In a reversal of decades-old policy, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced (State Dept.) that the United States will no longer consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal (Haaretz) under international law.

The move is seen as a victory for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who promised ahead of September’s election to annex all West Bank settlements (NYT) if he remained in office. Netanyahu is fighting to keep his position after failing to form a government as his rival, former defense official Benny Gantz, faces a deadline tomorrow to do so. The European Union’s foreign policy chief and Jordan’s foreign minister criticized the U.S. move, while a Palestinian official called it “horrific.”

U.S. negotiators walked out early (Yonhap) from talks about defense cost-sharing, according to South Korean officials. A State Department official said that Seoul was “not responsive to our request for fair and equitable burden sharing.” The United States reportedly proposed that South Korea increase its contributions fivefold.

China: China’s top legislative affairs body said the Hong Kong High Court did not have the authority (SCMP) to rule that a recent ban on face masks was unconstitutional. Beijing’s Hong Kong affairs office said the ruling will have a “serious and negative sociopolitical impact.”

CFR looks at how the U.S. Congress is trying to support Hong Kong’s protesters.

The Taliban freed an American and an Australian (NYT) the group had held hostage for more than three years in exchange for the Afghan government’s release of three senior Taliban leaders, officials said.

India: Demonstrators took to the streets in several northeastern states to oppose proposed legislation that would fast-track citizenship (Hindustan Times) for non-Muslim migrants from countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Tehran pledged to make monthly payments (FT) of between $13 and $48 to more than 70 percent of Iranians in a bid to quell protests across the country that were sparked by a fuel price hike last week.

Lebanon: The country’s parliament was forced to postpone its first legislative session in two months after anti-government protesters blocked the entrance (Al Jazeera). Nationwide protests over corruption and the cost of living began in mid-October.

The African Union and World Health Organization signed a pledge (VOA) to boost cooperation on improving access to medication and emergency preparedness, as well as implement plans to work toward universal health coverage on the continent.

Kenya: University students in Nairobi launched a campaign (BBC) against sexual harassment using the social media hashtag #CampusMeToo. The nongovernmental organization ActionAid found that half of female students and one-quarter of male students surveyed in the Kenyan capital had been harassed by a university staffer.

Russia returned three naval vessels (RFE/RL) it seized in the Black Sea nearly a year ago in a goodwill gesture ahead of a planned summit between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin next month. It will be the two leaders’ first meeting.

Turkey: Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the United States and Russia have not fulfilled their agreements with Turkey in northern Syria and that Ankara “will do whatever is necessary” (Anadolu) to clear the region of Kurdish forces it sees as terrorists.

CFR’s Steven A. Cook discusses why this month’s meeting between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan changed little.

The Amazon Rainforest shrank by more than 3,700 square miles in the year ending this past July, its highest annual loss (NYT) since 2008, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. 

CFR looks at how Brazil’s burning Amazon threatens the climate.

Colombia: The interior minister said that local authorities may impose curfews or restrictions on carrying weapons ahead of planned anti-government protests (Reuters) on Thursday, in light of recent unrest in other Latin American countries.