China indicted two Canadians (WaPo) on charges of espionage in a move widely seen as retaliation for the arrest and potential extradition of a top executive for the Chinese telecom giant Huawei.
 
The two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were detained in 2018 shortly after Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada. Beijing has denied any connection (AP) between the two cases, but experts see them as linked and Chinese diplomats have implied the same. Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, is wanted in the United States (NYT) on charges of fraud, and a Canadian judge ruled in May that her extradition trial could move forward.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country was being targeted by “malicious” cyberattacks (SMH) aimed at many sectors, including government, business, and infrastructure. While Morrison did not say what “state-based actor” was responsible, experts pointed to China as a likely source. 

China: U.S. President Donald J. Trump tweeted that “complete decoupling from China” (Bloomberg) is possible after Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told Congress such an economic severance is not “a reasonable policy option.”

Beijing released ten Indian soldiers (Hindustan Times) captured during a border clash earlier this week, according to Indian press reports. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said no soldiers had been detained (AP).

CFR’s Alyssa Ayres explains what to know about the deadly border dispute.

Afghanistan: The United States has reduced the number of troops in Afghanistan (RFE/RL) in accordance with a U.S.-Taliban deal, said the general overseeing U.S. forces in the region.

The United States again accused Russia of providing air support (Al Jazeera) to rebel commander Khalifa Haftar in Libya. U.S. Africa Command said it had photo evidence of Russian jets operating in the area.

This In Brief explains who’s who in Libya’s war.

Iran: The International Atomic Energy Agency called on Iran to grant UN inspectors access to two sites where nuclear material could still remain (Reuters). 

Kenya won a seat on the UN Security Council (Daily Nation), beating Djibouti in a second round of voting on Thursday. India, Ireland, Mexico, and Norway were elected on Wednesday.

Nigeria: President Muhammadu Buhari chided top military officials (Guardian) over the country’s deteriorating security situation. Nigeria has been rocked by terrorist attacks in recent weeks.

European countries are working with the United States to overhaul the World Health Organization (WHO), a top official told Reuters. President Trump has said that the United States will withdraw from the body.

Russia: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will need to approve any peace deal negotiated between Kosovo and Serbia (RFE/RL). The leaders of those countries are expected to meet at the White House next week.

A surge of piracy in the Gulf of Mexico (NYT) prompted the United States to issue a security alert. The attacks have mainly targeted oil industry ships and offshore platforms.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration cannot immediately move to end (NYT) the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that shields some immigrants brought to the United States as children from deportation.

The total number of coronavirus cases now exceeds 8.5 million (WSJ), according to Johns Hopkins University data. More than 450,000 people have died.