Europe now exceeds the United States in new coronavirus cases per capita as the continent reported a record number of infections (WaPo) this week.

​Countries across Europe are reimposing pandemic restrictions (Guardian) as they combat the second wave. France reported thirty thousand new cases (BBC) yesterday, while Germany, Italy, and Poland also saw record daily spikes. One million new coronavirus cases have been recorded across Europe in the past ten days. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Europe director said that by January, daily deaths could be four to five times higher than they were in April if proper precautions are not taken.

China’s top economic-planning body has been discouraging Chinese companies from using Australian cotton (WSJ), Australian industry groups say, in Beijing’s latest trade salvo against Canberra. Tensions between the countries have risen since Australia backed an investigation into China’s handling of the coronavirus.

​Japan: Tokyo plans to release water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant that has been treated to reduce its radioactivity into the sea, sources told the Yomiuri Shimbun. The plant suffered a nuclear disaster in 2011 after an earthquake and tsunami damaged it. Although the water is not expected to harm humans, Japanese fishing groups fear the move will prompt health rumors that could destroy their industry.

U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said he struck an agreement (RFE/RL) with the Taliban for the group to reduce the violence that has continued even amid the Taliban’s peace talks with the Afghan government. Khalilzad tweeted that the Taliban agreed to “strictly” abide by the terms of its February agreement with the United States, including a reduction in operations.

Pakistan: Separatist militants killed fourteen people (NYT) in an attack on an oil and gas company’s convoy in Balochistan province. Violence has been escalating in the resource-rich region, where China has invested heavily.

Yemen’s government and the Houthi rebels are exchanging more than one thousand prisoners in their largest swap (Al Jazeera) of the country’s five-year conflict. A Houthi spokesperson said the swap raised hopes of peace-building.

This CFR Backgrounder explains the crisis in Yemen

Israel: Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved (Haaretz) the agreement to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates.

​CFR’s Steven A. Cook explains what’s behind the Israel-UAE deal.

Leading opposition candidates in Ivory Coast’s October 31 presidential election urged their supporters to boycott the race (France24), in which President Alassane Ouattara is seeking a controversial third term. Observers fear the vote will spark a political crisis like the one a decade ago, when thousands died.

​Kenya: Fires are raging on Mount Kilimanjaro (NYT), Africa’s highest peak, threatening one of the world’s richest ecosystems.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it is time for the United Kingdom to “get ready” (Sky News) to leave the European Union without a trade agreement. The UK and EU have been aiming to reach a trade deal by this week, though European leaders called for Brexit negotiations to continue (BBC).

​CFR’s Sebastian Mallaby explains what’s going on with Brexit.

Former Mexican defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda was arrested in Los Angeles (NYT) and will face drug and money-laundering charges in the United States. Cienfuegos is the first high-ranking Mexican military official to be arrested in the United States for drug-related corruption.

​Bolivia: The country is headed toward a disputed election (WaPo) on Sunday that could spark violence. The socialist party of former President Evo Morales, who fled the country after last year’s disputed election, and its rivals have alleged that the other parties will cheat.

President Donald J. Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden participated in separate town hall–style events yesterday in lieu of a second presidential debate, which Trump refused to attend after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced it would be virtual. Biden gave Trump’s foreign policy some credit (NYT) for recent normalization deals between Israel and Arab countries but criticized Trump’s friendliness toward autocrats and his withdrawal from international agreements.

​CFR’s candidate tracker shows where Trump and Biden stand on foreign policy.