Editor’s note: For the duration of the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties (COP27), the Daily News Brief will include a special section dedicated to developments at the climate conference. |
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Control of U.S. Congress Unclear as Republicans Make Slight Gains in Midterms |
Control of both houses of the U.S. Congress hung in the balance (AP) this morning after midterm elections that brought Republicans fewer gains than expected. High inflation and low approval ratings for President Joe Biden had prompted some predictions of a Republican sweep. The elections unfolded without major disruptions or widespread problems despite some concerns of voter intimidation or election tampering.
Ballot measures enshrined abortion rights (NYT) in California, Michigan, and Vermont. In Florida, potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron deSantis was reelected governor by a wide margin. Some candidates who falsely claim the 2020 presidential election was rigged were elected to office, while several prominent election deniers lost their races (WaPo).
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“All in all appears to have been a good day for the USA. Decent voter turnout, peaceful polling places, many losers conceding with some grace, many deniers denied, no mandate for radicalism. American democracy lives to fight (or better yet not fight) for another day,” CFR President Richard Haass tweets.
“Some policy changes—or, to put it more accurately, attempts to change policy—are on the horizon [in the next Congress]. But foreign policy stands out as one issue area that is unlikely to see many big swings,” CFR’s Christopher M. Tuttle writes for the Renewing America initiative. |
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Chinese Authorities Pull Video Criticizing Ukraine War From Trade Expo |
The video showed European Council President Charles Michel criticizing Russia’s “illegal war” in Ukraine and calling for the European Union (EU) to reduce trade dependency on China, unnamed European diplomats told Reuters.
China: Some five million people in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou were ordered to stay at home (AP) until Sunday amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases. |
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Bangladesh Reaches Preliminary Deal With IMF |
The preliminary loan for $4.5 billion aims to support Bangladesh’s macroeconomic stability, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said. It is the IMF’s third provisional agreement (Reuters) with a South Asian country this year.
Sri Lanka: The number of Sri Lankans who urgently need humanitarian aid amid the country’s food crisis has risen to 3.4 million (AFP), the United Nations warned, up from 1.7 million in June.
For the Asia Unbound blog, Akhil Bery discusses the deep roots of Sri Lanka’s crisis. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israel, Jordan to Move Forward With Solar-Energy-for-Water Deal |
The countries signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to continue developing plans (Times of Israel) to swap Jordanian solar energy for Israeli desalinated water.
Egypt: UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Volker Türk urged Egyptian authorities (VOA) to release jailed human rights activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, saying his life is at risk. Abd El Fattah is on a seven-month hunger strike and stopped drinking water when COP27 began on Sunday. This In Brief looks at the human rights concerns overshadowing Egypt’s role as COP27 host. |
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| Ghanaian Opposition Launches Bid to Remove Finance Minister |
Lawmakers are due to vote tomorrow (Bloomberg) on the proposal, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass. The opposition’s push comes after Ghana exceeded 37 percent annual inflation in September.
DRC: Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) expelled a French journalist working for Reuters after denying her request for accreditation. The journalist told Reuters that the authorities did not provide justification for the move. |
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EU Reaches Deal on National Emissions-Reduction Targets |
The deal requires sectors (Euronews) outside the EU Emissions Trading System—including road transport, agriculture, buildings, and waste—to collectively reduce emissions by 40 percent, compared to 2005 levels. Each EU member state will have its own emissions-reduction target based on its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and cost effectiveness.
Russia: Authorities are in the process of transferring jailed U.S. basketball star (CNN) Brittney Griner to a penal colony, her lawyers said. |
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Brazilian Election Auditors Find Last Month’s Vote Was Clean |
A federal audit court said it found no discrepancies (MercoPress) after checking records from the electronic voting machines used in the October 30 presidential runoff.
For Foreign Affairs, Matias Spektor and Guilherme Fasolin explain what Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s return to power means for the fate of the Amazon Rainforest.
Argentina: Economy Minister Sergio Massa discussed his possible candidacy for the presidency of the Inter-American Development Bank with visiting U.S. legislators last week, Bloomberg reported. The deadline for nominating candidates is Friday. |
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UN Report Lays Out Recommendations to Prevent Greenwashing |
A panel commissioned to crack down on greenwashing, or misleading promotion of eco-friendly practices, issued ten recommendations (Axios) for achievable net-zero emissions targets by companies and other nonstate actors.
At the conference, officials from Austria, Belgium, Ireland, and Scotland made new pledges (NYT) to compensate poor countries for the loss and damage caused by climate change. |
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