A new trade deal among Canada, Mexico, and the United States takes effect today (Reuters), replacing the twenty-six-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
 
The negotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) fulfilled a major campaign pledge of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who called NAFTA the “worst trade deal ever made” and vowed to renegotiate it. The agreement will govern more than $1 trillion in annual trade (Bloomberg) among the three countries and contains new rules, including stricter enforcement of labor standards and a requirement to manufacture cars with more North American–made parts to qualify for zero-tariff treatment. But trade tensions are already emerging; the United States is reportedly considering reimposing tariffs (NYT) on Canadian aluminum, and U.S. lawmakers have voiced concern about labor rights in Mexico.

A weeklong vote on a set of constitutional amendments that would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036 (AP) ends today after reports of pressure on voters and other irregularities. The amendments are expected to pass.
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Belgium: King Philippe expressed regret for his country’s brutal colonization (WaPo) of the Democratic Republic of Congo in a letter to DRC President Felix Tshisekedi yesterday, the sixtieth anniversary of the country’s independence from Belgium.

An international group of politicians demanded a UN investigation after an Associated Press report found evidence of a Chinese government forced birth control program targeting Muslim Uighurs in the Xinjiang region. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on China, which has denied the report, to end the “horrific practices,” and U.S. lawmakers condemned Beijing.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at China’s repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang.
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Hong Kong: Thousands of people protested China’s new national security law (SCMP) for Hong Kong after it went into effect today. Police arrested dozens of protesters, including at least seven under the new law.

U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with ministers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to discuss the peace process in Afghanistan (TOLO). He also held a virtual meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah about progress toward intra-Afghan talks.
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Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan said there was “no doubt” that India was behind Monday’s attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (Dawn) that killed four people along with the four assailants. India denied involvement, and an insurgent group from southwestern Pakistan claimed responsibility (NYT) for the attack.

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have yet to signal imminent action to annex parts of the West Bank, even though Netanyahu set today as the potential start date. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said it was unlikely that any major action would happen today (Times of Israel). 

CFR’s Martin S. Indyk discusses the potential annexation on this episode of The President’s Inbox podcast.
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Iran: The United States pushed to extend an arms embargo on Iran during a UN Security Council meeting, but China and Russia rejected the move and U.S. allies were ambivalent (NYT).

The leaders of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss their joint efforts to combat armed groups (AFP) in the Sahel.
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Sudan: Tens of thousands of people protested in cities across the country to demand greater civilian rule and faster reform (Al Jazeera). One person was killed and several others were injured.

Guatemala has capped the number of people the United States can deport to the country each week after U.S. officials continued to deport Guatemalans who tested positive for coronavirus, a foreign ministry spokesperson told the Miami Herald.

A number of states and cities are reimposing coronavirus-related restrictions as cases surge across the United States (WaPo). Top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told Congress the country was headed in the “wrong direction.”