Portal:Current events/2020 October 18

October 18, 2020 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- October 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - Taliban militants kill at least eight security force members in Sahib District, Kunduz Province. (TOLOnews)
  - A car bombing kills 12 people and injures another 100 in Chaghcharan, Ghor Province, Afghanistan. (TOLOnews)
End SARS
- The Governor of Osun State, Nigeria, Gboyega Oyetola, escapes an assassination attempt. As he addressed a crowd, gunmen, also carrying machetes and throwing rocks, attacked his position. According to authorities, he was unharmed, but some of his bodyguards were injured. (BBC)
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Azerbaijani forces seize the strategic Khodaafarin Bridges and the adjacent Khoda Afarin Dam on the border with Iran. A video showing the Azerbaijani flag over the partially destroyed crossing is circulated on Azeri media. The bridges had been under Armenian control since 1993. (Almasdar News) (RIA)
- Artsakh's Ministry of Defence reports 40 more its troops have been killed in clashes with Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, bringing the total Artsakh Defence Army death toll to 673 since fighting began on September 27. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The Hay Festival announces it will cease hosting festivities in Abu Dhabi unless Emirati minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan resigns. Yesterday he was accused of sexually assaulting a female British curator last February. (BBC)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
- Italy approves a new $4.7 billion stimulus package in its 2021 budget to foster an economic rebound from the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. (TRT World)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Central Vietnam floods
- A landslide caused by heavy rain in central Vietnam hits an army barracks, killing at least 14 soldiers and leaving others missing. (The Independent)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy reports 11,705 new infections in the past 24 hours, the highest number in a single day yet since the outbreak started in February. (The Globe and Mail)
    - Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announces new measures that would give mayors a plan to impose curfews in their cities and towns at 9:00 pm local time. It also announces that it will suspend fairs and other local festivals; restaurants and bars are restricted to table service only after 6:00 pm local time with a maximum of six people, but they can still be closed at midnight. The new restrictions will come into effect at midnight and last until November 13. (Sky News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland
    - Switzerland announces that it will ban gatherings of more than 15 people and issues a nationwide obligation to wear masks in all indoor public places and public transport in order to combat the spread of COVID-19. The new restrictions will take effect tomorrow. (Swiss Info)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
    - Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces an easing of lockdown restrictions across Victoria, particularly Melbourne, after more than 100 days of the city's lockdown, effective at 11:59 pm AEST. According to new rules, five kilometre travel restrictions have been extended to 25 kilometres, with the city's two-hour time limits on gathering and exercising outside scrapped. Further restrictions are to be eased in the city on November 1, allowing retail and hospitality sectors to reopen. (9 News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - New Zealand reports the first community case since September 25. This comes after a man who worked in the Ports of Auckland and Taranaki tested positive for COVID-19. (Newshub)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia surpasses 20,000 COVID-19 cases after a record of 871 new infections was reported in a single day; 702 of them are from Sabah. In addition, a record 701 recoveries were also reported. (The Malaysian Reserve) (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
    - Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat is hospitalized in Hadassah University Hospital in Ein Karem, near Jerusalem, after his condition worsens due to COVID-19. (BBC) He had been tested positive on 9 October.

International relations

Sanctions against Iran
- The United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Iran formally expires. It had been in effect since 2007 and was due to expire under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says, "Today's normalization of Iran's defense cooperation with the world is a win for the cause of multilateralism and peace and security in our region". (Reuters)

Law and crime

Murder of Samuel Paty
- An eleventh person is detained in connection to the murder of history teacher Samuel Paty. (Reuters)
- Pro-free speech protests take place at the Place de la République in Paris following Paty's beheading. (CNN)

Politics and elections

2020 Bolivian general election
- Citizens in Bolivia head to the polls to elect their new president. This is the first time elections are held since the 2019 Bolivian political crisis which saw Evo Morales resigning from power and Jeanine Áñez temporarily taking power. The two main candidates are Luis Arce, representing Morales's party Movement for Socialism, and Carlos Mesa, representing the centrist Revolutionary Left Front. (CGTN)
- An unofficial quick-count released by Unitel Bolivia projects Arce as the clear winner. (Reuters)
2020 Guinean presidential election
- Citizens in Guinea head to the polls as incumbent Alpha Condé seeks another term facing off against the only other candidate, Cellou Dalein Diallo of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea political party. (Al Jazeera)
2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election
- In a surprise upset, nationalist Prime Minister Ersin Tatar narrowly defeats pro-reunification incumbent Mustafa Akıncı in the second round to become President of Northern Cyprus. (DW)
Tens of thousands of people protest in Karachi, Pakistan, as a part of a campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan by opposition parties which accuse him of being installed by the military. (Reuters)