Portal:Current events/2020 October 8

October 8, 2020 (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)