Portal:Current events/2020 November 5

November 5, 2020 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
- 2020 bombardment of Stepanakert
  - Azerbaijani forces shell the Artsakh capital of Stepanakert and several other cities, including Shusha and Martuni, using heavy artillery. A journalist in the capital told Reuters, "The air raid siren hasn't stopped all day". Reporters Without Borders calls on the United Nations and Azerbaijan to allow the evacuation of civilians, including 80 local and foreign journalists. (Reuters)
- Lachin offensive
  - The strategic Lachin corridor is closed by Armenian forces as Azerbaijani troops advance within a few kilometres south of Shusha. (RFERL)
Tigray military intervention
- The Ethiopian National Defense Force declares it is "at war" with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the northern Tigray Region. TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael says fighting with federal troops is taking place in western Tigray. (The Guardian)
- Tigray officials say Ethiopian Air Force fighter jets have bombed areas near the regional capital Mekele. (AP)
2019 Bolivian political crisis
- Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) spokesperson Sebastian Michel announces that Bolivia's President-elect Luis Arce was attacked with dynamite while he was in a meeting at the party's headquarters in La Paz. No injuries were reported. (TeleSUR)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
- Indonesia falls into a recession for the first time since the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis after its economy contracts 3.49% in the third quarter. (The Jakarta Post)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Atlantic hurricane season
- The death toll from former Hurricane Eta rises to 18 as dozens of people are assumed buried in their homes in San Cristóbal Verapaz, Guatemala. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in England, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
      - England enters a four-week lockdown, with all non-essential shops, pubs, restaurants, hospitality venues, places of worship, and leisure facilities closing until at least December 2. All indoor cross-household mixing is banned, and people can only meet one person from another household outside. Unlike the first lockdown, schools and universities will remain open. (ITV)
    - Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab self-isolates for two weeks under government and NHS rules after recently being in "close contact" with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. (Sky News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - France registers a record 58,046 new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 1.6 million. (French Minister of Health)
    - Paris bans delivery and takeaway services for prepared food and alcohol between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time starting tomorrow in an attempt to stem the worsening spread of COVID-19. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
    - Prime Minister Stefan Löfven self-isolates after a person close to him came into contact with another individual who tested positive for COVID-19. (SVT Nyheter)
    - Sweden reports 4,034 new infections, a single-day record for the pandemic. Meanwhile, the death toll surpasses 6,000. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Danish authorities impose a lockdown that orders bars, restaurants, public transport, and public indoor sports closed between tomorrow and December 3 in seven North Jutland municipalities, to potentially help prevent a coronavirus mutation in minks from spreading to humans. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announces a three-week nationwide lockdown starting November 7 in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19. All retail stores will close, and travel between regions will be banned, while authorities will reintroduce a system obliging citizens to send text messages to a government number to leave home to work, shop, visit a doctor, or exercise. Secondary schools will close and introduce distance learning while kindergartens and primary schools will stay open. (Ekathimerini)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy registers a record 34,505 new cases over the past 24 hours, pushing the cumulative case total to 824,879. In addition, the country reports 445 deaths, the highest number in a single day since May 2 and pushing the death toll to 40,192, becoming the sixth country to register more than 40,000 deaths. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Norway
    - Prime Minister Erna Solberg announces new restrictions limiting the number of guests to visit a household to five, ordering bars to close at midnight as of November 7, and ordering people to avoid unnecessary travel. In addition, a new rule is introduced that visitors must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test if they want to visit the country. (Aften Posten)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
    - Poland reports a record 27,143 new infections and 367 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total since the pandemic began to 466,679 cases and 6,842 deaths, respectively. (Sanok Naszemiasto)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announces an extension of the remote learning period for secondary school students in grades 6–11 until November 22, as the city's COVID-19 situation worsens. (Gulf Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain reports 368 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day number since late April, as many parts of the country report a record number of deaths, exceeding levels reported in the first wave of the pandemic. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
    - President Alexander Lukashenko bans Belarusian citizens from returning from abroad, with the exception of those in Russia, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - China temporarily bans travellers arriving from many countries including Belgium, France, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom due to concerns over the growing spread of COVID-19 in those countries. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
    - Prime Minister Hun Sen and four Cabinet ministers quarantine after they met with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who tested positive for COVID-19. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut
    - Connecticut issues a statewide public health advisory due to the rise of COVID-19 cases, urging residents to limit non-essential trips outside the home between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. EST with the exception of those who are essential workers who must leave their home to work and anyone who has to leave their house on an emergency basis for medical care, medical supplies, food or groceries. (WVIT-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
    - Michigan reports 5,710 new cases of COVID-19, a new single-day record. (WDIV-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
    - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy says that the state is preparing to announce new steps to combat the spread of COVID-19. (Politico)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama
    - Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announces that the statewide mask mandate and safer-at-home order will be extended to December 11. (Montgomery Advertiser)
  - The United States reports 121,054 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day, a new record. (CNN)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
  - Colombia's House of Representatives abruptly ends its session and asks lawmakers to quarantine after a member tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)

International relations

The United Nations General Assembly approves a resolution sponsored by Cuba, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Qatar, and Palestine condemning Israeli forces' use of violence against Palestinians. 139 nations voted in favor of the resolution and nine voted against: Australia, Canada, Guatemala, Hungary, Israel, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, and the United States. (The Jerusalem Post)

Law and crime

2020 United States presidential election, 2020 United States election protests
- Protests continue in several U.S. cities, including New York City, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis. Several clashes with police result in arrests. (NPR)
- Facebook bans a large group called "Stop the Steal", which was used by supporters of President Donald Trump to organize protests against the election results. (AP)
- Police, acting on a tip, investigate an alleged plot by a group to attack the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, where votes are being counted in the city. Two men have been taken into custody, and a weapon has been recovered. (The Hill) (WPVI-TV)
War crimes in the Kosovo War
- The President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi resigns to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. Thaçi says he is resigning to "protect the integrity of the presidency of Kosovo". Speaker of the Assembly Vjosa Osmani assumes the office as Acting Kosovar President. (AP)
U.S. Attorney David Anderson confirms that United States seized US$1 billion worth of bitcoin from an account tied to the former darknet market Silk Road earlier this week. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2020 Vincentian general election
- Voters in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines head out to elect the members of their House of Assembly. Incumbent prime minister Ralph Gonsalves of the Unity Labour Party is seeking a fifth consecutive term while his main opponent Godwin Friday of the New Democratic Party aims at a change of government. (NationNews Barbados)
Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in the United Kingdom
- Police have arrested at least 104 protesters during "Million Mask March" in central London. A large police presence remains in place near Trafalgar Square where the protest was dispersed shortly after 07:00 p.m. GMT. (BBC News)