Wednesday, October 27th, 2021 

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warns that the delivery and Ukraine’s first operational deployment of the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 in Donbas may “destabilize the situation” in the region. Ukraine carried out its first strikes against separatist forces using the Bayraktar drone yesterday. (Reuters) 

Ukrainian troops regain control of the village of Staromaryivka in the so-called “grey zone” between Ukraine and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), according to DPR Foreign Minister Natalya Nikonorova. (TASS) 

Four policemen are killed and 263 more are injured during clashes with supporters of the banned far-right Islamic extremist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party in Lahore, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera) 

A report by the United Nations and the government of Papua New Guinea finds that thousands of Papuans from Indonesia have crossed into the remote border areas of western Papua New Guinea. In one of the areas, the sole police commander, Terry Dap, has asked the central government in Port Moresby to help reduce the influx of asylum seekers into Papua New Guinea. (RNZ) 

The African Union suspends Sudan in response to Monday’s military coup. (DW) 

The Central Bank of Brazil raises its interest rate by 150 basis points to 7.75 percent, its largest increase since 2002. (AFP via RFI) 

Singapore reports a record 5,324 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 184,419. (Today) 

Merck & Co. signs a licensing agreement with the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool that will allow more companies to manufacture generic versions of its experimental oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment molnupiravir with a royalty-free license that will apply to 105 low- and middle-income countries. (Reuters) 

Saudi Arabia summons the Lebanese ambassador over “offensive” remarks about the war in Yemen made by Lebanese information minister George Kurdahi. (Arab News) 

Tajikistan approves the construction of a new US$10 million Chinese military base near its border with Afghanistan, and in a separate statement offers to hand over a pre-existing base to China and waive future rent payments on the base in exchange for military aid. The approval comes as the Tajik government expressed concerns about the worsening security situation along the border after the Taliban took over Afghanistan a few months prior. (RFE/RL) 

Following a meeting with European officials in Brussels, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announces that negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will resume in November. Negotiations were halted following the United States’ withdrawal from the deal. (AFP via WION) 

The Brazilian Senate votes to charge President Jair Bolsonaro over his controversial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The charges include crimes against humanity, incitement to crime, falsification of documents and the violation of social rights. Brazil‘s COVID-19 death toll is second only to that of the United States. (BBC News) 

Protests continue for a second consecutive day across Ecuador due to an increase in the price of gasoline, as president Guillermo Lasso orders the deployment of security forces to highways in order to maintain order. Lasso also calls on indigenous populations and civil society groups to engage in dialogue. (Reuters) 

The budget proposed by the Socialist minority government of Prime Minister António Costa is rejected by the Assembly of the Republic for the first time in the country’s democratic history, following moves by the Left Bloc and the Communist Party to join the right-wing parties and reject the budget. It is expected that the President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will dissolve the parliament and call for early elections. (AFP via France 24) 

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) fines Poland €1 million per day, for breaking the law by maintaining the disciplinary chamber of its Supreme Court. The ECJ says Poland has failed to comply with its order, and finds it might pose a “serious and irreparable harm to the legal order of the European Union”. The fine is the highest daily penalty the ECJ has ever imposed on any EU member state. (DW) 

Australian professional soccer player Josh Cavallo comes out as gay, becoming the only current openly gay top-flight male soccer player. (CNN) 

 
FDA advisers recommend Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 The Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee on Tuesday made a non-binding recommendation to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The panel said the potential benefits outweighed the risks of a rare cardiac side effect. The vote was 17 to 0, with one abstention. The pediatric vaccine’s step toward approval came more than 10 months after the first U.S. adults got their COVID-19 vaccines. Approval for pediatric vaccines is seen as crucial to protecting children in school and in holiday gatherings during an ongoing pandemic that has killed more than 736,000 people in the United States, according to The Washington Post. “To me, it seems that it is a hard decision but a clear one,” said Patrick S. Moore, a microbiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, noting that 94 children in the age group have died of COVID-19. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Senators grill YouTube, Snap, TikTok leaders on damaging posts Lawmakers questioned YouTube, Snap, and TikTok on data privacy, damaging posts, and other issues on Tuesday, shifting attention briefly to other social media companies after weeks of criticism of Facebook for allegedly putting profits above user safety. A bipartisan group of senators told executives of the companies they feared the firms’ software was driving young users to inappropriate posts, and companies were not doing enough to remove dangerous content. “Everything that you do is to add users, especially kids, and keep them on your apps for longer,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). The companies said they were working hard to protect child users. Several lawmakers said their staff had accessed harmful content with ease, sometimes logged in as a teenager, echoing concerns about Facebook that were raised by whistleblower Frances Haugen. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Democrats want $500 billion for climate programs in spending bill  The White House has told several congressional allies that the Democrats’ spending bill will include between $500 billion and $555 billion for climate change programs, Politico reported Tuesday, citing four people familiar with the matter. A senior Biden administration official declined to confirm the amount, but said the White House sees “the ball moving forward.” Politico‘s sources said the bill will not include a proposed system of penalties intended to get power companies to increase renewable energy, a program opposed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). It will be replaced with grants, tax credits, and loans to help steel, cement, and aluminum companies decarbonize. President Biden has pledged to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels this decade. He will attend a global climate summit next week in Scotland. POLITICO 

Democrats consider taxes on billionaires, corporations to pay for spending plan  Senate Democrats rushed to try to finalize a deal on a major spending plan before President Biden leaves on a foreign tour this week. The Build Back Better proposal could cost $1.75 trillion over a decade, and some Democrats are pushing a tax hike that would raise more than half of its revenue from the 10 richest people in America, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The “billionaire” tax proposal would make the 700 wealthiest taxpayers the main revenue source for the spending plan, which would expand the social safety net and boost Biden’s effort to fight climate change. Leading Democrats also are proposing a 15-percent minimum tax on corporations posting more than $1 billion in profits over three years, and a 3 percent “surtax” on millionaires earning more than $5 million annually. REUTERS 

Biden mocks Virginia Republican for refusing to campaign with Trump  President Biden campaigned with Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday night, a week before Virginia chooses its next governor. Polls show a tight race between McAuliffe and his Republican rival, former private equity executive Glenn Youngkin, and Biden pointedly asked the crowed why Youngkin is not campaigning with the head of his party, former President Donald Trump. “Is there a problem with Trump being here? Is he embarrassed?” Biden said. Biden seemed to be “trying to goad Donald Trump to weigh in” as the campaign ends, CNN’s Jeff Zeleny tweeted. He also touted McAuliffe’s accomplishments as governor, called Youngkin a “Trump acolyte,” and hit Trump on his claims of election fraud, his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and the Jan. 6 insurrection. POLITICO 

‘Dune’ sequel confirmed for 2023 release Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have confirmed that director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel Dune will get a second installment. Dune: Part Two is scheduled to hit theaters in October 2023. “I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two,” Villeneuve told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning.” Dune fans had been anxious about whether this second movie would go forward, since the new film doesn’t adapt the entire book and is even referred to on screen as Dune: Part One. But the film’s solid $40.1 million in domestic ticket sales in its opening weekend appeared to have helped, especially considering it was also available to stream on HBO Max. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Japan’s Princess Mako marries commoner, loses imperial status Japanese Princess Mako lost her royal status on Tuesday after quietly marrying a commoner, Kei Komuro. “For me, Kei-san is a priceless person. For us, our marriage was a necessary choice to live while cherishing our hearts,” Mako said in a televised news conference, using the traditional honorific in speaking of her husband. The couple announced in 2017 that they planned to get married the following year, but a financial dispute involving his mother resulted in an extended delay. Some opposed the marriage. Because of the criticism, Mako declined a $1.23 million payment she was entitled to for leaving the imperial family. Mako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, and Komuro met when they were classmates at Tokyo’s International Christian University. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Tuesday,  October 26th, 2021 

It is revealed that yesterday’s explosion on a bus in Mpigi District was carried out by an ADF suicide bomber. The attacker was killed, and three other people were wounded. (France 24) 

Military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says that he and his forces seized power in an attempt to avoid a civil war in Sudan, saying that “the dangers we witnessed last week could have led the country into civil war”. Meanwhile, anti-coup protests occur across the country. (Reuters) 

Deposed prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife are released by the military. However, several government officials continue to be detained and face trial. (AFP via Gulf News) 

Ukraine confirms it has carried out its first drone strikes using the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, destroying a pro-Russian separatist D-30 howitzer. A Ukrainian soldier is killed and another is wounded by rebel artillery near Hranitne in Donetsk Oblast. (The Moscow Times) 

Princess Mako of Akishino marries commoner Kei Komuro, thereby nullifying her imperial title under Japanese law and becoming Mako Komuro. (AFP via France 24) 

A cyberattack affects gas stations across Iran, rendering government-issued electronic cards used to buy subsidized fuel unuseable and leaving motorists stranded in long queues. No group immediately claims responsibility for the attack. Iran blames an Two people are killed and another is missing as floods triggered by a powerful storm is affecting Catania, Sicily, Italy. Roads have been completely submerged in parts of the region. (BBC News) 

Belgium reintroduces the usage of face masks at public places and will expanding the usage of COVID Safe Ticket to bars, restaurants, and fitness club beginning next week amid a rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. (AP) 

Russia reports a record 1,106 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 232,775. (The Moscow Times) 

Ukraine reports a record 734 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 64,936. (RFE/RL) 

Bahrain approves the usage of the Sinopharm BIBP COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 3 and 11 years old. (Khaleej Times) 

The city of Lanzhou is placed under lockdown due to a cluster of COVID-19 cases. The city, which has a population of over four million, accounts for roughly a fifth of new cases reported in China since October 17. (NDTV) 

The African Union will purchase 110 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in a deal brokered by the United States, which will defer delivery of some doses intended for the U.S. in order to facilitate the deal. (Al Jazeera) 

Poland increases the number of soldiers deployed on its border with Belarus from 6,000 to “about 10,000” in order to prevent the flow of further illegal crossings by Middle Eastern migrants being flown in by the Belarusian government. The troop surge comes after two border guards were hospitalized over the weekend after a group of 70 migrants stormed a section of the border. (EU Observer) 

The ASEAN Summit takes place virtually without the participation of Myanmar, following the bloc’s decision to disinvite the country’s military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing for refusing to cooperate on a peace process. (AFP via France 24) 

A Senate committee approves a resolution to gain access to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s internet activity. The Senate also votes today on whether to indict Bolsonaro with multiple charges, including charges accusing him of mismanagement of the pandemic, charlatanism and crimes against humanity. (Reuters) 

At least 150 people are arrested by European and U.S. authorities during a joint crackdown on traders of drugs, weapons and other illicit goods on darknet e-commerce sites. The majority of those arrested are from Germany, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. (AP) 

The End

Tuesday,  October 26th, 2021 

At least 150 people are arrested by European and U.S. authorities during a joint crackdown on traders of drugs, weapons and other illicit goods on darknet e-commerce sites. The majority of those arrested are from Germany, U.S. and the United Kingdom. (Reuters) 

The city of Lanzhou is placed under lockdown due to a cluster of COVID-19 cases. The city, which has a population of over four million, accounts for roughly a fifth of new cases reported in China since 17 October. (NDTV) 

Greenhouse gases hit record level despite drop during coronavirus lockdowns  Greenhouse gas concentrations surged to a record level last year despite a temporary decline in emissions during coronavirus lockdowns, the United Nations said Monday ahead of the organization’s climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland. A new U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report found that carbon dioxide levels increased by more than the average rate of the last decade in 2020, reaching 413.2 parts per million. WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said that the rate of increase would push up temperatures “far in excess” of the 2015 Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. “We are way off track,” he said. “We need to revisit our industrial, energy, and transport systems and whole way of life.” REUTERS 

Yesterday’s explosion on a bus in Mpigi District was carried out by an ADF suicide bomber. The attacker was the only fatality while three people were wounded. (France24)

Military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says that he and his forces seized power in an attempt to avoid a civil war in Sudan, saying that “the dangers we witnessed last week could have led the country into civil war”. Meanwhile, anti-coup protests occur across the country. (Reuters) 

Princess Mako of Akishino marries commoner Kei Komuro, thereby nullifying her imperial title in accordance with Japanese law. (AFP via France 24) 

Russia reports a record 1,106 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 232,775. (The Moscow Times) 

The African Union will buy 110 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in a deal brokered by the United States, which will defer delivery of some doses first intended for internal use as part of the deal. (Al Jazeera) 

Poland increases the number of soldiers deployed on its border with Belarus from 6,000 to “about 10,000” to prevent the flow of further illegal crossings by Middle Eastern migrants. The troop surge comes after two border guards were hospitalized over the weekend after a group of 70 migrants stormed a section of the border. (EU Observer) 

Facebook whistleblower testifies to U.K. lawmakers  Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified to British lawmakers on Monday, urging them to crack down on the spread of hate speech and other harmful content on social media platforms before it is too late. “Right now, Facebook is closing the door on us being able to act. We have a slight window of time to regain people control over AI,” Haugen said. Haugen repeated an allegation that she made recently to Congress, saying, “Facebook has been unwilling to accept even a little sliver of profit being sacrificed for safety.” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that was “just not true.” Facebook said Monday in a statement that it had “reduced the amount of hate speech that people see by half this year.” CNBC 

Biden administration halts aid to Sudan after coup The Biden administration plans to suspend $700 million in economic assistance to Sudan in response to a military coup in the northeast African nation, the State Department said Monday. The announcement came shortly after the military arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other members of the government. The U.S. is calling for Sudan’s military to respect “the aspirations of the Sudanese people to restore the country’s path to democracy,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. The military declared a state of emergency as protesters took to the streets in the capital, Khartoum, calling for a return to the transition to democracy that started with the ouster of longtime dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir more than two years ago. Soldiers responding to the protest killed at least three people. THE WASHINGTON POSTREUTERS 

Gunman kills 2 at Boise shopping mall A shooting at a Boise, Idaho, shopping mall on Monday left two people dead and five others injured, including the suspect, Boise police said. A police officer who was among those injured was treated and released from a hospital. The unidentified gunman also was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with police and hospitalized in critical condition. The shootout occurred after officers responding to a report of gunfire in the mall encountered a person matching the suspect’s description, Boise Police Department Chief Ryan Lee said. Police did not immediately identify the people killed or injured, and Lee said it was too early in the investigation to determine a motive. Boise Mayor Lauren McLean thanked shopkeepers who “reacted so quickly to take care of folks that were there,” saying they “showed in a tough and chaotic moment, how much you care.” IDAHO STATESMAN 

Trial showed Moderna vaccine safe, effective in children 6 to 11 Moderna said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine was shown to be generally safe and effective in a clinical trial involving children aged 6 to 11. The company said it would submit the results to the Food and Drug Administration and its regulatory counterparts in Europe and elsewhere, seeking emergency authorization to administer the shots to children in that age group. The Moderna vaccine currently is authorized in the U.S. for people 18 and older. The company already has asked the FDA to authorize giving its vaccine to children aged 12 to 17, but a decision has been delayed as the agency assesses the risk of a rare inflammation of the heart. Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to get authorization for the use of their vaccine in children 5 to 11 within days or weeks. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Tesla’s market cap hits $1 trillion for 1st time Tesla shares jumped by nearly 13 percent on Monday, vaulting the electric-car maker’s market capitalization above $1 trillion for the first time. The spike followed car rental company Hertz’s announcement that it planned to buy 100,000 Tesla cars by the end of 2022. After the purchase, electric vehicles will make up 20 percent of the Hertz fleet worldwide. Tesla shares, which bottomed out below $100 in the early days of the pandemic, settled above $1,000 for the first time, closing at $1,024.86. Tesla, the world’s first trillion-dollar automaker, is now worth more than General Motors, Toyota Motor, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Honda, and several other automakers combined. The surge appeared to surprise Tesla CEO Elon Musk. “Strange that moved valuation,” he said via Twitter, “as Tesla is very much a production ramp problem, not a demand problem.” THE NEW YORK TIMESREUTERS 

White House launches program letting private citizens sponsor resettling Afghans  The Biden administration on Monday announced a new initiative allowing private citizens to sponsor resettling Afghan refugees. The program could shore up the U.S. resettlement system that proved weak as it was tested by thousands of recent arrivals, Roll Call said. Under the arrangement, groups of citizens can form what are called “sponsor circles” to help refugees with basic services and tasks traditionally handled by nonprofits — like securing housing, accessing government benefits, and providing food and clothing — during their first 90 days in the U.S. Local communities and organizations like Welcome.US, Airbnb, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, among others, will also assist in the program, according to ABC News. ROLL CALLABC NEWS 

NYC police union challenges vaccine mandate in court New York City’s largest police union on Monday filed a lawsuit asking a judge to let unvaccinated police officers keep working despite a vaccine mandate imposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio last week. The Police Benevolent Association of New York said the city should give police officers the option of testing regularly, arguing that a “test-or-vax” rule would protect public safety. On the day the lawsuit was filed in Staten Island, where many officers live, a crowd that included fire, police, and sanitation workers marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall, chanting, “We Will Not Comply.” COVID-19 was the most common cause of officer duty-related deaths in 2020 and 2021, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Monday,  October 25th, 2021 

Petrol prices hit a record high of £1.4294 per litre (equivalent to $7.45 per gallon) in the United Kingdom amid fuel shortages. (BBC News) 

The death toll from the clashes between the Somali National Army and Sufi paramilitary group Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a in Galmudug increases to 120. (Reuters) 

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other senior members of the civilian government are detained by the military in a coup d’état. The military also seizes state television and blocks internet access. Thousands of people gather in Khartoum to protest the coup. (The Guardian) 

Ten civilians are killed and 140 more are injured as mass protests occur following the coup. (BBC News) 

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announces a state of emergency and the dissolution of the Sovereignty Council and the government. (Saudi Gazette) 

It is announced that around 1.5 million people have visited the Expo 2020 event in Dubai since its opening on October 1. (Al Arabiya) 

In a near-return to normalcy, operating hours restrictions on bars and restaurants have been lifted in cities across the Greater Tokyo Area and Osaka for the first time in 11 months, also allowing these establishments to resume their alcohol sales at any time during their business hours as the number of COVID-19 cases decreases. (The Asahi Shimbun) 

Romania imposes a nationwide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for those who have been unvaccinated or who have not recovered from COVID-19 and makes face masks mandatory in all public venues in an attempt to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. The country also begins to implement a mandatory green certificate for shopping malls, restaurants, public institutions and workplaces. (See News) 

Mexico begins vaccinations for at-risk children in Mexico City. (La Prisna Latina) 

Hours after the coup d’état in Sudan, the United States Department of State suspends $700 million worth of aid to the country until the restoration of the civilian government. (AFP via CNA) 

A court in Munich, Germany, sentences an Islamic State-affiliated 30-year-old woman to 10 years in prison for allowing a 5-year old Yazidi girl to die from thirst in Iraq. The woman was found guilty on multiple charges, including some related to terrorism. (CBS News) 

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announces that the state of emergency, which was imposed in April 2017, will be lifted. (The New York Times) 

Facebook and Alphabet Inc., which owns Youtube, announce that they have removed a video of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claiming that vaccines cause AIDS after the video was found to have violated their respective company’s policies about COVID-19 vaccines. (Reuters) 

October 25th, 2021 

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other senior members of the civilian government are detained by the military in a coup d’état. The military also seizes state television and blocks internet access. Thousands gather in Khartoum to protest the coup. (The Guardian) 

Three civilians are killed and 80 more injured as mass protests erupt after the coup. (Al Jazeera) 

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announces a state of emergency and the dissolution of the Sovereignty Council and the government. (Reuters) 

An explosion on a bus in Mpigi District, kills one person and injures several others. (Al Jazeera) 

Saturday’s bombing of a Kampala restaurant is claimed by Islamic State. (Reuters) 

The death toll from the clashes between the Somali National Army and Sufi paramilitary group Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a in Galmudug rise to 120. (Reuters) 

In near return to normalcy, operating hours restrictions on bars and restaurants have been lifted in cities across the Greater Tokyo Area and Osaka for the first time in eleven months, which also allowing establishments to resume their alcohol sales at any time during their business hours as the number of COVID-19 cases decreases. (The Asahi Shimbun) 

Romania imposes a nationwide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for those who have been unvaccinated or unrecovered from COVID-19 and mandatory face masks in all public venues in attempt to curb the spike of COVID-19 cases. It also begins to implement a mandatory green certificate for entering shopping malls, restaurants, public institutions or going to work. (See News) 

Russia reports a record 37,930 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.279 million. (Emirates News Agency) 

The Biden administration signs an presidential proclamation requiring international travellers to be fully vaccinated using any WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines and allows “mix-and-match” jabs. The proclamation also requiring unvaccinated Americans and immigrants to tested negative for COVID-19 one day before departure. These rules will take effect on November 8. (Financial Times) 

A court in Munich, Germany sentences an IS-affiliated woman to 10 years in prison for allowing a young Yazidi girl to die from thirst in Iraq. The woman was found guilty on multiple charges, some related to terrorism. (Reuters) 

Sudan military detains prime minister in apparent coup Sudan’s military detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, along with cabinet members and other civilian leaders, in an apparent coup that threatened to derail the northeast African nation’s fragile democratic transition. Military forces put Hamdok under house arrest, then moved him to “an unknown location” after he refused to “endorse the coup,” the country’s Ministry of Culture and Information said in a Facebook post. Internet services were disrupted in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country. Protesters filled Khartoum’s streets early Monday. Smoke from burning tires filled the air. The turmoil came days after the capital’s biggest pro-democracy protests since the 2019 wave of popular anger that forced out longtime authoritarian ruler Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Since then, the country has been ruled by a civilian-military council. THE NEW YORK TIMESTHE WASHINGTON POST 

Fauci: Coronavirus vaccines likely available to kids aged 5 to 11 in November Coronavirus vaccines should be available for children aged 5 to 11 by mid-November, top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. Food and Drug Administration officials are reviewing an application from Pfizer and BioNTech to authorize their two-dose vaccine for children in the age group. The FDA’s panel of outsiders is scheduled to consider the vaccine on Oct. 26, and the FDA usually follows their recommendations. After that, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will weigh in, and the CDC is expected to quickly follow up with a final decision. “If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” Fauci said. REUTERS 

Jan. 6 rally organizers implicate GOP lawmakers in planning Two people who helped plan the Jan. 6 rally in Washington that preceded the Capitol insurgency are sharing their knowledge with the House Jan. 6 committee, and they have “explosive allegations that multiple members of Congress were intimately involved in planning both [former President Donald] Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss and the Jan. 6 events that turned violent,” Rolling Stone reported Sunday. “I remember Marjorie Taylor Greene specifically,” one organizer told Rolling Stone. Along with Greene (R-Ga.), both planners said GOP Reps. Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Madison Cawthorn (N.C.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), and Louie Gohmert (Texas), or their top staffers, participated in the conversations. Greene “had nothing to do with planning of any protest,” a spokesman said. ROLLING STONE 

Husband starts hunger strike on behalf of U.K. charity worker jailed in Iran The husband of a U.K. charity worker detained in Iran started a hunger strike on Sunday after an Iranian court extended her prison term another year. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has already been detained for more than five years. She was arrested at Tehran’s airport in April 2016 and later convicted on a charge of plotting to overthrow the country’s government, which she and human rights groups deny. Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, launched his hunger strike outside the British government’s Foreign Office in central London. Two years ago, he fasted for 15 days outside the Iranian Embassy. He said that was what got Iran to release their 7-year-old daughter, Gabriella. “We are now giving the U.K. government the same treatment,” he said, adding that Iran was the “primary abuser” in the case but that the “U.K. is also letting us down.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Trial starts in lawsuit over Charlottesville rally violence  A long-delayed lawsuit gets underway in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Monday to determine whether the far-right organizers of the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally plotted for the event to turn violent. The gathering started with a torch-lit march during which participants chanted racist and antisemitic slogans. The next day, a rally supporter drove into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring dozens of others. The plaintiffs accuse the two dozen organizers of intentionally fomenting the violence that left them injured. The 24 defendants, including 10 far-right organizations, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, Klan sympathizers, and other extremists, have argued that rally participants involved in clashes were acting in self-defense. The plaintiffs are asking for unspecified financial damages. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Yellen says inflation will improve by middle or end of 2022 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday she expects inflation to ease by “the middle to end of next year,” but that rates could remain abnormally high for months. “The COVID shock to the economy has caused disruptions that we’ll be working through over the next year,” Yellen told CNN’s State of the Union. “And, of course, Americans have not seen inflation like we have experienced recently in a long time.” Yellen also pushed back on the idea that the U.S. is losing control of inflation. “As we get back to normal, expect that to end,” she added of the high rates. The most recent Consumer Price Index indicated that consumer prices rose 5.4 percent in the past 12 months. POLITICOCNN 

October 24th, 2021 

Clashes between the Somali National Army and Sufi paramilitary group Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a in Galmudug kill at least 30 people and injure more than 100 others. (Reuters) 

Eastern Europe surpasses 20 million cases of COVID-19, with Russia, Ukraine and Romania reporting the most deaths. (Al Jazeera) 

Uzbeks head to the polls to elect their president. Analysts say that incumbent Shavkat Mirziyoyev has his victory for a second term secured as the country struggles with its tourism industry and security issues on the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. (Deutsche Welle) 

Guatemala imposes a month-long dawn to dusk curfew on the eastern Izabal Department following two days of protests over a new mining project in the region. (The Washington Post) 

The End