Portal:Current events/2020 October 19

October 19, 2020 (Monday)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Atlantic hurricane season
- Tropical Storm Epsilon forms in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to bring tropical storm force winds to Bermuda later this week. (Royal Gazette / Bermuda)
2020 Alaska Peninsula earthquakes
- A magnitude 7.5 earthquake breaks out on the Alaska Peninsula, prompting tsunami warnings. (CNBC)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
    - Taoiseach Micheál Martin announces that Ireland will move to level 5 for a period of six weeks. The new restrictions will take effect at midnight on Octoer 21 and remain in place until December 1. Under level 5 restrictions, Non-essential business will close, people will only be able to exercise within 5km of their home except for essential reasons and no social or family gatherings are allowed in homes or gardens. But schools and creches to remain open and elite sporting events can take place. (Gov.ie) (ITV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia's new cases surge to a new record high of 15,982 in the last 24 hours, including 5,376 in Moscow, pushing the case total to 1,415,316. (Reuters)
    - The first results of Russia's clinical trial for their Sputnik V vaccine will include data from 5,000 to 10,000 people. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - The President of Navarra, María Chivite, announces a perimetral lockdown of the region, closing bars and restaurants, and limiting gatherings to cohabiting people, starting on Thursday and lasting for 15 days. In the last two weeks, Navarra has experienced a cumulative incidence of more than 900 per 100,000 inhabitants. (eldiario.es)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
    - Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford announces that Wales will introduce a "firebreak" lockdown, which will require anyone to stay home between October 23 and November 9. Under those rules, pubs, restaurants, hotels, and non-essential business must close; primary schools will reopen after the half-term break, but only seventh and eighth years in secondary schools can return at that time under the new "firebreak" rules. In addition, gathering with people from other households indoors or outdoors will be banned. (BBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
  - Iran reports 337 new deaths in the previous 24 hours, a new record of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, pushing the death toll in the country to 30,712. (CNA)
- COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac appears to be safe in providing protection against COVID-19, as preliminary results of Phase III clinical trial in Brazil show. São Paulo's Instituto Butantan, one of Brazil's leading biomedical research centres carrying out the trials, says CoronaVac proved to be safe after its two doses were applied to 9,000 volunteers, but said data on how effective it is in protecting people against COVID-19 will not be released until it has been tested on all 15,000 volunteers in newly expanded trials. (SCMP)
- The total number of worldwide confirmed COVID-19 cases surpasses 40 million. The United States remains the global leader in case numbers, accounting for 20% of all cumulative cases, with India closely following at 19%. (The Guardian)

International relations

Sudan–United States relations
- U.S. President Donald Trump announces that the U.S. will remove Sudan from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism after Sudan will have deposited US$335 million to compensate American families victims of bombings. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok thanks the U.S. government for the decision. The United States Congress would still have to approve restoring Sudan's sovereign immunity. (Reuters)
Japan–Vietnam relations
- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says that the country has agreed with Vietnam to boost their defense ties and resume flights amid China influence in the regions. (AP)

Law and crime

Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- The High Court of Justice of Catalonia sentence to 20 months of disqualification and a 30,000€ of fine to then-members of the Bureau of Catalan Parliament Ramona Barrufet, Lluís Corominas, Lluís Guinó and Anna Simó for disobeying the court when this body warned them of the illegality involved in the processing of the disconnection Law and self-determination referendum Law in 2017 and acting against the prohibition of the Constitutional Court of Spain. (La Vanguardia) (El Periódico)

Politics and elections

2020 Bolivian general election
- Exit polls show Luis Arce of the MAS party winning a historic landslide. (The Washington Post)