November 2009 Current Events: World News

U.S. News | Business/Science News

Here are the key events in world news for the month of November 2009.

• Palestinian Leader Will Not Seek Reelection (Nov. 5): Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announces he will not seek reelection in Jan. 2010's general and presidential elections, citing the protracted impasse between Israelis and Palestinians and the United States' failure to aggressively take steps toward negotiating a settlement. His poll numbers have been on the decline for much of 2009, with militants angered by his ongoing discussions with Israeli defense minister and former prime minister Ehud Barak and his reluctance to use force against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. His popularity hit a new low in October, when he wavered in his response to the UN-backed Goldstone report.
• Three American Hikers Accused of Espionage in Iran (Nov. 9): Three Americans arrested while hiking in Iran over the summer are accused of spying by Iranian officials. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton rejects the accusation and calls for Iranians to release them.
• Blackwater Attempted to Bribe Iraq for Civilian Deaths (Nov. 10): Top executives at Blackwater Worldwide, including company president Gary Jackson, attempted to bribe Iraqi officials after Blackwater security guards shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Sept. 2007. After Jackson approved the bribes, the money was sent to company operations in Amman, Jordan. Blackwater claims not to know whether intended recipients received the bribes.
• De Facto Leader of Honduras Agrees to Temporarily Step Aside (Nov. 19): Roberto Micheletti, the de facto leader of Honduras who ousted President Manuel Zelaya from power in June, agrees to temporarily cede power to his cabinet ministers while awaiting presidential election day, scheduled for November 29. Neither Micheletti nor Zelaya are on the ballot; the two leaders are at odds over which man should lead the country during the interim period between election day and the January 27 inauguration. Though the U.S. supported the deposed Zelaya, an accord brokered by the U.S. government in late October called for the leaders to form a coalition government during the interim. It quickly fell apart. (Nov. 29): Conservative candidate Porfirio Lobo is expected to win the presidential election in Honduras, beating his main opponent, Elvín Santos, by a wide margin.
• Afghanistan President Starts Second Term (Nov. 20): Hamid Karzai is sworn in as the president of Afghanistan, marking the beginning of his second five-year term. Among his campaign promises, Karzai declares that Afghanistan's army will have full control of the country's security within five years.
• At Least 21 Killed, 22 Missing in Election-Related Violence in Philippines (Nov. 23): At least 21 men and women have been killed, and 22 are still missing, in a rash of election-related violence in the Philippines. The victims were reportedly en route to file candidacy papers for Esmael Mangudadatu, who intends to run for governor of Maguindanao, a province on the island of Mindanao. Family members of Mangudadatu are among the dead. Attacks on candidates and supporters of politicians are common during elections. (Nov. 25): The number of victims in the Philippines election killings rises to 57. Authorities voice their suspicion of a powerful clan tied to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo; Andal Ampatuan Jr., the son of the current governor of Maguindanao and the prime suspect in the murders, turns himself in.
• Terrorist Bomb on Russian Train Kills at Least 25 (Nov. 28): A terrorist bomb planted on train tracks in Russia derails the Nevsky Express, killing at least 25 and wounding many others.