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COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; By location; Impact; Vaccines; Portal

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (pictured) dies at the age of 94.
In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Yomiuri Giants to win their fourth-straight Japan Series.
Ingrida Šimonytė takes office as Prime Minister of Lithuania.
Argentine footballer Diego Maradona dies at the age of 60.

December 6, 2020 (Sunday)

edithistorywatch

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
  - Russia reports a new single-day record of 29,039 new cases, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.46 million. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
  - The number of new confirmed cases in South Korea reaches a nine-month high of 631 cases in the last 24 hours, the majority being from the Seoul Capital Area. The country now has 37,546 total confirmed cases, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. (Yonhap News Agency)

Law and crime

Corruption in Indonesia, Corruption Eradication Commission
- Indonesia's social affairs minister Juliari Batubara turns himself in to the national anti-corruption agency for COVID-19 pandemic aid graft. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

2020 Romanian legislative election
- Voters in Romania head out to elect the members of their country's Chamber of Deputies and Senate. Widespread disenchantment with politics and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic raise fears of a low voter turnout. (France 24)
2020 Venezuelan parliamentary election
- Parliamentary elections are underway in Venezuela amidst multiple ongoing crises. The election is boycotted by the political opposition to president Nicolás Maduro and has been called unfair by international observers. (DW)

Anglophone Crisis
- Cameroon holds its first regional elections amidst criticism to the power held by President Paul Biya and a growing separatist insurgency in the English-speaking areas of the country. The election will elect representatives to local councils and is supported by the government whereas separatists have vowed to disrupt the election, arresting anyone participating. Gunfire is also heard in some areas. (Reuters)

December 5, 2020 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan, Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom
- Belgium announces that all troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2021, bringing an end to Belgian involvement in the war. Belgium currently has around 70 military personnel deployed in Afghanistan, as part of a train, advise and assist role for pro-government forces. (The Brussels Times)

Disasters and accidents

A carbon monoxide leak kills at least 18 miners at a coal mine in Yongchuan District, Chongqing, China. A search and rescue effort is underway to find six other missing miners. (The Guardian)
A fire partially destroys the Middle Collegiate Church in New York City. (ABC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
      - Alberta reports 1,879 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. (Edmonton Journal)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - Ontario reports a new single-day record of 1,859 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 125,385. (CBC)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
      - Quebec reports a new single-day record of 2,031 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 149,908. It is also the first time that a Canadian province has reported more than 2,000 cases in a single day. (CFCF-DT)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - The California Department of Public Health issues a stay-at-home order for the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California as part of an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The order will take effect tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. (The Washington Post) (ABC News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Iowa
      - Iowa reports 960 hospitalized cases, making it the first time the state reported less than 1,000 hospitalized cases since November 18. (The Gazette)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
      - Pennsylvania reports 12,884 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. (WPVI-TV)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - The number of new confirmed cases in Russia increases by a record 28,782 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,431,731. (France 24)
    - Moscow begins to vaccinate high-risk workers with the Sputnik V vaccine at 70 newly opened clinics across the city, marking Russia’s first mass COVID-19 vaccination. (Al Jazeera)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - Hungary reports a record 193 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 5,706. (Hungary Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey reports a record 196 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 14,705 as a weekend lockdown takes effect. (Arab News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer self-isolates after one of his staff members tested positive for COVID-19. (BBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran surpasses 50,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reports a new single-day record of 584 cases, according to data from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 43,377. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia
    - Saudi Arabia reports less than 200 new cases for the first time since April 4. (Arab News)

Politics and elections

2020 Kuwaiti general election
- Kuwaitis turn out to vote for the 50 electable National Assembly members in the general election. (Kuwait Times)
Stonehenge closes to the public after protesters gathered at the site to protest the British government's plan to build a road tunnel near the monument. (AP)

Science and technology

JAXA space probe Hayabusa2 delivers the first ever subsurface asteroid samples to Earth. The capsule, containing a small amount of material from Apollo asteroid 162173 Ryugu, landed in the Australian outback. (CBS News)

December 4, 2020 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Somali Civil War
- American military intervention in Somalia
  - U.S. President Donald Trump orders the withdrawal of almost all U.S. troops and assets from Somalia by January 15, according to the Department of Defense. (BBC)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- A 13-year-old Palestinian teen is killed by Israeli troops during clashes in the West Bank. (The Washington Post)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - The number of new confirmed cases in South Korea reaches a nine-month high of 629 cases in the last 24 hours, the majority being from the Seoul Capital Area. The country now has 36,332 total confirmed cases, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. (Yonhap News Agency)
    - Acting Seoul Mayor Seo Jung-hyup announces that stores, theatres and other facilities must close at 9:00 p.m. local time for two weeks beginning tomorrow. This announcement comes after the city reported a record 295 new cases. (The Korea Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bahrain
    - Bahrain grants emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech, becoming the second country after the United Kingdom to approve the vaccine. (Arab News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record 45 new deaths in the past 24 hours as the number of severe cases also hitting a record 505 patients. (Nippon.com)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
    - Vienna, Tyrol and Vorarlberg begin a nationwide mass testing of their populations in an effort to limit infections when families meet during Christmas. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - Hungary reports a record 189 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 5,513. (Hungary Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia
    - Health Minister Tomaž Gantar announces that Slovenia plans to launch mass COVID-19 testing before the end of the year as current restrictions have failed to reduce the infection rate. Testing should start after December 11 or 12, when the first 100,000 test kits are expected to be delivered to the country. (The Slovenia Times) (Barrons)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - The United States records 227,885 new cases of COVID-19, breaking a record set the previous day. (The Associated Press via WEYI-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - Canada exceeds 400,000 cases of COVID-19. (Global News)

International relations

Federated States of Micronesia–United States relations
- The Federated States of Micronesia declines to host the annual Operation Christmas Drop with the U.S. Air Force. The annual operation, which delivers food and other humanitarian aid to Pacific islanders, has been cancelled by Micronesian President David W. Panuelo, who cited the threat of COVID-19. (RNZ)
Rohingya refugee crisis, Ashrayan Project
- Despite international pressure to back down, Bangladesh begins transferring thousands of Rohingya refugees to the remote island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh says all the refugees being moved have given consent and that the relocation was voluntary. (BBC)

Law and crime

Decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States
- The House of Representatives votes 228–164 to pass a bill, known as the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, that would decriminalize recreational cannabis at a federal level. (BBC)
2020 Nova Scotia attacks
- Three people have been arrested for illegally providing ammunition to the gunman who killed 22 people across Nova Scotia, Canada in April. One of the three arrested is the gunman's common-law spouse. (CBC News)
The Mayor of Liverpool, England, Joe Anderson is arrested along with four others for conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. He is subsequently suspended from the Labour Party. (BBC)

Politics and elections

2020 Montenegrin parliamentary election
- The parliament of Montenegro approves a new coalition government of centre-right, pro-Serb minority and green parties, formally ending three decades of Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) rule in the country. New Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić vows to dismantle a state apparatus built by the DPS, and root-out corruption and organised crime. (Reuters)

Science and technology

The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search completes testing of all Mersenne numbers with exponents less than 100,000,000. Following the milestone, the server experienced an increase in traffic, prompting maintenance and the temporary removal of the top section of the "Milestones" page which normally shows the live real time progress report toward upcoming milestones. (Mersenne Forum) (YCombinator)

Sports

The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, a law that criminalizes international doping schemes, is signed into law in the United States. (AP)

December 3, 2020 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Azerbaijan says that 2,783 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. (Al Jazeera)
Mali Civil War
- The United Kingdom announces that 300 troops will be deployed to Mali as part of the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

2020 California wildfires
- A wildfire breaks out in Orange County, California, U.S., and spreads to over 2,000 acres, prompting evacuations. (Los Angeles Times)
Avonmouth explosion
- Four people are killed and another injured by an explosion at a wastewater treatment works in Avonmouth, Bristol, England, United Kingdom. (BBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - California Governor Gavin Newsom introduces a regional stay-at-home order that requires the closure of bars, wineries, hair salons, and barbershops for three weeks in regions where ICU capacity falls below 15% and also restricts non-essential travel in those regions. The order divides the state into five regions. (CBS News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in North Dakota
      - North Dakota lawmakers issue a mask mandate for their upcoming legislative season at the state capitol. The measure will take effect on January 5. (Grand Forks Herald) (U.S. News & World Report)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Iowa
      - Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says that the state is expected to receive up to 172,000 vaccine doses this month. (Des Moines Register)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Vermont
      - The number of new confirmed cases in Vermont increases by a record 178 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 4,642. (Vermont Public Radio)
    - President-elect Joe Biden announces that Dr. Vivek Murthy and Jeffrey Zients will lead his administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also asked Dr. Anthony Fauci to remain in the White House Coronavirus Task Force and become its chief medical advisor. (Politico)
    - The United States surpasses 14 million total cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
      - Alberta reports 1,854 new cases, a single-day record. (CBC)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
      - Quebec Premier François Legault cancels a plan to allow Christmas gatherings of up to 10 people in the province amid an increase of cases. (The Globe and Mail)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - The government extends the nationwide lockdown by one week until December 14 to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Ekathimerini)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy reports a record 993 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 58,038 and surpassing the previous record of 919 new deaths recorded on March 27. (Corriere della Sera)
    - Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signs a decree that bans inter-regional travel between December 21 and January 6 except for work, health, or emergency reasons. In addition, people will not be allowed to leave their towns on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day. (The Guardian) (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - Hungary reports a record 182 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 5,324. (Hungary Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - The number of new confirmed cases in Russia increases by a record 28,145 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,375,546. (The Moscow Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom surpasses 60,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (BBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - The number of new confirmed cases in Indonesia increases by a record 8,369 new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 557,877. Papua reports the most cases of any province with 1,755 new cases. (Okezone)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran surpasses one million total cases of COVID-19. (Bloomberg)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
  - President Sebastián Piñera extends the state of catastrophe for an another three months until March 13, 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. (UrduPoint)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Moderna says that they are expected to have 100–125 million doses of their vaccine shipped globally during the first quarter of 2021. (Reuters)
  - Sinovac delivers one million doses of CoronaVac to Butantan Institute in São Paulo. (Reuters)
2020 H5N8 outbreak
- South Korea reports a new case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 in wild birds in Buan, North Jeolla Province according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. (Yonhap News Agency)

International relations

North Macedonia–United Kingdom relations
- North Macedonia and the United Kingdom sign a Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement to continue preferential trade terms after the end of the UK's Brexit transition period on December 31. The agreement also strengthens political, economic, security, and cultural ties between both nations. (Gov.uk)
Nauru–United States relations
- The United States and Nauru sign a trade deal which is expected to provide access to the full range of investment support offered by the United States to the Pacific Island nation. Nauru High Commissioner Michael Aroi thanked Joseph Cella, the U.S. Ambassador to several Pacific Island nations, for continuing American support to boost relations between both countries. (RNZ)

Law and crime

2020 United States racial unrest
- Kenosha unrest
  - The Kenosha County Circuit Court orders Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old teen accused of shooting three people, two fatally, during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to stand trial for first degree homicide and reckless endangerment. His lawyers are claiming he did so in self defense. (ABC News)
Hong Kong national security law, Pro-democracy camp (Hong Kong)
- Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai is denied bail and remains in custody over alleged fraud related to the lease of a building that houses his Apple Daily, an anti-government newspaper. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Facebook announces that it will remove misinformation related to COVID-19 vaccines as countries prepare to distribute them. (CNBC)
Chinese space program
- The China National Space Administration probe Chang'e 5 lifts off from the surface of the moon as it begins a journey back to Earth after collecting samples of lunar soil. The ascender will rendezvous with the orbiter, transferring over the samples, and the orbiter will then land at a location in Inner Mongolia, China. (BBC)

December 2, 2020 (Wednesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
  - Armenia announces that it will drop some martial law restrictions imposed during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azeri forces. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Unusually high rain fall causes flooding and landslides in Haines, Alaska, United States. Numerous homes are destroyed, and six people are missing. (KTOO-TV) (CNN)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - Los Angeles issues a safer-at-home order as an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. (Los Angeles Times)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
      - Illinois reports a record 238 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 12,639. (WLS-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts
      - Massachusetts reports a record 4,613 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 234,232. (Boston Herald)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico
      - New Mexico surpasses 100,000 total confirmed cases of COVID-19. In addition, a record 40 new deaths are reported, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,629. (New Mexico Political Report)
    - The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in one day in the United States surpasses 100,000, according to the COVID Tracking Project. (NBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
      - Quebec Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault announces that the province will tighten their capacity restrictions in shopping malls and stores to stop the spread of COVID-19. (Global News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
      - Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announces a COVID-19 vaccine task force to distribute vaccines that are expected to be received by early January. (The Sudbury Star)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Germany reports a record 487 new deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute, bringing the nationwide death toll to 17,123. (Taggeschau)
    - Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of 16 states agree to extend the partial lockdown until January 10. (DW)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record 589 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 41,053. (Yahoo! News)
    - President Vladimir Putin orders the country to start a large-scale vaccination by late next week. Teachers and doctors are expected to be the first to receive the Sputnik V vaccine. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - Former President and Co-Prince of Andorra Valéry Giscard d'Estaing dies from complications of COVID-19. (The New York Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - Hungary reports a record 165 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 5,142. (Hungary Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
    - Poland surpasses one million cases of COVID-19, and the death toll reaches 18,208. (Poland In)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey reports a record 193 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 14,129. In addition, a record 31,923 new cases, including both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, are also reported. (Daily Sabah)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccine
    - The United Kingdom approves the BNT162b2 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech for widespread use, becoming the first country in the world to approve the vaccine. The government states that the vaccine will be rolled out early next week. (ABC Australia) (CBS News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - The House of Councillors passes a law that will give free COVID-19 vaccines to all residents. The new law also says that the government will cover all vaccine costs. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan
    - The number of cases in Kyrgyzstan exceeds 73,000. (Xinhua News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - President Rodrigo Duterte issues an executive order granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) an emergency use authorization for COVID-19 drugs and vaccines. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu
  - Prime Minister Bob Loughman declares Vanuatu free of COVID-19 again after the first case recovered. Loughman stressed that the virus-free status is not important but that the capacity to contain a positive case was what actually mattered. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Moderna says that it will test their potential vaccine on children ages 12 to 17. (New York Times)
Climate change in New Zealand
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces that the country has declared a climate change emergency and promises that it will become carbon neutral by 2025. (U.S. News & World Report) (TVNZ)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in Hungary
- Hungarian MEP, EPP Chief Whip and Vice-President, and one of the founders of the anti-LGBT Fidesz party, József Szájer, resigns after being detained by police at a homosexual orgy in Brussels alongside several other diplomats. He stands accused by Belgian authorities of being in possession of illegal drugs and violating COVID-19 restrictions. (BBC)
Capital punishment in Egypt
- Amnesty International condemns a sharp rise in the use of the death penalty in Egypt, accusing authorities of executing 57 people in October and November alone, nearly double the number recorded in the whole of 2019. (BBC)
2019–20 Hong Kong protests, Hong Kong national security law
- Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong is sentenced to 13 and a half months in prison for inciting an "illegal assembly" while two other activists, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, receive 10 months and 7 months in prison, respectively, for similar charges. (DW)
2020 Thai protests
- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is acquitted of breaching ethics clauses in the Constitution, allowing him to remain in power. (The Diplomat)
Legality of cannabis, Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
- The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) votes to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug after removing it from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, where it was listed alongside opioids such as heroin. This change is expected to bolster medical research and legalization efforts around the world. (The New York Times)

December 1, 2020 (Tuesday)

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Disasters and accidents

2020–21 Australian bushfire season
- A bushfire on Fraser Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site off the coast of Queensland, has burned across half the island and may irreversibly damage its unique ecosystem. Extinguishment has been ruled unlikely. (The Guardian)
Arecibo Observatory
- The Arecibo Observatory's telescope receiver collapses into the reflector dish, according to the National Science Foundation. The radio telescope was due to be decommissioned and dismantled after support cables broke on August 10, 2020. (The Guardian)
Semeru, the highest mountain on the Indonesian island of Java, erupts. (detikNews)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      - Florida surpasses one million cases, becoming the third state to do so after California and Texas. (Newsweek)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Mississippi
      - Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issues a mask mandate for 13 additional counties in the state in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (AP)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon
      - Oregon reports 24 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. (KEZI-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
      - Texas reports 15,182 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. (The Dallas Morning News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - Toronto reports 761 cases, a new single-day record in the city. (Toronto Star)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Yukon
      - Yukon officials announce a mask mandate and urge people to stay at home amid an increase in cases. (CBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan tests positive for COVID-19, a day after vice-governor Ahmad Riza Patria tests positive. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
    - Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar tests positive for COVID-19. A spokesman for the group says he is "following the advice of health authorities and taking precautionary measures". (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey reports a record 190 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to 13,936. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Queensland reopens its land border with Greater Sydney and Victoria. Travellers from both areas will now be allowed into the state without needing to quarantine. (7 News)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Pfizer and BioNTech announce that they will ask the European Medicines Agency to approve their potential vaccine candidate. (ABC News)

International relations

Canada–United States relations, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that the country will not reopen their borders with the United States until COVID-19 is significantly under control. (San Francisco Chronicle)
ASEAN–European Union relations
- The European Union and the ASEAN form a strategic partnership. (Reuters)

Law and crime

2020 Trier attack
- Five people are killed and 18 others injured in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, when a man drives an SUV into a pedestrian zone. The driver, a 51-year-old male German national, was arrested and was reportedly drunk at the time of the crash. (BBC)
A group of gunmen attack a bank and block roads in Cametá, Brazil, taking several hostages and stealing money. The attackers kill a hostage with a gunshot to the head, while a security guard and a policeman are injured. Several shots and explosions were also reported. It appears that the target of the attack was a branch of Banco do Brasil, the same bank robbed in Criciúma the previous night. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Papua conflict
- The United Liberation Movement for West Papua declares a provisional "government-in-waiting" and nominates Benny Wenda as interim president. (The Guardian)

Science and technology

2020 SO
- Unknown astronomical object 2020 SO makes its closest approach to Earth at a perigee distance of approximately 0.13 lunar distances (50,000 km; 31,000 mi). Researchers, who discovered 2020 SO on September 17, 2020, are still unsure whether the object is a small near-Earth asteroid or an artificial object. The booster of Surveyor 2's Atlas-Centaur rocket, launched by NASA in 1966, is suspected by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (CNET)
Chang'e 5, Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
- China National Space Administration probe Chang'e 5 successfully lands at Mons Rümker on the Moon for the first lunar sample-return mission since the Soviet Union's Luna 24. (The New York Times) (BBC)

November 30, 2020 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Somali Civil War
- Al-Shabaab militants attack a military base in Baladweyne, Somalia, killing 21 people. Fifty-one militants also died during the attack. (Xinhua)
Mali War
- Rocket attacks are carried out in three northern Malian cities – Gao, Kidal and Ménaka – against French military bases. No one is killed or injured. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claims responsibility for the attacks. (Le Monde)
2019–2020 Persian Gulf crisis
- Iraqi and local officials say a senior Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander and three others have been killed in a drone strike near the Iraq–Syria border. The identity of the commander and who conducted the airstrike is currently unknown. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- British retail tycoon Philip Green's Arcadia Group collapses into administration, putting over 13,000 jobs at risk and becoming the United Kingdom's biggest corporate casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic so far. Arcadia CEO Ian Grabiner blames the pandemic for the company's demise, saying "the obstacles we encountered were far too severe". (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
      - Alberta reports 1,733 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. (CBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee
      - Tennessee reports a record 7,975 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of confirmed and probable case to 374,793. (WKRN-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
      - Illinois reports 6,190 cases, the lowest in the state since October 28. (WBBM-TV)
    - Scott Atlas announces that he will resign from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. (The Washington Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Wales
      - First Minister Mark Drakeford announces that bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes will be banned from serving alcohol and will have to close for dine-in customers at 6:00 pm GMT. Indoor entertainment and visitor attractions will also be closed beginning December 4. (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia
    - Croatia reports a record 74 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 1,786. (Total Croatia News)
    - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković tests positive for COVID-19. (RTVBN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey surpasses 500,000 total cases of COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency)
    - In response to a rise in cases, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces the most widespread restrictions in the country beginning tomorrow, including extending curfews to weeknights between 9:00 pm and 5:00 am local time and total weekend lockdowns from 9:00 pm on Friday to 5:00 am local time on Monday. Grocery stores and food delivery services are exempt from the lockdowns within certain hours. (ABC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority extends the travel restrictions until December 7 for domestic flights and December 14 for international flights in an attempt to reduce the second wave of the pandemic. (Ekathimerini)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
    - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen bans wedding parties and gatherings of more than 20 people as part of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 after the country reported several cases of community transmission. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - The Hong Kong government announces that they will limit the number of people in a gathering to two, close venues such as mahjong parlours and swimming pools and ask most civil servants to work from home for two weeks beginning December 2. Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland will also be closed. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reports a monthly record of 9,857 cases in November, surpassing the previous record set in August. (Kyodo News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
    - Vietnam reports its first locally transmitted case in 89 days. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - COVID-19 pandemic in São Paulo (state)
    - The state of São Paulo imposes stricter social distancing measures with restrictions on opening hours and capacity limits for bars, restaurants and shopping malls as it attempts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Victoria reports its first death in more than a month after a woman in her 70s who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 in September dies from complications. (9 News)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Moderna announces that they will seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration and European regulators such as the European Medicines Agency for their potential vaccine after it showed a 94% effectiveness. (CBS News)
2020 H5N8 outbreak
- South Korea reports an outbreak of pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza at a farm in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, killing over 19,000 ducks. (Reuters)