Portal:Current events/2020 September 1

September 1, 2020 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- September 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - At least three Afghan security forces members are killed and five more injured when gunmen storm their compound in the city of Gardez in Paktia Province. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack. (TOLOnews)

Arts and culture

French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo announces it will republish caricatures depicting Muhammad that sparked violent protests, ahead of a trial of suspected perpetrators of the mass shooting in January 2015 scheduled the following day. (The Brussels Times)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 recession
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - The Brazilian economy officially enters a recession after the country's statistics institute reported a 9.7% decline of its gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter, which is the second consecutive quarter of a decline in its GDP. It is Brazil's largest quarterly drop since 1996. (AP via Taiwan News) (Financial Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - German economic minister Peter Altmaier reports that the country's economy is facing an "unexpected" V-shaped recovery with its GDP currently forecasted to decline by 5.8% in 2020, in contrast to an earlier projection of a 6.3% decline. (AFP via Malay Mail)
  - The Eurostat reports that consumer prices in the Eurozone have deflated from 0.4% in July to -0.2% in August, the bloc's first deflation since May 2016. (AFP via Rappler)
McDonald's litigation
- American fast food company McDonald's is sued by 50 black owners for racial discrimination. According to the lawsuit, McDonald's steered black franchisees to stores which had lower revenue and higher security expenses than stores in more affluent areas. (AP)
Zimbabwe says it will return land that was seized from foreigners between 2000 and 2001, saying foreign citizens who had their land seized, mostly Dutch, British and German nationals, could now apply to get it back. The government says black farmers who received land under the controversial land reform programme would now be moved to allow the former owners "to regain possession". (BBC News)
American social media service Facebook announces it may block Australian users from sharing both local and international news stories on its platform, should the Australian government enact legislation that would require technology companies in the country to pay local news organisations. (The Japan Today)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Iowa
      - The city council of Ames, Iowa passes a mask mandate with a vote of 5-1. The decision came after the New York Times named the city as a COVID-19 hotspot. (The Ames Tribune)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belize
    - The number of cases in Belize reaches past 1,000. (The Jamaica Observer)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - The number of cases in Mexico reaches past 600,000. The death toll in the country reaches to 65,241. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Due to some recent spikes in cases, authorities delay the schools' reopening to September 14 in order to allow time for vacationers to return to big cities to limit the movement of asymptomatic people. Students and teachers are told to wear face masks, which will be handed out for free to both public and private schools. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - The total number of confirmed cases in Russia passes one million, after 4,729 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. (AP via CTV News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
  - The United Arab Emirates reports 574 cases, marking a second consecutive day in which the country recorded over 500 new cases. (Reuters)

International relations

Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Costa Rica, COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - Costa Rica reopens their borders to Americans from 11 states and Washington, D.C.. On September 15, Americans traveling from Colorado, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania will be allowed to enter the country. However, American travelers will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter. (The Hill)
2020 China–India skirmishes
- The Embassy of China in India accuses the Indian Armed Forces of "conducting flagrant provocations" along the Line of Actual Control near the disputed Pangong Lake in Ladakh. The statement comes a day after the Indian defence ministry accuses China's People's Liberation Army of militarising along the same area, to which the Chinese foreign ministry denied. (CNN)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Eviction in the United States
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues an order temporarily halting residential evictions on public health grounds, with the goal of slowing the spread of the COVID-19. The order lasts through December 31 and applies to individual renters earning no more than $99,000 in annual income. (Newsmax)
Shooting of Dijon Kizzee
- Protests in Los Angeles continued for a second night following the police shooting of Dijon Kizzee, 29, who Los Angeles Police Department officers say was riding a bike in "violation of vehicle codes". (Forbes)
Pakistan's telecommunication authority blocks the usage of online dating applications Grindr, SayHi, Skout, Tagged and Tinder within the country, citing "the negative effects of immoral/indecent content streaming" to Pakistani users. (CNN)

Politics and elections

2020 Bougainvillean general election
- The general election of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville concludes. It began August 12 and lasted three weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results are expected to be announced mid-September. (RNZ) (RNZ₂)
Proposed second Scottish independence referendum
- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces that her party will draft legislation for a new referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom before Scotland's parliament election next year. (Reuters)
Politics of the Solomon Islands, One-China policy
- Malaita Province Premier Daniel Suidani announces an independence referendum to potentially secede from the Solomon Islands due to growing tensions over the central government's diplomatic switch to China and a recent incident where Taiwanese medical supplies were seized by the government. (RNZ) (Reuters)

Science and technology

Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections
- Facebook says it has discovered a Russian influence campaign based in Saint Petersburg called Peace Data on the site which targeted left-wing voters in the United States and United Kingdom, by recruiting freelance journalists to write English-language articles concerning domestic politics, racial and political tensions, and criticism of President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden. Twitter says it has suspended five accounts related to the Russian campaign. (Reuters)
Norwegian parliament director Marianne Andreassen reveals in a press conference that several members of the Storting, and some employees, had their email accounts hacked last week. She did not name who was responsible. (Forbes)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 NFL season
  - The National Football League will require all coaches and staff in bench areas to wear masks. (USA Today)