Tbilisi (AFP) – During an interview with AFP, Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili says that it is “difficult to deal” with a “threatening” Russia, following this weekends contested legislative elections which saw the victory of the ruling party, accused by the opposition of stealing the vote with Russian help.
Pyongyang (AFP) – North Korea has sent 10,000 troops to train in Russia and likely fight Ukraine in weeks, Washington says, as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warns that the deployment posed a “significant security threat.”
Tbilisi (AFP) – Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili accused Russia of election fraud after a disputed legislative vote that showed a win for the ruling party accused of moving towards Russia’s orbit. The Georgian opposition on Sunday called for protests and the European Union demanded an investigation into “irregularities” over the result of the election.
Merzouga (Morocco) (AFP) – In Morocco’s southeastern desert, a rare downpour has recently brought lakes and ponds back to life, with locals — and tourists — hailing it as a gift from the heavens. The rain has come amid the North African country’s worst drought for 40 years and after its driest year in 80, according to an October report from the General Directorate of Meteorology.
Madrid (AFP) – “We have a flow,” says Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, after his side thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico, the Spanish champions’ first La Liga defeat in more than a year. Flick’s opposite number, Carlo Ancelotti, describes the loss as “a hard, difficult moment.”
Japan’s ruling party has missed out on a parliamentary majority for the first time since 2009, a result that strikes a blow to new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The snap poll was called in early October, following a party slush fund scandal that led to the resignation of Fumio Kishida and Ishiba’s narrow election to the party’s leadership. Voters in the world’s fourth-largest economy have been rankled by rising prices.
Tbilisi (AFP) – Georgia’s electoral commission announces the ruling Georgian Dream party as official winners of the country’s parliamentary election, with 54.086 percent of the vote. The announcement follows counting of votes in more than 99 percent of precincts, according to electoral commission chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili. Georgia’s pro-European opposition claim the results are “falsified.”
Tlacotalpan (Mexico) (AFP) – Residents of Tlacotalpan, in Mexico’s eastern Veracruz state, navigate the streets using kayaks after heavy rain caused the Papaloapan River to overflow and flood homes. Mexico has suffered the effects of at least four cyclones in its current hurricane season, which hits the county every year between May and November.
Tbilisi (AFP) – “If the pro-Russian side wins, I’m definitely going to leave Georgia,” says Tamta, one of those heading to the polls for parliamentary elections that will determine the country’s future. Many are hoping to halt the drift towards Moscow seen under the ruling Georgian Dream party, which earlier this year passed a controversial “foreign influence” bill, targeting civil society and sparking weeks of mass street protests.
Apia (Samoa) (AFP) – “Iran should not respond” to Israeli strikes on military targets in the country, says UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Speaking in Samoa, where he is attending a Commonwealth summit, Starmer says “we need to avoid further regional escalation,” following the overnight strikes, which Israel has claimed were retaliation for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month.
Atlanta (AFP) – As the US presidential race enters its final stretch, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is facing a fresh problem in Georgia, a crucial swing state, where support from Black male voters is declining. President Joe Biden only narrowly beat Donald Trump in the state in 2020, despite receiving support from 88% of Black voters. Recent surveys have Harris at around 74%, a notable drop in what is becoming one of the tightest elections in recent memory.
Tbilisi (AFP) – Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili casts her ballot as the country goes to the polls for an election that could determine the fledgling democracy’s European aspirations, with concerns growing over the current ruling party’s pro-Russian drift.
