2020 Tanzanian general election Tanzanians head to the polls to elect their President. Incumbent John Magufuli seeks reelection as his top opposition candidate Tundu Lissu, who returned from exile after a failed assassination attempt, warns of "widespread irregularities".
2020 United States racial unrest Protesters marched through Philadelphia for a second night, demanding racial justice after the killing of Walter Wallace. The marches began peacefully but became more confrontational into the evening and Wednesday morning. Police and the city's office of emergency management said few cases of looting were reported in several areas. Protesters tried to erect makeshift barricades using bins while police used pepper spray and batons after saying they were attacked by demonstrators.
United States The United States rejects the appointment of former Finance Minister of Nigeria Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as head of the World Trade Organization, despite the overwhelming backing of other members. The U.S. instead backs current Minister of Trade for South Korea Yoo Myung-hee for the position.
France–Turkey relations Turkey threatens to take "legal and diplomatic action" in response to French magazine "Charlie Hebdo"'s caricature mocking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay condemns the publication. France responds by saying that the country would not give in to "destabilisation and intimidation attempts."
COVID-19 pandemic President Cyril Ramaphosa goes into self-quarantine after a guest at a charity event with 35 guests that he attended tested positive for COVID-19.
Tonga extends the state of emergency until November 23. It involves time curfews and gatherings restrictions. The country, which is COVID-19-free, imposed strict measures on March 12.
Thailand's cabinet agrees to extend a state of emergency until the end of November to contain its COVID-19 outbreak.
Indonesia surpasses 400,000 total cases of COVID-19, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to reach the milestone.
Ukraine reports a record high of 165 fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll at 6,755.
Russia reports a record high of 346 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 26,935.
Portugal reports a record daily increase with 3,960 new cases, bringing the cumulative counts to 128,382 confirmed cases and 2,395 deaths.
Poland reports 18,820 new cases and 236 new deaths in the last 24 hours. It is the largest jump of number of cases and deadliest day since the start of the pandemic, and brings the number of cases to 299,049.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of 16 states agrees to impose a nationwide partial lockdown from November 2, which means that restaurants, bars, and all leisure facilities are ordered to closed until November 30, private gatherings will be limited to ten people and social contacts will be limited to two households. But, schools, church and kindergartens will remain open with strict hygiene measures. The new restrictions will last for at least four weeks.
Robert Koch Institute reports a record 14,964 new infections in the past 24 hours, putting the total number of cases at 464,239.
The Czech Republic reports 15,663 new cases, a record number since the pandemic began as the country struggles with one of Europe’s fastest growing infection rates.
The National Weather Service issues Storm Surge Warnings from the Mouth of the Atchafalaya River, Louisiana to Navarre, Florida.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issue a State of Emergency for their states.
US President Donald Trump declares a State of Emergency for Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Zeta's impending landfall.
German German anti-trust regulator Federal Cartel Office launches an investigation into Amazon and Apple for potentially breaking competition laws, by having the former being the exclusive distributor for the latter's dealerships online.
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Azerbaijan says the death toll from an Armenian cluster missile attack on Barda has risen to 21 with dozens more wounded. Armenia denies carrying out the strike.
War in Afghanistan Over 100 Taliban insurgents are killed as the Afghan Armed Forces retake parts of Helmand Province.
Ituri conflict The army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo says it killed 33 militiamen and reported the death of two soldiers in days of intense fighting in Ituri province. The army says it seized control of two rebel strongholds held by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) group, which is accused by the United Nations of committing war crimes.
Telecommunication British telecommunication regulator Ofcom announces that all mobile network providers in the country will be banned from selling locked phones beginning in December 2021.
Yellow box tree A yellow box tree sacred to the women of the Djab wurrung indigenous group in western Victoria is cut down to make way for a new highway. 50 protesters are arrested at the site for violating social distancing laws.
Hong Kong national security law Hong Kong pro-independence activist Tony Chung is arrested when he tries to seek asylum at the U.S. Consulate General. He was on bail for alleged national security law offences.
LGBT rights in Nigeria A Nigerian court throws out a case against 47 men for allegedly publicly engaging in same-sex relationships at a Lagos hotel in 2018, claiming a lack of diligence on the prosecutor's part.
2020 Tanzanian general election Tanzanian political party Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT Wazalendo) reports that its Zanzibar presidential candidate Seif Sharif Hamad has been arrested following condemnation by him and the political party of the shooting deaths of at least seven civilians amid unrest over alleged fraud on the eve of presidential election. Police confirm Hamad's arrest but do not comment.
2020 United States racial unrest Protests break out in Philadelphia after police shoot and kill Walter Wallace, who they say had been armed with a knife. There are also reports of vandalism, including looting, spray painting and smashing of windows at a police station. Police also say 30 officers have been injured, many of which were struck by bricks and other debris, and that 91 protesters were arrested.
Netherlands–Turkey relations Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan files a criminal complaint against Dutch far-right politician and activist Geert Wilders for allegedly "insulting him on social media". Turkish prosecutors accepted the complaint at an Ankara court. Erdoğan's lawyers say Wilders insulted "honour, dignity, character and reputation".
India–United States relations Following high-level talks in Delhi, India and the United States sign a military agreement on sharing sensitive satellite data. The "Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation" (BECA) gives the Indian Armed Forces access to a range of sensitive geospatial and aeronautical data for military use. Agreements on nuclear energy, earth sciences and alternative medicine are also signed.
Murder of Samuel Paty Thousands rally in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka calling for a boycott of French goods over French President Emmanuel Macron's defense of cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which Muslims consider to be highly blasphemous. Police prevented the protesters from reaching the French Embassy.
COVID-19 pandemic The United Nations cancels all in-person meetings at its New York City headquarters after five people on the Niger mission tested positive.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is hospitalized at a military hospital in Algiers, days after he went into self-isolation after suspected COVID-19 cases amongst his aides.
Iran reports 6,968 new cases and 346 deaths in the past 24 hours, its highest daily tally since the pandemic began, pushing the death toll to 33,299 and cumulative total cases to 581,824.
Hong Kong announces that it will reopen public beaches and increase the number of people allowed to sit together in bars to four people, and at restaurants to six people, on October 30, as part of a relaxation of social distancing measures. The city's government also said that those venues will be allowed to run on-site services until 2:00 am local time.
La Rioja orders the closure of restaurants and bars in its two largest towns, Logroño and Arnedo, for a month in an attempt to curb the second wave of COVID-19.
The number of new confirmed cases in Italy rises by a record 21,994 in the past 24 hours. In addition, the country also reports 221 new fatalities, the highest daily death toll the country has had since May.
Greece reports 1,259 new infections, the highest number in a single day, bringing the nationwide total to 32,752.
France reports 523 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, which includes 292 people that died in hospitals and another 231 people who died in nursing homes. This is the highest number of daily fatalities since the first wave in April, as President Emmanuel Macron prepares to announce new restrictions tomorrow.
Russia reports a record of 320 new deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll since the pandemic began to 26,589.
Russia's Rospotrebnadzor orders all people to wear masks in crowded places starting tomorrow and recommends all restaurants and other late-night establishments to close between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am local time, with all public events banned during that time.
Wisconsin reports 5,262 new cases and 64 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, setting a record number for both cases and deaths since the pandemic began, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Arkansas surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 cases and sets a new record of 27 new hospitalization, bringing the total to 676.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asks residents to avoid traveling out of state during the upcoming holidays. For those who decide to travel, he urges them to get tested and quarantine for two weeks.
Greek Navy The Greek Navy's mine countermeasures vessel HS is cut in two in a collision with a container ship.
2020 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricane warnings are issued by the National Hurricane Center across the Gulf Coast of the United States from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi–Alabama border.
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Eight students are killed in a bombing at a madrasa in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Azerbaijan says an Armenian missile attack on the city of Barda killed at least four civilians and injured 13 others.
Artsakh Defence Minister Jalal Harutyunyan is seriously wounded in an Azerbaijani drone strike on his vehicle in Nagorno-Karabakh. He is replaced by Mikael Arzumanyan until he recovers from his injuries.
2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election Preliminary results show the opposition Homeland Union winning the most seats in parliament, thus making a change of government highly realistic.
2020 Chilean national referendum A constituent assembly will be elected in April 2021 after 79% of the voters in the referendum chose this option to write the new Constitution.
78% of the voters approve the process to draft a new Constitution, replacing the one established during the Pinochet dictatorship.
Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot Federal prosecutors announce the discovery of ghost guns and "explosive device components", which raises the possibility of them filing terrorism charges against six suspects accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic Demonstrations take place across dozens of cities in Italy against the new restrictions to curb the second wave of COVID-19. The protests in Milan, Turin, and Trieste turn violent, where petrol bombs were thrown at officers. Twenty-eight people are arrested in Milan. In Naples the protests continue for the fourth day.
Mass shootings in the United States Two people are killed and eight others injured in a mass shooting at a post-funeral gathering in Greenwood, Mississippi. Police believe the shooter used an AR-15 style rifle, but no suspects are in custody.
U.S. Supreme Court Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by a vote of 52–48 in the United States Senate and is sworn in as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. She is expected to take the second of two necessary oaths and fully become a Justice on October 27.
Murder–suicide Three men are killed in a murder–suicide at a farm located in Kanturk, County Cork, Ireland.
Japan Japan rejects the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons after all nuclear powers boycott the treaty. This rejection happened days after the United Nations said there was enough signatories for it to go into effect and following pressure from atomic bomb survivors to adopt it. Japan states it is unrealistic to pursue the treaty with both nuclear and non-nuclear states being sharply divided over it, and instead the country will serve as a bridge to narrow the gap between the two sides.
Murder of Samuel Paty Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls on all Turks and the Muslim world to boycott France over French President Emmanuel Macron's crackdown on radical Islam in French society. Erdoğan says Muslims in France are now "subjected to a lynch campaign similar to that against Jews in Europe before World War II". The leaders of Germany, Italy and the Netherlands condemn Erdoğan's comments and declare their support for France.
COVID-19 pandemic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka imposes a curfew on non-essential businesses in the city at 8 p.m. ET except grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations as COVID-19 cases in New Jersey continue to increase.
Premier François Legault announces that restrictions in COVID-19 red zones are being extended until November 23.
British Columbia reports a record 817 new cases over the weekend, including 317 new cases on Saturday, 293 on Sunday, and 207 on Monday. As a result, the provincial health officer Bonnie Henry announces plans to limit gatherings in private homes to no more than immediate household plus your “safe six," which refers to the six additional people in a household’s bubble.
Alberta imposes restrictions to limit most social gatherings to 15 people in Edmonton and Calgary after the province reported record cases.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces the easing of restrictions on pubs, restaurants, religious gatherings, gyms and indoor swimming pools, accommodations, and other facilities in Melbourne effective tomorrow at 11:59 pm AEDT.
Russia's number of new COVID-19 cases surges to a record high of 17,347, putting the nationwide total at 1,531,224.
The Netherlands surpasses 300,000 COVID-19 cases after a record 10,353 new cases were reported by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the past 24 hours.
The government announces that they will impose a curfew between 9:00 pm to 5:00 am local time beginning October 28 and ban Sunday shopping in order to curb the surge of COVID-19 cases. Shops that sell essential goods will have to close on weekdays at 8:00 pm local time and on Sundays.
China reports 137 asymptomatic cases during a drive to test 4.75 million people in Kashgar. It is the highest number of asymptomatic infections in nearly seven months following the discovery of a cluster of cases linked to a garment factory in Xinjiang.
Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announces that the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, and Selangor will be extended until November 9.
Malaysia reports 1,240 new cases, the highest number of infections since the pandemic began in March. The country's cumulative total stands at 27,805. Of those new cases, 927 are from Sabah.
2020 California wildfires Fast-moving fires around Orange County, California, United States, force over 70,000 residents to evacuate. Two firefighters are critically injured while battling the blazes.
Ant Group Chinese financial technology firm Ant Group debuts on the Hong Kong and Shanghai Stock Exchanges, with its IPO worth up to US$34.4 billion. This surpasses Saudi Aramco, whose IPO was worth US$29.4 billion, as the strongest debut on a stock exchange. Jack Ma, whose company Alibaba Group is backing the debut, is expected to become the richest man in China as a result.
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict A humanitarian ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh breaks down shortly after coming into effect, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan blaming each other for violating the truce.
Syrian civil war A Russian airstrike on a camp run by rebels of the Sham Legion in Kafr Takharim kills at least 35, according to a rebel source. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) puts the death toll at 78.