South Asia
In preparation for the rally of the Pakistan Democratic Movement in Multan, Pakistani authorities have cracked down on political workers of the opposition parties that have formed the alliance. As a result, several local leaders of the Pakistani Muslim League (Nawaz) have been arrested and several opposition parties’ offices have been raided. [Times of India]
A devastating bombing in Ghazni, a province in central Afghanistan, led to the death of at least 30 security personnel. The Taliban has refused to comment on the attack and has neither denied or accepted its role in the incident. [Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
A mortar shell attack killed the chief of staff of the third brigade of the Afghan National Army, Abdul Basir Nuristani, in the north-western province of Badghis. [Central Asia News]
East and Southeast Asia
Malaysia has agreed to buy 12.8 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, becoming the first country in South-east Asia to announce a vaccine deal after some expressed reservations over the need for ultra-cold storage. While final trial data showed that Pfizer's vaccine is 95% effective, many Asian countries are concerned about the unfavourable weather and a lack of ultra-cold freezers. [Strait Times]
South Korea and China have agreed to cooperate on stalled talks on North Korea’s nuclear programme and to prepare for a visit to Seoul by Chinese President Xi Jinping after South Korean President Moon Jae-in met China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi on Thursday. [Al Jazeera]
Europe
Polish police forces blocked protesters from marching against the government’s measures to restrict abortion rights in Warsaw over the weekend, at one point even using tear gas to disperse the crowds. Authorities claimed that the demonstrations were illegal, because they were not registered in advance, and that they violated a pandemic-related ban on large gatherings. [AP News]
A Hungarian government official has come under fire after comparing US-Hungarian billionaire philanthropist George Soros to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Szilard Demeter, ministerial commissioner and head of the Petofi Literary Museum in Budapest made the remarks in an op-ed on Saturday, which were immediately met with strong condemnations and loud calls for his dismissal. Demeter has since retracted his comments and vowed to delete his Facebook page. [Al Jazeera]
A monumental deal has been signed between the United Kingdom and France to crackdown on the illegal movement of migrants across the English Channel. As a result of this agreement, the two sides will increase patrols and investments in technology to address the security concerns in the region. [Al Jazeera]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Once again reiterating his support for US President Donald Trump, Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro said that he would ‘hold back’ “a little more” before officially congratulating President-elect Joe Biden. He remarked that there was “a lot of fraud”, but that he wasn’t sure if “it was enough to define (victory) for one or the other”. Bolsonaro has simultaneously been attempting to do away with electronic voting in Brazil ahead of the 2022 election, alleging that it facilitates fraud. [Associated Press]
A week after protestors set fire to the national congress building to protest against the new budget, which was later rescinded, demonstrators once again gathered in the thousands this weekend, this time to demand the resignation of President Alejandro Giammattei. In fact, Vice President Guillermo Castillo has already offered to resign if Giammattei joins him. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared that his administration’s military offensive on the Tigray region was over, as the regional capital Mekelle was now “under the command of the National Defence Forces”. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) announced that it would be withdrawing from Makelle. [The Africa Report]
An attack by two rockets on the Northern Refining Company, a state-owned refinery in Iraq, led to the outbreak of a major fire. The ISIL (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack. [DW]
The head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Kamal Kharazi, warned of a “calculated and decisive answer” to the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the country’s leading nuclear scientist. Meanwhile, Jared Kushner, the American White House’s senior adviser, will be visiting Saudi Arabia and Qatar to discuss the ongoing tensions that have been ignited by the incident. [Reuters, Al Jazeera]
North America
The Canadian government on Saturday announced new measures to prevent drug shortages in the country, by saying that it would ban the export of certain medicines. The announcement comes just a few days before the enactment of a new US rule that would allow pharmacists and wholesalers to import drugs from Canada. [CTV News]
The US on Friday sanctioned four Chinese and Russian companies due to their ties to Iran’s missile program. The firms, accused of “transferring sensitive technology and items” to Iran will face restrictions on US government aid and on their exports for two years. The companies targetted include China-based Chengdu Best New Materials and Zibo Elim Trade, as well as Russia-based Nilco Group and Joint Stock Company Elecon. [Al Jazeera]
President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump in Wisconsin was confirmed on Sunday after the completion of a recount in Dane County, which showed that Biden won by 181,340 votes. Though the Trump campaign has continued to allege massive voter fraud, it faced a another loss on Saturday as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected a request that some 2.5 million ballots be thrown out. The Court also threw out a lower court decision to halt the state from further certifying election results. [CNN; NPR]
Oceania
Amid an ongoing investigation by the Australian Defence Force into war crimes committed by Australian troops in Afghanistan, the Chinese foreign ministry posted a doctored image of an Australian soldier murdering a child. This comes amid escalating tensions between Australia and China over trade and diplomatic matters. Australian Prime Minister has demanded that the Chinese government offer an official apology and delete its “repugnant” tweet, a point which was reiterated by Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who referred to the tweet as the most “egregious” piece of social media disinformation that she had ever seen. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, revealed that more than 110 farmers were killed by militants from terrorist outfit Boko Haram on Saturday night in Zabarari village. It appears that this attack was in retaliation to a group of farmers from the area handing over a Boko Haram member to local security forces. [Daily Trust]
After over 43,000 Ethiopians crossed over the border into neighbouring Sudan to escape the conflict in the Tigray region, the United Nations announced that it has sent 32 tons of emergency aid to the country, including blankets, solar lamps, mosquito nets, tarpaulins, and rolls of plastic. It is estimated that a minimum of 160,000 people could migrate from Ethiopia over the next six months. [Africa News]
World News Monitor: 30 November, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
November 30, 2020
SOURCE: CNN