Key Storylines
- AFRICA: The UN warned that the Ethiopian federal government’s emergency declaration for the Tigray region was blocking the entry of food and other aid, adding that an escalation to the conflict risks the displacement of nine million people.
- AMERICAS: Torrential rains linked to Hurricane Eta have triggered flooding in Honduras and led to the deaths of at least 20 people in Mexico.
- ASIA: Voting has started in Myanmar’s general elections, the second such election after more than five decades of military-dictated rule ended in the country, with Aung San Suu Kyi’s party being seen as the most likely winners.
- EUROPE: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says his country’s forces have taken control of the strategically key city of Shushi that lies within the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh territory while the Armenian Defense Ministry rejected Aliyev’s claim.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani urged the next US administration to compensate for President Donald Trump’s “past mistakes” following former US Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Brazil’s top four telecommunications firms have reportedly rejected an invitation to meet with the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Keith Krach, who has been advocating for the exclusion of China’s Huawei from Brasilia’s markets.
Top Story
- United States: Biden wins presidential election.
- Former Vice President Joe Biden was elected as the 46th President of the United States after winning Pennsylvania, which secured him a majority of Electoral College votes.
- In his first address to the nation, President-elect Joe Biden pledged to unite the country, saying it was time to “let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end” and telling those who did not vote for him to “Let’s give each other a chance.”
- Meanwhile, President Donald Trump did not concede as his campaign also launched legal challenges against the election results.
- President Trump had earlier declared himself the victor of the presidential election, even though the results had not been declared fully or confirmed at that point in time.
- Reporting: AP, ABC, Reuters, BBC, NYT, WSJ, WaPo
Africa
- Algeria: The government has approved constitutional amendments that will now enable the staging of cross-border operations upon parliamentary approval and under the Arab League, the African Union, and the UN’s supervision. (VOA)
- Ethiopia: The UN warned that the federal government’s emergency declaration for the Tigray region was blocking the entry of food and other aid, adding that an escalation to the conflict risks the displacement of nine million people. (Reuters)
- Guinea: The country’s top court dismissed the opposition’s electoral fraud claims and President Alpha Conde’s bid for a third term being unconstitutional as it confirmed President Conde’s recent election victory. (Reuters)
Americas
- Region: Torrential rains linked to Hurricane Eta have triggered flooding in Honduras and led to the deaths of at least 20 people in Mexico. (AFP)
- Region: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he would not congratulate the winner of the US presidential election until any potential legal issues get resolved. (Reuters)
- Bolivia: Former President Evo Morales confirmed he will be returning to the country but will be accompanied by Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez “for security reasons.” (AFP)
Asia
- China: State media has reacted to former US Vice President Joe Biden’s election victory with cautious optimism but warned of tensions between Beijing and Washington continuing and suggested that US democracy was in decline. (NYT)
- Japan: Emperor Naruhito’s younger brother Crown Prince Fumihito was sworn in as the heir to the country’s Chrysanthemum Throne after months of delays due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. (AP)
- Myanmar: Voting has started in the country’s general elections, the second such election after more than five decades of military-dictated rule ended in the country, with Aung San Suu Kyi’s party being seen as the most likely winners. (AP)
- Thailand: Protesters called on King Maha Vajiralongkorn to hold talks with them during their latest demonstration against the country’s monarchy. (Reuters)
Europe
- Region: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says his country’s forces have taken control of the strategically key city of Shushi that lies within the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh territory while the Armenian Defense Ministry rejected Aliyev’s claim. (AP)
- Region: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin to persuade Armenia to enter negotiations with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to Turkish President Erdogan’s office. (Reuters)
- Belarus: Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets once again for the 13th consecutive weekend to demand the resignation of the country’s strongman leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka. (RFE-RL)
- United Kingdom: The head of the country’s armed forces, General Nick Carter, warned that the uncertainty and anxiety triggered by the coronavirus pandemic could risk another world war. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Iran: President Hassan Rouhani urged the next US administration to compensate for President Donald Trump’s “past mistakes” following former US Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. (Reuters)
- Israel: President Benjamin Netanyahu has congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden on his election victory. (Reuters)
- United Arab Emirates: The government will repeal a law that allowed judges to issue lenient sentences over honor killings, as it seeks to toughen the penalties for honor killings amid an overhaul of the country’s Islamic laws. (BBC)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Brazil’s top four telecommunications firms have reportedly rejected an invitation to meet with the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Keith Krach, who has been advocating for the exclusion of China’s Huawei from Brasilia’s markets. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Eta
- Location: 90 miles W of Camaguey, Cuba
- Wind: 65 mph
- Movement: NE at 10 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Eta
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 08NOV20: 49,938,804
- Total Recovered Cases as of 08NOV20: 32,851,030
- Deaths as of 08NOV20: 1,252,079
- Countries with Confirmed Cases: 190
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: DR Congo (11th Ebola outbreak figures from Equateur Province)
- Confirmed Cases as of 17OCT20: 119
- Probable Cases as of 17OCT20: 9
- Deaths as of 17OCT20: 53
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
Tomorrow’s Outlook (09NOV20)
- Global: The 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht. (to 10NOV)
- Global: The World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly will be conducted virtually. (to 14NOV)
- Global: World Freedom Day – 2001
- Global: The 5th EU Arab World Summit will be held virtually. (to 10NOV)
- Europe: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a virtual meeting with the new Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
- Europe: EU and UK negotiators will resume Brexit negotiations.
- Bolivia: Former President Evo Morales is expected to return from exile, accompanied by Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez.
- Cambodia: Independence Day – 1953
- Ecuador: Minister of Foreign Relations Luis Gallegos will speak on US-Quito relations at an event that will be held by the Atlantic Council think tank.
- Germany: Senior officials of the ruling Christian Democrat party will meet to discuss party leadership succession plans post-Chancellor Angela Merkel, among other topics.
- Libya: The country’s two warring factions will hold UN-brokered talks in neighboring Tunisia over the implementation of a recently agreed ceasefire.
- Malaysia: The government is expected to release data for September on unemployment, manufacturing output, and industrial output.
- Portugal: A coronavirus lockdown will be reimposed across most of the country.
- Peru: Impeachment proceedings against President Martin Vizcarra will begin.
- Venezuela: The Interim Government’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Commissioner Isadora Zubillaga will speak on the EU’s role in the country at a CSIS think tank event.
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