Hundreds of thousands of people reportedly protested in Sudan yesterday (Reuters) against what demonstrators said was the military’s attempt to end a transitional power-sharing agreement with civilian officials and take over. U.S. envoy Jeffrey Feltman, who is set to arrive in Sudan today (Bloomberg), said U.S. financial support will be in question (National) if the transitional government is not maintained until 2023 elections.
 
The demonstrations come after what Sudanese authorities called a military coup attempt last month. In a rival protest, thousands of people have been camping (AP) outside the seat of government in Khartoum to demand a return to military rule.

Chinese state media reported that the indebted company made an $83.5 million payment (Nikkei) it had missed in early September. It faces another deadline on October 29.
 
Taiwan: U.S. President Joe Biden told CNN that the United States has a commitment to defend Taiwan if it is attacked by China, seeming to contradict Washington’s policy of “strategic ambiguity” in such a scenario. A White House spokesperson said U.S. policy has not changed.
 
CFR President Richard Haass argues that U.S. policy on Taiwan should adjust to deal with a more assertive China.

Pakistan’s foreign minister said the country will provide (Dawn) more than $28 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and relax restrictions on trade and cross-border travel.
 
CFR’s Manjari Chatterjee Miller explains what to know about Pakistan’s support for the Taliban.
 
Bangladesh: Seven people were killed (AFP) in a shooting and stabbing attack at an Islamic seminary in a Rohingya refugee camp.

Israel proposed that future spyware deals between Israeli firms and third countries include a ban (Axios) on hacking French mobile phone numbers. The move comes amid reports that Israeli spyware was used to hack French President Emmanuel Macron’s phone.
 
Syria: The government said it executed twenty-four people (NYT) and sentenced eleven others to life in prison for starting wildfires last year.

Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo said he made a deal (AFP) with Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to accelerate a delayed election process, apparently de-escalating a feud that had led the president to suspend Roble’s executive powers in early September.

Milorad Dodik, who is the Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite presidency and advocates for the secession of the country’s Serb-dominated region, said he will seek to dismantle state institutions (Reuters) including the intelligence agency and the constitutional court.
 
France: The government will make a one-time payment (BBC) of $116 to thirty-eight million lower-income citizens in an effort to ease the impact of rising energy prices.

The nation is preparing to become a republic (BBC) and remove Queen Elizabeth II, the British monarch, as its head of state. Sandra Mason will be sworn in as president on November 30.
 
Chile: Far-right politician Jose Antonio Kast Rist, a supporter of former dictator Augusto Pinochet, has risen to the top of polls (Guardian) for the first round of Chile’s presidential vote. He is predicted to lose in a runoff.

A booster rocket carrying a hypersonic weapon failed yesterday (CNN), the Pentagon said. President Biden had voiced concern (Reuters) about Chinese hypersonic weapons on Wednesday after the Financial Times reported that China had tested one.
 
For Foreign Affairs, Jeffrey Lewis writes that to slow a new arms race, the United States should accept limits on its missile defense systems.