Europe on edge over new surges

Health authorities in Europe are bracing for new surges of the coronavirus, this time with concerns over “pandemic fatigue.” [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Health authorities warn of new coronavirus surges [Commuters walk across London Bridge during the morning rush hour toward the offices in the financial district of the City of London, in London, Oct. 12, 2020.]( Credit: Matt Dunham/AP Health authorities in Europe are bracing for new surges of the coronavirus, this time with concerns over “[pandemic fatigue](” as a growing number of regions return to lockdown restrictions. Three temporary hospitals in northern England have been alerted to prepare for patients with COVID-19 to [ease increased pressure on the country’s National Health Service](. The hospitals — located in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate — were mothballed when the outbreak receded over the summer but are now being ordered to reopen amid a new surge of infections. And in Belgium, one of the European countries hit hardest by the coronavirus, officials on Monday warned that as many [as 10,000 people]( could be infected every day by the end of the week. Meanwhile, in France, where [43,000 new infections were recorded over the weekend](, Prime Minister Jean Castex [warned that further restrictions may be needed](. “Nothing can be ruled out,” to face COVID-19, Castex said on Monday as nine of France’s big cities, including Paris, have been placed under maximum virus alert. Outside of Europe, China’s government announced that following nine new coronavirus cases in Qingdao, [all 9 million people]( in the eastern city will be tested. What The World is following In a military parade over the weekend marking the 75th anniversary of the ruling party, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un unveiled several new weapons, including a [large intercontinental ballistic missile]( carried on an 11-axle vehicle. The display [seemed to be a message to the next US president]( after talks between Kim and President Donald Trump have stalled. Related: [How would Team Biden handle a showdown with North Korea?]( Also on Monday, Armenia and Azerbaijan were again [accusing each other of attacks]( over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region despite a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia on Saturday. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Explainer: How the next US president could vanquish the coronavirus]( [President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden talk over each other in the first presidential debate at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, Sept. 29, 2020.]( Credit: Olivier Douliery/Pool vi AP With the United States facing the highest death toll in the world, next month’s election is a referendum on which candidate voters believe [will decisively defeat COVID-19](. [Biden says he’ll make China quit coal. Can he deliver?]( [US ex-Marine Trevor Reed, who was detained in 2019 and accused of assaulting police officers, stands inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Moscow, March 11, 2020.]( Credit: Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters Much hangs in the balance as the United States chooses its next president — including, perhaps, the temperature of the Earth. The Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, says he can convince the world that the US — one of the top polluters in history — can guide the planet to a greener future. [Key to his strategy]( is cajoling the current top carbon emitter, China, to give up coal — not necessarily inside China, which is slowly veering toward cleaner energy — but in countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, where China is bankrolling dozens of new coal plants. Related: [Both candidates' platforms underline US struggle to confront China]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The World's smart speaker show The Number in the News: 21 Former Edinburgh Rugby player Dean Nicholson was tired of working a traditional job with traditional hours, so he quit his job and decided to cycle around the world. The plan was to go solo. [Then he met a little companion]( 🎧 — a tabby cat named Nala — who he couldn't leave behind. Twenty-one countries later, the pair is still making their own around the world. The Number in the News is The World’s daily smart speaker show, where you’ll learn one number you won’t forget and why it's in the news today. [Click here to add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google flash briefing]( and hear a new episode seven days a week. --------------------------------------------------------------- Congrats! [Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier]( A big high-five to The World’s Carolyn Beeler, who was [selected as a recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow]( in the news documentary category for her series "[Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier](" and also honored for her feature reporting in Reveal’s "[To the Ends of the Earth](" investigation. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot The carvings on trees in the New Forest in the south of England date back centuries. Now, a new project from the New Forest National Park Authority [has put more that 100 examples]( of the graffiti etched onto trees online including the "witch's marks," thought to have been intended to ward off evil spirits — fitting online archive as we approach Halloween. [A screen grab of a tweet from History In Pictures]( [Credit: Twitter screen grab]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Scientists track egg poachers with GPS decoy eggs]( - [‘It’s like a graveyard’: Ecological catastrophe in Kamchatka]( - [Brazil's president ends corruption probe]( - [The Economist radio: Cuba's food shortage]( - [Canada’s Supreme Court weighs decision on Indigenous rights]( - [Will people take a vaccine, once it’s available?]( - [2020 US Election: The World's reporters talk election security]( - [Iranians mourn vocalist Mohammed Raza Shajarian]( - [A history of controversial Nobel Peace Prize laureates]( - [World Food Program awarded Nobel Peace Prize]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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