Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants (NYT) for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan, including U.S. troops, according to multiple media reports citing U.S. officials.

The bounties are believed to have resulted in the deaths (WaPo) of several U.S. service members. The reports came as the United States draws down its troop presence (WSJ) in the region as part of a deal negotiated with the Taliban. President Donald J. Trump tweeted that U.S. intelligence did not find the information credible and therefore did not report it to him or Vice President Mike Pence, despite reports of a high-level White House meeting on the issue in March. Russia and the Taliban denied the bounty program. 

Beijing announced that it will impose visa restrictions (SCMP) on U.S. officials who behave “egregiously” with regard to Hong Kong after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced visa restrictions on Friday for Chinese officials who undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy. China’s legislature could soon pass a new national security law for Hong Kong that has been condemned by the United States.

CFR’s Jerome A. Cohen explains the new national security law.
​
Australia: A lawmaker under investigation for allegedly being influenced by Chinese government agents has denied wrongdoing (SMH). He was suspended from the Labor Party and took a leave from Parliament.

Four armed militants killed at least three people (Dawn) and injured seven others during an attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi. Police killed all four assailants.

Libyan rebel commander Khalifa Haftar is mobilizing thousands of foreign mercenaries (Al Jazeera) in preparation for a battle over the city of Sirte. Libya’s UN representative called on the United States and the European Union to impose sanctions on those supporting Libya’s armed groups.
​
This In Brief explains who’s who in Libya’s war.

Lebanon: A judge ordered the media to stop interviewing the U.S. ambassador (WaPo) to Lebanon after she criticized Hezbollah, which holds political office in the country but is considered a terrorist group by the United States. She accused the group of blocking economic reforms and siphoning government funds amid Lebanon’s economic crisis.

Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in as the new president of Malawi (BBC) after defeating the incumbent, Peter Mutharika, in last week’s election rerun. Chakwera lost last year’s election, which Malawi’s constitutional court overturned in February.
​
Ethiopia: Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan are close to an agreement on an Ethiopian dam (Al Jazeera) on the Nile River that has been the subject of a decade-long dispute.

EU diplomats agreed to accept travelers from more than a dozen countries—but not the United States (NYT)—when the bloc reopens its borders on Wednesday. The list of permitted countries is still subject to approval by EU member states, but is not expected to change.
​
Poland: President Andrzej Duda won the first round (Politico) of the country’s presidential election on Sunday and will face Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski in the final round on July 12. 

Two decades of work to reduce poverty in Latin America could be lost (FT) due to the coronavirus pandemic, said the World Bank’s vice president for the region. The International Monetary Fund has predicted that the pandemic will hit Latin American economies hardest.
​
Mexico: Mexico City police chief Omar Garcia Harfuch was wounded during an attempted assasination (El Universal) that left three others dead. Harfuch blamed members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) for the attack.

The state of Mississippi will get a new flag (NYT) after lawmakers voted to retire the current design, which features the Confederate emblem, amid a national reckoning with systemic racism. It was the last state flag to feature the Confederate symbol.