Portal:Current events/2020 November 29

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • November 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • A car bombing at an Afghan Public Protection Force compound in Ghazni Province kills at least 30 Afghan National Army personnel and injures 24 others. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid does not confirm or deny responsibility for the attack. (Reuters)
    • At least three civilians are killed and 23 others wounded in a suicide bombing in Zabul targeting the head of Zabul’s provincial council, who is among the wounded. (TOLO News)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Koshebe massacre
    • The death toll from the massacre yesterday in Jere, Borno State, Nigeria, rises to 110, as more people are found dead and injured victims die of their wounds. It is the deadliest terrorist attack against civilians in Nigeria this year. (The Guardian)
• Tigray conflict
  • The Tigray People's Liberation Front says it has shot down an Ethiopian Air Force warplane and captured its pilot who "was on a mission to bomb", and also claims that its forces have retaken the town of Axum from federal troops. (TRT World)
  • Ethiopian state TV reports that mass graves containing 70 bodies have been discovered in the city of Humera in the Tigray Region. (National Post)

Arts and culture

• The United States Bureau of Land Management reports the Utah monolith has been removed by an "unknown party". (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

• The Lewotolo volcano erupts near Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, forcing more than 2,700 residents to evacuate. (AP)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
        • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
          • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that public elementary schools will resume in-person classes tomorrow and will require students to have testing consent forms in order to return. Additionally, District 75 schools that cater to students with disabilities will reopen on December 10. (ABC News)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in California
        • The number of patients that hospitalized for COVID-19 in California reaches a record high of 7,415. (Los Angeles Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The Canadian federal government extends international travel restrictions for most travellers who are not Canadian citizens, permanent residents or people entering from the United States for "essential" reasons until January 21, 2021. (CBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
      • The number of new confirmed cases in Hong Kong reaches a nearly four-month high of 115 cases. The city now has 6,239 total confirmed cases since the pandemic began. (CNA)
      • In response to the highest level of new infections since August, the government announces that all kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools will suspend in-person classes from December 2 until after the Christmas holidays. (South China Morning Post) (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon
      • Acting Health Minister Hamad Hassan announces that the country will gradually ease restrictions beginning tomorrow in a bid to relieve its struggling economy during Christmas and New Year festivities. Restaurants will reopen at 50% capacity and the curfew will be moved from 5:00 p.m. local time to 11:00 p.m. local time. (Arab News)
      • Lebanon surpasses 1,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (The Daily Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports a record 6,267 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 534,266. Central Java reports the most cases of any province with 2,036 new cases. (detikNews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • South Korea decides to implement more stringent measures in the Seoul Capital Area for one week and also raise social distancing rules outside the Seoul Capital Area to Level 1.5 for two weeks beginning December 1. In the Seoul Capital Area, health authorities announce that saunas and steam-bath rooms in bathhouses will be closed for one week. The government will also ban New Year's Eve parties organized by hotels and other accommodation facilities. (Yonhap News Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
      • Health Minister Jan Blatný announces that the country will move from level 4 to level 3 of the pandemic alert system, allowing restaurants and non-essential shops to reopen beginning Thursday, but with social distancing limits for customers. The night-time curfew will also be lifted and limited sports activities can resume. (Expats.cz)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
      • Hungary reports a record 156 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 4,672. The country also reports a record 6,819 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 211,527. (Hungary Today)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey reports a record 185 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 13,558. Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries surpasses 400,000. (Daily Sabah)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccine
      • The government signs a deal with Moderna to secure an additional two million doses of its vaccine candidate, bringing the total to seven million doses for the country. (The Daily Telegraph)
• Avian influenza
  • 2020 H5N8 outbreak
    • The British government confirms that a case of the highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza has been found at a turkey farm in North Yorkshire, England. All 10,500 birds at the farm will be culled in order to limit the spread of the disease, according to Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• COVID-19 pandemic in France, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
  • The Council of State orders the government to review a law limiting the number of people in churches during religious services to 30, saying that the measure was not proportionate to infection risks. (France 24)
• Argentine prosecutors announce that the home and offices of Diego Maradona's doctor have been raided as part of an investigation following his death. (The New York Times) (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Brazilian municipal elections
  • Voters go to the polls in municipal elections that are held in Brazilian cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, and São Paulo. (Al Jazeera) (San Francisco Chronicle)