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Federal forces in Ethiopia They said they had surrounded Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, and were about to attack the city to crush a rogue regional government. They warned civilians to leave or receive “no mercy.” Ethnic clashes are breaking out. Non-Tigrayans are under attack in Tigray; maybe 600 were massacred in one city. The Tigrayans are being singled out elsewhere. Many have been arrested. Tigray soldiers in the national army have been disarmed. See article.
Pre-election violence claimed at least 45 lives in Uganda. Bobi Wine, an opposition candidate, was arrested once again. His followers protested. The security forces shot several of them. See article.
Israeit is Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet Muhammad bin Salman, the mighty crown prince. There was no indication that the Saudi regime was about to recognize Israel. Rather, the meeting seemed intended to warn Iran to restrict its nuclear program or risk military attack, and to hint to Joe Biden that the two will oppose significant policy changes in the Middle East. See article.
Iran released Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a British-Australian academic arrested in 2018 and convicted of espionage in a secret trial. They reportedly swapped her for Iranians arrested abroad. Separately, Iran said it will soon execute Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish doctor, convicted in an unfair trial on charges that were brought after he refused to spy for the government.
Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France from 2007 to 2012, stood trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling. He is accused of trying to bribe a judge by promising promotion assistance in exchange for information on an investigation into him.
France The lower house passed a bill that would make it illegal to share police images for “malicious purposes.” This law, if also passed by the Senate, would make it more difficult to expose police brutality. Brussels is taking a look.
Donald Trump eventually ordered federal agencies to cooperate with him. power transfer Joe Biden. The president’s refusal to do so had impeded the flow of classified information and other material to Mr. Biden. Trump also pardoned Michael flynn, his first national security advisor, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the Mueller investigation. Trump continues to challenge the election result, without success.
Biden began to choose his team, electing Antony Blinken, who worked in the Barack Obama administration, as its secretary of state. Avril Haines, another Obama veteran, will be the director of national intelligence; Jake Sullivan, former Biden assistant, national security adviser. He also created a new post of special envoy on climate change. The job went to John Kerry, who signed the Paris accord in 2015 as Obama’s secretary of state. In 2019, Kerry started an initiative to hold politicians accountable if they fail to cut emissions. See article.
Joshua Wong, a prominent activist in Hong Kong, was placed in pretrial detention after pleading guilty to charges related to the pro-democracy riots in the city last year. Two leaders of Wong’s now-dissolved political group, Demosisto, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, were also arrested. All three are expected to be sentenced next month.
China launched a spaceship, Chang’e 5, in the first attempt by any country to recover rock samples from the Moon in more than 40 years. It is scheduled to return to Earth in December.
Friendly governments and other donors promised to give Afghan $ 12 billion government over the next four years at a conference in Geneva. That marks a decline from the $ 15 billion promised four years ago.
Authorities in Singapore accused Jolovan Wham, a civil rights activist, of disturbing public order by briefly holding up a sign with a smiley face. They maintain that the act was an illegal protest. See article.
Police in Thailand summoned 12 of the leaders of ongoing protests across the country in connection with an investigation into lèse-majesté. The protesters have called for reforms to the monarchy.
Thousands of Guatemalans protested against the budget approved by the country’s Congress. Some set fire to Congress itself. They were angry that the budget included extra money for congressmen’s allowances, but less for the judiciary, malnutrition and health. Congress backed down.
From Mexico The Senate voted in favor of a bill to legalize cannabis for recreational use. It would allow users to have up to 28g of cannabis and allow them to grow up to four plants at home. If the bill is approved by the lower house of Congress, Mexico would become the third country, after Uruguay and Canada, to fully legalize cannabis for recreational use at the national level.
Diego Maradona, one of the best footballers of all time, passed away at the age of 60. Small in stature, dazzling dribbler and marvelous goal scorer, Mr. Maradona inspired his national team Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup (with a little help from his miraculous “hand of God”). He also struggled with addictions to cocaine and alcohol. See article.
Coronavirus reports
Various Asian Countries, including Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea, reported an increase in cases. In Japan, the government suspended a campaign in some areas to encourage people to travel.
Some European countries outlined plans to ease restrictions on Christmas. In Great Britain, three households will be able to meet during a five-day period. France will begin reopening stores on November 28, with most other restrictions ending on December 15. However, the restaurants will be closed until January 20. Germany took the opposite direction and tightened its measures until at least December 20.
the Australian the states of New South Wales and Victoria reopened their border. It was closed in July and flights between Sydney and Melbourne were canceled, amid a surge in the virus in Victoria. After a rigid block, he has not reported new cases for several weeks.
This article appeared in the The World This Week section of the print edition under the title “Politics This Week.”
