Portal:Current events/2020 October 4

October 4, 2020 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Azerbaijan's second-largest city Ganja is shelled by Artsakh forces, destroying several buildings and killing at least one civilian. Ganja International Airport is also bombed. Azerbaijani Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov says it is a "clearly provocative" move that was "expanding the conflict". (BBC News)
- The Artsakh capital Stepanakert is struck with MLRS missiles resulting in heavy casualties and leaving the city without power. Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan warns major cities in Azerbaijan are now "legitimate targets of the defence army" following the strikes on Stepanakert. (Eurasianet) (BBC News)
- Azerbaijani troops reportedly seize control of the city of Cəbrayil (Jabrayil) from Artsakh forces. Armenia denies the city has fallen. (Ahval News)
- Azerbaijan says medium-range missiles have hit its Khizi and Absheron districts, as well as the city of Mingachevir. (APA)
Terrorism in Germany, Antisemitism in 21st century Germany
- An attack by an Islamic extremist kills one tourist and injures the other. The suspect was later arrested. (Reuters)
- Amid the celebration of Sukkot, a 26-year-old Jewish student suffers a traumatic brain injury after being attacked with a shovel by a 29-year-old German Kazakh man as he entered a synagogue in Hamburg. Police later discover a piece of paper with a swastika on it in one of the attacker's trouser pockets. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas denounces the attack as "repugnant antisemitism". (AFP via The Times of Israel)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema
- Cineworld announces it is temporarily shutting down all its cinemas in the United Kingdom and United States, putting more than 5,500 jobs at risk, after reporting £1.3bn in losses since the COVID-19 lockdown. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Five people who went missing during heavy floods in France two days ago are found dead in river banks in the Italian region of Liguria, while a man is found dead at the border between the two countries. Italy is also affected by floods. A man has died in his car during the floods in the French region of Saint-Martin-Vésubie. (Il Fatto Quotidiano) (L'Union)
A multiple-vehicle collision on a main road in Fuyu, Jilin, China, kills 18 people. Police say an inquiry is under way into the cause of the accident. (Sky News)
Eight migrants are dead, while 12 more are missing, after three unidentified smugglers hijacked their boat off the coast of Djibouti, according to eyewitnesses and the International Organization for Migration. The agency reports that the migrants had attempted to reach Saudi Arabia via Yemen, but were forced to return to the Horn of Africa due to COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions. (AFP via Macau Business)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
    - Poland surpass 100,000 cases of COVID-19. (Reuters via National Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports 10,499 new cases in the past 24 hours, setting a record for the highest number of daily new cases since May 15, when the outbreak was at its peak and lockdowns were in place in parts of the country. This is also the first time that daily new infections surpassed 10,000 since May. (Daily Sabah)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19 after a backlog of infections left out of Public Health England's daily figures between September 25 and October 2 led to a record 22,961 cases reported in 24 hours. The glitch led to 15,841 cases not being passed on to data dashboards used for contact tracing. (The Guardian)

International relations

The Presidents of Palau, Nauru, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands issue a statement threatening to leave the Pacific Islands Forum if their nominee is not chosen as Secretary-General. Micronesian President David W. Panuelo says the issue is "non-negotiable". (RNZ)

Law and crime

Nigerian Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu bans the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other tactical units from engaging in stop-and-search operations at traffic stops and from setting up roadblocks, as well as mandating that all police officers wear uniforms while on-duty, in response to mounting allegations of agents unlawfully arresting and torturing suspects. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

2020 New Caledonian independence referendum
- New Caledonians reject independence from France with 53.26% of votes, according to final results. Turnout is reportedly high. President Emmanuel Macron welcomes the result as a "sign of confidence in the republic". (BBC News)
October 2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election
- Parliamentary elections are being held in Kyrgyzstan amidst an economic crisis. (Reuters)
The Malian interim government releases 110 jihadists from their Bamako prison after releasing 70 yesterday. It is believed that their release is part of a prisoner exchange to secure the release of opposition politician Soumaïla Cissé, who was kidnapped earlier this year. (AP)