Portal:Current events/2020 September 24

September 24, 2020 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- September 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - Five people of the same family, including two children, are killed during an ambush by suspected Taliban members in Patawak village, Darayim District, Badakshan Province. (TOLOnews)

Business and economics

German vehicle company BMW is fined $18 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve allegations that it inflated sales figures between 2015 and 2019. The fine amounts to less than 0.3% of the company's yearly income. (AP)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - French health authorities report a new record of 16,096 daily cases in the last 24 hours, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. The new record comes a day after the government announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants in major cities, including Marseille and Paris, provoking an outcry from local politicians and business owners. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - The government announces a plan to elevate Donegal to Level 3 out of a five-alert level alongside Dublin effective midnight tomorrow, which means that authorities will tighten restrictions due to an increase in cases; restrictions include a ban on indoor restaurant dining and an advisory for people not to travel outside the county. The measure will remain in place for three weeks until October 16. (The Irish Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom sees new cases rise by 6,634 in the last 24 hours, the highest figure ever reported by the Department for Health and Social Care since the beginning of the outbreak. The new record tally brings the total number of cases reported in the country to 416,363. (The Independent)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
  - Indonesia reports a record jump of 4,634 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide total at 262,022, while the death toll from the virus surpasses 10,000. The number of daily cases is the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. (detikHealth)

Law and crime

Claremont serial killings
- Bradley Robert Edwards is found guilty of the murders of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon in Perth, Western Australia, in 1996 and 1997, respectively. He is found not guilty of the murder of Sarah Spiers in 1996, and her body has never been found. Edwards is slated to be sentenced on December 23. (9NEWS)
Internet censorship in Thailand
- The Thai Ministry of Digital Economy and Society files legal complaints against Facebook and Twitter for ignoring requests to take down content, such as those that criticize the royal family. (Reuters)
Hong Kong police arrest veteran activist of the League of Social Democrats Koo Sze-yiu and Joshua Wong of the defunct Demosisto for violating the anti-mask policy in place under previous year's protests. Other pro-democracy activists condemn the arrests. (The New York Times)