U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke for more than three hours last night in talks that a senior Biden administration official called “respectful and straightforward” (NPR). 

The leaders stressed the need for cooperation (White House) on issues such as climate change and global energy security while also discussing tensions on issues including trade, Taiwan, and human rights. Xi warned that Beijing would take “resolute measures” (NYT) if Taiwan pursues independence, Chinese state media reported. The talks, which were the first between the leaders since two phone calls earlier this year, ended without a shared statement.

President Rodrigo Duterte registered his candidacy (Rappler) for next year’s senate elections after previously saying he would retire from politics.
 
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick writes that whoever succeeds Duterte will likely continue the Philippines’ democratic regression.

After the court’s order, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai told NDTV that the government is ready to impose the lockdown over the weekend and order people to work from home for a week.
 
Afghanistan: Opium production in the country exceeded six thousand tons (Bloomberg), for the fifth straight year, according to the United Nations.
 
This article examines the legacy of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, including the effects on opium poppy cultivation.

Forces loyal to rebel commander Khalifa Haftar, who launched an offensive on Libya’s capital, Tripoli, in 2019, still control (AFP) much of the country’s east and south.
 
Israel/UAE: Israel’s energy minister said an oil pipeline deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) should be canceled (Bloomberg) over environmental concerns. The deal was part of last year’s Abraham Accords.

The investigation found that forty-eight people died (BBC) after the army opened fire on protesters who were calling for the police’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to be disbanded.
 
Uganda: Three people were killed and more than thirty were injured (BBC) by two explosions in the capital, Kampala. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The comment from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko came after his phone call (AFP) yesterday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about a surge of migrants at the Belarus-Poland border.
 
Germany: A German regulator suspended the certification process (Moscow Times) for Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, ruling that it must be installed by a German-controlled company.  

Sixty-eight inmates died in Friday’s riot (BBC), which occurred at the same prison where 119 inmates were killed by gang warfare in September.
 
Nicaragua: The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom imposed new sanctions (Reuters) on Nicaraguan officials after an election that Washington denounced as a “pantomime.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the top American military commander in the Middle East to brief him (NYT) on the U.S. air strike after the New York Times reported that officials tried to conceal around seventy civilian casualties from the attack.
 
For Foreign Affairs, Audrey Kurth Cronin argues that the civilian toll of U.S. drone strikes should lead to a break with the approach.