November 2 — North America: UNITED STATES

Republican Party candidates make significant gains in the United States mid-term elections. They win control of the House of Representatives; however, Democrats retain majority in the Senate. The Republicans also gain several governorships. The Tea Party’s recent popularity has helped the Republican success. (November 17): House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will remain the Democrats’ leader in the new Congress. Republicans elect Eric Cantor from Virginia as majority leader and John Boehner from Ohio as Speaker of the House.

November 2 — Middle East: IRAQ

Several coordinated attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad kill at least 63 people and injure more than 280 others. The insurgents target mostly Shia neighborhoods with car bombs, roadside bombs, and mortars, showing off their continued strength.

November 6 —Europe: RUSSIA

A prominent Russian journalist Oleg Kashin, who wrote articles criticizing all levels of government and exposing corruption, is brutally beaten outside his home in Moscow. Attacks on journalists in Russia are not uncommon, with hundreds of unsolved cases. Following the Kashin’s attack, hundreds of Russian journalists gather in Moscow to express their frustration at the attacks and government’s failure to catch and prosecute the perpetrators.

November 7 — East Asia: MYANMAR

Burma votes in the first parliamentary election in 20 years, which, as the ruling junta says, marks the transition from the military to a civilian government. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) wins about 80 percent of the vote. The National League for Democracy party (NLD) boycotts the vote, and other opposition parties say the election was fraudulent. Prime Minister Thein Sein, a former general who retired to take part in the elections, is one of the elected candidates. Twenty-five percent of the seats in the parliament are reserved for the military. (November 13): The authorities release 65-year old Aung San Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy opposition leader and the leader of the NLD. She has been under house arrest for 15 out of the last 21 years and prevented from taking part in the election. Thousands of her supporters wait outside to greet her.

November 9 — Middle East/North America: ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES/UNITED STATES

Israel announces its decision to build 1,300 new settler homes in East Jerusalem and 800 in northern West Bank. The decision is condemned by the United Nations, the European Union, Russia, and the United States. The settlements are the main stumbling block in the peace process. (November 10): The United States says it has allocated an additional $150 million in aid for the Palestinians. (November 14): The United States offers Israel a package of incentives to extend its freeze on new settlements in the occupied territories for 90 days. The incentives include 20 fighter jets and a promise to veto any proposals critical of Israel at the UN Security Council.

November 19 — Latin America: HAITI

Hundreds of Hatians attack United Nations vehicles, accusing the Nepalese peacekeepers of bringing cholera to Haiti from Nepal where it is endemic. So far, the disease has killed more than 1,400 people and affected 20,000 other. Doctors Without Borders criticizes the slow and inadequate response of the international community to the epidemics.

November 22 — Africa/International Organizations: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO/ICC

The International Criminal Court at The Hague (ICC) opens a case against former leader of a rebel Movement of Liberation of Congo (MLC) in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and former DRC’s vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba, who is accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The rebel MLC, which was under his authority, is accused of rape and killing of hundreds of civilians in Central African Republic between 2002 and 2003.

November 23 — Europe/International Organizations: IRELAND/EUROPEAN UNION/INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

The European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) approve a bail-out for Ireland amounting to $113 billion to help solve the country’s debt crisis. The rescue package intends to shore up the country’s banks and help the government’s spending. In exchange, Ireland is supposed to implement austerity measures, which include spending and job cuts and raising taxes. The Irish labor unions are planning protests against the measures.

November 23 — East Asia: SOUTH KOREA/NORTH KOREA

North Korea fires about 50 artillery shells at South Korean Yeonpyeong island on the Yellow Sea near disputed maritime border called the Northern Limit Line (NLL), killing four people and destroying some of the island’s infrastructure. North Korea insists it was provoked by South Korea. South Korea, on the other hand, says that although it conducted military drills at the time, it did not aim at North Korea. South Korea evacuates all 1,600 residents of the island and puts its military on highest alert. Back in March, a North Korean torpedoed a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors. North Korea denied any involvement in this incident.

November 23 — International Organizations/Issues: UNITED NATIONS/AIDS

UNAIDS, the United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, reports that AIDS epidemic has declined globally by almost 20 percent since its peak in 1999. Also, deaths from AIDS have declined. Sub-Saharan Africa is still the most affected region, but several countries, such as South Africa, Zambia, and Ethiopia, have made progress in lowering the number of new infections. However, the number of new infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has risen.

November 28 — Africa: EGYPT

Egyptians vote in parliamentary polls. The main opposition to the President Hosni Mubarak’s governing National Democratic Party (NDP) is the officially banned Muslim Brotherhood (MB), whose members run as independents. The National Association for Change (NAC) led by Mohamed ElBardei, the former leader of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), boycotts the election. According to official reports, almost all seats go to the NDP, and the MB does not win a single seat despite the fact that it holds 88 of them in the current parliament, about a fifth of all seats. The opposition alleges widespread fraud and organizes protests across the country.