November 2 — South Asia: AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan cancels the run-off election and declares Hamid Karzai the winner of the August presidential election. The announcement comes a day after Karzai’s contender, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew from the race, stating that the scheduled run-off cannot be free and fair because the Afghan government had refused to remove the corrupt election officials involved in the widespread fraud in the first round of the election.
November 3 — Europe: EUROPEAN UNION/CZECH REPUBLIC
Czech President Vaclav Klaus signs the long overdue Lisbon Treaty, removing the last obstacle for the treaty to come into force. Klaus decided to sign it after the EU had given the Czech Republic an opt-out option from the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and after the Czech Constitutional Court had ruled that the treaty was compatible with the Czech constitution. (November 20): EU Trade Commissioner and former UK minister Baroness Ashton becomes the EU’s first High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security, while the Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, becomes the EU’s first permanent European Council President. The two posts have been created by the new Lisbon Treaty. The treaty will come into force on December 1.
November 4 — Middle East: ISRAEL/IRAN
Israeli military intercepts a ship on the Mediterranean Sea smuggling weapons. Israel claims that the weapons originated in Iran and were intend for the militant Hezbollah organization in Syria. Both Syria and Iran deny the accusations. After the most recent offensive in the Gaza Strip, Israel has intensified its hunt for smuggled weapons to Hezbollah or Hamas in Gaza.
November 4 — Middle East: IRAN
Iran’s authorities arrest more than 100 pro-democracy protesters on the anniversary of the storming of the U.S. embassy in 1979, which started the Iranian Revolution. At least 30 demonstrators have been killed and thousands detained in pop-up protests since the June presidential election that the opposition claims were rigged.
November 8 — East Asia/Africa: CHINA
China and 50 African states gather for the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in Egypt’s resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. During the summit, China pledges to give Africa $10 billion in loans over the next three years.
November 8 — North America: UNITED STATES
The United States House of Representatives narrowly passes a healthcare legislation. Now, the Senate will need to pass its own version of the bill. After the two versions are reconciled, the bill will become law. The bill extends affordable healthcare to about 47 million of uninsured Americans, makes healthcare coverage obligatory, and covers Americans with pre-existing conditions. The bill also provides for the government to sell insurance and a controversial option of the government-run healthcare program (the public option) that stirred heated debates. The healthcare reform has been the focal point of the Barack Obama’s Administration.
November 9 — Latin America: VENEZUELA/COLOMBIA
Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chavez, prepares for a possible military action against Colombia and orders 15,000 troops to mobilize on the border with Colombia. The move is in response to Colombia’s agreement that gives the United States access to the country’s military bases to fight drug-trafficking in the region. Other Latin American countries also object the presence of the U.S. army in the region.
November 10 — East Asia: NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
North Korean and South Korean warships exchange fire after the North Korean ship crossed the disputed sea border called the Northern Limit Line (NLL). North Korea does not recognize the NLL, which was drawn by the United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War.
November 10 — Middle East: LEBANON
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri forms a national unity government five months after he was brought to power. Fifteen ministers come from prime minister’s ruling coalition, five are nominated by the president who is seen as neutral, and 10 ministers come from the opposition parties, including two from the Islamist Hezbollah group.
November 13 — Middle East: YEMEN/SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabian military pushes Yemeni rebels 6 miles deep inside Yemen’s territory from the Saudi-Yemeni border. The Houthi rebels are part of the Zaidi Shia group, a minority in Yemen, but a majority in the north of the country. First clashes between Houthi and the Yemeni government started in 2004 when the group demanded more autonomy. Since the new skirmishes in 2009, hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands have had to flee their homes. Saudi Arabia got involved, saying it wanted the rebels move back from the border.
November 18 — Africa: SOMALIA
The militant group al-Shabab, which controls the large part of Somalia, sentences a 20-year-old woman, who is divorced, to death by stoning for adultery. Her boyfriend is sentenced to 100 lashes. Although unpopular among the people, Al-Shabab has imposed a strict interpretation of the Islamic law on the area of its control.
November 24 — International Organizations: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION/UNAIDS
According to a report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), deaths from HIV have been reduced by 10 percent worldwide since 2005. The reasons for this improvement are among others a more effective treatment, a greater access to anti-retroviral drugs, and HIV prevention programs.
November 26 — Middle East/International Organizations: IRAN/IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Mohammed El-Baradei calls on Iran to accept an international UN-drafted plan that would resolve the dispute over the country’s nuclear program. According to the plan, Iran would ship its low-enriched uranium to Russia for processing. France would then convert the uranium into fuel rods for a reactor in Iran. This process would guarantee that Iran does not use uranium to develop nuclear weapons, but it gets the fuel it needs. (November 27): The IAEA passes a resolution condemning Iran for defying a UN Security Council ban on uranium enrichment and secretly building a second uranium enrichment plant. (November 29): The Iranian government approves a plan to construct 10 more uranium enrichment plants.
November 29 — Europe: SWITZERLAND
Switzerland approves a proposal by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) that bans the construction of minarets. The SVP claims that the minarets symbolize Islamization. Switzerland has about 400,000 Muslims, but only four minarets. The vote shows the Swiss people’s concern about rising immigration.
November 30 — Latin America: HONDURAS
After all negotiations with the Honduran interim government to reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya failed, voters in Honduras elect a new president, Porfirio Lobo Sosa of the conservative National Party. Brazil and several other countries refuse to recognize the election as legitimate. The United States, however, says it will accept the result as the election was scheduled before Zelaya was deposed.