South Asia
During a meeting with Nepali Health Minister Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that India will be donating 28 ventilators to Nepal to help the country combat the ongoing pandemic. This is seen as an attempt to further “positivity and enhance coordination between the two countries” despite the ongoing border tensions. [ANI]
UN Watch, an NGO in Geneva, said that Pakistan’s “presence on the United Nations Human Rights Council” was “intolerable.” This was in response to a tweet by the Government of Pakistan’s official handle that said, “Blasphemy in garb of freedom of expression is intolerable.” [Times of India]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Turkmenistan, the only Central Asian country that did not record any new coronavirus cases imposed a travel ban for two months. Under the new rules a trip across the country can only be made with the approval of special commissions set up by local governments. [Radio Library ]
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev declared on Sunday that this country’s forces had taken Shusha, the second-largest city in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, but Armenian officials denied the city had been captured. [ Middle East Monitor ]
East and Southeast Asia
Indonesia is looking to propose a limited trade deal with the United States, after Washington extended Jakarta’s access to a preferential tariff agreement following US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s October 29 visit to the Southeast Asian nation. The new agreement could double trade value between the countries to US$60 billion in five years’ time. [SCMP]
China has provided modern new homes for more than 9.6 million people over the past five years as part of its poverty alleviation efforts, the government said. 35,000 communities providing homes, schools, jobs and medical services had been established to accommodate them. [Nation State Relations]
Europe
Police in Belarus arrested more than 500 protestors on Sunday, who were demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko on the 90th consecutive day of demonstrations since August. [AP News]
Russian authorities have rejected claims that President Vladimir Putin was planning to resign due to ill health, after a UK tabloid claimed that the leader was showing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The report came after the lower house of Russia’s legislature proposed a law that could provide Russian ex-presidents immunity from criminal prosecution even after they left office. [Al Jazeera]
Following last week’s deadly attack in Vienna, the Austrian government announced its decision to close down several “radical” mosques operating in its country. Further details will be discussed during a press conference, which will be conducted by the Interior Minister Karl Nehammer and Integration Minister Susanne Raab. [The Hindu]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Last week, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stated that he has “good policy with Trump” and said that he “hopes he will be re-elected”. After Joe Biden was declared the victor, however, Bolsonaro appeared to backtrack, saying, “[Trump] is not the most important person in the world.” [Business Insider]
Tropical Storm Eta has continued to devastate Central American nations, with 100 people now reported missing across the region. It is estimated that at least 150 people have died as a result of the storm. [Associated Press]
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed hope that the South American country could engage in “decent, sincere, direct channels of dialogue” with the United States under the Joe Biden administration, saying that Trump had “left a minefield”. He hopes that Biden will put an end to American “interventionism” and sanctions. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
After Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed launched a full-scale military operation in the Tigray region to defeat anti-establishment forces, Sudan has closed its border with the troubled state until the situation is subdued. [Africa Feeds]
Iraq and Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced an agreement to bolster cooperation in the fields of economy and investment. Lately, Iraq has become a field of competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which enjoys close relations with several Iraqi Shia groups. This is an important agreement after Saudi Arabia resumed its diplomatic ties with Iraq after a 25-year break in 2015. [ Middle East Monitor]
North America
On November 7, former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US presidential election, after a win in Pennsylvania which put him over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes needed to clinch the White House. President-elect Biden, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris both took the stage in Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday night, pledging to be leaders for all Americans, and calling for national unity amidst difficult times. Biden stressed that getting the COVID-19 pandemic would be the biggest priority of his administration, adding that he would appoint a coronavirus task force on Monday. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has refused to concede, with his campaign pressing ahead with legal fights against the outcome, claiming that it was necessary to ensure result accuracy. [Reuters]
Oceania
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has once again reiterated that Australia would meet its targets under the Paris Agreement, and also welcomed the US back into the accords following president-elect Joe Biden’s apparent victory. However, he warned that any climate policies Australia makes will be based on its “national interests”. The European Union (EU), China, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom (UK) recently adopted net-zero emissions target for 2050 or 2060. However, Morrison said that a “one size fits all” approach cannot be forcefully imposed upon Australia. [news.com.au]
A poll conducted by The Australian revealed that PM Scott Morrison still maintains the support of 58% of Australians as the nation's preferred leader, well ahead of second-placed Anthony Albanese, who garnered just 29%. Meanwhile, the ruling coalition has an overall popularity rating of 51% compared to the Labor party, which is supported by 49% of people. [Sky News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
87-year-old Paul Biya, Africa’s second longest-ruling leader, completed his 38th year in power over the weekend. The 38th anniversary of the Cameroonian president's rule comes amidst rising instability and tensions between the country's majority Francophones and minority Anglophones. He was re-elected in a disputed election in October 2018, when he secured a seventh seven-year term. [Nation]
Reeling under the pressure of years of sanctions, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa hopes that the electoral victory of Joe Biden will increase “cooperation” between the two countries. [New Zimbabwe]
World News Monitor: 09 November, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
November 9, 2020
SOURCE: THE INDEPENDENT