WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
DR Congo Election results – When results of Sunday's presidential election are announced, Joseph Kabila's 17-year rule will come to an end. This is supposed to be the strife-torn country's first-ever orderly transfer of power. Maybe. But there are charges of voting irregularity and reports that opposition TV and radio stations have been pushed off the air.
China and Taiwan –China's President Xi Jinping warned during a tough speech this week that "reunification" of China and Taiwan is inevitable and that China reserves the right to ensure that happens by any means necessary. There's no imminent risk of war here, but Xi is making clear that China will exert heavy pressure to get the outcome it wants in Taiwan's presidential election next year. There's also still a risk that Trump increases tensions by trying to use US support for Taiwan as a bargaining chip in the broader US-China conflict.
WHAT WE'RE IGNORING
The Khashoggi trial –As part of efforts to shift blame for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi away from Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, 11 Saudis are now on trial for the killing. We're ignoring this story, because show trials don't have surprise endings.
The Search for Napoleon's Gold –Russian historian Viacheslav Ryzhkov says Napoleon's retreating army buried tons of stolen Russian treasure under a lake near Russia's border with Belarus in 1812. After painstaking research and careful consideration, we think Ryzhkov is full of crap. If he finds any gold, we'll write an update.
