Wednesday Night # 2224

While our main preoccupation is the US election, there are other international events that warrant attention and in many cases, concern.
Heading the list would be the recent developments in Putin’s War, e.g. the Russia-North Korea alliance, the arrival of North Korean troops in Russia
and Ukraine. North Korean troops in Russian uniforms heading to Kursk, says US
See also
What are the global consequences of North Korean soldiers now appearing on the frontlines in Ukraine?

No weekly round-up can fail to mention the latest actions of Israel. Today, they include “precise and targeted” airstrikes on Iran on Saturday. CNN notes “Saturday’s attack marked the first time Israel has acknowledged striking Iran, bringing the shadow war into the open and crossing a threshold that has led some in the Islamic Republic to question the country’s deterrence capabilities.” There is the bombardment of the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre, Israeli air strikes pummel Lebanese historic city of Tyre.
Last, but not least, what Al Jazeera terms Israel’s ‘war’ against the UN
A glimmer of hope?
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday hosted the first meeting of a new “international alliance” to press for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Unveiled last month on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, the “international alliance to implement the two-state solution” brings together nations from the Middle East, Europe and beyond.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said nearly 90 “states and international organisations” were taking part in the two-day meeting in Riyadh.
“A genocide is happening with the goal of evicting the Palestinian people from their land, which Saudi Arabia rejects,” he said, describing the humanitarian situation as “catastrophic” and denouncing the “complete blockade” of northern Gaza.
The Riyadh meeting was expected to focus on humanitarian access, the embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) and measures to advance a two-state solution, diplomats said.

An(other) election gone awry
Thousands protest in Georgia as opposition challenges election results
Georgian Dream wins 54% of vote, electoral commission says
President says election was stolen
Opposition parties reject results, alleging violations
EU, US call for probe into reports of violations
Kremlin denies accusations of vote interference
Thousands of people protested outside Georgia’s parliament in Tbilisi on Monday after the governing party won an election marked by reports of voting irregularities, prompting Western powers to call for investigations.

The Global Economy
The IMF and World Bank closed their annual meetings with urgent call for fragile economies. According to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, while wealthy countries seem likely to achieve the much-vaunted “soft landing” — reducing inflation without a recession — geopolitical, climactic, and fiscal risks are putting great strain on the world’s most vulnerable economies.  You may wish to study the World Economic Outlook 10/2024 which was released
Meantime, the BRICS Summit hosted by Russia/Putin attracted attention and some 36 nations. The 32-page Kazan Declaration included numerous lofty goals (Key takeaways from the Kazan declaration) and concluded with a statement on India’s initiative to create an International Big Cats Alliance.

An appropriate note considering that the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 16) opened in Cali, Colombia on 21 October and will continue to 1 November.
A Major Push to Protect Nature Is Happening Now – Delegates from around the world are meeting in Colombia in what is expected to be the biggest U.N. biodiversity conference in history.

Canada’s issues seem pretty tame by comparison to the world’s preoccupations.
The revolt against Trudeau appears to have fizzled:
No secret ballot so far on Trudeau’s leadership, Liberal MPs say focus should be on defeating Poilievre
The Saskatchewan Party has won a fifth majority government – no small feat – and will claim 35 of 61 seats in the legislature, subject to a final ballot count.
BC has a government – sort of. BC NDP to form government as majority status depends on results of recounts
Nova Scotians heading to the polls Nov. 26 after early election call
In Quebec, The Bedford affair is now a national debate on welcoming immigrants to Quebec and the place of religion in schools
N.D.G. MNA Désirée McGraw broke ranks with the Liberal Party and express displeasure in public with the party siding with the Parti Québécois last Thursday in calling for the end of public financing of Quebec’s private religious schools.
“One can subsidize private religious schools without funding religious instruction,” Liberal MNA Désirée McGraw says.
advance polls for Quebec’s English school board elections began on Sunday but voters in Montreal faced challenges, including long lines and confusing registration instructions. With the election set for Nov. 3, candidates say community participation is more crucial than ever, especially after the Quebec government tried to abolish English school boards in 2020 with the introduction of Bill 40, citing low voter turnout.
Our thoughts and good wishes are with Julien Feldman.

In anticipation of November 5th –Guy Fawkes Day, in case you had forgotten- Project Syndicate offers a selection of essays and commentaries on the US election from its outstanding writers (Nouriel Roubini, Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nina L. Khrushcheva, et al.)
The US Election and America’s Future
From the economy to foreign policy to democratic institutions, the two US presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, promise to pursue radically different agendas, reflecting sharply diverging visions for the United States and the world. Why is the race so nail-bitingly close, and how might the outcome change America?
About 58m people have already voted; Harris leads Trump in two crucial swing states, new poll shows – More than 57.5m people have voted so far, according to Election Lab based in Florida; Harris leads Trump in Wisconsin and Michigan, CNN’s new poll finds
The brouhaha over the non-endorsements of the LA Times and Washington Post is slowly dying down, but not without significant outcry and departures of subscribers and staff from the latter, and general condemnation of billionaire owners of major media who may be beholden to one of the candidates (guess who) or anticipating consequences for other business interests should Trump win (dubbed Anticipatory Capitulation by Robert Kagan). Jeff Bezos’ defense of the WaPo non-endorsement after subscribers flee and staffers resign was not particularly convincing, while Vanity Fair paints a lengthy and unflattering portrait of LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong and his family.
The NYT describes The Trump rally at Madison Square Garden: Trump at the Garden: A Closing Carnival of Grievances, Misogyny and Racism“>A Closing Carnival of Grievances, Misogyny and Racism – The inflammatory rally was a capstone for an increasingly aggrieved campaign for Donald Trump, whose rhetoric has grown darker and more menacing
And so it begins
We confess we knew nothing about Vancouver, Washington until Terry Jones updated family news a couple of days ago with mention that one of her daughters had retired there with her husband. Then came this alarming story about campaign violence.
Ballot fire sparks fresh election concerns
Shocking images out of Vancouver, Washington, this morning show a ballot drop box with heavy smoke pluming out of it after an apparent arson …a striking manifestation of simmering fears over challenges to voting with Election Day nearly one week out.
On the other hand, Jeff Jackson sends a pretty cheery message We’re almost home – Here’s our closing argument
Be afraid, be very afraid
Trump’s plan to radically remake government with RFK Jr. and Elon Musk is coming into view

Events
Something different
November 9th 10am-4pm
November 10th 12pm-4pm
A taste of Serbia, annual traditional Bake sale
Cabbage rolls, smoked meat bean soup, vegeterian soup, meat, cheese and potatoes pies, baklava, sour cherry pie, and many more cookies and cakes.
349 Av. Melville, Westmount

Delightful meme from one of the U.S. cousins drew our attention to ‘Emotional support Canadians’ offer to help Americans stressed by U.S. election

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!