Portal:Current events/2020 December 5

December 5, 2020 (Saturday)

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- Belgium announces that all troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2021, bringing an end to Belgian involvement in the war.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, United States. (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 fewer 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
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Russia
      - Moscow begins to vaccinate high-risk workers with the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine at 70 newly opened clinics across the city, marking Russia’s first mass COVID-19 vaccination. (Al Jazeera)
    - 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)
  - 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 News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 vaccination in India
      - Pfizer announces that it has submitted their vaccine for approval in India. (Reuters)
  - 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)