Afghan President Hamid Karzai agrees to a runoff election against his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah. The decision is made at the urging of U.S. and European officials, including Senator John Kerry and U.S. Ambassador, Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry, who met with Karzai in Kabul on Monday. Voting will take place on November 7.

The Vatican approves an initiative to bring Anglicans, some of whom are dismayed by their church’s acceptance of same-sex marriages and gay and female bishops, into the Catholic Church.

A double suicide bombing at the International Islamic University in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad kills seven people, including the two attackers.

Reporters Without Borders releases its annual Press Freedom Index. Topping the list are northern European countries such as Denmark, Finland, Ireland and Norway; those faring worst include China, Laos, Cuba, Burma, Iran, Turmenistan and North Korea. Eritrea, where no independent journalism is tolerated and 30 journalists are currently in prision, comes in dead last. The U.S. moves up 16 slots to rank 20th.