Portal:Current events/2020 November 17

November 17, 2020 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Taliban insurgency
  - November 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    - The Taliban kill at least 12 police officers and injure 10 others in Jurm District, Badakhshan Province. (TOLOnews)
  - Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
    - The Pentagon announces a partial withdrawal of 2,000 more U.S. troops from Afghanistan by mid-January. The withdrawal will reduce the number of U.S. military personnel stationed in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500. (Reuters)
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
- The Grand National Assembly of Turkey approves President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's request to deploy Turkish Army peacekeepers to monitor a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. (France 24)
- Armenia and Azerbaijan exchange the bodies of at least 200 people killed in clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh. The exchange was overseen by Russian peacekeepers, according to the Red Cross. (Al Jazeera)
Tigray conflict
- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vows a "final and crucial" offensive after a three-day deadline to the leaders of the Tigray Region to surrender has expired. Abiy also confirms that airstrikes are being carried out but defines them as "precision-led and surgical", denying claims of civilian casualties. (AP)
Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
- The bodies of 29 people are found in the Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo after they were "executed en masse". The interior ministry of North Kivu province has blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and added that six other civilians were killed in a nearby village on Tuesday. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
  - Japanese economy grew at annualized rate of 21.4% in July-September quarter after two consecutive quarters of contraction due to the pandemic, driven by rise of private spending and exports. (AP)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel engine cars by 2030, as part of a government plan to reach a net zero emissions climate target in the United Kingdom by 2050. The sale of hybrid vehicles will also be banned by 2035. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Idaho
      - Idaho reports 1,781 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single day record. (KIFI-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      - U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa tests positive for COVID-19. (CNN)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico
      - New Mexico reports a record 2,112 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 67,559 cases. (Santa Fe Reporter)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
      - Health Secretary Rachel Levine announces that out-of-state travelers will be required to either quarantine or present a negative COVID-19 test to enter the state. (CBS News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
      - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine orders a night time curfew from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. EST in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. The curfew will begin on November 19 and will last for three weeks. (WDIV-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
      - Wisconsin reports a record 92 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 2,741. In addition, a record 318 hospitalizations are also reported. (WBAY-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Maine
      - Maine reports 246 new cases of COVID-19, a new single-day record. (WGME-TV)
    - Pfizer announces that they have launched a pilot delivery program for their potential vaccine in Rhode Island, Texas, New Mexico, and Tennessee. (The Hill)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
      - British Columbia reports a record 717 new cases and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the provincial death toll to 310 and the total number of cases to 23,661. (CBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
      - First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces that 11 local authorities, including Glasgow, are to be placed into the highest level of restrictions (Level 4) for three weeks beginning at 6:00 p.m. GMT on November 20. The Level 4 status for the 11 areas will remain in effect "for a limited time". (Sky News)
    - The United Kingdom reports 598 new fatalities, the highest single-day total since May. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Cluster 5
      - The Minority government of Denmark, held by Social Democrats, agrees with four left-leaning and center parties to support a law proposal that would allow for the culling of 15 million minks across the country over concerns about a mutated version of the virus that has spread among the animals. The proposed law also bans mink farming until the end of next year. (The Washington Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record 442 new fatalities and 22,055 recoveries over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 33,931 and nationwide recoveries to 1.47 million. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
    - The number of total confirmed cases in Bulgaria surpasses 100,000, as the country sets a new record for daily deaths, with 152 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. (Coronavirus.bg)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - France reported 45,422 new cases in the last 24 hours, surpassing two million total confirmed COVID-19 cases. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy reports 731 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day total since April 3, bringing the nationwide death toll to 46,464. (Corriere della Sera)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain reports 435 new fatalities, the highest daily increase in the second wave of the pandemic, bringing the death toll in the country to 41,688. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces the closure of schools for the remainder of the semester and introduces a nationwide weekend curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. local time. Restrictions for senior citizens over 65 years of age will also be expanded to include people under 20 years of age, allowing them to go outside only from 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.. The new restrictions also order the closure of coffeehouses and cinemas, and for all sports events to be held without fans. (Daily Sabah)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports a record 13,352 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide cumulative total to 788,473 cases. (Arab News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan
    - Jordan reports a record 6,454 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide cumulative total to 155,993 cases. (Roya News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - The government will increase social distancing rules in the Seoul Capital Area to Level 1.5 amidst a surge in COVID-19 cases. The new protocols will be enforced for Seoul and Gyeonggi Province beginning November 19, as well as in Incheon beginning November 23. (Yonhap News Agency)

International relations

Iran–Saudi Arabia relations, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
- The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Adel al-Jubeir says that his country "reserves the right to arm itself with nuclear weapons if Iran cannot be stopped from making one." (Al Jazeera)
Belarus–European Union relations, 2020 Belarusian protests
- Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya calls on European leaders to impose sanctions on supporters of President Alexander Lukashenko after police used tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse protesters. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 United States presidential election
- Presidential transition of Joe Biden
  - President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris attend an unofficial security briefing from a team consisting of former advisers to both the Obama and Trump administrations. The briefing stems from the Trump administration's refusal to cooperate with the Biden-Harris transition team. (The Independent)
- President Donald Trump fires Chris Krebs, the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which oversaw the security of the 2020 election. Deputy Director Matthew Travis, who had expected to become acting director, is forced to resign. Krebs and the CISA have refuted Trump's accusations of voter fraud, calling the election the "most secure in American history". Trump has called Krebs' statements "highly inaccurate". (The Washington Post)

Science and technology

Censorship of Facebook
- The Solomon Islands Cabinet passes a ban on the use of social media platform Facebook in the country, citing public misuse of the platform, and a need for stricter cybercrime legislation and regulation. Communications Minister Peter Shannel Agovaka says the ban does not require parliament's approval, and will be enforced once operators "establish a firewall" to block Facebook. (RNZ)