Spain exceeded 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, becoming the first country in Western Europe to hit the milestone, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The state of play: Spain, which reported 16,973 cases over the previous 24 hours, was one of the most affected countries when the pandemic started, and cases have been on the rise since September, according to NPR.
The Bibi Barometer is a weekly feature of the new Axios from Tel Aviv newsletter.Sign up here.
Israel is slowly emerging from its second national COVID-19 lockdown, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to rebound politically from widespread criticism over his handling of the second wave.
Why it matters: Israel’s power-sharing government — the dysfunctional result of a year-long political standoff — is in danger of collapse less than six months after it was formed. Israel could soon face new elections, perhaps in March.
Pope Francis voiced his support for same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope in the documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival, per the Catholic News Agency.
Why it matters: The pope’s remarks represent a break from the position of the Roman Catholic Church, which has long taught that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered" and contrary to natural law.
The White House is attempting to leverage momentum from Israel's normalization deals with Bahrain and the UAE to get more Arab countries on board before the U.S. election.
Khartoum —Sudan's transitional government is on the verge of collapse, but Trump’s decision to remove Sudan from the U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism could prevent that grim scenario.
The big picture: The country is virtually bankrupt. There are long queues at petrol stations and bakeries as the country grapples with severe flour and gasoline shortages. Electricity outages are back as temperatures continue to hover around 100℉.
This story is from Barak Ravid's new weekly newsletter, Axios from Tel Aviv, which launches today. Sign up here.
Israel has been conducting undercover diplomacy in Bahrain for more than a decade through a front company listed as a commercial consulting firm.
Why it matters: The existence of the covert diplomatic mission in the Bahraini capital Manama shows the depth of a secret relationship that came out into the open with a White House ceremony last month.
Goldman Sachs has agreed with the Department of Justice to pay over $2 billion for the bank's role in Malaysia's multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB, Bloomberg first reported.
Why it matters: The settlement, expected to be announced within days, would allow Goldman Sachs to avoid a criminal conviction in the U.S. over the bribery and money laundering scandal that saw three of its former bankers banned for life from the banking industry by the Federal Reserve Board.
A growing movement against police brutality in Nigeria has erupted into violence, with reports of a number of deaths and injuries in Lagos on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera.
Why it matters: Nigeria is the latest country to confront police brutality. The U.S. has witnessed months of clashes between police and protesters over the killings of Black Americans.
Hatice Cengiz and Democracy for the Arab World Now filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday alleging that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of journalist and human rights activist Jamal Khashoggi.
Why it matters: Attorneys representing Cengiz and DAWN, a nonprofit, told reporters that the purpose of the lawsuit was to have a U.S. court hold MBS responsible for the killing and to obtain documents that would reveal the truth about Khashoggi's death. The lawsuit claims that Khashoggi was tortured, killed and dismembered “pursuant to a directive of Defendant Mohammed bin Salman.”
The Chinese government on Monday reported third-quarter GDP growth of 4.9%, year-over-year. This comes as the U.S. economy continues to be much weaker, year-over-year, given our relative inability to get COVID-19 under control.
Axios Re:Cap goes deeper into China's economy, including its increased focus on domestic demand, with CNBC Beijing bureau chief Eunice Yoon.
The Chinese government is threatening to detain foreign citizens unless their home governments do what Beijing demands. In some cases, China has already made good on those threats.
The big picture: This marks a potential evolution of China's "wolf warrior diplomacy" to outright rogue state behavior, putting it in the company of countries like North Korea and Iran, which have also engaged in hostage diplomacy.
Right-wing outlets and commentators have recently spread a false claim linking the Chinese Communist Party to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Why it matters: Such claims raise concerns that a real issue — that of Chinese government interference in U.S. politics — could be wrongly invoked along partisan lines to attack Americans engaging in legitimate activities.
Sweden banned Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE from its 5G mobile networks on Tuesday, citing China’s “extensive intelligence gathering and theft of technology.”
The big picture: Since the Trump administration announced its own ban last year, the U.S. government has increasingly pressured allies to follow its lead amid growing tensions between the West and China. In July, the United Kingdom became the first European country to announce plans to exclude Huawei from its networks by 2027.
The first official visit of UAE officials to Israel took place on Tuesday, a month after the signing of a U.S.-brokered normalization treaty.
What's happening: The two sides signed agreements on direct flights, mutual visa exemptions and investments. The agreements are designed to get relations moving and allow business travelers and tourists to travel freely between the countries as soon as possible, Israeli officials told me.
The Republic of Ireland will return to its highest level of lockdown restrictions this week to combat surging coronavirus cases, Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced Monday evening.
Why it matters: The country is the first in Europe to announce a return to a nationwide lockdown. Martin described the measures that'll see non-essential retailers close, home visits banned and a three-mile travel limit imposed from midnight Wednesday as "probably Europe's strictest regime." Bars, cafes and restaurants can only serve takeout meals only under the measures, which will last for six weeks.
Argentina's health ministry reported 12,982 new coronavirus cases Monday night, taking the country's total to 1,002,662.
Why it matters: Argentina is the fifth country to surpass 1 million COVID-19 cases, after Russia (over 1.4 million), Brazil (more than 5.2 million), India (7.5-plus) and the U.S. (over 8.2 million), per Johns Hopkins. "It means one in every 45 Argentinians have had the virus," the Guardian notes. The country reported Monday that the virus had killed another 451 people, taking the death toll to over 26,000.
Editor's note: The headline of this story has been corrected to show Argentina passed 1 million cases not 5 million.
