Portal:Current events/2020 November 23

November 23, 2020 (2020-11-23) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Second Saudi–Yemeni War, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
  • The Iranian-backed Houthis say they attacked a Saudi Aramco oil terminal in Jeddah with a new type of Quds cruise missile. Saudi Arabia does not acknowledge an attack. (AP)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
        • Ohio reports a new single-day record of 11,885 new cases, This number is likely inflated because of two-day backlogged from multiple labs. (The Columbus Dispatch)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
        • Wisconsin reports 3,095 cases, the lowest in the state since October 26. (Green Bay Press-Gazette)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba
        • Manitoba reports a record 540 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total confirmed cases to 13,087 and pushes the five-day positivity rate tests to 14%. (CFRN-DT)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
        • Ontario reports a record 1,589 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of confirmed cases in the province to 105,501. (Global News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Selangor
        • The government will temporarily close 28 Top Glove factories in Klang in stages to enable the Health Ministry to conduct COVID-19 screening and quarantine its workers. It comes as the world's largest surgical glove maker sees spike of infections among workers in the factories. (France 24)
      • The number of new confirmed cases in Malaysia rises by record 1,884 new cases over the past 24 hours, 1,203 are from Selangor due to spike of new infections in workplaces in Klang Valley. The country now has 56,659 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia surpasses 500,000 total confirmed cases of COVID-19. (Bisnis.com)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in England
        • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces in the House of Commons that gyms, bars, and non-essential shops across England will be allowed to reopen when lockdown ends on December 2 and the three-tiered regional measures will return at the same time but tighter rules. (BBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy surpasses 50,000 total COVID-19 deaths. (CBS News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a new single-day record of 25,173 new cases, bringing the nationwide total since the beginning of the pandemic to 2.11 million. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • King Felipe VI self-quarantine for 10 days after coming into close contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19. (Euro weekly News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey reports a record 6,713 new "symptomatic" cases and 153 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 453,535 and death toll to 12,511. (Daily Sabah)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • The land border between New South Wales and Victoria reopens after 137 days of closure. People will now be able to travel between the two states without permits. (ABC Australia)
    • Victoria eases restrictions, allowing larger public and private gatherings, larger capacity quotas for businesses, and relaxing the mask mandate so they will only be required in settings where social distancing is impractical. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton states he is confident there is no community transmission in the state. (ABC Australia)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • AstraZeneca and University of Oxford's vaccine showed 90% efficacy when it was given to 2,741 people as a half-dose followed by a full dose and 62% efficacy when two full doses were given to 8,895 people. That averaged to a 70% efficacy. (CNN)

International relations

• Israel–Saudi Arabia relations
  • Israeli media reports that, on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has secretly flown to Neom in Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz describes the "the leak of the prime minister’s secret flight to Saudi Arabia" as "an irresponsible move". Saudi Arabia denies that such a meeting occurred. The 2002 Saudi Arab Peace Initiative offers to fully normalize relations after the Palestinians achieve statehood. (BBC) (The New York Times)

Law and crime

• Hong Kong national security law
  • Activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam are arrested following pleading guilty to charges of inciting and organizing protests in 2019. Wong, who faces three years in prison, said he "was not surprised", and Chow also faces charges under the new security law. (CNN)
• Corruption in France
  • The trial of former President Nicolas Sarkozy is suspended two hours after it started. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Belarusian protests
  • Belarus pensioners gather in Minsk to call for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko. (The Telegraph)

Sports

• FIFA bans the president of the Confederation of African Football Ahmad Ahmad from all football-related activity for five years, following an investigation into financial misconduct. He is also fined $220,000. Ahmad has declined to comment on the ban. (Al Jazeera)

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November 2020

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