Portal:Current events/2020 September 10

September 10, 2020 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kivu conflict
- 2020 Democratic Republic of the Congo massacres
  - Allied Democratic Forces militants attack a village in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 35 people. It is the second attack in the town in two days. The terrorists assaulted civilians with knives and firearms and destroyed the village. (France24)
Somali Civil War
- Three people are killed and seven others injured after an al-Shabaab suicide bomber blew himself up at a restaurant in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Al Jazeera)
Mali War
- Four Malian soldiers are killed in an attack in Alatona, by suspected Islamist militants. (Manila Times)
Second Saudi–Yemeni War
- The Houthis say that they attacked an "important target" in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, using a ballistic missile and drones. A spokesman for the movement confirmed the attack without explaining, while there was no comment from the Saudi side. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- A $300 billion stimulus bill proposed by the Republican Party is blocked in a 52–47 vote in the U.S. Senate. (ABC News)
The pound sterling weakens after the European Union says the ongoing trade negotiation between the UK and the EU would be "put at risk" if the United Kingdom failed to "withdraw or amend" its Internal Market Bill before the end of this month. The UK replies that it has "the right to overrule parts" of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. (Yahoo!)
Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques and two other senior executives resign amid an enquiry into the destruction of the 46,000 year old Juukan Gorge caves in Western Australia, which is considered an Aboriginal sacred site. Rio Tinto destroyed the ancient rock shelters while expanding the Brockman 4 mine. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

2020 California wildfires
- The death toll in the North Complex Fire in Northern California rises to ten, while 16 people are missing, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Department. (Reno Gazette Journal)
- The town of Berry Creek in Butte County is reported as being "mostly destroyed". (CBS News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - India reports its single largest increase in a day, recording 95,735 new infections. The Health Ministry also reported 1,172 deaths in the past 24 hours. The ministry says the increase is due to a surge in testing as experts warn that the virus is spreading to towns and villages. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports 3,861 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide total to 207,203. This is a single-day record high since the pandemic began in the country. (detikNews)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - French health authorities report 9,843 new cases in France over the past 24 hours, setting a new record high for the country since the beginning of the pandemic. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Greece reports 372 new cases in the last 24 hours, its highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic in the country. From those new cases, 114 were due to an outbreak at a food processing plant in northern Greece, with 133 recorded in the greater Athens area. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Guatemala
  - Guatemala is expected to reopen their borders after closing them for six months in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kiribati
  - Kiribati announces it will keep its borders closed until the end of the year to keep the country free of COVID-19. The presidential office announces some exceptions, including repatriation flights, with 20 I-Kiribati arriving soon from the Marshall Islands. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot says that the vaccine results could be ready by the end of the year if trials resume. Clinical trials were temporarily suspended after a participant in the trials began to develop symptoms associated with transverse myelitis. (Reuters)
  - Sinopharm began Phase III trials in Peru starting with two dozen people, with the goal to vaccinate 6,000 people between the ages of 18 and 75. So far, Sinopharm has given 30,000 doses to volunteers and another 10,000 participants have received double doses in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, with additional trials planned for Morocco and Argentina. (VOA)

International relations

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agree to accept into their respective borders around 400 unaccompanied minors from the Mória Reception & Identification Centre on the Greek island of Lesbos. It was Europe's largest refugee camp, destroyed by fire the previous day. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

Dominican Republic tar scandal
- The Dominican Republic Attorney General receives the first case on the former Minister of Public Works and presidential candidate of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Gonzalo Castillo, in the purchase of hot tar for RD$11.5 billion (US$194.9 million). (Dominican Today)
2019–2020 Colombian protests
- Seven people are killed and 248 others injured during protests against police brutality in Colombia, which are sparked after the death of a man who was pinned to the ground and repeatedly tasered by police in Bogotá. (BBC News)
Former Prime Minister of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai is set to stand trial from November 23, charged with ten counts of bribery and corruption. (RNZ)