A Canadian judge struck down Canada’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, ruling that it violates the Canadian constitution because it puts asylum seekers at risk (CBC) of detention by U.S. immigration officials. The long-standing deal allows Canada to turn away many people (NYT) who arrive from the United States and seek asylum at official border points.

Criticism of the agreement has surged since the Donald J. Trump administration began cracking down on immigration (WaPo), contributing to tens of thousands of asylum seekers entering Canada through a loophole in the agreement. The United States could see a surge in migrants from Mexico (Bloomberg) next year. For now, the agreement remains in place until January.

China launched a combined orbiter, lander, and rover to Mars with hopes of becoming the third country to land a vehicle on the red planet (NYT), following the United States and the Soviet Union. On Monday, the United Arab Emirates launched its own Mars mission, and the United States is expected to launch a rover next week. The countries are taking advantage of a period roughly every two years when the Earth and Mars are closer than usual.
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South Korea: The country’s economy contracted more sharply than expected (Yonhap) in the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the pandemic. It shrank nearly 3 percent, its worst performance in more than two decades.

Some forty-five people, including insurgents and civilians, were killed by Afghan military air strikes (WaPo) on a gathering celebrating the release of a Taliban leader. A spokesperson for the U.S. military said the United States was not involved in the attack, which U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad condemned.
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Pakistan: A prominent Pakistani journalist known for criticizing the military was released twelve hours after being kidnapped in Islamabad (RFE/RL). Journalists in the country have complained of facing intimidation tactics for reporting on the military.

Russia and Turkey, the main power brokers in Libya’s civil war, agreed to continue pushing for a cease-fire (Reuters). Turkey insisted that rebel commander Khalifa Haftar withdraw his troops from critical positions for a deal to be made. Russia backs Haftar while Turkey backs the UN-recognized Government of National Accord.

This CFR In Brief explains who’s who in Libya’s war.
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Lebanon: French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in Lebanon to push for reforms (Al Jazeera) seen as necessary for unlocking international aid amid the country’s worsening economic crisis.

The presidents of Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal are visiting Mali in hopes of brokering a deal (Al Jazeera) between embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and opposition leaders. Thousands of protesters in the capital, Bamako, have demanded Keita’s resignation and eleven were killed by security forces earlier this month.

Nigeria: President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killing of five aid workers (This Day) by Boko Haram. The terrorist group announced in a video that they executed the workers, kidnapped last month, because their ransom was not paid.
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CFR’s John Campbell explains the looming threat of Boko Haram.

The British government announced details about its plan to offer a pathway to citizenship (Guardian) to millions of Hong Kong residents after China imposed a new national security law for the city, a former British territory. China condemned the plan (Reuters) as a violation of international law and threatened to stop recognizing British National (Overseas) passports.

​Ukraine: Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reached an agreement for a cease-fire (RFE/RL) in eastern Ukraine to begin on July 27. Russia has backed separatist forces in the region after annexing Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, but denies having troops there.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive for the coronavirus (MercoPress) a third time, his office announced, and he will extend his quarantine and scrap upcoming travel plans. He has been in isolation since first testing positive on July 7. Brazil has the second-highest number of confirmed cases and deaths after the United States.

President Trump said he will send more federal law enforcement agents (NYT) to cities including Chicago and Albuquerque to combat what he described as a wave of crime and violence. The move comes amid heightened concern about the role of federal officials in cities such as Portland, where clashes with protesters have escalated.