Portal:Current events/2020 November 1

November 1, 2020 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- November 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - Three policemen are killed and two others are injured after a bomb on a motorbike explodes near a police checkpoint in Herat, Herat Province. (TOLOnews)
  - At least four people are killed and another eight injured after a mortar shell hit the governor of Kunduz's compound, as soldiers were playing volleyball. (TOLOnews)
Thirty-two civilians are killed during an attack by an armed group against the Amhara ethnic group in Welega Province, Ethiopia. It is suspected that at least twenty other people have been killed in the attack. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

The city of Geneva, Switzerland, sets its minimum wage to CHF23 (US$25) per hour per the results of a September referendum, becoming the highest in the world. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Aegean Sea earthquake
- Forty-five more people are found dead under debris in İzmir after an earthquake struck Greece and Turkey two days ago, bringing the death toll to 85. More than 1,000 people are injured. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 434 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 35,298, a day after announcing stringent new restrictions including the closure of schools, universities and mosques in most of the country. (Middle East Monitor)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Israel begins testing its vaccine on humans. In the first trial, 80 volunteers will take part, and will be expanded to 960 people in December. If the two trials are successful, the third stage of the trial will occur with 30,000 volunteers in April or May. If these stages are successful, the vaccine could be ready for the general public by the end of summer 2021. (The Times of Israel)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 972 new recoveries in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide total of recoveries to 22,220. (Malay Mail)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea announces that from November 7, it will expand its mandatory mask policy to department stores, theme parks, spas, wedding halls and other places as part of new social distancing rules aimed at preparing for a prolonged outbreak. It also introduces a new five-tiered social distancing system, which replaces a three-level system that was designed to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic. (Yonhap News Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - Prime Minister Jean Castex announces in a televised interview on TF1 that the government would introduce a ban on the sale of all 'non-essential' items in supermarkets from November 3 as part of a lockdown measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports 18,665 new infections in the last 24 hours, a single day record, taking the nationwide total to 1,636,781. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
    - Starting tomorrow, Geneva will impose a partial lockdown until November 29, after it reported more than 1,000 new cases in the past several days. According to new rules, restaurants, bars, and non-essential shops will be closed at 7:00 p.m. local time. In addition, cinemas, museums, concert halls, gyms, swimming pools and ice rinks will also be closed. However, schools will remain open. (Swiss Info)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Australia records no new cases of COVID-19 for the first time since June 9, according to Health Minister Greg Hunt. (BBC News)

International relations

France–Turkey relations
- Amid deteriorating relations between the two countries, French President Emmanuel Macron accuses Turkey of adopting a "bellicose stance towards its NATO allies", and that it was essential that the "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan respects France, respects the European Union, respects its values, does not tell lies and does not utter insults". He also says Turkey's military intervention in Syria was "a surprise and aggression for NATO allies", and that Turkey has "not respected" an arms embargo on Libya. (The Guardian)
Foreign relations of the Cook Islands
- The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, calls the threat of five nations (Palau, Nauru, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia) withdrawing from the Pacific Islands Forum in case their nominee is not elected as Secretary-General as "premature" and "extreme". (RNZ)

Law and crime

Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers Eddie Chu, Raymond Chan Chi-chuen, Wu Chi-wai, Andrew Wan, Helena Wong, Fernando Cheung and Kwok Wing-kin are arrested for "scuffles with pro-Beijing legislators" last May. (BBC News)
The main defendant in the trial of the mass shooting in January 2015 at the Charlie Hebdo headquarters tests positive for COVID-19. The other defendants will be tested, prompting the judge to suspend court for several days. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2020 Algerian constitutional referendum
- Citizens of Algeria head to the polls to decide over a proposed amendmend of the country's constitution. The proposal is supported by president Abdelmadjid Tebboune and the military as a reaction to widespread protests which resulted in the resignation of long-term president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. (DW)
2020 Moldovan presidential election
- Moldovans head to the polls to elect their President. Incumbent Igor Dodon seeks a second term against main opposition candidate and former Prime Minister Maia Sandu, who wants closer ties with the European Union. (Reuters)
2020 Georgian parliamentary election
- Preliminary results see Georgia's ruling party Georgian Dream winning the country's latest parliamentary election. The announcement sparks protests throughout the country. (Al Jazeera)
Kashmir conflict
- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announces that Gilgit-Baltistan has been granted "provisional provincial status" to mark the territory's independence day. (Hindustan Times) (Gulf News)