Portal:Current events/2020 September 29

• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
    • The Armenian Defense Ministry says that an Armenian Su-25 fighter jet was shot down by a Turkish F-16 fighter jet, killing its pilot. Turkey says it is untrue. (BBC News)
    • Five more Azerbaijani civilians are killed during Armenian fire in the country, bringing the death toll among Azeri civilians to 12. At least 35 others are wounded. (Reuters)
• War in Afghanistan
  • September 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • A roadside bomb targeting a civilian bus kills at least 14 people, including five children, in Kajran district, Daykundi Province. Daykundi is considered one of the safest places in the country; this is the second attack in Daykundi this year. (TOLOnews)

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on airlines, Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  • The United States Department of the Treasury reaches a deal with seven of the major U.S. airlines to allocate around $25 billion in loans from the $2.2 trillion budget approved under the CARES Act to assist in their financial recovery amid the pandemic. (AFP via Bangkok Post)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • The Netherlands reports 3,011 new cases in the past 24 hours, a daily record since the beginning of the pandemic, as the country imposes new measures to combat a second wave of infections, according to data published by the National Institute for Health (RIVM). (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • 7,143 new cases are reported in the United Kingdom in the last 24 hours, the highest single day of reported cases ever since the beginning of the outbreak. Meanwhile, 71 COVID-19-related deaths are reported at the same time, the highest level since July 1. (Sky News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in India
    • Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu tests positive for COVID-19. He is asymptomatic and quarantined at home. (The Hindu)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Results from Phase I trials find that the vaccine candidate from Moderna works well with older adults. (USA Today)
  • The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 exceeds one million. The United States remains the largest contributor, accounting for 21% of the total deaths. (BBC News)
• Animal welfare and rights in France
  • French Minister of Ecology Barbara Pompili announces that mink farms and the use of wild animals in circuses will be phased out, and the breeding and importing of dolphins and killer whales at marine parks are banned effective immediately. (The Independent)

• Hathras gang rape and murder
  • A 19-year-old Dalit woman died in Delhi after she was allegedly gang raped in Uttar Pradesh by four upper-caste men, sparking outrage in India from opposition parties. The woman was admitted to a hospital in Delhi two weeks ago with several serious injuries. (CNN) (BBC News)
• Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • The World Health Organization announces it will launch an investigation into the allegations regarding its officials committing acts of sexual exploitation and abuse while on mission to control the Kivu Ebola outbreak in the Équateur Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)
• A court in China sentences a woman to death for poisoning 25 kindergarten children with nitrite in their porridge, killing one. The court said the motives of the woman were "despicable" and "vicious". (CNN)

• Politics of Togo
  • Victoire Tomegah Dogbé becomes the first female Prime Minister of Togo. (CNN)
• Amnesty International says it has been forced to halt its Indian operations due to "reprisal" from the government. Amnesty said its bank accounts were frozen and it was forced to lay off staff, and suspend all its campaign and research work. (BBC News)
• Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah dies at the age of 91. Crown Prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is named his successor. (BBC News) (Al Arabiya)

• The United Arab Emirates announces the Emirates Lunar Mission to send a space exploration vehicle to the Moon in 2024. (The Hill) (Gulf Today)