Portal:Current events/2020 October 22

October 22, 2020 (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)
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)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - 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)
  - 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 pm and 6:00 am local time, affecting almost 46 million people in these areas. (BBC)
    - 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 am and 5:00 am 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 pm 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 yet 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 Prayuth Chan-ocha lifts the "severe" state of emergency that was imposed in Bangkok to crack down on the protesters. (CNN)
French police launch an 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 epithets at the victims. The attack came as tensions mount over the murder of Samuel Paty. (Al Jazeera) (Euro Weekly News) (National Turk)
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

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)
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)