013
6
The world this week Politics Iran signed in 2015, will re sume later this month. The discussions were put on hold in June after the election of Iran’s new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi. America, which walked away from the deal under Donald Trump in 2018, will take part.
Rebels from Ethiopia’s north ern Tigray region captured two strategic towns and were poised to march on Addis Ababa, the capital. An allied rebel force, claiming to repre sent the Oromos, Ethiopia’s biggest ethnic group, said it had cut roads to Addis Ababa from the south. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister, declared a state of emergency and said Ethiopia would defeat the rebels with “the bones and blood of her children”. Tigrayans in the capital were rounded up and detained. The African National Congress, which has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, suff ered its biggestever electoral defeat, falling below 50% in a nationwide ballot for the fi rst time. The elections were local ones, which typical ly produce a lower turnout of anc supporters. But they suggest that the party may struggle to gain a majority at a general election in 2024. America, Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates called on the leaders of a mil itary coup in Sudan to rein state a civilianled transitional government. The last two were a surprise: the coup leader, Abdel Fattah alBurhan, was thought to have had the back ing of Arab allies, including the uae. The Knesset in Israel narrowly approved the government’s budget for 2021, a big victory for the new prime minister, Naftali Bennett. Had it failed, yet another general election would have been called. Talks between Iran and six world powers, aimed at resur recting the nuclear deal that
At least nine people were killed by a car bomb near the airport in Aden, Yemen’s temporary capital, the deadliest attack in the city since December. No one claimed responsibility. A day later dozens of people were killed or wounded in the province of Marib when missiles launched by the rebel Houthi movement hit a religious school and mosque, said the government. Talking hot air The un Conference on Climate Change, or cop26, began in Glasgow. Govern ments pledged to reduce meth ane emissions and end defor estation by 2030. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping did not attend, but the Chinese presi dent wrote to urge more sup port for developing countries. Some leaders were mocked for their travel arrangements. Joe Biden’s motorcade consisted of 20 vehicles. Boris Johnson fl ew back to London on a private plane. A spokesman said the aircraft was carboneffi cient.
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, said his country aimed to reach netzero emis sions by 2070. Many rich coun tries have committed to reach ing net zero by 2050. India, which still relies heavily on coal, would fi nd that much harder. As world leaders debated net zero, Britain and France called a temporary truce in a furious row over the economically insignifi cant question of fi shing rights in the English Channel. France had seized a British vessel after French fi sherfolk complained that postBrexit Britain was being slow to issue them with licenc es. The mackerel mêlée is certain to resume.
The Economist November 6th 2021
Opposition leaders in Nicaragua (at least, those who have not fl ed abroad) called on voters to boycott a presidential election on November 7th. Daniel Ortega, the autocratic president, is set to win another term after locking up plausible opponents. The eu called the election “fake”.
Coronavirus data To 6am GMT November 4th 2021
Weekly confirmed cases by area, m 3 Asia
United States
2
Western Europe
Other 1 0
A judge in Florida dismissed most of the charges of money laundering against Alex Saab, a Colombian who is an ally of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s dictator. Mr Saab, who was extradited to the United States, denies all the charges.
2020
2021
Estimated global excess deaths, m With 95% confidence interval 10.5
17
19.6
5.0m official covid-19 deaths
Vaccine doses given per 100 people By country-income group
A Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai, posted a message on social media accusing a former deputy prime minister, Zhang Gaoli, of assaulting her sexu ally. Censors quickly moved to suppress online discussion of the case. Yahoo became the latest Amer ican technology fi rm to with draw from China. It cited an “increasingly challenging business and legal environ ment” there. Microsoft’s LinkedIn has ended its services in China for similar reasons. How low can it go for Joe? A Republican won the go vernor’s race in Virginia, an offi ce Democrats have held for the past eight years. Glenn Youngkin, a former private equity executive, won over several exurbs that had enthu siastically plumped for Joe Biden last year. Some swing voters were irked that Mr Youngkin’s opponent had suggested that parents should have no say in what their children are taught in school. Democrats narrowly held on to the governorship in New Jersey, a party stronghold.
In Minneapolis a ballot mea sure to replace the police force with a Department of Public Safety was easily defeated. The proposal, in a city still trauma tised by the murder of George Floyd, would have required the city to treat crime as a public health problem.
Low income
6
Lower-middle
60
Upper-middle
132
High income
140
Sources: Johns Hopkins University CSSE; Our World in Data; UN; World Bank; The Economist’s excess-deaths model
→ For our latest coverage please visit economist.com/ coronavirus
Islamic State Khorasan Prov ince killed at least 20 people at a military hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital. The group has also attacked mosques, mostly targeting minority Shia Muslims, since the Taliban takeover in August. The World Health Organisa tion approved for emergency use India’s indigenous vaccine against covid19, known as Covaxin. Approval of the drug is expected to boost inoculations across the poor world. Thailand opened its borders to fully vaccinated visitors from more than 60 countries, as it tries to revive its bat tered, tourismdependent economy. Strict curbs on serving booze in bars and restaurants remain, however. Tonga recorded its fi rstever case of covid19, hurling the Pacifi c nation into a week long lockdown. The virus was transmitted by a vaccinated traveller from New Zealand.
