBC Sport)

October 27, 2020 (2020-10-27) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Artsakh Defence Minister Jalal Harutyunyan is seriously wounded in an Azerbaijani drone strike on his vehicle in Nagorno-Karabakh. He is replaced by Mikael Arzumanyan until he recovers from his injuries. (Public Radio of Armenia)
  • Azerbaijan says an Armenian missile attack on the city of Barda killed at least four civilians and injured 13 others. (Caspian News)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • 2020 Peshawar school bombing
    • Eight students are killed in a bombing at a madrasa in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (BBC News)
• An Islamic State inmate kills a guard and wounds three others with a metal object at a prison in Rabat, Morocco. The fate of the militant, who was arrested a month ago, is unknown. It is the first terrorist attack in the country since the 2018 murders of two Scandinavian tourists. (The Defense Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Hurricane Zeta makes landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane. (Fox News)
  • Hurricane warnings are issued by the National Hurricane Center across the Gulf Coast of the United States from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi–Alabama border. (Fox News)
• The Greek Navy's mine countermeasures vessel HS Kallisto is cut in two in a collision with a container ship. (New Greek TV)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
        • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
          • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asks residents to avoid traveling out of state during the upcoming holidays. For those who decide to travel, he urges them to get tested and quarantine for two weeks. (CNBC)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
        • Arkansas surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 cases and sets a new record of 27 new hospitalizations, bringing the total to 676. (KATV)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky
        • Governor Andy Beshear reports a record-high number of new infections in the state with 1,786 cases. (Courier Journal)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
        • Wisconsin reports 5,262 new cases and 64 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, setting a record number for both new cases and deaths since the pandemic began, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (WKOW-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba
        • Manitoba reports 184 new cases, its highest number since the pandemic began. (CBC)
      • Canada surpasses 10,000 COVID-19 deaths. (CTV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
      • Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum tests positive for COVID-19 but is asymptomatic. (Mexico Daily News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia's Rospotrebnadzor orders all people to wear masks in crowded places starting tomorrow and recommends all restaurants and other late-night establishments to close between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time, with all public events banned during that time. (Barron's)
      • Russia reports a record of 320 new deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll since the pandemic began to 26,589. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Bulgaria reports 2,243 new infections, a new record of cases since the pandemic began. (Novinite)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • France reports 523 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, which includes 292 people that died in hospitals and another 231 people who died in nursing homes. This is the highest number of daily fatalities since the first wave in April, as President Emmanuel Macron prepares to announce new restrictions tomorrow. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece reports 1,259 new infections, the highest number in a single day, bringing the nationwide total to 32,752. (Neos Kosmos)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • The number of new confirmed cases in Italy rises by a record 21,994 in the past 24 hours. In addition, the country also reports 221 new fatalities, the highest daily death toll the country has had since May. (ANSA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • La Rioja orders the closure of restaurants and bars in its two largest towns, Logroño and Arnedo, for a month in an attempt to curb the second wave of COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong announces that it will reopen public beaches and increase the number of people allowed to sit together in bars to four people, and at restaurants to six people, on October 30, as part of a relaxation of social distancing measures. The city's government also said that those venues will be allowed to run on-site services until 2:00 a.m. local time. (South China Morning Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports 6,968 new cases and 346 deaths in the past 24 hours, its highest daily tally since the pandemic began, pushing the death toll to 33,299 and cumulative total cases to 581,824. (Arab News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria
    • President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is hospitalized at a military hospital in Algiers, days after he went into self-isolation after suspected COVID-19 cases amongst his aides. (AFP Via Yahoo! News)
  • The United Nations cancels all in-person meetings at its New York City headquarters after five people on the Niger mission tested positive. (Reuters)

International relations

• Aftermath of the murder of Samuel Paty
  • Thousands rally in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka calling for a boycott of French goods over French President Emmanuel Macron's defense of cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which Muslims consider to be highly blasphemous. Police prevented the protesters from reaching the French Embassy. (Al Jazeera)
  • Iran summons the French ambassador over Macron's "insulting comments" regarding Islam and Muslims. (Republic World)
  • Saudi Arabia condemns Macron's "attempts to link Islam with terrorism" but does not join calls for a boycott of France. (Al Jazeera)
  • Protesters burn French flags and pictures of Macron outside the French Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Rudaw)
  • France's Foreign Ministry warns its citizens to take extra security precautions while traveling in Muslim-majority countries as a Muslim backlash against France grows. (Reuters)
• India–United States relations
  • Following high-level talks in Delhi, India and the United States sign a military agreement on sharing sensitive satellite data. The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation (BECA) gives the Indian Armed Forces access to a range of sensitive geospatial and aeronautical data for military use. Agreements on nuclear energy, earth sciences and alternative medicine are also signed. (BBC News)
• Netherlands–Turkey relations
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan files a criminal complaint against Dutch far-right politician and activist Geert Wilders for allegedly "insulting him on social media". Turkish prosecutors accepted the complaint at an Ankara court. Erdoğan's lawyers say Wilders insulted "honour, dignity, character and reputation". (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2020–2021 United States racial unrest, Killing of Walter Wallace
  • Protests break out in Philadelphia after police shoot and kill Walter Wallace, who they say had been armed with a knife. There are also reports of vandalism, including looting, spray painting and smashing of windows at a police station. Police also say 30 officers have been injured, many of which were struck by bricks and other debris, and that 91 protesters were arrested. (WCAU-TV)
• 2020 Tanzanian general election
  • Tanzanian political party Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT Wazalendo) reports that its Zanzibar presidential candidate Seif Sharif Hamad has been arrested following condemnation by him and the political party of the shooting deaths of at least seven civilians amid unrest over alleged fraud on the eve of presidential election. Police confirm Hamad's arrest but do not comment. (AP)
• LGBT rights in Nigeria
  • A Nigerian court throws out a case against 47 men for allegedly publicly engaging in same-sex relationships at a Lagos hotel in 2018, claiming a lack of diligence on the prosecutor's part. (Reuters)
• Hong Kong national security law
  • Hong Kong pro-independence activist Tony Chung is arrested when he tries to seek asylum at the U.S. Consulate General. He was on bail for alleged national security law offences. (The Guardian)
• Australian Aboriginal sacred sites
  • A yellow box tree sacred to the women of the Djab wurrung indigenous group in western Victoria is cut down to make way for a new highway. 50 protesters are arrested at the site for violating social distancing laws. (The Guardian)

Science and technology

• British telecommunication regulator Ofcom announces that all mobile network providers in the country will be banned from selling locked phones beginning in December 2021. (BBC News)

Sports

• 2020 World Series
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series after a Game 6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. It was their first World Series win in 32 years. (ESPN)
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • FIFA announces that the President Gianni Infantino tests positive for COVID-19. (BEIN Sports)

October 28, 2020 (2020-10-28) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Ituri conflict
  • The army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo says it killed 33 militiamen and reported the death of two soldiers in days of intense fighting in Ituri province. The army says it seized control of two rebel strongholds held by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) group, which is accused by the United Nations of committing war crimes. (Reuters)
• War in Afghanistan
  • Over 100 Taliban insurgents are killed as the Afghan Armed Forces retake parts of Helmand Province. (TOLO News)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Barda ballistic missile attacks
  • Azerbaijan says the death toll from an Armenian cluster missile attack on Barda has risen to 21 with dozens more wounded. Armenia denies carrying out the strike. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• German anti-trust regulator Federal Cartel Office launches an investigation into Amazon and Apple for potentially breaking competition laws, by having the former being the exclusive distributor for the latter's dealerships online. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • U.S. President Donald Trump declares a state of emergency for Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Zeta's impending landfall. (Fox News)
  • The National Hurricane Center forecasts 5–8 feet (1.5–2.4 m) of storm surge for the entire Mississippi coastline. In Louisiana, mandatory evacuations are issued in Terrebonne Parish and Jefferson Parish. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issue a state of emergency for their states. (CNN)
  • The National Weather Service issues Storm Surge Warnings from the mouth of the Atchafalaya River, Louisiana, to Navarre, Florida. (National Hurricane Center)
  • Hurricane Zeta strengthens to a Category 2 hurricane. (National Hurricane Center)
  • Hurricane Zeta makes landfall near Cocodrie, Louisiana, as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph. In the process, it sets a new record for being the fifth named storm to make landfall in Louisiana in a single season, the previous record being four. (The New York Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • The Robert Koch Institute reports a record 14,964 new infections in the past 24 hours, putting the total number of cases at 464,239. (Welt)
      • Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of 16 states agree to impose a nationwide partial lockdown from November 2, which means that restaurants, bars, and all leisure facilities are ordered to be closed until November 30, private gatherings will be limited to ten people and social contacts will be limited to two households. However, schools, churches and kindergartens will remain open with strict hygiene measures. The new restrictions will last for at least four weeks. (France 24) (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland
      • Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health reports a record of 8,616 new infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 135,658. In addition, in the last two weeks, the positivity rate has risen from 14% to 32%, higher than the peak of 26% during the first wave. (Le News)
      • Switzerland imposes new restrictions, ordering dance clubs to be closed beginning tomorrow, halting in-person university classes beginning in early November, and placing new limits on sporting and leisure activities. In addition, a requirement to wear masks in all offices and secondary schools as well as outdoors where social distancing is difficult has been indefinitely extended. (Yahoo! Finance)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The Czech Republic reports 15,663 new cases, a record number since the pandemic began, as the country struggles with one of Europe's fastest growing infection rates. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • French President Emmanuel Macron announces a second nationwide lockdown from October 30, with all non-essential businesses ordered to close. Unlike the first lockdown in March, most schools and factories will remain open and care home visits will still be allowed. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece reports a record 1,547 new cases, bringing the nationwide total to 34,299 cases, according to data from National Public Health Organization. (NPHO)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy registers a record 24,991 new infections over the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data, bringing the nationwide total of cases to 589,766. (RTÉ)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland reports 18,820 new cases and 236 new deaths in the last 24 hours. It is the largest jump in the number of cases and the deadliest day since the start of the pandemic, bringing the total number of cases to 299,049. (Reuters) (Poland In)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports a record daily increase with 3,960 new cases, bringing the cumulative counts to 128,382 confirmed cases and 2,395 deaths. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record high of 346 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 26,935. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
      • Slovenia reports 2,605 new cases, a new record since the start of the pandemic. (STA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
      • Sweden reports 1,980 new infections in the past 24 hours, its highest number in a single day yet, bringing the nationwide total at 117,913. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey surpasses 10,000 COVID-19 deaths, becoming the eighth European country to reach the milestone. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a record high of 165 fatalities in the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 6,755. (Gordonua)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia surpasses 400,000 total cases of COVID-19, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to reach the milestone. (CNN Indonesia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 415 new fatalities, bringing the death toll since the pandemic began to 33,714. (Barron's)
      • Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf tested positive for COVID-19. (Voice of America)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand's cabinet agrees to extend a state of emergency until the end of November to contain its COVID-19 outbreak. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • New York surpasses 500,000 total confirmed COVID-19 cases, becoming the fourth state to surpass that number after California, Florida and Texas. (WNBC-TV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • Tonga extends the state of emergency, which includes curfews and restrictions on gatherings, until November 23. The country, which is COVID-19-free, imposed strict measures on March 12. (RNZ)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
    • President Cyril Ramaphosa goes into self-quarantine after one of 35 guests at a charity event that he attended tested positive for COVID-19. (Sowetanlive)

International relations

• France–Turkey relations
  • Turkey threatens to take "legal and diplomatic action" in response to French magazine Charlie Hebdo's caricature mocking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay condemns the publication. France responds by saying that the country would not give in to "destabilisation and intimidation attempts." (France 24)

Law and crime

• 2020–2021 United States racial unrest, Black Lives Matter
  • Protesters march through Philadelphia for a second night, demanding racial justice after the killing of Walter Wallace. The marches began peacefully but became more confrontational into the evening and Wednesday morning. Police and the city's office of emergency management said looting was reported in several areas. Protesters try to erect makeshift barricades using bins while police use pepper spray and batons after saying they were attacked by demonstrators. (BBC News)
• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • An unsealed search warrant reveals that Barry Croft, one of the suspects accused in federal court of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has also discussed South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and President Donald Trump as possible targets. (The Detroit News) (The Post and Courier)
• The FBI arrests five people in the United States, and charges three more, for spying on opponents of the Chinese Communist Party and trying, among other things, to coerce them to return home to face trial. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Tanzanian general election
  • Tanzanians head to the polls to elect their President. Incumbent John Magufuli seeks reelection as his top opposition candidate Tundu Lissu, who returned from exile after a failed assassination attempt, warns of "widespread irregularities". (Al Jazeera)

• October 2020 Polish protests
  • Approximately 430,000 people participated in 410 protests across the country, according to the police spokesperson Jarosław Szymczyk. (Gazeta Prawna)

Science and technology

• Scientists announce that last week they discovered a reef structure in the Great Barrier Reef that is 500 m (1,600 ft)-tall, surpassing the height of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. The discovery is the first of its type in the region since the 1800s. (BBC News)

October 29, 2020 (2020-10-29) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Islamic terrorism in Europe
  • Terrorism in France
    • 2020 Nice stabbing
      • Three people are killed at Notre-Dame de Nice in Nice, by an attacker shouting "Allahu Akbar". The city's mayor describes the incident as "terrorism" while police investigate the case. The attacker has been shot and arrested by police. (Reuters)
    • A man is arrested near a church in Sartrouville, Île-de-France, after police received a call from his father. The man had been trying to carry out a stabbing attack and was quoted as saying he was inspired by the Nice attack. (Le Parisien)
    • A man is shot dead by police in Montfavet, Avignon, after threatening police and a trader of a North African background with a handgun. The man was reported to be a member of a far-right French organisation and also having a history of psychiatric treatment. (Libération)
    • A man carrying a knife is arrested in Lyon for plotting to attack people aboard a tram, according to police. (Le Parisien)
    • An hour after the attack in Nice, a French guard is stabbed and wounded by a knifeman outside the French consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The attacker is then arrested by security forces. (The News International)
• Kivu conflict; Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • 2020 Democratic Republic of the Congo attacks
    • Suspected Allied Democratic Forces militants kill at least 18 people and burn down a church in an attack near Oicha in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters)
• Mexican drug war
  • Authorities in the Mexican state of Guanajuato discover a mass grave containing 59 bodies. (Al Jazeera English)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Hurricane Zeta kills five people and leaves 2 million without power. (CNN)
  • Hurricane Zeta weakens to a tropical storm. (National Hurricane Center)
• 2020 Central Vietnam floods
  • Landslides and flash floods caused by Typhoon Molave leave at least 35 people dead and over 50 others missing in central Vietnam. (ABC News)
• At least 140 migrants drown when a boat carrying 200 people to the Canary Islands caught fire and then capsized off the coast of Saint-Louis, Senegal. The International Organization for Migration says this is the deadliest shipwreck recorded this year. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • The number of new infections in Austria since the start of the pandemic rises by a record 4,453 cases in the past 24 hours. (OE24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
      • The French National Assembly overwhelmingly approves new nationwide lockdown measures that were announced yesterday by President Emmanuel Macron by a vote of 399 to 27. Under the new measures, French schools will require all students aged six and over to wear face masks in the classroom. (France 24)
      • Prime Minister Jean Castex announces more details about the second lockdown. In the rules, people will only be allowed to leave the house to buy groceries, commuting to work, medical or pressing family reasons, and for outdoor exercise for one hour per day no farther than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from their homes. (Euronews)
      • The Île-de-France region, which includes Paris, suffers a record traffic jam of a cumulative 706 kilometres (439 mi) in the early evening as people attempted to leave the region or elsewhere before the second lockdown begins. (ITV) (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • The number of confirmed cases in Germany surges to a record of 16,774 new infections in the past 24 hours, according to Robert Koch Institute data, taking the total number since the beginning of the pandemic at 481,013. (RTL)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy surpasses 600,000 cases of COVID-19 after a record 26,831 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of swabs taken reaches a record 201,452. (ANSA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland surpasses 300,000 cases of COVID-19 after a record 20,156 new cases were reported. It also reports a record 301 deaths over the past 24 hours. (Yahoo News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports a record daily increase with 4,224 new cases, bringing the cumulative counts to 132,616 confirmed cases and 2,428 deaths. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania reports 6,491 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic and the first time the country has reported over 6,000 cases. (Romania Insider)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports 17,717 new cases and 366 new deaths in the last 24 hours. It is the largest jump in the number of cases and deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • The Spanish Congress of Deputies votes to extend the state of emergency for another six months as the Health Ministry reports a record 23,580 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 1.16 million. (The Times) (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
      • Sweden reports 2,820 new infections in the past 24 hours, a new record in a single day since the pandemic began, bringing the total number of cases to 121,167. (Swiss Info)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 pandemic in Liechtenstein
      • Switzerland reports 9,386 new infections, a new record since the pandemic began, taking the total caseload in Switzerland and Liechtenstein to 145,044. (Reuters)
    • European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The European Union will finance €220 million to transfer patients in hard-hit countries across borders to prevent hospitals across the continent from getting overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. (RTE)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India surpasses eight million cases of COVID-19, becoming the second country to pass the milestone after the United States. (Times of India)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports a record 8,293 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide total to 596,841 cases. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japan surpasses 100,000 cases of COVID-19. (Kyodo News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia surpasses 30,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Edge Markets)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
      • Illinois records 6,363 new cases, a new single-day record. (WGN-TV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      • Michigan records 3,675 new cases, a new single-day record. (MLive.com)
      • Michigan announces new restrictions on gatherings amid rise of cases. (MLive.com)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon
      • Oregon records 575 new cases, a new single-day record. (The Oregonian)
    • Nationally, 87,164 new cases are reported, a new single-day record. (CNN)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
    • Tunisia announces new measures that include a nighttime curfew, which will remain in effect until November 15. In addition, movement between provinces without essential reasons will be prohibited, schools will be suspended until November 8 and demonstrations, access to places of worship and gatherings of more than four people in public will also be prohibited. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Moderna says that it is preparing for the global launch of their potential vaccines, as well as taking $1.1 billion in deposits from governments. (CNBC)

Law and crime

• 2020–2021 United States racial unrest, Killing of Walter Wallace
  • Walmart announces that it would remove guns and ammunition from their stores, citing rising tensions and unrest that broke out in Philadelphia following the killing of Walter Wallace. (NPR)
• A former associate of Lev Parnas pleads guilty to defrauding investors in an insurance start-up that paid Rudy Giuliani for consulting work and to lying to federal regulators investigating suspected campaign finance violations. (ABC News)
• A riot in Herat Province, Afghanistan, leaves at least eight people dead and 12 others injured. (TOLOnews)

Politics and elections

• Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party
  • Labour suspends its former leader Jeremy Corbyn following a report into antisemitism within the party's ranks. The report found Corbyn had "politically interfered" in the complaints process. (BBC News)
• 2020 Belarusian protests, COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
  • Amidst ongoing protests against Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus abruptly closes its borders with Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, while leaving its border with Russia open. Lukashenko insists that the move is to restrict the spread of COVID-19. (AP)

October 30, 2020 (2020-10-30) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Terrorism in Russia
  • A police officer is wounded after being stabbed several times by a 16-year-old boy in Kukmor, Tatarstan, Russia. The attacker is then shot dead by a fellow officer. The stabbing is being investigated as a terrorist incident. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• List of most expensive coins
  • A near-mint condition Roman coin celebrating the assassination of dictator Julius Caesar is sold at an auction for £2.7 million (US$3.5 million), becoming the most expensive Roman coin ever auctioned. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Aegean Sea earthquake
  • An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hits Greece and Turkey, with an epicentre in the Aegean Sea. Flooding and destruction of houses is reported in Samos, where two people have died, and Izmir, where 20 people have died and 786 injured. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Russia
        • Moscow city authorities announce that residents who want to be vaccinated against COVID-19 may be able to do so as early as next month if large volumes of doses are supplied by then. Deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova also said the city was creating a large network of specialized vaccination rooms with 2,500 high-risk people already having been vaccinated. (News18)
      • Russia reports 18,283 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new record for the second consecutive day, bringing the nationwide total to 1,599,976, still the fourth-highest in the world. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • Austria reports a record increase of 5,627 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative nationwide total to 99,576 confirmed cases. (Vienna.at)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
      • Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called the situation a "state of sanitary emergency" in the country and announces a second nationwide lockdown from November 1 for at least six weeks, with all non-essential businesses ordered to close. Belgium is the worst affected country in Europe with more than 1,600 cases per 100,000 people. (Houston Chronicle) (The Brussels Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • The Chamber of Deputies votes to extend the state of emergency in the Czech Republic until November 20. The present state of emergency is due to expire on November 3. (Radio Prague International)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany reports a record 18,681 new cases, pushing the total of confirmed cases near 500,000, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, making it the third consecutive time the country sets a new record of daily infections. (RND)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland
      • Iceland announces new restrictions, lowering its limit on public gatherings from 20 people to 10 people and suspending sporting activities and stage performances. The new restrictions will take effect tomorrow and last until November 17. (Reykjavik Grapevine)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports a record 31,084 new cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the total of confirmed cases to 647,674. (Il Sole 24 ORE)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland reports 21,629 new cases, the largest jump in the number of cases since the start of the pandemic, bringing the total number of cases to 340,834. It also reaches 5,351 COVID-19 deaths, with 202 deaths in the last 24 hours. (Poland In)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports a record daily increase with 4,656 new cases, bringing the cumulative counts to 137,272 confirmed cases and 2,468 deaths. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Spain registers its record daily jump in COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row, when the country's Ministry of Health reports 25,595 new cases over the past 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in California
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area
        • San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces that the city will pause reopening due to an increase of cases. (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
      • New Jersey reports over 2,000 cases, its largest increase in cases during a one-day period since early May. (News 12)
    • The United States surpasses nine million cases of COVID-19. (CNN)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    • Iran surpasses 600,000 COVID-19 cases. (Al-Arabiya English)

International relations

• France–Pakistan relations, aftermath of the Murder of Samuel Paty
  • Riot police clash with thousands of anti-Charlie Hebdo cartoons protesters who attempted to march on the French Embassy building in Islamabad, Pakistan. (VOA)

Law and crime

• LGBT rights in Taiwan
  • The military of Taiwan conducts the first mass same-sex marriages since the country became the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex unions in 2019. (BBC)
• Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections
  • Reuters reports that Fancy Bear, the Russian hacker group accused of interfering in the 2016 United States presidential election, had attempted, earlier this year, to hack the email accounts of the California and Indiana branches of the Democratic Party, and those of influential think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. (Reuters) (The Verge)

Politics and elections

• 2020 New Zealand euthanasia referendum, 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum
  • The preliminary results are announced for a referendum on the End of Life Choice Act 2019, which legalizes doctor-assisted euthanasia, with voters approving it. Another referendum on the legalization of the sale and use of cannabis was not approved by voters. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News) (RNZ)

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October 2020

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Portal:Current events/October 2020/Sidebar

Audiovisual summaries

Science Summary for events in science in October 2020

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