A prominent Filipino-American journalist, Maria Ressa, was convicted of cyber libel (WaPo) in the Philippines in a case seen as a setback for press freedoms in the country.
 
Ressa, who heads the news site Rappler, known for its critical reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte, and a former Rappler reporter were accused of libeling a wealthy businessman (AP) in an article published in 2012. They face up to six years in prison and were fined $8,000. Media and human rights watchdogs condemned the verdict (NYT). The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said it “basically kills freedom of speech and of the press.”

Atlanta’s police chief resigned after police shot and killed a Black man (NYT), Rayshard Brooks, outside a fast-food restaurant. Brooks’s death was ruled a homicide (CNN) by the county medical examiner, and the officer who shot him was fired. His killing comes as protests against police brutality and racism continue around the United States and the world.

Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, was sentenced to sixteen years of hard labor (WaPo) in a Russian prison after being convicted of espionage. The United States has called for Whelan’s release.

France: President Emmanuel Macron announced that he will hasten plans to lift the country’s coronavirus lockdown measures (France24), declaring a “first victory against the virus.”

Parts of Beijing were locked down as officials try to contain a fresh spike in coronavirus cases (SCMP). The new cases have all been linked to the Xinfadi wholesale food market.

The Chinese and Indian militaries are continuing talks to defuse a border standoff (Times of India), Indian army sources said. There have been no further flare-ups since discussions began and both sides have been disengaging, those sources said.

Afghanistan: The Afghan government and the Taliban have agreed to hold intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha, Qatar (VOA). A spokesperson for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said only the location of the initial meeting has been agreed to.

Moscow and Ankara have delayed talks addressing the conflicts in Libya and Syria (Al Jazeera), where the two countries back opposing forces. There is disagreement over the appointment of a new leader for the political settlement in Libya, sources told Al Jazeera.

Lebanon: Protests against the government’s handling of the country’s economic crisis continued over the weekend (AFP). Prime Minister Hassan Diab condemned what he called an attempted coup and effort to manipulate the country’s currency.

At least twenty soldiers and forty civilians were killed and hundreds injured in two attacks in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state (Reuters) on Saturday, days after another attack in the region killed dozens. The Islamic State West Africa Province, a faction of Boko Haram, claimed responsibility for all three attacks.

CFR’s John Campbell explains the continuing threat of Boko Haram amid the coronavirus crisis.

Burundi: The country’s Constitutional Court ruled that president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye should be sworn in immediately (Al Jazeera) following the death of President Pierre Nkurunziza.

For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin writes that Nkurunziza’s death raises new questions for Burundi’s future.

A Colombian businessman wanted in the United States on money-laundering charges was arrested in Cape Verde. U.S. officials believe Alex Saab Moran is helping to finance the regime (WSJ) of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Argentina: The government has again extended a deadline for negotiations (Bloomberg) on restructuring its more than $65 billion in debt, pushing it back to Friday.