President-elect Joe Biden announced the members of his coronavirus task force (WaPo) today, beginning to shape his administration despite President Donald J. Trump’s refusal to concede the election. The formation of Biden’s team comes as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases skyrockets in the United States and around the world; at least ten million Americans (NYT) have been infected, and the global count has passed fifty million. 

Biden is moving ahead with the presidential transition (NYT), launching a website and reportedly planning executive actions to roll back Trump’s agenda. Major news organizations declared Biden the winner over the weekend after projecting his victory in Pennsylvania. Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, first Black person, and first Indian-American elected as vice president. Trump has vowed to pursue unspecified legal challenges, and would need to overturn Biden’s lead in Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada to hold on to the White House. Many world leaders have congratulated Biden (CNN), though the leaders of Brazil, China, Mexico, and Russia have not. 

Ansen Wong, a U.S. citizen facing prosecution in Hong Kong for participating in pro-democracy protests there, said he was turned away (WSJ) by the U.S. consulate where he sought refuge. Under State Department guidelines, Americans are eligible for protection at a consulate if they fear they are at risk of imminent harm. 

Thailand: Police sprayed water cannons at protesters trying to deliver letters (AP) to the Thai king detailing their grievances. The police ultimately allowed the protesters to place mock mailboxes for the letters near the palace. 

In CFR’s Asia Unbound blog, Pavin Chachavalpongpun and CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick explain the Thai protests.

Myanmar’s ruling National League for Democracy party claimed it won (AP) a parliamentary majority in yesterday’s election, though official results have not yet been released. The party, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, had been expected to return to power in the election, which saw strong turnout (NYT) despite the disenfranchisement of many people, including the Rohingya.

India/Pakistan: Four Indian soldiers and three rebels were killed during a gun battle (Al Jazeera) at the de facto India-Pakistan border in Kashmir, a spokesperson for India’s defense ministry said. It was the countries’ deadliest clash since April.

Representatives from Libya’s competing governments began UN-brokered peace talks (AP) in Tunisia today, aiming to end a conflict that has raged for nearly a decade. The United Nations chose seventy-five Libyan delegates to participate in the talks, which are slated to last for six days. The warring sides agreed to a cease-fire last month in Geneva. 

Jordan: Voters will head to the polls tomorrow to elect a new parliament (Al Jazeera) as the country grapples with an economic crisis worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reshuffled his top security officials (NYT) amid an ongoing offensive in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray. Abiy appointed a new head of intelligence, army chief, foreign minister, and federal police commissioner. 

Guinea: The country’s constitutional court upheld President Alpha Conde’s victory (Al Jazeera) in last month’s election, rejecting the opposition’s allegations of fraud. Conde won a controversial third term after amending the constitution to remove term limits.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said his country had captured (RFE/RL) the strategically important city of Shushi in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian officials confirmed that there was fighting around the city, which sits on a hilltop overlooking a main road, but denied that it had fallen. 

Georgia: Police fired water cannons on crowds demonstrating outside the Central Election Commission. Protesters have accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of rigging the latest parliamentary election (BBC) and are demanding a new vote. The party has denied the accusations.

Luis Arce was sworn in as Bolivia’s new president (CNN), returning his socialist party to power after the ouster of former President Evo Morales last year. Morales is expected to return to the country today after months of exile in Argentina.

CFR’s Paul J. Angelo explains Bolivia’s election.

Cuba/Guatemala: Tropical Storm Eta moved across Cuba (AP) yesterday and hit Florida today after leaving a trail of devastation across Central America. Dozens of people in Guatemala are dead or missing after the heavy rains triggered landslides. 

Early analysis of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer shows that it is more than 90 percent effective (NYT) in preventing the disease, the drugmaker announced today. The company plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency authorization of the two-dose vaccine later this month, after it collects more data. Pzifer says that by the end of the year, it could manufacture enough of the vaccine for fifteen to twenty million people.