Thursday, Oct. 8th, 2020

The FBI announces that 13 men from militia group Wolverine Watchmen are charged in a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home. (ABC News)

A scroll containing a handwritten poem by deceased Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, claimed to be worth around US$300 million, is recovered in Hong Kong after having been stolen on September 10. It was found cut in half, likely because its 2.8 m (9.2 ft)-length made it difficult to display. (BBC)

Three British MPs launch an investigation into the disappearances of Saudi princes Mohammed bin Nayef and Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, alongside other political dissidents in the kingdom. (Al-Araby)

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that the city will close an additional 61 schools to combat COVID-19 hotspots. (Patch.com)

The number of confirmed cases in the Netherlands jumps by a record of more than 5,800 in the past 24 hours, according to data released by health authorities, putting pressure on the government to impose new restrictions in the country. (U.S. News and World Report)

The government extends an emergency provision that bars public gatherings, including widespread protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for an additional week. (Al Jazeera)

The World Health Organization reports a record one-day increase in global cases, with a total of 338,779 cases reported in the last 24 hours led by a surge of infections in Europe, where cases rise by 96,996. (Reuters)

Madrid regional court overturns a government order to impose a partial lockdown on the city and nine satellite towns, calling the restrictions “interference by public authorities in citizens’ fundamental rights without the legal mandate to support it.” (France 24)

The End

Wednesday,  Oct. 7th, 2020

Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged in George Floyd’s death, is released on bail. (WCCO-TV)

A Greek court rules that far-right political party Golden Dawn operated as a criminal organization in connection with the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas in 2013 and other crimes. (CBS News)

A report from the United Nations recommends that war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement be referred to the International Criminal Court. (The Washington Post)

The regional government in Brussels declares that bars and cafes in the city will be forced to close for a month effective tomorrow, even if they only sell tea or coffee, after the Belgian capital overtook Paris in terms of infections per inhabitant. (Swiss Info)

Berlin’s nightlife is facing a closing time for the first time since 1950, effective October 10, as bars, restaurants, and off-licences will have to close between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am local time. Under new rules that have been announced, public gatherings of more than five people from more than two households, as well as private gatherings of more than ten people, will also be banned. (The Guardian)

Italy imposes a compulsory nationwide outdoor mask mandate, with fines ranging from 400 to 1,000 euros (AS$659 to AS$1,650; US$463 to US$1,163) for violators in a bid to curb the second wave of COVID-19. This decree passes at the same time the country reports 3,678 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest figure since the peak of the outbreak in April. Exceptions include outdoor sporting activities, children under six years of age, and people with health conditions that preclude wearing masks. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Governor Tony Evers announces that the state will open a field hospital at the state fairgrounds near Milwaukee. (The Hill)

Brazil surpasses five million COVID-19 cases, becoming the third country to reach that milestone after the United States and India. (Bloomberg)

Pence and Harris to face off in vice presidential debate

Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic nominee for the vice presidency, are set to debate on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, Utah. The face-off will be the first and only debate between the two candidates, and it is expected to be more closely-watched than previous vice presidential debates. President Trump’s campaign has lost steam in recent weeks, and the president was hospitalized with COVID-19, putting new pressures on Pence, meanwhile Harris will be scrutinized as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s more progressive counterpart. Harris is a former prosecutor who is expected to deliver a strong performance against Pence. The two camps agreed to coronavirus protections like plexiglass between the two candidates. The debate begins at 9 p.m. ET. Source: CNN

The End

Tuesday,  Oct 6th, 2020

Azerbaijan accuses the Armenian Armed Forces of attacking the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline with banned cluster munitions, killing a civilian in Goranboy District. Armenia rejects the accusation. (RFE/RL)

White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller tests positive for COVID-19. (CNN)

New York state will reinstate restrictions on businesses, houses of worship and schools in and near areas where coronavirus cases are spiking, governor Andrew Cuomo said. The new rules will affect parts of Brooklyn, New York and Queens in New York City, sections of Orange and Rockland counties in the Hudson Valley, and an area within Binghamton in the Southern Tier. This restrictions will take effect no later than Friday.

White House blocking more stringent coronavirus vaccine guidelines

The White House is blocking strict new coronavirus vaccine guidelines proposed by the Food and Drug Administration due to a provision that would likely prevent any vaccine from being authorized before the November election, The New York Times and Politico report. The guidelines, intended to reassure the public that coronavirus vaccines are being held to a common standard, were submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for approval on Sept. 21, but White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has intervened, the Times reports. The chief reason given was resistance from drugmakers, Politico reports, though drugmakers have publicly and privately supported the new guidelines. Trump has been promising a vaccine before the Nov. 3 presidential election. Source: The New York Times, Politico

Joe Biden says wearing a mask should be ‘viewed as a patriotic duty’

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Monday said it’s never been clearer that “masks matter,” saying during an NBC News town hall in Miami that donning a face covering should be “viewed as a patriotic duty to protect those around you.” Biden talked about President Trump becoming infected by the coronavirus, and said he “would hope that the president having gone through what he went through — and I’m glad he seems to be coming along pretty well — would communicate the right lesson to the American people. Masks matter.” Moderator Lester Holt brought up a new poll that found two in three people believe Trump is at least partially responsible for becoming infected with the virus, and Biden said that “anybody who contracts the virus by essentially saying masks don’t matter, social distancing doesn’t matter, I think is responsible for what happens to them.” Source: The Guardian

The End