Global Beat is your weekly stop for news from around the world. Join us every Friday morning for important stories you should know about.

This week, the Assad regime carries out a chemical attack in a rebel-held Syrian province, leading to a U.S. military airstrike; an explosion in a subway in St. Petersburg kills 14 people; North Korea fires a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on the eve of first meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping; and more.
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Americas

Ruling party candidate Lenin Moreno won Ecuador’s presidential election on Sunday. According to the president of the National Electoral Council, Juan Pablo Pozo, Moreno won slightly over 51 percent of the vote, compared with 49 percent for the opposition challenger Guillermo Lasso. While Pozo has stated the results are "official" and "irreversible," Lasso is contesting the results over allegations of voter fraud. Thousands of Lasso supporters gathered in the streets to protest for two nights, the first of which turned violent.

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• USA, Canada, and Mexico will submit a joint bid to host 2026 World Cup – Roger Gonzalez, CBS Sports

Central & South Asia

Pakistan on Wednesday welcomed Washington's offer to help de-escalate tensions with India. The same day, India rejected a more proactive role for the United States from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. Haley on Monday stated that President Donald Trump’s administration "is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward." India and Pakistan have long been in conflict over the territorially disputed Kashmir region, with the deadliest attack in the area in two decades occurring last September.

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• Bangladesh to sign deals with India for $5 billion loan, electricity – Serajul Quadir and Stephen Powell, Reuters

China & East Asia

North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, a day before President Trump was scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida. President Trump warned earlier this week that the United States would take unilateral action to eliminate a nuclear threat from North Korea with or without China’s help. Other issues between the two leaders expected to be discussed include trade and the geopolitics of the South China Sea, with climate change said not to be on the agenda.

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• Malaysia returns Kim Jong-nam’s body to North Korea – Agence France-Presse

Europe & Russia

An explosion on Monday erupted in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg. Fourteen people were killed and almost 50 injured when a homemade bomb exploded. A larger bomb that had been disguised as a fire extinguisher was found at a nearby train station and was disarmed. Russian authorities have identified the suspect as Akbarzhon Jalilov, a Kyrgyzstan national who is believed to have ties with the Islamic State. President Vladimir Putin, who was in St. Petersburg the day the explosion occurred, emphasized that terrorists were the likely culprit.

Also check out:

• Macron, Le Pen still lead French polls, leftwing maverick is wild card – Leigh Thomas and Sarah White, Reuters

Middle East & North Africa

On Tuesday the Bashar al-Assad regime carried out a chemical attack in the northern rebel-held Idlib province in Syria. At least 86 people, including women and children, are said to have been killed with many more injured. Assad denied responsiblity and a statement from the Syrian military accussed insurgents of carrying out the attack. On Thursday the United States fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian air base where the chemical attack was launched. Russia, a key ally of the Assad regime, called the airstrike "an aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law." The UN Security Council is meeting Friday to discuss both the chemical attack and Washington's response.

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• Britney Spears inadvertently delays an election in Israel – Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR

Southeast Asia & Oceania

The king of Thailand signed a new military-drafted constitution this week that paves the way for elections. The military junta that seized power in 2014 will retain an influential role, however, including the power to appoint a senate that will have a say in appointing the prime minister. Elections are now scheduled to be held next year. The constitution will not be made public until it is published in the Royal Gazette, at which point it becomes law.

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• Philippines and communist rebels agree to a temporary cease-fire – Felipe Villamor, The New York Times

Sub-Saharan Africa

Former U.S. President George W. Bush visited Botswana this week and touted his signature aid project for Africa. The Bush administration launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003. The program is the world’s largest provider of AIDS-fighting medicine and now includes services for cervical cancer as well. "I hope our government when they analyze what works around the world will understand that PEPFAR has saved over 11 million lives," Bush said.

Also check out:

• South Africa lifts ban on domestic rhino horn sales – The Guardian

Stay informed. We’ll see you here again next week.