Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a change of U.S. policy today making U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem eligible to list their place of birth as Israel on passports and other official documents.
Why it matters: This is another symbolic step by the Trump administration that reinforces the current Israeli government’s position that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel only, regardless of Palestinian aspirations to have an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The U.K. Labour Party has suspended its former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, after a watchdog report found that the party failed to properly take action against allegations of anti-Semitism during his time in charge.
Why it matters: It represents a strong break by Keir Starmer, Labour's current leader, from the Corbyn era and one of the party's most persistent scandals.
Three people have been killed and others injured in a stabbing attack at the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice, France, NBC News reports.
The big picture: A man with a knife began the attack at approximately 9 a.m. local time, killing two people inside the church and one who was seeking refuge. Police confirmed that the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack.
Joe Biden is planning to confront China across the globe, embracing some of President Trump's goals but rejecting his means.
The big picture: By starting a trade war with China, Trump has fundamentally altered the U.S.- China relationship — and forced both Republicans and Democrats to accept a more confrontational approach towards Beijing.
Taiwan on Thursday marked no locally transmitted coronavirus cases for 200 days, as the island of 23 million people's total number of infections reported stands at 550 and the COVID-19 death toll at seven.
Why it matters: Nowhere else has reached such a milestone. While COVID-19 cases surge across the U.S. and Europe, Taiwan's last locally transmitted case was on April 12. Experts credit tightly regulated travel, early border closure, "rigorous contact tracing, technology-enforced quarantine and universal mask wearing" and the island state's previous experience with the SARS virus for the achievement, per Bloomberg.
The coronavirus is still winning: Now even Germany is entering another national lockdown, joined by France.
Why it matters: France has been "overpowered by a second wave,” President Emmanuel Macron said in a nationally televised address today. Macron said the "new wave will be strongerand deadlier" than the first.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday a second nationwide lockdown starting Friday to contain the coronavirus.
Why it matters: “(France has been) overpowered by a second wave,” Macron said in a national televised address Wednesday, noting the "new wave will be stronger and deadlier," than the first.The announcement comes after the country saw over 36,000 new cases in the last 24 hours.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will enact one of Europe's strictest coronavirus lockdowns since spring, closing bars and restaurants nationwide for most of November, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Germany is the latest European country to reimpose some form of lockdown measures amid a surge in cases across the continent.
The FBI charged eight people on Wednesday for acting as Chinese agents and said the defendants — five of whom were arrested — stalked and harassed U.S. citizens in an attempt to get them to return to China.
Why it matters: These are the first charges of their kind, FBI director Christopher Wray said at a Wednesday press briefing. The charges include conspiring to violate law on interstate stalking on behalf of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin was confronted by Yitzhak Rabin's daughter last week after a speech on the Arab-Israeli peace process in which he seemed to overlook the role of the late Israeli prime minister.
Why it matters: Rabin is quite a major figure to leave out. He's remembered for making peace with Jordan, sealing the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, and establishing relations with Morocco, Oman and Tunisia.
While the U.S. officially brokered the Israel-Sudan normalization deal, it was Israel that facilitated talks between the U.S. and Sudan on the broader deal that included Sudan’s removal from America’s state sponsors of terrorism list.
Why it matters: Israel’s secret contacts with Sudanese officials paved the way for a deal that was nearly a year in the making.
Chinese policymakers are now taking aim at currency controls that have kept the renminbi from weakening in recent years as the currency has rallied to its strongest level against the dollar in years and the country attempts to attract more outside capital.
What's happening: Chinese banks have stopped using the counter-cyclical factor recently, which means Beijing will give up some influence over the exchange rate, Bloomberg reports, citing the website of the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.
President John Magufuli placed Tanzania in a club that also includes North Korea and Turkmenistan by declaring victory over COVID-19 in June and subsequently blocking the release of any data that could contradict him.
Why it matters: He took a similar approach ahead of Wednesday’s presidential election — denying accreditation to election observers and banning media outlets that contradict the official line. He's expected to win a new five-year term on a playing field that's clearly tilted in his favor.
Scientists have discovered a 1,600-foot-tall detached coral reef at Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Why it matters: The shoal of coral that's taller than New York City's Empire State Building is the first detached reef to be found in more than 120 years.
