Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will resign (NYT) for health reasons, ending weeks of speculation and triggering political uncertainty over who will replace him.
 
Abe apologized to the Japanese people for stepping down, but said his long-standing bowel condition had worsened (BBC) and that treatment would interfere with his prime-ministerial duties. He resigned from his first term as prime minister in 2007 due to the same condition. Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Abe will remain in office (Japan Times) until his successor is chosen, a decision that has fueled much conjecture (Economist) within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The U.S. Justice Department moved to seize 280 cryptocurrency accounts (Yonhap) tied to two hacks in which North Korean entities allegedly stole millions of dollars in cryptocurrency. A day earlier, U.S. authorities warned of North Korean cyberattacks on banks.

More than 150 people died and 1,500 homes were damaged after floods struck (TOLO) at least one dozen Afghan provinces, particularly Parwan. Relief and rescue efforts are ongoing.
 
India: Amnesty International accused police in Delhi (BBC) of human rights violations, including torture, committed during deadly clashes between Hindus and Muslims earlier this year.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at India’s marginalized Muslim population.

At least two people died and ten others were injured yesterday in skirmishes (National) between Hezbollah militants and tribal members in Khaldeh, a town outside of Beirut. Today, the UN Security Council will discuss (Middle East Monitor) whether to prolong its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
 
Egypt: Authorities detained Mahmoud Ezzat, acting leader of the embattled Muslim Brotherhood, in Cairo. He is accused (Reuters) of joining and leading a terrorist organization and accepting illicit money.

Mali’s military junta has released (Reuters) former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita nine days after detaining him and seizing power. Keita’s release comes as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) prepares to meet to discuss Mali today.
 
Liberia: Police in Monrovia teargassed thousands of people seeking to deliver a petition asking Liberia’s government to declare rape a national emergency. Liberia has seen a rise (RFI) in sexual and domestic violence amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the head of a local health-care organization.
 
This CFR In Brief looks at the use of tear gas to control protests.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia assembled a police force (FT) that it will send to Belarus if protests there spiral, as requested by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus’s disputed presidential election has sparked weeks of demonstrations.
 
CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich explains why Putin shouldn’t save Lukashenko.
 
France/Germany: The wearing of face masks in public became mandatory in Paris and surrounding areas today after France recorded its highest daily tally since early May of new coronavirus infections. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the virus will persist (BBC) ahead of a march in Berlin tomorrow against coronavirus restrictions.

Members of the Forum for the Progress and Development of South America (Prosur) have agreed to coordinate (Reuters) on information and access to coronavirus vaccines, as well as on reopening their borders, according to Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Andres Allamand.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains what the world is doing to create a vaccine for the coronavirus.
 
Venezuela: Human Rights Watch said Venezuelan authorities have used the pandemic as a cover to crack down on dissent (Guardian). Since a coronavirus-related state of emergency was declared in mid-March, dozens of health workers, human rights lawyers, journalists, and opposition figures have been arrested and prosecuted, it said.

President Donald J. Trump accepted his party’s nomination (NYT) to run for a second term on the final night of the Republican National Convention. Trump touted (CNN) various foreign policy achievements, including a deal to normalize ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. strike that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, and the U.S. role in the Afghanistan peace process.
 
CFR tracks the 2020 presidential candidates’ views on foreign policy.