Portal:Current events/2020 November 21

November 21, 2020 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- November 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - A rocket attack on residential areas in the Afghan capital Kabul kills at least eight people and injures 31 others. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack. (BBC News)
- Afghanistan–United States relations, Afghan peace process
  - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with the Taliban and the Afghanistan government in Doha, Qatar to negotiate a peace deal. (The Columbian)
Tigray conflict
- Federal troops capture the city of Adigrat near the Eritrean border in Ethiopia's Tigray Region. Ethiopian government forces are now within 116 km (72 miles) of the heavily defended Tigrayan capital Mekelle. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) says Adigrat has experienced "heavy bombardment", but does not confirm the loss of the city. (Al Jazeera)
- Ethiopia rejects the African Union's offer to mediate an end to the conflict. (The East African)
- The TPLF report the deaths of nine civilians during the military assault on Adigrat. The Ethiopian government has denied targeting civilians and both the government and military could not be reached for comment. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      - COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts, COVID-19 pandemic in Maine, COVID-19 pandemic in New Hampshire
        Massachusetts announces that they will remove New Hampshire and Maine from their low-risk travel list for contracting COVID-19. Individuals returning to Massachusetts from those states will be required to fill out a travel form, quarantine, or present a negative COVID-19 test. (The Boston Globe)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - California reports 15,442 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began as curfew begins in most counties. (Bloomberg)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      - Michigan surpasses 300,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. (WDIV-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Mississippi
      - Mississippi reports a new daily record of 1,972 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 142,401. (Clarion Ledger)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
      - New Jersey surpasses 300,000 cases after reporting a new daily record of 4,679 cases. (Northjersey.com)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon
      - Oregon reports a record 1,509 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 63,688. (KATU-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      - U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler is expected to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 and receiving an inconclusive result. (The Hill)
    - The United States surpasses 12 million cases of COVID-19, just six days after surpassing 11 million cases. New cases reach record highs in recent days, with more than 200,000 cases being reported. (NBC News) (NPR)
    - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants an emergency use authorization for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' antibody cocktail to treat COVID-19 patients. The cocktail was previously given to President Donald Trump during his hospitalization for COVID-19 last month. (Axios)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick
      - New Brunswick reports 23 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began as Premier Blaine Higgs warns that tighter restrictions will be rolled out if the increase in cases continues. (CBC)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - Ontario reports 1,588 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. (CFTO-DT)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan
      - Saskatchewan reports 439 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. The province now has 6,237 total confirmed cases. (Global News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reports a record 539 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to a statement from the metropolitan government, bringing the cumulative total since the pandemic began to 37,317 cases. (NHK World)
    - Due to rising COVID-19 cases across the country, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announces the suspension of the government-promoted "Go To Travel" campaign in areas with high infection rates. (The Japan Times)
    - Japan reports a record of more than 2,500 new cases, according to official figures released by the government. It is the fourth time that Japan has reported a record number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic. (EFE)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran imposes tougher restrictions in Tehran and other cities as the country battles a third wave of COVID-19. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announces that the government will lift the conditional movement control order (CMCO) in Kedah, Melaka, Terengganu and Johor tomorrow but will place Kelantan under the CMCO until December 6. He also announces that foreign workers in some regions will have to undergo mandatory COVID-19 swab tests. (The Star)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
    - Pakistan reports the highest single-day total for both daily cases and deaths since mid-July, when 2,843 new cases and 47 new deaths are reported in the last 24 hours. This brings the cumulative number of cases to 371,508 and the nationwide death toll to 7,603. (The Nation)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - The number of new confirmed cases in South Korea in the last 24 hours reaches a three-month high of 386. The country now has 30,403 total cases and more than 500 total deaths, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. (Yonhap News Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
    - The Czech Republic surpasses 7,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (Radio Prague International)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record 24,822 new cases and 467 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the number of cases to 2,064,748 and the death toll to 35,778. (The Times of India)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
    - Mourners pay respects to the former head of the Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej in Belgrade following his death due to COVID-19. Many mourners did not wear face masks or practice social distancing, and some kissed the glass shield that was covering the patriarch's body despite warnings from the Serbian government and epidemiologists. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey reports a new record of 5,532 new cases in the last 24 hours, surpassing the previous record set in April. The country now has 440,805 total confirmed cases since the pandemic began as a curfew takes effect. (ABC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
    - Ukraine reports a new single-day record of 14,580 cases, bringing the nationwide total to 612,665 cases. (Kyiv Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
    - Chile surpasses 20,000 total deaths from COVID-19, including suspected and confirmed cases. (El Mostrador)

International relations

COVID-19 pandemic
- Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      - Singapore and Hong Kong postpone their air travel bubble agreement for two weeks amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong, which reported 43 new cases in the past 24 hours. (CNBC)
- 2020 G20 Riyadh summit
  - World leaders at the virtual G20 summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, call for a united response to the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss the global economic crises and climate change. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
  - Russian President Vladimir Putin tells G20 leaders that his country is ready to provide their Sputnik V vaccine to other countries who need it. (Reuters)
Lobsang Sangay, the leader of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration, visits the White House, marking their first meeting in 60 years. (The Hill)

Law and crime

Baabda prison escape
- Sixty-nine inmates escape from a prison in Baabda District, Lebanon. Five of them are killed in a car crash while being pursued by security forces. (U.S. News)

Politics and elections

2020 Georgian parliamentary election
- The second round of parliamentary elections is held in Georgia. After the first round in late October caused controversy, the political opposition called to boycott the run-off votes, leaving the candidates of the ruling Georgian Dream to run uncontested. (MENAFN)
2020 Guatemalan protests
- More than 7,000 people gather in Guatemala City to protest the recent budget bill. The National Congress building is also set on fire. (AP)
2020 United States presidential election
- A federal judge dismisses a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump's re-election campaign to block the certification of Pennsylvania's election results, saying it was "an attempt to violate the Constitution". (The Washington Post)

Science and technology

Copernicus Programme
- SpaceX successfully launches the European Space Agency's satellite altimeter Copernicus Sentinel-6 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The satellite will monitor global sea levels with high accuracy, enhance weather forecasting, and provide detailed information on ocean currents to support ship navigation near coastlines. (NASA.gov)