The Israeli government announced it will block (Ynet) a planned visit by U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, after coming under pressure from the White House to do so. Israel originally also barred Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib from visiting, but reversed course (Haaretz) after Tlaib petitioned to visit her Palestinian grandmother in the West Bank.
 
Omar and Tlaib planned to conduct a fact-finding tour (NYT) about the conditions of Palestinians after the White House announced aid cuts to Palestinian refugees and East Jerusalem hospitals. Israel’s ambassador to the United States said in July that his country would not restrict entry to any member of Congress, but U.S. President Donald J. Trump urged the Israeli government to bar the congresswomen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Omar and Tlaib aimed to delegitimize Israel and supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. Democrats, some top Republicans, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) criticized (NYT) the ban. 

A spokesperson announced that North Korea has nothing to to discuss (Reuters) with South Korea a day after South Korean president Moon Jae-in announced he would pursue unification of the peninsula by 2045. North Korea also fired two short-range projectiles off its east coast, according to Seoul’s defense ministry.
 
China: The Chinese government announced it will take “necessary countermeasures” (FT) to retaliate against new U.S. tariffs that go into effect on September 1. Beijing made the announcement despite a U.S. decision to delay some tariffs until mid-December.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Chad P. Brown and Douglas A. Irwin discuss why U.S. decoupling from China will change everything.

The UN Security Council will hold a closed meeting today (Reuters) to discuss India's recent decision to revoke the special status of part of the disputed Kashmir region. The meeting comes after three Pakistani soldiers (Hindu) were reported killed in the region.
 
CFR’s Richard N. Haass writes that a U.S. turn toward Pakistan and away from India would be unwise.
 
India: The World Trade Organization agreed to investigate a complaint brought by Australia, Brazil, and Guatemala that claims Indian sugar subsidies (FT) breach global trade rules.

Zimbabwe’s main opposition group called off anti-government protests (BBC) after the demonstrations were banned by authorities. Police in the capital, Harare, dispersed some demonstrators who arrived despite the ban.
 
CFR.org looks at why Zimbabwe is facing a food emergency.

The British territory’s top court released an Iranian tanker (Al Jazeera) that had been seized in July. The ruling came despite a last-minute petition from the United States to keep the ship detained.
 
EU: France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, and Spain agreed (El Pais) to take in 147 migrants aboard a Mediterranean rescue ship that had been refused the right to dock in several European countries.

A federal court ruled that a former sergeant accused of rape and kidnapping during Brazil’s dictatorship must face a criminal trial (BBC). Military personnel accused of crimes during military rule are normally shielded by a 1979 amnesty law, but prosecutors argued that the actions amounted to crimes against humanity.
 
Mexico: The country’s central bank cut interest rates (FT) for the first time in five years. It joins other central banks worldwide that have cut rates in recent weeks.

Two political appointees at the State Department berated and sidelined (Politico) career employees they believed to be politically disloyal, according to an investigation by the State Department inspector general’s office.

July was the hottest month on Earth (WaPo) since records began, according to new data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the climate-monitoring group Berkeley Earth. Researchers project that 2019 will likely be the second-warmest year in history.