Air strikes believed to be carried out by Russia killed dozens of Turkish-backed rebels (Al Jazeera) in Syria’s Idlib province, according to a rebel spokesperson. The attack could be a serious breach of Moscow’s cease-fire agreement with Ankara.

The death toll is unclear, but more than one hundred people are believed to have been killed or injured in the attack on the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group (NYT). A Russian state-owned news agency said Syrian planes carried out the attack. Russia has backed a Syrian government offensive to retake Idlib, while Turkey has intervened on the side of the rebel forces. Both countries agreed to a cease-fire in March that has held since then. In the past week, both Russia and Syria have escalated their aerial attacks (WaPo) in northwestern Syria.

China said it will sanction three U.S. defense contractors for their involvement in a proposed $1.8 billion U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan (WSJ). The Donald J. Trump administration notified Congress yesterday about an additional sale potentially worth $2.37 billion. 

This CFR Backgrounder unpacks the China-Taiwan relationship. 

Malaysia: Embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin weathered a political storm (Straits Times) after the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party decided to continue supporting him. Earlier, Malaysia’s king rejected Muhyiddin’s request for emergency powers during the pandemic, which critics saw as a ploy for Muhyiddin to remain in power. 

At least eight people were killed and more than 110 others were injured in an explosion (Dawn) at a religious school in Peshawar. Police said someone carried a bag with explosives into the building. No organization has claimed responsibility.

India: India and the United States signed a military information-sharing agreement (ThePrint) during their annual two-plus-two ministerial dialogue. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States and India need to cooperate to counter China.

This CFR timeline looks at U.S.-India relations.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions (Reuters) on Iranian oil companies over their financial support of Iran’s Quds Force, an elite unit of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Trump administration has been ramping up economic pressure on Iran.

CFR’s David J. Scheffer explains the flawed U.S. effort to revive Iran sanctions. 

Sudan said it will hold talks (AFP) brokered by the African Union with Egypt and Ethiopia today over the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile river. 

Tanzania: A major opposition party alleged that Tanzanian police have killed at least seven people (AP) ahead of the country’s presidential election tomorrow. President John Magufuli is seeking a second five-year term amid allegations of election fraud.

Several Muslim countries have called out French President Emmanuel Macron (Al Jazeera) for what they view as Islamophobic rhetoric. After the beheading of a French teacher who showed students cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, which is forbidden in Islam, Macron said France would not “give up our cartoons.” Earlier this month, he also said that Islam was “in crisis.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a boycott of French goods (BBC). 

Russia: President Vladimir Putin proposed that Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) inspect each other’s military bases (AP) to enforce a moratorium on the deployment of new nuclear missiles in Europe. Last year, the United States and Russia ended a treaty that banned such weapons, blaming each other for violating the pact. 

Lawyers for Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, are expected to question officials (Reuters) today as hearings about her extradition from Canada to the United States continue. Meng’s lawyers have alleged an abuse of process by Canadian and U.S. authorities during her 2018 arrest in Vancouver, which has sparked a diplomatic row between Canada and China.

This CFR Backgrounder explains Huawei, China’s controversial tech giant.

Colombia: The U.S. embassy in Bogota warned Colombian officials (Guardian) against involvement in the U.S. presidential election after several Colombian politicians were accused of campaigning for President Trump in Florida.

Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice yesterday night after a divided Senate confirmed her nomination (WaPo), cementing a conservative shift in the court just a week before the presidential election. The 52-48 vote was almost entirely along party lines. Democrats had accused Republicans of hypocrisy for pushing through Barrett’s nomination after refusing to confirm a Supreme Court appointee in 2016, citing proximity to that year’s election.

Two studies published yesterday confirmed that there is water (WaPo), and possibly ice, on the moon. The presence of water on the moon could allow astronauts to live and refuel their rockets there.