At least four people were killed in an attack (NYT) in the Austrian capital of Vienna yesterday evening. More than a dozen people were injured by gunfire, several of them seriously. 

The attack on one of the city’s main districts came as people were enjoying the last few hours (WaPo) before a new pandemic lockdown took effect at midnight. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer identified a gunman shot dead by police as a twenty-year-old man previously jailed for trying to join (BBC) the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria. Police have arrested (AP) several other people. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the shooting was an “Islamist terrorist attack,” but stressed that the country is fighting against “barbarism,” not Muslims. 

Americans are heading to the polls (NYT) today to decide the race between President Donald J. Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden after an unusual and at times rancorous campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly one hundred million ballots were cast ahead of Election Day, more than two-thirds (NYT) of the total vote in the 2016 election.

Beijing ordered traders to not buy at least seven types of Australian commodities—including coal, sugar, and lobsters—in its biggest retaliatory move yet (Bloomberg) against Canberra. Bilateral relations have soured since Australia called for an independent probe into the origins of the coronavirus. 

Indonesia: President Joko Widodo signed into law a controversial economic stimulus bill (NYT) that had sparked nationwide protests. Critics fear the law will hurt workers and the environment by loosening regulations. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government will grant provisional provincial status (Al Jazeera) to the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The region borders Afghanistan and China and is crucial to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a series of trade and infrastructure projects. India, which also claims the territory, denounced the move. 

Afghanistan: The Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on Kabul University (RFE/RL) yesterday that killed twenty-two people and wounded the same number. Most of the casualties were students, according to officials.

Military officials from Libya’s warring factions are gathering in the town of Ghadames for talks expected to center on the implementation of an October cease-fire agreement (Al Jazeera). They are the first in-person negotiations since rebel commander Khalifa Haftar attempted to retake the capital last year. Political leaders are slated to hold talks in Tunisia next week.

This In Brief lays out who’s who in Libya’s war. 

Saudi Arabia: The oil giant Saudi Aramco reported a profit loss (Reuters) of more than 44 percent in the third quarter as the pandemic continues to depress oil prices. The company, which is the world’s top oil producer, is a critical source of revenue for the Saudi government.

Armed rebels killed dozens of people (NYT) in the Oromia Region over the weekend, according to the country’s government and rights groups. Authorities said the attacks, which targeted the Amhara ethnic group in three villages, were perpetrated by the Oromo Liberation Army, an armed rebel group. 

This Backgrounder looks at major obstacles on the horizon for Ethiopia.

Ivory Coast: President Alassane Ouattara won a controversial third term (WSJ) in Saturday’s election, which was boycotted by the opposition and criticized by Western observers. The opposition has said it will set up its own transitional government, sparking fears of violence. 

European Georgia, an opposition party, claimed recent parliamentary elections were unfair and said it will boycott a runoff election (RFE/RL) later this month. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, won a plurality of the vote and is expected to form a majority in parliament. The largest opposition party, United National Movement, also rejected the results. 

Eta gained power to become a Category 4 storm and is expected to significantly damage (WSJ) Honduras and Nicaragua when it makes landfall today. 

Haiti: The Trump administration is pressing Haitian President Jovenel Moise to hold legislative elections (Miami Herald) as soon as possible. Moise, who has been ruling by decree since January, has sought to change the country’s constitution by referendum. The United States and Haiti’s opposition have opposed the move.