This week, last year: 6th – 12th November

Our news highlights from 12 months past, for your weekly dose of Slow Journalism perspective…

Sun 6th November 2016
Daniel Ortega is elected as Nicaragua’s president for a third consecutive term in a landslide victory. Critics accuse Ortega, who ran with his wife on the vice-presidential ticket, of bypassing constitutional term limits and using the courts to prevent the main opposition party’s leader from entering the race.

FBI director James Comey informs Congress that a newly discovered batch of Hillary Clinton campaign emails has not changed the bureau’s previous conclusion that she 
had not committed any criminal wrongdoing. Nine days previously, Comey had revealed that agents had found emails that “appeared pertinent” to the prior investigation.

Mon 7th November 2016
Two inmates escape from Pentonville prison in London. James Whitlock and Matthew Baker escape one day after 300 rioting prisoners took over a Bedfordshire prison. Baker is caught on 9th November, Whitlock on the 13th.

Canadian musician and poet Leonard Cohen dies at 82.

Leonard Cohen on stage in 1979 during
the Field Commander Cohen tour. Photo: 90060 / KPA / DPA / PA Images

Read an intimate look back on Leonard Cohen’s life, in our interview with his friend and collaborator Jennifer Warnes

Tue 8th November 2016
The United States elects Donald Trump as its 45th president. The Republican beats Democrat Hillary Clinton to secure the electoral college and thus the White House – despite losing the popular ballot by more than 2.8 million votes.

For an alternative perspective on his rise to power, see our Donald Trump-related infographics, collected here

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi declares 500 and 1,000 rupee notes obsolete, in a bid to undermine the black market. There will be a 50-day period in which the notes, which are no longer legal tender, can be exchanged.

Read our report on what it was like to be in India in the extraordinary days following the cash ban – and meet the mysterious figure who claims it was all his idea…

Wed 9th November 2016
Seven are killed and 51 hospitalised as a tram derails in Croydon, London. The tram was travelling at 43.5mph in a 12mph zone. The driver is arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

“Like everybody else, we got 
it wrong” – Tony Romando, CEO at Newsweek’s production partner Topix Media, holds his hands up as 120,000 copies of the magazine bearing the headline “Madam President” are hastily recalled from shops.

Thu 10th November 2016
Donald Trump meets Barack Obama at the White House for transition talks. Obama describes the 90-minute encounter as “excellent” and “wide-ranging”.

Fri 11th November 2016
England play Scotland in a football World Cup qualifier on Armistice Day. In wearing armbands featuring poppies, both teams break Fifa’s rules against displaying political symbols. England win 3-0.

Sat 12th November 2016
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg vows to tackle fake news on his social media platform but insists that it is “extremely unlikely” that hoaxes spread on Facebook changed the course of the US election. The announcement comes a week after Barack Obama complains of a “dust cloud of nonsense” on the site.

Fifty-four people are killed and at least 100 are wounded in a bomb attack on a remote Sufi shrine in the Pakistani region of Balochistan. Isis claims responsibility.

Posted on Tuesday, November 7th, 2017 - Categories: Extras, The week that was.