Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Thousands of Ethiopian refugees continue to flee to neighboring Sudan as fighting between the Ethiopian federal government’s army and local forces in the Tigray region continues and worsens.
- AMERICAS: Coronavirus hospitalizations reached a record high in the US.
- ASIA: South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said she appealed to the incoming US President-elect Joe Biden’s administration to pay “summit-level” attention to reopening nuclear talks with North Korea.
- EUROPE: Thousands of Armenians leading with the chants of “Nikol is a traitor” are demanding Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation after he agreed to a ceasefire that gave Azerbaijan territorial gains in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
- MIDDLE EAST: Bahrain’s long-serving Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa died at the age of 84.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The Australian Parliament will conduct an inquiry into Rupert Murdoch’s media monopoly after more than half a million people signed a petition demanding the inquiry.
Top Story
- China: Pro-democracy opposition lawmakers in Hong Kong resign.
- All the pro-democracy opposition lawmakers in Hong Kong’s legislature say they will resign due to the Hong Kong government’s disqualification of four of their colleagues.
- The four lawmakers were disqualified just moments after China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee passed a new resolution that said any lawmakers who expressed support for Hong Kong’s independence should be disqualified.
- This new resolution also stated that lawmakers should be disqualified if they refuse to acknowledge China’s sovereignty, and/or ask foreign forces to intervene in Hong Kong’s affairs.
- The four lawmakers who were disqualified were previously barred from running for reelection as authorities deemed their pledge of allegiance to Hong Kong was insincere.
- The mass resignation means Hong Kong’s city assembly is now left with almost no dissenting voices against Beijing for the first time since 1997.
- Reporting: AP, DPA, Reuters, NYT, WaPo, BBC, WSJ
Africa
- Ethiopia: Thousands of Ethiopian refugees continue to flee to neighboring Sudan as fighting between the Ethiopian federal government’s army and local forces in the Tigray region continues and worsens. (Reuters)
- Mozambique: The UN urged the government to investigate recent reports of Islamic militants massacring villagers in the country’s restive northern region. (Reuters)
- Tanzania: Opposition presidential candidate Tundu Lissu fled to Belgium to campaign for democracy in the country following its recent disputed election in which incumbent President John Magufuli received 84% of the vote. (Reuters)
Americas
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro told the public not to deal with the coronavirus pandemic like “a country of fags”. (AFP)
- Mexico: The Interior Ministry and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called for an investigation into an incident in Cancun where the police fired shots into the air during a protest against the killing of women. (BBC)
- Peru: The head of Congress Manuel Merino was sworn-in as the country’s interim President following the ouster of Martin Vizcarra from the presidency, triggering coup accusations against Merino. (Guardian)
- United States: Coronavirus hospitalizations reached a record high in the country. (AP)
Asia
- Region: South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said she appealed to the incoming US President-elect Joe Biden’s administration to pay “summit-level” attention to reopening nuclear talks with North Korea. (Reuters)
- Myanmar: The country’s military-aligned opposition party rejected the results of the recent election and called for a fresh election. (AFP)
- Philippines: Authorities ordered the evacuation of thousands of people in the country’s eastern regions due to the impending landfall of Typhoon Vamco just weeks after the country was struck by the year’s strongest typhoon. (Reuters)
- Thailand: In response to the anti-monarchy protesters’ demands, Germany said there was no evidence of the country’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn doing anything illegal while in Germany, where he resides for large parts of the year. (DPA)
Europe
- Region: The leaders of France, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and top EU officials held a virtual meeting to discuss coordinating on the response to the recent Islamist attacks in France and Austria. (VOA)
- Armenia: Thousands of protesters leading with the chants of “Nikol is a traitor” are demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation after he agreed to a ceasefire that gave Azerbaijan territorial gains in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. (Reuters)
- Greece: A fire burned down tents and some other parts of a refugee camp on the island of Samos, though there are no immediate reports of any injuries. (AP)
- The Holy See: Pope Francis vowed to eradicate sexual abuse from the Catholic Church as he offered prayers to the victims of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. (AP)
Middle East
- Region: An official mourning ceremony for veteran Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who died aged 65 of coronavirus complications, was held. (AFP)
- Bahrain: The country’s long-serving Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa died at the age of 84. (AP)
- Iran: Human rights lawyer and activist Nasrin Sotoudeh tested positive for the new coronavirus shortly after her temporary release from prison. (RFE-RL)
- Jordan: Voter turnout in the country’s parliamentary elections was the lowest in years as only 29.88% of all eligible voters took part in the polls. (Reuters)
- Syria: President Bashar al-Assad blamed the US and its pressure on Damascus’ neighboring countries and the UN for refugees of the country’s civil war not returning. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Media: The Australian Parliament will conduct an inquiry into Rupert Murdoch’s media monopoly after more than half a million people signed a petition demanding the inquiry. (AFP)
World
- Cyclones:
- Tropical Storm Vamco
- Location: 139 nautical miles E of Manila, Philippines
- Wind: 90 mph
- Movement: W at 12 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Vamco
- Hurricanes:
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 11NOV20: 51,548,261
- Total Recovered Cases as of 11NOV20: 33,598,533
- Deaths as of 11NOV20: 1,273,642
- Countries with Confirmed Cases: 191 (+1)
- 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 (12NOV20)
- Global: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host the Climate Ambition Summit 2020 over the internet, marking the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement.
- Global: The Energy Ministers of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum member-states will hold a ministerial meeting.
- Global: UNCTAD’s annual Review of Maritime Transport will be released.
- Global: The FAO’s biannual Food Outlook report will be released.
- Global: The International Energy Agency’s Oil Market Report for November will be released.
- Global: The Paris Peace Forum will be held virtually and will feature European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans and EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell, among others. (to 13NOV)
- Global: The World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly will be conducted virtually. (to 14NOV)
- Africa: The UN Security Council will hold adoption meetings for UN forces/missions to the Abyei region, Somalia, and the Central African Republic.
- Asia: The 37th ASEAN Summit and related high-level summits will be held. (to 15NOV)
- Europe: The European Parliament will hold a plenary session. (to 13NOV)
- Europe: The European Central Bank’s annual Central Banking Forum will be held virtually.
- Cameroon: A court will potentially hear detained opposition leader Maurice Kamto’s appeal to be released.
- France: Prime Minister Jean Castex will hold a press conference on the situation of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
- France: French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne will discuss the US-Paris defense relationship at an event hosted by the think tank CSIS.
- Greece: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will visit and meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
- Japan: Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to potentially hold a phone call with US President-elect Joe Biden.
- Norway: The final day of the country’s top court hearing an appeal by conservation groups to ban new oil exploration cases in the Arctic.
- Poland: The European Court of Justice is expected to issue an opinion on the independence of courts in the country.
- South Africa: Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera will visit and meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa. (to 13NOV)
- Syria: A Russian-organized conference on refugees from the country will be held in Damascus.
- United States: The final day that mail-in ballots can be counted in the state of North Carolina.
- United States: The government will release unemployment data.
- United States: The government-set deadline for social media app TikTok’s owners ByteDance to sell its assets in the country over national security concerns.
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