Portal:Current events/2020 November 22

November 22, 2020 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) names Algerian Islamist Abu Obaida Yusuf al-Annabi as its new leader, following the death of Abdelmalek Droukdel during the Battle of Talahandak in June. Al-Annabi has been on the U.S. "international terrorist" blacklist since September 2015, and he has regularly appeared in jihadist propaganda videos. (Al Jazeera)
Tigray conflict
- Battle of Mekelle (2020)
  - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issues an ultimatum to the leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, giving the group 72 hours to surrender before federal forces begin a ground offensive to capture the region's capital Mekelle. The Ethiopian military says Mekelle will be "encircled" and "shown no mercy". (The Guardian)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Rajasthan
      - Rajasthan reports 3,260 new cases, a new single-day record since the pandemic began and bringing the total confirmed cases in the state to 243,936. (The Times of India)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Osaka reports 490 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. (Nihon Keizai Shimbun)
    - Japan surpasses 2,000 total COVID-19 deaths. (Nippon.com)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
    - Pakistan reports 59 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day total since July and bringing the nationwide death toll to 7,662. (The Times of India)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - The government will increase social distancing rules in the Seoul Capital Area to Level 2 and both North and South Jeolla Province to Level 1.5 beginning November 24 amidst a third wave of COVID-19 cases. In level 2, gatherings involving more than 100 people are banned, some high-risk facilities will be closed, and restaurants cannot operate dine-in services after 9:00 p.m.. Cafes and coffee shops are only allowed to offer takeout and delivery services. Also, indoor sports facilities must close at 9:00 p.m.. (Yonhap News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, COVID-19 testing
    - The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) begins to introduce saliva tests to detect active COVID-19 infections in children between the ages of 3 and 16 in all DHA facilities and DHA-run screening centers across Dubai. These tests are more than 90% accurate, making them a viable alternative to nasal swab tests which are uncomfortable and harder to use to test children. (Gulf News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - French authorities orders the culling of 1,000 minks in the Eure-et-Loir region after lab analyses detected a mutated version of SARS-CoV-2 in one farm. All animal products in that farm will be destroyed. (The Independent)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez states that Spain will begin a comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination programme in January and expects to have vaccinated a substantial part of the population within three months. (France 24)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey reports 6,017 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new record for the second consecutive day and bringing the nationwide total to 446,882 cases. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - South Australia further eases restrictions imposed earlier in the week, ending a stay at home order but maintaining limits on public and private gatherings and quotas at businesses. (Newshub)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
      - Alberta reports 1,584 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new one-day record since the pandemic began and highest number of daily cases on Sunday than any other provinces and territories. (CFRN-DT)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - Los Angeles County public health officials announces a suspension of outdoor dining at restaurant for three-weeks starting from November 25 at 10:00 p.m. PST due to rise of new infections in the U.S. largest county. (Los Angeles Times)

International relations

2020 G20 Riyadh summit
- World leaders at the G20 summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, close the summit with calls for a coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic and support for vaccinations for everyone. (The Washington Post) (Reuters)
The United States withdraws from the Treaty on Open Skies. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Mayfair Mall shooting
- Several people are arrested, including a 15-year-old boy, in connection with Friday's mass shooting at the Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, which injured eight people. The shooting followed an altercation between two groups, according to police. (NBC News)

Politics and elections

Faisal Mekdad is appointed as Foreign Minister of Syria, succeeding Walid Muallem, who died last Monday. (VoA)
2020 Burkinabé general election
- Voters in Burkina Faso head to the polls in an election marred by a dramatic surge of terrorist attacks within the recent years. Incumbent President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré of the People's Movement for Progress seeks another term while he is challenged by two main opponents, Zéphirin Diabré of the Union for Progress and Reform and Eddie Komboïgo of the Congress for Democracy and Progress. (DW)