Good morning and a nice weekend!

 

• According to American researchers, Israeli air strikes on Saturday hit a former building of Iran's former nuclear weapons program as well as facilities for mixing solid fuel for missiles. The attacks targeted Parchin, a military complex near Tehran, and Khojir, a missile production facility. Analysts believe that these attacks could significantly affect Iran's missile production. The Israeli military strike was a response to Iranian missile attacks in early October.
  
• Iran played down Israel's overnight airstrike on Iranian military targets on Saturday, saying that only limited damage had been caused. The Israeli strikes targeted missile factories and other facilities in retaliation for Iran's Oct. 1 attack of about 200 missiles on Israel. The US and other countries called for an end to the escalation, while Israel said it did not plan any further attacks until Iran responded.
  
• A general election will be held in Japan on Sunday, in which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition is expected to lose votes. This is due to a funding scandal and high inflation. Polls suggest that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partner Komeito may lose their majority in the lower house. Should this happen, Ishiba would have to form a coalition with smaller parties, which could create uncertainty in policy-making. According to a survey, the economic situation and the cost of living are the main concerns of voters.
  
• In Michigan, which votes on Nov. 5, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Saturday courted the votes of Arab-American and Muslim voters concerned about the conflict in the Middle East. Michelle Obama endorsed Harris in Kalamazoo with an impassioned speech calling for Trump's “incompetence” not to be ignored, while Trump attracted Muslim voters near Detroit with promises of peace. Recent polls show a neck-and-neck race between Harris and Trump in this key swing state.
  
• The pro-European opposition in Georgia has rejected the preliminary election results as falsified and does not recognize them. The election administration reported that the pro-Russian ruling party Georgian Dream had achieved an absolute majority. Opposition leader Tinatin Bokuchava spoke of a “constitutional coup d'état”. Voter turnout was around 59 percent. On election day, violence broke out at polling stations and voting violations were reported, including the blocking of ballot boxes.
  
• Talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of hostages are to resume in Qatar after a long period of deadlock. Israeli representatives meet with mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the USA. Meanwhile, Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza. Protests in Israel demand a hostage agreement. The death of Hamas leader Jihia Sinwar could bring new hope for negotiations, while Israel continues to take military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The situation remains tense and there are reports of civilian casualties.
  
• Cuba has spent almost four days in the dark, and although power has returned to large parts of the island, hopes for improvement remain slim. People are struggling with enormous economic problems, and the power outage has led to massive difficulties, including a lack of water and transportation facilities. The mood in Cuba is one of resignation. Despite a few small protests in which people beat empty cooking pots out of anger, resistance to the government under President Miguel Díaz-Canel remains limited in the face of threats and repressive measures. Inflation and a worsening living situation are strongly reminiscent of the economic crisis of the 1990s. 
• The state planned economy cannot produce enough goods, leading to a shortage of food and a decline in tourism. Tourism, an important source of foreign currency, has not recovered since the pandemic, further exacerbating the situation.
  
• The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has stopped deliveries to the Chinese company Sophgo after a chip manufactured by TSMC was found on a Huawei processor. Sophgo had ordered chips that matched the chip found on Huawei's Ascend 910B. Huawei is not allowed to buy technology due to US security regulations. Sophgo, which is affiliated with crypto mining company Bitmain, emphasized that it has no business relationship with Huawei and has submitted an investigation report to TSMC to prove it. TSMC had not supplied chips to Huawei since September 2020 and is in contact with the US authorities to clarify possible violations of export controls.