Year of Variants: Stubborn virus marks momentous 2021 (November)

ANKARA (AA) - Nearly 4,000 irregular migrants facing desperate conditions at the Polish-Belarusian border with hopes to cross onto EU soil, as well as countries at the COP26 reaching a new climate deal, and the World Health Organization declaring a new COVID-19 variant, omicron marked the top news stories globally in November.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 1

- The number of people who died by coronavirus exceeds 5 million worldwide in less than two years, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Nov. 2

- Former police captain Eric Adams, a Democrat, wins New York City's mayoral election and becomes the second black mayor in the country's most populous city's history.

Nov. 3

- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives final approval for Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.

Nov. 4

- Every country in Europe and Central Asia face the risk of a COVID-19 resurgence, the World Health Organization’s Europe region head tells and voices “grave concern” as cases again reach record levels.

Nov. 5

- A Russian diplomat allegedly connected to Russia's FSB secret service is found dead on the sidewalk in front of the embassy building in Berlin.

Nov. 6

- At least 131 people are killed and more than 100 injured when a fuel tanker explodes in Sierra Leone, officials and the central mortuary confirm one day after the accident.

Nov. 7

- Iraqi officials confirm that a drone with explosives targets the residence of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, but he survives with no injuries.

Nov. 8

- US reopens its borders to Canadians after being mothballed for almost 20 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nov. 9

- Thousands of irregular migrants face desperate conditions at the Polish-Belarusian border, hoping to cross onto EU soil. Tensions between Poland and Belarus escalate after nearly 4,000 migrants, mainly from the Middle Eastern countries, arrive at the Polish border and attempt to cross.

- Japan's parliament re-elects Fumio Kishida as prime minister after his Liberal Democratic Party wins general elections in the country in October.

Nov. 10

- A crew of three Americans and one German blast off at night from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the latest mission in billionaire Elon Musk's private-company race to space.

Nov. 11

- Over a week of heavy rain lashes Sri Lanka, causing floods that kill at least 22 people and displace over 5,000.

Nov. 12

- A Los Angeles judge officially ends the controversial conservatorship that ruled over pop star Britney Spears' life for nearly 14 years.

- Active COVID- 19 cases in Germany hit a record high of 395,300, official data shows.

Nov. 13

- COP26 concludes as all participating countries reach a new climate deal that will try and keep global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.

Nov. 14

- Russia starts supplying the S-400 air defense system to India.

Nov. 15

- Tens of thousands of people globally stage demonstrations against the Cuban government, with more rallies taking place outside Cuba than on the island.

Nov. 16

- Daesh/ISIS terror group claims responsibility for a deadly attack in Uganda's capital that kills six people and injures 33.

Nov. 17

- Thousands of people forced to flee their homes in British Columbia, Canada, due to catastrophic flooding caused by historic rainfall.

Nov. 18

- Two men convicted of assassinating Malcolm X are exonerated after doubts raised in the killing of the civil rights icon.

Nov. 19

- A jury in the US state of Wisconsin acquits Kyle Rittenhouse on all counts in a closely watched trial following the fatal shootings of two protesters and the wounding of a third.

Nov. 20

- Around 50,000 Austrians take to the streets to protest a national lockdown to be implemented as of Monday, due to surges in coronavirus cases in the country.

Nov. 21

- Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu wins the top stop in the 2021 Superbike World Championship title in Indonesia.

- China downgrades its diplomatic relations with Lithuania after the Baltic state allows Taiwan to open a de facto embassy there.

Nov. 22

- Despite protests against restrictions, Austria implements a 20-day national lockdown to stem a surge in coronavirus cases.

Nov. 23

- At least 46 people burn to death in a bus accident in Bulgaria.

- US space agency unveils the first planetary defense system test mission, launching a spacecraft that will strike an asteroid in the hopes of causing a measurable change.

Nov. 24

- Germany’s center-left, environmentalist, and liberal parties reach an agreement to form a three-party coalition government.

- Sweden’s first female Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson resigns hours after she takes the office.

Nov. 25

- The European Medicines Agency recommends the use of the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 and up.

- A boat capsizes off the French coast of Calais, killing at least 31 migrants in one of the worst disasters to occur during the dangerous crossings to the UK.

Nov. 26

- The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the new COVID-19 variant from southern Africa and names it omicron and declares it a "variant of concern."

Nov. 27

- Thousands of police officers and their supporters fill the streets of Madrid to protest the Spanish government’s proposed amendments to controversial security law.

Nov. 28

- Barbados becomes a republic, removing Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state.

Nov. 29

- Leftist opposition candidate Xiomara Castro becomes the first woman to lead Honduras.

- Jack Dorsey confirms stepping down as Twitter’s CEO effective immediately, and names Parag Agrawal his replacement.

Nov. 30

- Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of notorious drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday after she pleads guilty to crimes related to her husband's Sinaloa drug cartel.​​​​​​​