Wednesday, November 18, 2020 - a podcast by TRT World

*) Ethiopia’s PM vows ‘final and crucial’ offensive in Tigray

Ethiopia's prime minister says a "final and crucial" military offensive will soon be launched in the restive northern region of Tigray.

The UN has warned of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the region as over 27,000 refugees have fled to Sudan amid escalating unrest.

Other aid agencies are reporting people are going hungry in Tigray as there is very little food left to buy even if locals do have the purchasing power.

*) Iota, weakened but deadly, rips through Central America

Fierce winds and floodwaters have raged through Honduras as Hurricane Iota batters the region, leaving at least six people dead in Nicaragua.

The storm has unleashed torrential rain with damaging winds, causing damage to infrastructure and forcing more than 80,000 from their homes.

Hurricane Iota comes just two weeks after devastating tropical storm Eta hit the region.

*) Turkey's Parliament approves troop deployment to Azerbaijan

The Turkish parliament has approved a bill to deploy peacekeepers to Azerbaijan.

Russia has previously said Turkish troops would be joining them in Nagorno-Karabakh to oversee a ceasefire deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Ankara says the decision to send in peacekeepers will bring more stability to the region.

*) Trump fires top US election cybersecurity official via Twitter

US President Donald Trump has, in a tweet, fired the director of the federal agency that vouched for the reliability of the 2020 election.

Chris Krebs had declared the November 3rd election as “the most secure in American history”.

Trump has repeatedly refused to concede defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, claiming the voting and count was replete with fraud without offering any evidence.

And finally…

*) FIFA Club World Cup to be held in Qatar in February

The FIFA Club World Cup, originally planned for December, will now be held from February 1 to February 11 in Doha, Qatar.

Organisers from FIFA say the tournament will bring together six continental champions from across the world.

FIFA did not state if supporters would be able to attend any of the games as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the world.

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