UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked Queen Elizabeth II to suspend parliament (Guardian) for five weeks, in a bid to cut down on lawmakers’ time to prevent a no-deal Brexit. The move comes after several opposition groups said they will work together to avoid a no-deal scenario.
 
If Johnson’s request is approved, an upcoming parliamentary break would be extended to October 14, about two weeks before the United Kingdom’s scheduled exit from the European Union. Opposition leaders said in a meeting yesterday that if they could not pass a law to avoid a no-deal Brexit, they would not rule out a confidence vote (DW) against Johnson, which could lead to a caretaker government ahead of the Brexit deadline (FT) or new elections. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said late Tuesday that the bloc would do everything it could to avoid Britain leaving without a deal.

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak will be tried on more than twenty charges (Reuters) of money laundering and abuse of power related to wrongdoing at the 1MDB state development fund. Malaysian and U.S. authorities claim some $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund.
 
China: Foreign companies in China could soon face sanctions from various Chinese regulators under a new “social credit” system (FT), by which regulators rate firms according to their compliance, says a report by the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.

The Indian Supreme Court will hear legal challenges to the government’s decision to revoke the special status of the disputed Kashmir region. The court ordered the government (AP) to respond to more than a dozen queries, including questions about media restrictions in the territory. Judges are expected to begin regular hearings on Kashmir in October.
 
On this episode of the President’s Inbox podcast, CFR’s Alyssa Ayres discusses the turmoil in Kashmir.
 
Nepal: A UN human rights committee ruled that Nepal must compensate a man from the Tharu ethnic minority who was forced into labor as a child and later tortured by police. The committee said Nepal’s judiciary failed to investigate (Al Jazeera) the man’s claims.

The interior ministry of the militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, declared Gaza under a state of emergency after three police officers were killed in explosions (NYT) at Hamas police checkpoints late Tuesday, according to officials.
 
Yemen: Washington plans to begin direct talks with Houthi rebels in an effort to end Yemen’s civil war, the Wall Street Journal reported. The United States will also reportedly seek to push Saudi Arabia to join in talks with Houthi leaders in Oman.
 
CFR’s Global Conflict Tracker looks at the most recent developments in the war in Yemen.

Parties to the international convention on global wildlife trade voted to pass a near-complete ban (Guardian) on sending African elephants captured in the wild to zoos.
 
Malawi: The government banned a three-day protest (BBC) against the country’s electoral body that was set to start today. Protests have been held regularly since the May reelection of President Peter Mutharika, whose victory demonstrators say was rigged.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Moscow yesterday, said Turkey aims to continue its defense cooperation (Reuters) with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the two leaders agreed to take additional joint steps to “normalize” the situation (Al Jazeera) in Syria’s Idlib region, where the countries back opposing forces.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Aaron Stein discusses why Turkey turned its back on the United States and embraced Russia.

More than six thousand square miles of dry forest and farmland in Bolivia have been destroyed by fires (Guardian) in recent weeks. President Evo Morales suspended his reelection campaign to coordinate foreign aid efforts, which have included bringing in firefighters from Argentina, Chile, France, Russia, and Spain.
 
Mexico: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has renegotiated several gas pipeline contracts (FT) for Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. companies that were signed by the state electricity firm before he took office. Lopez Obrador says the new contracts lower tariffs for transporting gas and the companies will take a roughly 30 percent cut in profits.

The storm is expected to make landfall in Puerto Rico at near hurricane strength (CNN) midday today. Meteorologists say it could bring life-threatening flash floods.