Portal:Current events/2020 October 29

October 29, 2020 (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)