South Asia
On Tuesday, Afghani security forces said that a senior Al Qaeda member was killed during an operation conducted by the country’s intelligence agency. They also accused the Taliban of giving him a “safe haven and protection.” [Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Speaking at the virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on November 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that “attempts to exert foreign pressure” to change the leadership in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova are “unacceptable”. [Radio Free Europe]
East and Southeast Asia
Mike Pompeo told a news conference that the US Under Secretary of State Keith Krach would lead the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue with Taiwan on Nov. 20. He said the talks would include ensuring safe and secure supply chains and 5G security. [Reuters]
Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Italy, Nigeria, and Ukraine are the latest countries to join China’s travel blacklist, which already includes Britain, Belgium, and the Philippines. The restrictions come after 23 passengers on a flight from New Delhi to Wuhan test positive for Covid-19. [SCMP]
Europe
An investigation carried out by British authorities published its findings in a document called the Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report. According to the investigation, the Catholic Church in England and Wales had ignored over 900 complaints of child abuse against priests monks, and volunteers in a bid to protect their own reputation. [Al Jazeera]
France’s public prosecutor has initiated a criminal investigation into allegations against French government officials over their handling of the COVID-19 crisis. The charges include offences such as manslaughter and endangering lives. [Reuters]
The Hungarian government has proposed draft legislation that would ban adoption for same-sex couples. PM Viktor Orban’s conservative administration has also proposed a constitutional amendment requiring children to be raised with a Christian interpretation of gender roles. Human rights groups have condemned the bills as an attack against the LGBT community. [Euronews]
Latin America and the Caribbean
39 enslaved people were rescued from an illegal gold mine in Brazil. This represents the third raid on an illegal mining operation run by Raimunda Oliveira Nunes. In fact, Nunes was found guilty of enslaving workers in 2018 and was handed down a five-year sentence. However, she is still in the process of appealing the ruling, which has thus far allowed her to escape jail time. [Al Jazeera]
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) revealed that the region is currently in the midst of its worst-ever unemployment crisis, with 47 million jobs lost in the second quarter of 2020, which is driven in large part by the fact that at least 2.7 million companies have shut down. It is projected that 231 million people will be living in poverty by the end of the year. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Bahrain’s Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, one of the world’s longest-serving prime ministers who led his island nation’s government for decades and survived the 2011 Arab Spring, has passed at the age of 84. [Al Jazeera]
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Myanmar have signed a joint agreement to establish diplomatic relations and will work together to strengthen ties of friendship and mutual cooperation across the political, economic, and social levels. Prior to the agreement, Abu Dhabi had been sending medical aid to Myanmar to support the country in its fight against the novel coronavirus. [Middle East Monitor]
North America
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments to discuss whether to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare). However, two of the court’s justices signalled that they would not strike down the landmark legislation, which provides health coverage to more than 20 million Americans. [CNBC]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency authorization of a COVID-19 treatment manufactured by the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company. The treatment can only be used on those newly infected with the virus, who are above the age of 12 and are at the risk of developing a severe form of the disease. The agency said that the drug should not be used in hospitalized patients. [The New York Times]
Major world powers criticized the US for its human rights record on Monday during a UN review, citing the use of the death penalty, police violence against African Americans, and the separation of migrant children from their families. [Reuters]
Oceania
A former member of the Australian Navy has warned that the fleet’s submarine rescue and abandonment system has “severe limitations” and urged the government to reconsider its decision to cancel the signing of a $297 million contract with an American company to implement a new system by 2022.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Like his Ivorian counterpart yesterday, the Constitutional Court of Guinea confirmed Alpha Condé's victory in the recently concluded election, in which he garnered 59.50% of votes and secured a third five-year term in office. This comes as a blow to opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who claims that he was the rightful victor. [The Africa Report]
Former Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré has died at the age of 72 in Turkey. He ruled the country from 2002 to 2012 and was ousted from power via a military coup over popular discontent against his failure to tackle militant insurgencies in the country’s north. [Africa News]
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has left the country for Belgium. Lissu was recently briefly detained and feared further reprisal following the recent election, in which incumbent President John Magufuli maintained his incumbency. Lissu has been receiving death threats in the aftermath of the election. In fact, in 2017, he was shot 16 times in an attack by Magufuli loyalists. [The East African]
World News Monitor: 11 November, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
November 12, 2020
SOURCE: AFP