After two days of talks (AP) in Qatar, Taliban and Afghan representatives pledged to work toward an internationally monitored peace agreement. The two sides said they would seek to bring “civilian casualties to zero” after eighteen years of war.
 
The militant group had previously rejected direct negotiations with any government officials and demanded a timeline for the withdrawal of foreign forces. U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was on the sidelines (NYT) of the talks, which were hosted by Germany and Qatar. The joint statement also vowed to guarantee women (AFP) social, political, and economic rights “within the Islamic framework” and to halt attacks on schools, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure. Khalilzad is expected to lead a new round of U.S. talks with the Taliban today.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the controversial extradition bill (SCMP) that prompted weeks-long protests in Hong Kong is “dead,” though she did not clarify if the legislation was officially withdrawn.
 
Taiwan: The U.S. State Department approved a $2.2 billion arms sale (BBC) to Taiwan that includes more than one hundred tanks and 250 missiles. China’s foreign ministry urged Washington last month to suspend the proposed sale. The Pentagon said the deal would not change the military balance (Reuters) in the region.
 
This CFR Backgrounder unpacks the China-Taiwan relationship.

A new UN report found that Indian government forces used excessive force and were responsible for dozens of civilian deaths in India-controlled Kashmir in the past year and a half, while secret detentions were common in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

More suspected cases of cholera were reported in Yemen (ReliefWeb) in the first half of 2019 than in all of 2018, according to the charity Save the Children. The group warned that the rainy season is likely to exacerbate the crisis and called for warring parties to abide by a December 2018 cease-fire.
 
Qatar: Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will meet with U.S. President Donald J. Trump in Washington today to discuss economic and security issues (Reuters).  

A three-judge panel at the International Criminal Court convicted Bosco Ntaganda (NYT) on eighteen counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for actions including murder, rape, and conscription of children in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002–03. He may appeal the ruling.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at the role of the International Criminal Court.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s top diplomatic advisor is in Tehran today (AP) after Iran announced that it breached parts of the 2015 nuclear agreement. Macron spoke with U.S. President Trump about Iran in a phone call yesterday (Reuters).
 
CFR’s Philip H. Gordon writes that the demise of the 2015 deal opens the door to nuclear escalation.
 
United Kingdom: U.S. President Trump said he “will no longer deal” (WaPo) with the British ambassador to the United States following a leak of diplomatic cables in which the envoy called the Trump administration “clumsy and inept.”

A Rome court sentenced twenty-four people (Guardian) to life in prison for involvement in an operation by several South American dictatorships in the 1970s that targeted political opponents. All but one of the defendants were tried in absentia (AP), and it was unclear if any would be immediately arrested.
 
Brazil: Of more than two hundred children born to mothers with the Zika virus, nearly one-third suffered developmental delays (WaPo) over their first three years of life, according to a new study published in Nature.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced yesterday a new commission (WaPo) to examine the issues of human rights and natural law. It will be led by Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard Law School professor and former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican known for antiabortion views. Critics of the move say it could threaten abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

A new United Nations report found that deaths in designated conflict zones and deaths due to terrorist attacks made up less than one-fifth of total deaths worldwide in 2017. The report called for new approaches targeting organized crime.