• Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, announced a referendum next year, ahead of a planned visit by Pope Francis, over a proposal to lift or ease the constitutional ban on abortions. [The New York Times]

• Iraq gave regional Kurdish leaders until Friday to surrender control of its two international airports because their independence referendum had “destabilized” the region. [The New York Times]

• In Alabama, an evangelical firebrand supported by the former Trump strategist Stephen Bannon won a Republican Senate runoff, dealing a blow to President Trump, who backed his opponent. [The New York Times]

• “I hate America,” a trader told our correspondent at China’s border with North Korea. “Why don’t they let me do any business?” [The New York Times]

• An investigation in Ukraine highlights the role of some companies there in exporting European arms to conflict zones. [OCCRP]

• The police in Egypt arrested seven people for promoting homosexuality after they raised rainbow-colored flags at a concert. [The New York Times]