Yemen’s separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) abandoned its claim of self-rule today, ending the country’s “conflict within a conflict” (BBC) and paving the way for implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, a deal to unite Yemeni forces in opposition to the Houthi rebels. The STC’s announcement comes after pressure from Saudi Arabia, which unveiled a framework (DW) for expediting the Riyadh Agreement, including by creating a new Yemeni government. Yemen’s government welcomed the STC’s declaration and began carrying out (AFP) the Saudi plan.
 
Some observers hope the reunification of Yemeni forces will help bring an end to the country’s five-year war. Yemen’s humanitarian crisis “has never been worse” and its economy is battered, the United Nations warned, with aid funding “on the verge of collapse.” However, some experts questioned whether regional actors such as Iran and the United Arab Emirates can coalesce around the Riyadh Agreement (Al Jazeera).

Hong Kong’s government could delay (SCMP) the September 6 elections for up to a year, according to local media, as it tightens coronavirus measures (Straits Times) to prevent a large-scale outbreak. The possible postponement worries Hong Kong’s pan-democrats, and U.S. and European Union officials voiced support for September elections.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at democracy in Hong Kong.
 
Japan/South Korea: Japan warned that South Korean statues appearing to depict Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bowing to a Korean survivor of wartime sexual slavery would “decisively affect” (Yonhap) bilateral ties. South Korea’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the statues, which belong to a private botanical garden, but said courtesy for heads of state should be considered.

The Taliban declared a three-day cease-fire (TOLO), beginning Friday, for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani directed Afghan security forces to reciprocate. The Afghan government, the United States, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) praised the step and urged intra-Afghan peace talks.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at the peace process in Afghanistan.
 
India: Recent U.S.-China tensions and coronavirus-related measures to diversify supply lines are pushing Taiwanese companies to move to India (SCMP). Corporate tax breaks issued by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, along with India’s large market and inexpensive workforce, have attracted Taiwanese firms.

Iranian forces fired ballistic missiles (BBC) at a dummy U.S. aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz during drills broadcast on state television. The United States put two military bases in the region on alert and rebuked the incident as an attempt “to intimidate and coerce.”

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) revealed that a February U.S. air strike near Jilib, Somalia, killed one civilian (Reuters) and injured three others. AFRICOM’s commander said it tries to prevent civilian casualties, though rights activists have alleged U.S. operational secrecy limits accountability for such incidents.
 
South Sudan: President Salva Kiir must reinstate thirteen judges after the East African Court of Justice ruled he violated two constitutions (Daily Nation) and a regional treaty by sacking the judges in 2017.

Coronavirus cases are surging across Europe (FT) in countries that were hard-hit and those that were relatively unscathed early in the pandemic. Officials have attributed the increase to citizens’ lax observance of virus-containment protocols, and some countries are increasing travel, social-distancing, and other restrictions.
 
Vatican City: Chinese agents hacked computer networks (NYT) belonging to the Vatican and the Holy See’s Study Mission to China beginning in early May, according to a U.S. cybersecurity firm. Relations between the Vatican and Beijing have been strained for decades, though they are set to begin talks in September to discuss the church’s presence in China.

Latin America accounted for more than two-thirds of land defenders and environmental activists killed in 2019 (Guardian), according to watchdog group Global Witness. Colombia was the deadliest country for land defenders last year, as worldwide killings surged almost 30 percent compared to 2018.
 
CFR’s Paul J. Angelo and David Gevarter explain who is killing Latin America’s environmentalists.
 
Argentina: Minister of Economy Martin Guzman announced that Argentina will seek new funding (MercoPress) from the International Monetary Fund after restructuring the country’s massive overseas debt. The government and its creditors are deadlocked over the restructuring deal, but Guzman said Argentina would only consider improving the deal’s legal, not financial, terms.

The heads of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google will appear via video-chat (WSJ) before the House antitrust subcommittee today amid congressional concerns about their market dominance, platform biases, and content regulation. Prereleased statements indicate the CEOs will stress their companies’ contributions to the U.S. economy.