The World

There's a fringe proposal to counter the pandemic gaining some traction: Just let the virus spread and let a population build up "natural herd immunity." But this week, leading public health experts from around the globe pushed back, warning that the idea is extremely dangerous. And, former defense minister of Mexico, retired Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, has been arrested in Los Angeles in connection with drug-related corruption. Plus, New Zealanders head to the polls.

France will impose a nightly curfew starting on Saturday on almost 20 million of the country's 67 million people, in an attempt to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus. And, Norway's foreign minister said that Russia hacked into their country's parliamentary email system in August. Also, as Nov. 3 approaches, calls by President Donald Trump to declare a winner on election night have raised fears among the biggest, oldest group of mail-in voters: members of the military.

Health authorities in Europe and around the world are facing new surges of the coronavirus. As fall temperatures drop and more of us stay inside longer, where do we stand on testing, diagnostics and a vaccine amid a growing sense of pandemic fatigue? As part of our regular series of conversations, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Harvard University epidemiologist William Hanage.

Watch and listen to more of The World's Coronavirus Conversations here.

Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes after the Taliban began an intense battle to take over the city of Lashkargah in southern Afghanistan. The fighting comes at a time when the Trump administration is negotiating a peace agreement with the militant group to withdraw US troops. And, China, Russia and Cuba all won seats on the UN Human Rights Council, provoking alarm with rights advocates given their highly dubious records. Also, music teachers in Canada are being forced to improvise amid the pandemic. Choir classes either must meet outdoors to rehearse or they simply hum and chant their way through class.

America’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says the globe isn’t doing as well as he’d hoped in fighting the pandemic, and he worries about the politicization of public health. And, in Qingdao, a small outbreak of the coronavirus has prompted a plan to test all 9 million residents of the Chinese port city. Also, US intelligence officials have historically been nonpartisan, at least in public. But former CIA Director John Brennan has torn up that playbook.

Mexico City’s government removed a statue of Christopher Columbus from the city’s Paseo de la Reforma in the early hours of Saturday ahead of a planned annual protest. And, the United Kingdom is just one of a series of countries in Europe to impose new localized restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Plus, tennis star Rafael Nadal again made history on Sunday winning his 13th French Open and 20th career Grand Slam.

The World Food Program, the United Nations' food-assistance branch, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its work addressing hunger, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, and for creating a foundation for peace in nations ravaged by war. We take a look at past winners of the prize, too. And, hundreds of coronavirus vaccines are in the works worldwide. But if and when an effective vaccine becomes available, will people take it? And, scientists are tracking turtle egg poachers with GPS and decoys — it's James Bond meets wildlife conservation.

Around the globe, communities are bracing for new surges in COVID-19, from Spain to Israel. But a country's actions can make all the difference in what happens next, and whether a surge takes hold. And, in Wednesday’s debate, Vice President Mike Pence argued the Trump administration can claim credit for vanquishing ISIS. But many analysts say Trump carried forward President Barack Obama’s plan to counter the militant group, and then squandered the inheritance. Also, a team of Italian researchers has uncovered intact brain cells in a victim of the Mount Vesuvius explosion that killed 2,000 people in 79 AD.

In the first case of its kind, two ISIS militants, formally British citizens, have been charged in a US court for their involvement in the beheading of American and British journalists and aid workers in Syria. And, a court in Greece has ruled that the far-right Golden Dawn party was operating as a criminal organization, delivering landmark guilty verdicts. Also, the EU Parliament has agreed to set a target of cutting carbon emissions by 60% by 2030. It's an ambitious goal but still needs approval by the 27 EU member nations.

President Donald Trump’s top military advisers, including the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, have gone into quarantine. And, the wives and widows of ISIS fighters have turned to crowdfunding to raise money to buy their escape from detention camps in northern Syria. Also, the frontman of the Colombian trio Bomba Estéreo has been at work on a new solo project — “Monte.” It's an exploration of birdsong, nature and electronic music.