China is the biggest business story on Election Day in America.
What's happening: The country abruptly pulled the plug on Ant Group's IPO, which was expected to happen Thursday and be the biggest public offering ever.
Twenty years after astronauts moved in full time, the International Space Station is nearing its end, opening up a new geopolitical landscape above Earth.
Why it matters: The end of the program will force nations collaborating on the station, along with China and others new to the human spaceflight scene, to recalibrate. They could also turn their attention to cooperating — or competing — on the Moon instead.
Poland's conservative government has delayed the implementation of a ruling that would ban abortion in nearly all cases after two weeks of protests across the country.
Why it matters: The constitutional court ruling would make abortion illegal except in cases of rape, incest or a risk to the life of the mother. The motion sparked daily protests, with tens of thousands marching through major cities.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said on Tuesday there is no evidence so far that a “foreign actor” compromised votes in the 2020 election, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Since Russians interfered with the 2016 election and hacked the emails of Democratic officials, the country has been antsy about a potential repeat in an already closely contested election.
The Ant Financial IPO will not go forward as planned Thursday, as Chinese regulators cracked down on what would have been the largest public offering of all time.
Why it matters: Jack Ma, the founder of the Chinese payments giant, gave a major speech at the end of October railing against financial regulation both in China and in the West. That speech resulted in a dressing-down from Chinese authorities — and the end of Ma's dreams that Ant would be able to go public.
Schools in Vienna will remain closed and residents are being urged to remain home as authorities search for other possible shooters from Monday's terrorist attack that left four people dead, including the suspect, officials said.
The big picture: Three people were confirmed killed and 15 others injured in the shooting that spanned six different locations in Vienna, Austrian authorities said on Tuesday morning. A suspect was also killed by officers at the scene.
Europe is swiftly shutting down as the unprecedented spike in new cases hits perilous new heights.
The big picture: Cases are growing uncontrollably across most of the continent. While spikes in hospitalizations and deaths have thus far been less sharp in most countries, fears of overcrowded hospitals are growing. The U.S. may be tracking just two or three weeks behind.
The Vatican has said Pope Francis' comments in support of civil unions for homosexual couples were taken out of context and do not signal a change in Church doctrine on homosexual acts, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The pope’s apparent remarks in the documentary "Francesco" sparked celebration and controversy, as they appeared to represent a break from the Church's position that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered" and contrary to natural law.
A slew of European countries have announced new lockdowns over the last week in response to uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.
Between the lines: Many of these countries are facing the threat of overrun health care systems in the near-term future and, potentially, harrowing decisions about how to ration care, the Washington Post reports.
