Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania imposed travel bans (RFE/FL) on thirty Belarusian officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko, over vote-fixing and violence (Reuters) following the country’s disputed presidential election. Belarus said it will respond with similar measures (Reuters).
 
Belarus’s contested election has sparked weeks of mass protests, during which security forces have allegedly tortured protesters. Dozens of arrested protesters remain missing (Politico), opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said. The European Union is preparing sanctions against Belarusian individuals, and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics urged the rest of the bloc to “immediately” follow the Baltic lead.

The Australian foreign ministry announced that China detained (SCMP) Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist working for a Chinese state-run broadcaster. The news came amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Canberra, including over trade and Hong Kong.
 
Taiwan: The United States declassified decades-old security assurances (Al Jazeera) to Taiwan and will begin a new economic dialogue with Taipei. Taiwan welcomed the U.S. support, while China called on the United States (Reuters) to stop increasing ties with Taiwan.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains China-Taiwan relations.

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 23.9 percent in the second quarter compared to the previous year, more than any other major economy that has released figures so far. The country’s economy could further deteriorate (WSJ) as it struggles to contain a coronavirus surge.
 
Afghanistan: Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the council that will lead the Afghan government’s peace talks with the Taliban, opposed President Ashraf Ghani’s appointment of members to the body, arguing that a political agreement gives (TOLO) the chairman that responsibility.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas announced it reached a Qatar-brokered deal with Israel to end a monthlong spike in hostilities. Hamas had for weeks launched (NYT) incendiary balloons and rockets into Israel, while Israel struck Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip. Israel said it would reopen (TOI) Gaza’s fishing zone and border crossings.
 
Saudi Arabia: King Salman sacked two royal family members, who will join (BBC) four other officials facing a corruption probe. Critics say Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler, has used an anti-graft campaign to consolidate power.

The Sudanese government and an alliance of most of the country’s rebel groups signed a comprehensive peace deal (Radio Dabanga), which included agreements on power sharing, security-force integration, and the return of displaced people (FT).
 
Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions during the Rwandan genocide inspired the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, was arrested (Guardian) under an international warrant on various charges, including terrorism. Rusesabagina has increasingly criticized Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Prominent Russian government critic Yegor Zhukov said he was attacked (RFE/RL) in Moscow after participating in a talk show where he discussed recent protests in Belarus. Police are investigating. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled his support for Lukashenko amid mass protests against the Belarusian leader.
 
CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich explains why Putin shouldn’t save Belarus’s embattled president.

President Nicolas Maduro pardoned 110 opposition figures (WaPo). Some recipients rebuffed the pardons as an attempt to boost the legitimacy of the country’s December legislative elections, which have attracted widespread criticism in Venezuela and abroad and divided the opposition.
 
Argentina: Economy Minister Martin Guzman said that 99 percent of private creditors accepted a deal (FT) to restructure $65 billion of Argentina’s debt, capping nine months of tense negotiations.

President Donald J. Trump suggested a seventeen-year-old acted in self-defense (Politico) when he allegedly murdered two people during protests over police brutality toward Black people in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Trump plans to visit the city today, against the urgings of state and local officials.