Sunday, October 31st, 2021 

One person is killed and 15 others injured when a Pemex gas pipeline explodes in Puebla, Mexico. The Governor of Puebla, Miguel Barbosa Huerta, blames an illegal tap for the explosion. (The Canberra Times) 

Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 40,993 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.51 million. (ABC News) 

A man attacks passengers on a train in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, with acid and a knife, before setting the train on fire, wounding 17 people. A man is arrested at the scene. (Reuters) 

Japanese citizens head to the polls to elect members of the Lower House. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party faces more opposition than in other elections due to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (The Washington Post) 

G-20 shifts focus to climate change on 2nd day Group of 20 leaders shifted their focus to climate change on Sunday in the second day of their two-day summit, after endorsing a 15 percent global minimum corporate tax at the beginning of the Rome meeting. Thousands of protesters called for stronger government action to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told fellow leaders “the fight against climate change is the defining challenge of our times.” He said it was crucial to aim for the limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, the low end of the target range set in the Paris Agreement of 2015. Britain’s Prince Charles told leaders they had an “overwhelming responsibility to generations yet unborn” to do more to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change.  USA TODAY 

Sudan police use tear gas and gunfire to disperse protesters Security forces shot and killed three people in Sudan during Saturday protests against a military coup, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said. Another 38 people were injured, some of them by gunfire, during the protest in the capital city Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman. In Khartoum, people in a huge crowd of demonstrators were setting up a stage and discussing holding a sit-in when security forces dispersed the crowd with tear gas and gunfire. Sudanese police denied firing on the crowds during nationwide protests, and said a police officer was wounded by gunfire. The Saturday protests were the biggest yet since the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and members of his cabinet. REUTERS 

University of Florida orders professors not to testify against voting restrictions  The University of Florida said Saturday it is barring three professors from providing expert testimony in a lawsuit that says a new state law restricts voting rights. The university said in a statement that testimony by professors Dan Smith, Michael McDonald, and Sharon Austin as paid experts for the plaintiffs would be “adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution.” Lawyers for the coalition of civics groups challenging the law said in court papers that the university told the professors their testimony would create a conflict for the school because it would clash with the position of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration. Critics of the Florida law, which reduces drop-box and mail-in voting, say it discriminates against voters of color in violation of the Voting Rights Act. NPR 

U.S., E.U. reach deal easing steel, aluminum tariffs The United States and the European Union on Saturday announced a deal to ease some tariffs on steel and aluminum that were imposed by former President Donald Trump. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Saturday that the tariffs would remain in place, but the Biden administration will let limited European products into the U.S. tariff-free. In return, the E.U. will drop retaliatory tariffs in return. “We fully expect this agreement will provide relief in the supply chain and drive down cost increases,” Raimondo said. European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis tweeted confirmation of the agreement, which came during the two-day Group of 20 summit in Italy. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the deal removes “one of the largest bilateral irritants in the U.S.-E.U. relationship.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial starts in Kenosha  Illinois teen Kyle Rittenhouse goes on trial Monday for the 2020 fatal shooting of two people during a protest over the shooting of a Black man by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse, then 17, went to Kenosha to join a group of people who said they were helping keep order. Rittenhouse, carrying a military-style semiautomatic rifle, clashed with protesters. He shot and killed two men, and wounded a third. Rittenhouse’s supporters say he was defending himself while taking a stand for law and order. Civil rights activists call him a violent, reckless intruder who targeted people participating in a meaningful protest. The judge made news in pretrial hearings last week when he said prosecutors couldn’t call the people Rittenhouse shot “victims,” but defense lawyers could call them rioters. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Saturday, October 30th, 2021 

A car bomb kills 9 people and wounds 12 others near the airport in Aden. The attack coincided with the arrival of Aden’s former governor at the airport, who is unhurt. (BBC News) 

Three people are killed as the military opens fire at an anti-coup protest in Omdurman, Sudan, bringing the total number of protesters killed since the coup to 14. (Al Jazeera) 

The Tigray Defense Forces say that they have captured the strategic city of Dessie and are advancing toward neighboring Kombolcha in Amhara. The government denies these claims, but residents confirm that the Ethiopian National Defense Force have completely withdrawn from Dessie. (Al Jazeera) 

Over 160 buildings, including two churches, in the town of Thantlang, Chin State, Myanmar, have been destroyed by fires resulting from Tatmadaw shelling that occurred the previous day. (AP via Global News) 

In his speech at the G20 summit in Rome, president Alberto Fernández says that huge debts “condemn generations” and that the “current system prioritizes speculation over the development of the peoples”, while also condemning the previous administration of Mauricio Macri for accepting a $46 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. (Hola News) 

Vice President Kamala Harris receives a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (Axios) 

Last-ditch talks are held between British and French authorities as local authorities in the ports of Calais and Boulogne warn of a “disaster” if the French government goes ahead with its plan to “clog up” the English Channel and disrupt the trade and sailing of British vessels in French ports. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK could consider “formal action” under trade agreements. (The Guardian) 

The 16th G20 summit begins for the first time in person after the beginning of the pandemic with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping appearing via video link. (BBC News) 

United States Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announces the removal of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union that were imposed during the presidency of Donald Trump. European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis announces that the bloc will reciprocate the action on U.S. imports, ending a trade war. (AFP via RTHK) 

The Emirati foreign ministry announces that it will recall its diplomats in Lebanon and ban Emirati citizens from traveling to the country “in solidarity with” Saudi Arabia, which recalled its ambassador to Lebanon over “insulting” remarks about the war in Yemen made by Lebanese information minister George Kurdahi. (AFP via Al-Ahram) 

FDA approves Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 The Food and Drug Administration on Friday backed emergency-use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. children ages 5 to 11. The decision, which was expected after FDA advisers endorsed the shots, marked one of the final steps toward making the two-shot regimen available to the roughly 28 million American children in this age group. Public health experts have called the move a major milestone in the fight against the pandemic. “Vaccinating younger children against COVID-19 will bring us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy,” FDA acting commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement, adding that a review of test data showed the vaccine is safe and effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could give final approval at a Nov. 2 meeting. THE WASHINGTON POST 

G-20 leaders back global minimum tax President Biden and other leaders of the Group of 20 major economies endorsed a global minimum corporate tax on Saturday at the start of a two-day summit in Rome. The landmark agreement seeks to prevent major companies such as Apple and Bristol Myers Squibb from moving profits and jobs across borders to avoid taxes. A deal has been in the works for years, but Biden’s Treasury Department made a sustained push to finalize it at the summit. G-20 leaders also hope to take a common stand on ways to honor the 2015 Paris climate agreement ahead of next week’s United Nations climate conference, COP26. On Friday, senior G-20 leaders announced the creation of a global body to coordinate government responses to the next pandemic. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Biden calls submarine deal ‘clumsy,’ makes peace with Macron President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday held their first face-to-face meeting since a diplomatic clash over a U.S. deal to provide nuclear submarine technology to Australia. That deal resulted in the cancellation of an agreement for Australia to buy conventional subs from France, angering Macron’s government. Biden conceded that his administration had been “clumsy” in its handling of the announcement of the Australia deal. “It was not done with a lot of grace,” Biden said, adding that the U.S. should have informed France, “an extremely, extremely valued partner,” ahead of time. Macron said he was satisfied that the close relationship between the two allies had been repaired. USA TODAY 

Supreme Court declines to block Maine vaccine mandate for health care workers The Supreme Court on Friday declined to block Maine’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for health care workers. The majority gave no reasons for the emergency ruling. The court’s three most conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito Jr., and Neil Gorsuch — issued a dissent, saying the fact that the state’s policy includes no religious exemption meant that “health care workers who have served on the front line of a pandemic for the last 18 months are now being fired and their practices shuttered. All for adhering to their constitutionally protected religious beliefs.” Two other conservatives, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, filed a brief concurring opinion, siding with the majority and saying major decisions shouldn’t be made “on a short fuse without benefit of full briefing and oral argument.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Biden administration launches 2nd attempt to end ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy The Biden administration said Friday it was trying for a second time to end former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for migrants seeking to cross the southern border into the United States to pursue asylum claims. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas conceded in a memo that the Trump-era policy probably reduced unauthorized migration, but said it did so at “substantial and unjustifiable human costs.” Mayorkas said the Biden administration can reduce migration more humanely with other policies, including fast-tracked immigration hearings, and a proposed rule change permitting asylum officers to decide on applications more quickly. The latest Biden administration move won’t immediately change the court-mandated resumption of the Remain in Mexico policy. CBS NEWS 

Wall Street finishes best month this year with new records  The S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Nasdaq all gained on Friday to close Wall Street’s best month this year at record highs. The S&P 500 gained 0.2 percent. The Dow and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose by around 0.3 percent. Stocks have been getting a boost from a strong earnings season, although Amazon and Apple shares fell Friday by about 2 percent after the two tech giants reported disappointing quarterly results. So far, about half of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported third-quarter results, and more than 80 percent of them have beaten analysts’ expectations, despite disruptions of the global supply chain and other damage from the Delta-variant-driven summer coronavirus surge.  CNBC 

Oklahoma to continue lethal injections after inmate vomits during execution   Oklahoma’s prison system director, Scott Crow, said Friday the state would not change its lethal injection protocols after the first person executed by Oklahoma since 2015 vomited and convulsed after receiving the first drug in the state’s three-drug execution sequence. Reporters who have witnessed previous executions said it was extremely rare for a condemned inmate to vomit during an execution. But Crow said the doctor who monitored John Marion Grant’s execution told him it was “not a completely uncommon occurrence” for a person to vomit when given a sedative like the first drug in Oklahoma’s execution protocol. Before last week, Oklahoma was under a capital punishment moratorium due to mistakes in previous executions.THE  OKLAHOMAN 

Friday,  October 29th, 2021 

An X-class solar flare, the second of the current solar cycle, erupts. An associated coronal mass ejection may graze Earth on October 30 or 31, which could cause bright aurorae and interfere with satellite communications. (Space) 

The Food and Drug Administration authorizes the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11, becoming the first vaccine to be approved for children in the United States. (CNBC) 

Judge slams DOJ for ‘schizophrenic’ prosecution of Jan. 6 rioters Judge Beryl Howell, chief judge of the federal court in Washington, criticized the Justice Department on Thursday for what she called a “muddled” and “almost schizophrenic” approach to prosecuting Capitol rioters. She said prosecutors’ rhetoric calling the riot an “attack on democracy . . . unparalleled in American history” didn’t match their plea offers involving minor charges. “No wonder parts of the public … are confused about whether what happened on Jan. 6 at the Capitol was simply a petty offense of trespassing with some disorderliness, or shocking criminal conduct that represented a grave threat to our democratic norms,” Howell said as she sentenced rioter Jack Griffith to three years of probation on charges often used for people who disrupt congressional hearings. “The rioters were not mere protesters.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Economic growth slowed in the last quarter amid Delta surge The U.S. economy slowed down in the third quarter, growing at an annualized rate of 2 percent, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones on average had predicted a rate of 2.8 percent. The slowdown came as the coronavirus surge fueled by the Delta variant caused Americans to curb spending, dragging economic growth to its slowest pace yet in the recovery from last year’s pandemic lockdowns. Consumer spending increased at a 1.6 percent pace, down from 12 percent in the second quarter. Spending on long-lasting goods such as appliances and autos plunged by 26.2 percent. Government spending dropped by 4.7 percent as pandemic-era aid expired. “Overall, this is a big disappointment,” wrote Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics. CNBC 

Facebook announces rebranding under the name Meta Facebook is changing its corporate name to Meta, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday. The rebranding comes as Facebook contends with a backlash over its handling of misinformation and harmful posts, following whistleblower allegations that the company put profits above user safety. Under the new branding, Facebook and its other apps, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, will keep their names, but all under the Meta umbrella. “It is time for us to adopt a new company brand to encompass everything that we do,” Zuckerberg said. Skeptics said the name change makes it look like Facebook has something to hide. “Zuckerberg and his lieutenants can’t shed the Facebook albatross with a clever brand adjustment,” said Paul Barrett, deputy director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. NPRTHE NEW YORK TIMES 

Facebook, Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, renames itself to Meta Platforms. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says that the rename was done in order to reflect the company’s diversification into other areas, such as virtual reality. (BBC News) 

Taliban-appointed chief of the Central Bank Shah Mehrabi says that gay rights will not be respected in Afghanistan because “That’s against our Sharia law”, but also said that, conversely, women’s rights will be different than that of the 1990s. (Thomson Reuters Foundation) 

Two children are killed during a bomb explosion at a village in Nakaseke, Uganda. The device looked like an exotic “jackfruit” and was given to the children while they were playing. (Al Jazeera) 

The CODECO and the Alliance for the Liberation of the Congo militia groups attack two villages in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 14 civilians. (AFP via The Punch) 

Three people are killed and several are injured as gunmen open fire at a wedding in Nangarhar. The Taliban are accused of being behind the attack, opening fire while music was being played. The Taliban has however denied the allegation, claiming that the incident was an internal dispute and that two of the attackers have been arrested. (The Guardian) 

Two employees of the Canadian mining company Iamgold are reported missing following an attack on their convoy in Burkina Faso while travelling to Essakane, Mali. (Reuters) 

Tatmadaw forces bombard the town of Thantlang in Chin State, western Myanmar, with artillery shells, destroying dozens of homes, after clashing with local self-defence forces who captured a soldier. (Al Jazeera English) 

The National Institute of Statistics and Geography in Mexico shows that the economy shrank 0.2% in the third-quarter from the three previous months and the GDP also declined during the same period of time, both largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses. (Reuters) 

The Senate of Poland approves a plan to construct an estimated €353 million (US$407 million) wall along the country‘s border with Belarus, in response to an influx of migrants. (AFP via Barron’s) 

Moldova and Russian energy firm Gazprom extend their supply contract, following accusations of Russia raising oil prices against Moldova. (AFP via The Moscow Times) 

Saudi Arabia recalls its ambassador to Lebanon and demands for Lebanon to reciprocate the action over “insulting” remarks about the war in Yemen made by Lebanese information minister George Kurdahi. (AFP via RFI) 

U Win Htein, aide to the deposed Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is sentenced to 20 years in prison for sedition. Htein became the first politician arrested in the aftermath of the February 2021 coup to be convicted. (Deutsche Welle) 

The European Parliament sues the European Commission for failing to properly enforce the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation that is linked to the Next Generation EU recovery package, which refuses to fund member states that fail to comply with the European Union‘s rule of law standards. (CNN) 

Biden says ‘historic’ $1.75 trillion spending plan can pass Senate President Biden announced Thursday that he and congressional Democrats have reached a “historic economic framework” for his plan to expand the social safety net and spend $555 billion to fight climate change. Biden described the $1.75 trillion deal hours before leaving for overseas summits, including next week’s United Nations conference on climate change in Scotland, COP26. Biden urged Democrats to pass the scaled-down Build Back Better plan, saying it marked major progress. He said at the White House he believed the framework would pass the 50-50 Senate, where Democrats can’t afford to lose a single vote from their caucus. But Democratic leaders still have to muster enough votes to pass the proposal, which has been scaled down from $3.5 trillion and lacks several things progressives want, including paid family leave. THE ASSOCIATED PRESSREUTERS 

Andrew Cuomo charged with groping former aide New York authorities on Thursday filed a misdemeanor criminal complaint against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, accusing him of groping a female aide’s breast. The aide, Brittany Commisso, previously accused Cuomo of forcible touching at the Governor’s Mansion last year. The complaint filed in Albany City Court says Cuomo touched Commisso’s breast “for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires.” Commisso is one of about a dozen women who have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment or inappropriate touching. Cuomo resigned in August after a state attorney general’s office report concluded that he had sexually harassed several women. Cuomo has denied the allegations, and contested the report’s findings. His personal lawyer, Rita Glavin, said Cuomo “never assaulted anyone,” adding: “This is not professional law enforcement. This is politics.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

DOJ settles lawsuit by families of Charleston church shooting victims The Justice Department on Thursday agreed to a settlement in lawsuits filed by survivors and relatives of the nine people killed in the 2015 massacre at a historic Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, by white supremacist Dylann Roof. The killer later confessed, saying he hoped to ignite a race war. The families of the people killed during a Bible study at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church sued after the FBI disclosed that its background-check system failed to prevent Roof from buying the gun he used in the slayings. His criminal record showed a felony conviction that should have blocked the sale, but the sheriff’s office that recorded the arrest didn’t show up in the FBI’s database. The settlement calls for the families of the people killed to receive $63 million, and for the survivors of the shooting spree to get $25 million. NBC NEWS 

Oklahoma resumes executions after 6 years Oklahoma executed John Marion Grant on Thursday for the 1998 murder of prison cafeteria worker Gay Carter. Grant, 60, was the first person put to death in the state in six years. He was convicted in 1999 of fatally stabbing Carter 16 times with a shank. At the time of the killing, Grant was serving a 130-year sentence for multiple armed robberies. Oklahoma had halted executions since botched lethal injections in 2014 and 2015, but last year announced it would end the moratorium using the same three-drug cocktail of the sedative midazolam, the paralytic called vecuronium bromide, and potassium chloride, which stops the heart. On Wednesday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted stays of execution for Grant and another death row inmate, Julius Jones, but those were lifted by the Supreme Court in a 5-3 decision. Jones’ execution is scheduled for Nov. 18. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Chernobyl plant manager dies at 85 Viktor Bryukhanov, the plant manager who accepted professional responsibility for the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, died this month in Kyiv, a spokesman for the now-closed plant announced Thursday. He was 85. Bryukhanov denied criminal responsibility, attributing the explosion to design flaws dictated by Moscow and essentially blaming higher ranking officials for the explosion. Still, he was convicted of gross safety violations and served half of his 10-year sentence. He was released when the Soviet Union collapsed, and returned to government work in Ukraine, leading the technical part of its Economic Development and Trade Ministry and retiring in 2015. Bryukhanov was portrayed by Con O’Neill in the award-winning HBO series Chernobyl in 2019. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Thursday, October 28th, 2021 

The new leader of the Islamic State – West Africa Province has been killed during a military operation this month, two weeks after the death of the group’s leader Abu Musab al-Barnawi was announced. (Reuters) 

The Hungarian government announces that it will require face masks to be worn on public transport beginning on November 1 and will also allow companies to impose a vaccine mandate for their employees in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, all non-essential medical appointments will be temporarily suspended. (Euronews) 

Beijing mandates booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for key workers, including cooks, security guards and cleaning personnel, becoming the first major Chinese city to publicly mandate booster doses. (Reuters) 

The number of people who received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Taiwan surpasses 70%. (Taipei Times) 

Malaysian gynaecologist John Tang Ing Chinh invents the world’s first unisex condom, that can be used by both males and females, which is made from a medical grade material normally used as a dressing for injuries and wounds. (Reuters via Today) 

At least 300 Olive ridley sea turtles have washed up dead on Mexico‘s Pacific coast, after being tangled in illegal fishing nets in the high seas. The species is listed as vulnerable. (BBC News) 

The British government summons the French ambassador to the UK over the actions by French authorities in the English Channel. (Deutsche Welle) 

The European Union accuses Russia of “weaponizing” gas prices in order to “bully” Moldova after negotiations between the two countries failed following the expiration of a Moldovan contract with Gazprom. The Kremlin denied the accusations. (SwissInfo) 

The National Assembly of People’s Power passes a law aimed at reforming the country‘s judicial system and criminal code, consistent with the 2019 constitution. (Reuters) 

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Biden administration announces strategy to curb drug overdoses  Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday unveiled the Biden administration’s four-part strategy to prevent drug addiction and overdoses. The plan calls for curbing inappropriate opioid prescriptions, expanding medication-based treatment, improving support for recovering addicts, and supporting harm-reduction efforts, such as distributing clean needles and test strips to check street drugs for fentanyl. “We’re changing the way we do this,” Becerra said. “We know what works. We’ve had years of evidence now.” An estimated 840,000 people died of drug overdoses from 1999 to 2019, according to an HHS report released Wednesday. The estimated number of U.S. overdose deaths neared 100,000 per year. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Top general says China hypersonic missile test close to a ‘Sputnik moment’  China’s test of a hypersonic missile designed to be able to evade American nuclear defenses was alarming because it marked a technological leap the U.S. military didn’t see coming, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday. “I don’t know if it’s quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it’s very close to that,” Milley said, referring to the fear inspired when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite. The comments marked the first official confirmation that the demonstration of the weapon’s capabilities surprised American officials. China conducted two separate tests this summer in a way Beijing knew would be visible to U.S. satellites, although American officials said nothing before Milley discussed the test in a Bloomberg Television interview. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Ministry of Emergency Management in a joint statement announce that cities with populations under three million are banned from constructing skyscrapers taller than 250 metres (820 ft), and cities with larger populations are banned from building taller than 500 metres (1,600 ft). They also say that special exemptions need to be sought by cities under three million if they want a building taller than 150 metres (490 ft), or 250 metres (820 ft) for cities larger than that. (BBC News) 

Iran negotiator says Tehran returning to nuclear talks Iran’s new nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, announced via Twitter on Wednesday that the country would return to talks with the United States and other world powers in a bid to revive Tehran’s landmark 2015 nuclear deal. He said the new discussions would start by the end of November. The news came after talks with European Union counterparts in Brussels. “Had a very serious & constructive dialogue with @enriquemora_ on the essential elements for successful negotiations. We agree to start negotiations before the end of November,” he tweeted. Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions against Iran. Western powers as well as Tehran-ally Russia have been pressuring Iran’s new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, to return to the talks. THE GUARDIAN

Beijing mandates booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for key workers, including cooks, security guards and cleaning personnel, becoming the first Chinese major city to publicly mandate boosters. (Reuters) 

Moscow enters its strictest lockdown since June 2020, closing schools, kindergartens, and all non-essential businesses until November 7 due to a spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths. (DW) 

Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 1,159 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the nationwide death toll to 235,057. The country also reports a record 40,096 new cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.39 million. (Anadolu Agency) 

Rémy Daillet, a far-right conspiracy theorist, is charged with leading the planned “Operation Azul”, a plot which involved 12 suspects, accused of plotting a series of attacks against COVID-19 vaccination centres, a masonic lodge, journalists, prominent people and parliament. Former soldiers had been ordered to train recruits for the plot. (BBC News) 

France seizes a British trawler fishing inside its territorial waters without a licence, and fines another vessel amid tensions over post-Brexit fishing rights in the English Channel. The trawler is being held at the Port of Le Havre. The French government also says, from November 2, it will impose extra customs checks on British goods entering France. French Seas Minister Annick Girardin says “It’s not war, but it is a fight”. (Reuters) 

British environment minister George Eustice condemned the French seizure of the vessel calling it “disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner” and warned of an “appropriate and calibrated response”. (Financial Post) 

French President Emmanuel Macron tells Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Morrison had broken the trust between the two countries and that it was up to Canberra to repair those ties with “tangible actions.”. France had criticized its allies after Australia opted for nuclear-powered submarines to be built with U.S. and British technology instead of a $A90 billion French diesel-electric submarine program. Macron also urged Australia to halt coal mining. (The Canberra Times) 

Police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh arrest three Kashmiri students for allegedly celebrating Pakistan’s win over India in Sunday’s T20 World Cup cricket game. (BBC News) 

Democrats expected to cut paid family leave from bill  Democrats are likely to drop paid family and medical leave from their social safety net bill, several people familiar with the matter told NBC News and The Washington Post. The party needs every member of its caucus to pass the bill, and centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has objected to guaranteed paid leave. Many Democratic lawmakers considered this a top priority, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said she would continue to push for paid leave in the Build Back Better plan “until the bill is printed.” President Biden initially proposed the bill include 12 weeks, which was then cut down to four weeks amid early negotiations. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said “from the beginning, we have said the president was open to compromise.” NBC NEWS

‘Journal’ criticized over Trump letter repeating false election claims The Wall Street Journal faced a backlash from voting rights advocates, political analysts, and journalists, including some of the Journal‘s own reporters, for printing a letter to the editor from former President Donald Trump repeating debunked claims that the presidential election he lost to President Biden as “rigged.” Trump wrote the letter in response to an editorial about Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court, in which the Journal‘s conservative editorial board noted, factually, that Biden won Pennsylvania in 2020 by 80,555 ballots. Trump replied: “Well, actually, the election was rigged, which you, unfortunately, still haven’t figured out.” He then went on to repeat numerous false claims about the vote in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia Inquirer national political writer Jonathan Tamari tweeted that Trump’s letter was “full of absolute lies.”  THE WASHINGTON POST

Investigators say lead bullet killed cinematographer Investigators have determined that a lead bullet — fired from a prop gun by actor Alec Baldwin — killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the movie Rust. The bullet was one of about 500 rounds of blanks, dummy rounds, and live ammunition found on the set of the Western, Santa Fe County authorities said. Baldwin, who is also a producer on the film, shot Hutchins while rehearsing a scene in which he draws the weapon, a vintage Colt .45 revolver. The only other people known to have handled the gun were production armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed and first assistant director Dave Halls, who handed Baldwin the weapon and said it was “cold,” or unloaded. He told police that he had checked some but not all of the pistol’s chambers to make sure there were no bullets in it.  LOS ANGELES TIMES

Ethiopian forces carry out another airstrike on Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray Region, targeting a compound of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. A Tigrayan spokesman denies that the airstrike hit the compound and instead says that six civilians were killed, including three children. (Yahoo! News) 

FDA orders more warnings to patients on breast-implant risks The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday announced new safety requirements for breast implants. The new FDA order requires manufacturers and cosmetic surgeons to warn patients about possible complications. The FDA will mandate warning labels on the boxes informing patients of the risk of rupture, systemic illnesses, and a type of cancer. “This is a big step,” said Dr. Binita Ashar, director of the Office of Surgical and Infection Control Devices in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “We are committed to ensure the safety of these products.” The rules came after tens of thousands of women for years complained that after receiving breast implants they experienced brain fog, fatigue, and other health problems known collectively as “breast implant illness.” NBC NEWS

Malaysian gynaecologist John Tang Ing Chinh invents the world’s first unisex condom, that can be used by males and females, from a medical grade material usually used as a dressing for injuries and wounds. (Reuters via Today) 

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