The Taliban gained control of Afghanistan’s second- and third-largest cities by early Friday, as fears mounted of a total takeover and humanitarian catastrophe. The group’s rapid advance prompted the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada to deploy extra troops (Reuters) to aid the evacuation of foreign nationals.

A United Nations envoy warned that the country is at a “dangerous turning point” (UN News), while the UK defense secretary criticized Washington’s decision (FT) to withdraw troops by the end of the month. This spring, the Joe Biden administration announced the pullout of U.S. troops after nearly twenty years of deployment, asserting it is up to Afghan forces to defend their country. Envoys from countries that met in Doha this week, including China, European Union member states, Pakistan, and the United States, announced that they will not recognize any government (Twitter) in Afghanistan that is imposed through the use of military force.

Hong Kong’s population fell by 1.2 percent (SCMP) over the past year, furthering the reversal of a growth trend from 2003 to 2020. One official said pandemic travel restrictions were partly to blame, while a population expert at the University of Hong Kong said people might be leaving because of diminishing freedoms. 

China: The construction of coal-powered steel mills in China sped up (FT) in the first half of 2021, making it likely that the steel sector will miss a target of keeping emissions at its 2020 levels, according to the watchdog Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. A new UN climate report found that such emissions will have to drop sharply to avoid the worst trajectories for global warming.

The former head of the opposition Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi, said Twitter is “interfering in our political process” after the company suspended his and other accounts (Hindu). A Twitter spokesperson said the company acted on a complaint about one of Gandhi’s posts.

The UN special envoy for Syria called for an end (Al-Monitor) to the “near siege-like situation” in the Daraa al-Balad district, where clashes between government forces and rebels have caused thousands of people to flee their homes in recent weeks.

Israel, Palestinian territories: In a new report, Human Rights Watch said that Hamas’s unguided rocket attacks on Israeli cities during the May conflict amounted to war crimes (BBC). Last month, the rights group said three Israeli air strikes on Gaza during the same period also violated the laws of war.

The United States is sending its envoy (AFP) for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, to Ethiopia to press for an end to conflict that has spread beyond the Tigray region in recent weeks.

For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin describes how the Ethiopian crisis has gone from bad to worse. 

Zambia: The main opposition candidate for the presidency called for the government to restore internet access after WhatsApp was cut during yesterday’s election. Twitter and Facebook were also intermittently down, BBC reported, as vote counting was underway.

Authorities in the capital of Ankara said they arrested seventy-six people (Euronews) in connection with attacks on homes and businesses of Syrian refugees yesterday.

Europe: The European Union’s border agency is testing new surveillance equipment (Reuters) that uses camera-carrying balloons and thermovision sensors to detect migrant boats. A spokesperson said the agency is closely following events in Afghanistan and Tunisia that could affect migration flows.

Negotiators representing President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition begin talks (AFP) in Mexico today. Maduro has called for international sanctions to be lifted, while the opposition wants guarantees on conditions for fair elections. The last talks between the two sides broke down in 2019.

This Backgrounder looks at Venezuela’s descent into economic and political chaos.

Haiti: Haiti will hold presidential and legislative elections (AFP), as well as a constitutional referendum, on November 7, officials said. The elections were pushed back from September after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

Race and ethnicity data from the 2020 census show that the share of the country that identifies as non-Hispanic white decreased for the first time since record-keeping began in 1970 and now amounts to 57.8 percent of the U.S. population. Those identifying as Hispanic made up 18.7 percent of Americans, while 12.4 percent identify as Black and 6 percent as Asian. The number of people who identify as more than one race doubled (USA Today) over the past decade.

This Backgrounder explores why the census matters.