Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Fifty-one Nigerian civilians have been killed since the beginning of anti-police brutality protests in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari stated, the first time he has admitted there were deaths.
- AMERICAS: Bolivian President-elect Luis Arce promised to “rebuild” the Andean country after a tumultuous year of political turmoil amid the pandemic, as the official vote count confirmed a landslide win for the socialist party.
- ASIA: The Japanese government is considering compiling an extra budget worth around $95.5 billion to offset the economic drag caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Mainichi newspaper reported.
- EUROPE: Germany has recorded more than 10,000 Covid-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to official data published.
- MIDDLE EAST: The U.S.-brokered Sudan-Israel deal to normalize relations is “phony” and was achieved by a “ransom,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry reported.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The U.S. Treasury Department alleged that the Russian government-backed Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics – participated in creating “customized tools that enabled the attack” on an unidentified petrochemical facility in the Middle East in 2017.
Top Story
- United States: The nation recorded a daily record for additional COVID-19 cases.
- The United States has set a new daily record for COVID-19 infections, with cases increasing by 83,757, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said that he’s worried about a massive increase in Covid-19 cases across the country and urged people to “double down” on measures to reduce the spread of the virus.
- U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was still possible to get more of COVID-19 stimulus before the Nov. 3 general election, but that it was up to President Donald Trump to help by bringing along Senate Republicans.
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city has fought hard against the COVID-19 pandemic and is taking steps to stave off a second wave.
- US Surgeon General Jerome Adams has warned that hospital admission numbers are increasing, but mortality rates are still falling due to better patient care and knowledge of the virus.
- Reporting: DPA, CNN, Reuters Xinhua, BBC
Africa
- Cameroon: The authorities arrested four ivory smugglers attempting to transport nearly 120 elephant tusks through the nation’s south, officials reported. (AFP)
- Nigeria: Fifty-one civilians have been killed since the beginning of anti-police brutality protests in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari stated, the first time he has admitted there were deaths. (DPA)
- Sudan: A secondary health emergency is looming in the nation, with more than 4.5 million people at risk of vector-borne diseases following unprecedented rains and floods, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. (Xinhua)
Americas
- Bolivia: President-elect Luis Arce pledged to “rebuild” the Andean country after a tumultuous year of political turmoil amid the pandemic, as the official vote count confirmed a landslide win for the socialist party. (Reuters)
- Mexico: The northern border state of Chihuahua returned to the most severe level of alert and lockdown after COVID-19 cases increased and hospitals sustained an increasing number of patients. (AP)
- United States: A suburban Chicago police officer who shot an African American couple inside a vehicle — killing a 19-year-old man and wounding his girlfriend — has been fired, the police chief reported. (AP)
Asia
- India: The COVID-19 tally reached 7,814,682 as 53,370 more cases were recorded during the past 24 hours, said the latest data released by the federal health ministry reported. (Xinhua)
- Japan: The government is considering compiling an extra budget worth around $95.5 billion to offset the economic drag caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mainichi newspaper reported. (Reuters)
- South Korea: The nation’s new COVID-19 cases returned to below 100 after triple-digit infections were reported for the past two days, as sporadic cluster infections continued at senior care hospitals and other risk-prone facilities. (YNA)
- Thailand: King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s praise for a man who held up a royal portrait at a protest site in Bangkok has caused controversy in the nation, winning acclaim from monarchists and scorn from protesters. (Reuters)
Europe
- Germany: The nation has recorded more than 10,000 Covid-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to official data published. (The Guardian)
- Italy: Hundreds of people in the southern city Naples protested against a curfew and a planned regional lockdown amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. (DPA)
- Poland: President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for COVID-19 but is feeling good, presidential minister Blazej Spychalski announced on Twitter. (Reuters)
- Turkey: The nation reported 2,165 additional COVID-19 cases. (Xinhua)
Middle East
- Region: Israel said it would not oppose U.S. sales of “specific weapons systems” to the United Arab Emirates, in an apparent reference to the F-35 warplanes sought by Abu Dhabi. (Reuters)
- Region: The U.S.-brokered Sudan-Israel deal to normalize relations is “phony” and was gotten by a “ransom,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry reported. (Reuters)
- Egypt: Citizens vote to elect a new legislature expected to be dominated by candidates loyal to President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. (DPA)
Tech & Communications
- Cybersecurity: The U.S. Treasury Department alleged that the Russian government-backed Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics – participated in creating “customized tools that enabled the attack” on an unidentified petrochemical facility in the Middle East in 2017. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones:
- Typhoon Saudel
- Location: 17.7 N 113.6 E
- Movement: W at 7 mph
- Wind: 65mph
- Map
- Typhoon Saudel
- Hurricanes:
- Hurricane Epsilon
- Location:36.9N 62W
- Movement: NNE
- Wind:75 mph
- Map
- Hurricane Epsilon
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 24OCT20: 42,237,160
- Total Recovered Cases as of 24OCT20: 28,568,009
- Deaths as of 24OCT20: 1,144,682
- Countries with Confirmed Cases: 189
- 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 (25OCT20)
- Asia-Pacific: Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam in China.
- Americas/South Asia: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to visit India to lead the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with their Indian counterparts.
- Europe/MENA: French interior minister Gérald Darmanin to visit Algeria.
- MENA: Kuwait to resume some flights to Saudi Arabia.
- Belarus: The Belarusian opposition ultimatum of threatening a national strike if President Lukashenko does not resign to expire.
- Chile: Chile referendum elections.
- Egypt: Egypt parliamentary elections.
- Iraq: Iraqis to hold demonstrations to commemorate the first anniversary of anti-corruption protests in Baghdad.
- Ukraine: Ukraine local elections, including a non-binding referendum on the separatist dispute in Eastern Ukraine.
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