South Asia
A circular issued by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that streaming and video content on online platforms, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, will now be regulated by the government. No further information was provided in the release. [Reuters]
Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ Secretary Rahul Chhabra announced the launch of the India-Brazil-South Africa Report, which aims to further collaboration on “Intellectual Property Rights, Traditional Medicine, Financial Sector Cooperation and Trade in Banking Services & Energy.” [ANI]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenian police detained several opposition leaders on Wednesday, who were protesting demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The leader has been criticized for signing the deal with Azerbaijan and Russia to end the six-weeks of fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is widely seen to favour Azerbaijan. [Eurasianet]
Authorities in Turkmenistan have tightened controls over mandatory mask-wearing, carrying out raids in organizations, companies, and schools, and imposing fines on individuals who do not wear face coverings. The country has no officially reported cases of the novel coronavirus cases. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Asian partners and Russia to oppose interference by “external forces”, taking a veiled swipe at the United States during an address to a regional security summit. Xi did not make direct mention of Washington in the speech, his first international comments since the US election a week ago, and delivered it as officials in the Donald Trump administration step up pressure on Beijing. [Yahoo News]
Germany does not believe that Thailand’s king has so far breached its ban on conducting politics during his extended periods in the country. Following a meeting of the Bundestag’s Committee of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, sources said that the government had told MPs that it believed the king was permitted to make occasional decisions, as long as he did not continuously conduct business from German soil. [Al Jazeera]
Europe
In light of the terror attack in Vienna last week, the Austrian government has approved a barrage of anti-terrorism measures that give authorities a wide range of powers including those of preventive detention, electronic surveillance, and awarding life sentences. [Al Jazeera]
On Tuesday, a discussion on the growing incidents of terror attacks was held between French President Emmanuel Macron, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Charles Michel. Consequently, the leaders decided to work towards stricter controls along the European Union’s external borders. [DW]
The annual far-right Independence Day march in Poland, which was originally planned to be held in cars and other vehicles to observe social distancing on Wednesday, was joined by an aggressive crowd on foot that clashed with the police, causing multiple injuries. 35 law enforcement officials were wounded, and 36 people were arrested. [AP News]
Latin America and the Caribbean
A day after trials for the coronavirus vaccine candidate produced by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac were suspended due to an “adverse, serious event”, Brazil’s health regulator has given the green light to resume trials. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Libya’s warring sides on Wednesday agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections within the next 18 months. The United Nations has regarded the decision as a ‘breakthrough’ in the ongoing peacemaking process in the war-torn nation. [Al Jazeera]
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud criticised Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear and ballistic missile programs and urged the world to take “a decisive stance” against it, in an annual address to the government’s top advisory body. There was no immediate reaction from Tehran to the King’s remarks. [Al Jazeera]
North America
US President-elect Joe Biden has named his longtime advisor, Ron Klain, as his chief-of-staff. Klain previously served as chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration and Biden during his tenure as President Barack Obama's vice president. [Al Jazeera]
Due to President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the election result, the US State Department is preventing President-elect Joe Biden from accessing congratulatory messages from world leaders. Biden has already held numerous calls with foreign governments without the State Department’s involvement, which has been difficult with their logistical and translation support. [CNN]
Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in Florida on early Thursday morning, bringing heavy rains and floods. People had to be rescued from flooded homes in a number of locations. [The Weather Channel]
Oceania
Former Australian ambassador to China Geoff Raby, who is now a director of a Chinese mining firm, has denounced Australia's binary policy on China, which oscillates between “sycophancy and hostility”. He warned that the current tensions with the East Asian giant will “come at a considerable cost to our living standards”, and said that the answer does not lie in treating China as an “enemy” or letting China “tickle our bellies”. [The Age]
Australian PM Scott Morrison tweeted that he had just spoken to and congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden, and remarked, “There are no greater friends and no greater allies than Australia and the US.” [Twitter]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Amid rising insurgency, there are reports that over 50 people have been beheaded by Islamist militants in Northern Mozambique. In fact, Islamic State (IS)-affiliated militants have killed in excess of 2,000 people in the country since 2017, focusing most of their attacks on the oil-rich Cabo Delgado province. [Africa Feeds]
Following a disputed election, in which President Alassane Ouattara was re-elected for a third consecutive term with over 94% of votes, over 3,600 Ivorians have sought refuge in neighboring Liberia, according to the UNHCR. [Al Jazeera]
World News Monitor: 12 November, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
November 13, 2020
SOURCE: REUTERS