HS Alliance
from Chile President Sebastián Piñera declared a state of emergency for 15 days in two regions in the south. The army will be deployed to assist local police, who have struggled to contain violent attacks by indigenous groups seeking to reclaim ancestral lands. A protester died during a demonstration led by indigenous groups in Santiago. Chile is in the process of drafting a new constitution, which could decentralize power and expand indigenous rights. A far-right presidential candidate campaigning on a law enforcement platform is well in the polls in a close race ahead of the November 21 election, which Mr Piñera cannot run for.
In Bogota, that of Colombia capital, at least five American families linked to the United States Embassy appear to have suffered from Havana Syndrome. The mysterious disease, which causes ringing in the ears, fatigue and dizziness, first appeared in Cuba in 2016.
Vaccination, then vacation
The U.S. government has said it will open land and ferry crossings to its borders with Canada and Mexico in November, but only to travelers vaccinated against covid-19. From January, this will also apply to truckers and students from Canada and Mexico, who had been exempted from the crossing ban.
from texas Governor Greg Abbott has banned employers, including private ones, from requiring their workers to be vaccinated against covid-19. This creates a clash with the federal government, which orders large employers to do the opposite.
Poland has embarked on a collision course with the rest of the European Union, after the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that some of the EUThe most important rules of Poland, including Article 1 of its main treaty, are incompatible with the Polish constitution. The EU seems sure to strike back, perhaps by freezing the covid-19 recovery funds he was supposed to send to Poland.
austria the chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, has resigned. It had become clear that his coalition partners, the Greens, would bring down his government if he stayed, amid a scandal swirling around him involving payments for favorable media coverage. Mr. Kurz denies any wrongdoing.
An election in the Czech Republic seemed to spell the end of the fall of Andrej Babis, the billionaire Prime Minister of the country. An opposition alliance won more seats. Mr Babis, who is also mired in the scandal, remains Prime Minister for the moment.
Emmanuel Macron, the French President, launched a plan called “France 2030”, which plans to devote 30 billion euros (35 billion dollars) to reducing carbon emissions and reviving industry. It includes a renewed commitment to nuclear power.
Police in Norway said a Dane who killed five people with a bow and arrows converted to Islam. The attack in the city of Kongsberg was the worst in the country since 2011, when a far-right extremist murdered 77 people.
The EU proposed to reduce or remove most border controls for the passage of goods between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland which were imposed after Brexit and cause headaches for businesses. Further discussions will take place.
“Several thousand deaths” could have been avoided by Britain in the early stages of the covid-19 epidemic, according to a parliamentary report. He called the government’s initial approach “fatalism … seeking to manage, but not suppress, the infection.” Britain subsequently suffered an extremely high death rate.
Several Asian countries have announced their intention to ease border controls linked to the pandemic. Thailand and Singapore begin allowing fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries to enter without quarantine, Malaysia stated that it would allow its citizens to travel abroad again, and India will resume issuing tourist visas for all passengers. Sydney ended 107 days of confinement.
The G20 held a meeting to discuss the economic situation in Afghanistan. The EU pledged 700 million euros ($ 810 million) in emergency aid, in addition to the 300 million euros already pledged. The leaders agreed to coordinate their efforts with the Taliban, but did not recognize the government. US officials met with Taliban representatives in Qatar for their first talks since the jihadists took power.
At least 50 people were killed in a bombing a Shiite mosque in Kunduz, the deadliest attack in Afghanistan since the withdrawal of American forces at the end of August. ISIS claimed responsibility.
The party of Muqtada al-Sadr, a clergyman and militia leader, won the most parliamentary seats in Iraq election, with over 70 out of 329. But other Shiite parties claimed the vote was unfair. Since some have large private armies, the haggling over who will form the next government could turn violent. Some of Mr. Sadr’s rivals are backed by Iran.
President Joe Biden considered imposing sanctions on parties to Ethiopia civil war, which he was prepared to discuss with Uhuru Kenyatta, his Kenyan counterpart. The fighting has plunged 400,000 people into famine in the northern region of Ethiopia, in Tigray. The Ethiopian army has launched an offensive against rebel forces in Tigray on several fronts.
The International Court of Justice has ruled mainly in favor of Somalia in his dispute with Kenya on which country has a piece of ocean that is thought to be rich in oil and natural gas. Kenya rejected the decision.
from China President Xi Jinping said that reunification with Taiwan “Must be accomplished” and must be carried out peacefully. But he said no one should underestimate China’s “strong ability” to defend its territorial integrity, a hint that it might use force. His Taiwanese counterpart, Tsai Ing-wen, said the island would not bow to pressure from China.
Memory tanks
The University of Hong Kong ordered the removal of a sculpture, called the Pillar of Shame, commemorating the crushing of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. It was erected 24 years ago.
This article appeared in the The World This Week section of the print edition under the headline “Politics”