China is increasing its nuclear power, growing its space program, and deploying artificial intelligence as it seeks to develop (WaPo) a “world-class military,” the U.S. Defense Department said in an annual report. China already surpasses the United States in some areas, including naval size, according to the document [PDF]. The Pentagon expects China (Defense One) to at least double its nuclear warheads over the next decade.
 
Tensions are high (CNN) between the United States and China, including over Chinese military actions in the South China Sea. Beijing has resisted Washington’s efforts to include it in nuclear arms control talks with Moscow.

Australia entered its first recession (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) since 1991 after the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) plunged 7 percent in the second quarter. The record drop was largely due to the faltering private sector, which has faced pandemic-related restrictions.
 
Thailand: The country has gone one hundred days (Bloomberg) without reporting a locally transmitted coronavirus case, according to data from its health ministry. Thailand was the first country to identify a case of the virus outside of China.

India accused China (SCMP) of taking “provocative actions” along their shared border on Monday, following a Saturday clash during which a soldier from India’s special forces reportedly died (Al Jazeera). The countries’ defense ministers are expected to arrive in Russia today for a meeting unrelated to the conflict.
 
Pakistan: The Pakistan Telecommunication Autho­rity confirmed that it blocked (Dawn) five dating applications, including Tinder and Grindr, over concerns about immoral and indecent content.

Lebanese Prime Minister–designate Mustapha Adib is expected to start talks (National) to form a new government today after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Adib would assemble a cabinet within two weeks. Macron also pledged to hold conferences on aid and political reform for Lebanon, a former French protectorate.
 
Iran: Representatives from Iran and other parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement met and reaffirmed (RFE/RL) their support for preserving the deal, European Union official Helga Maria Schmid said. The parties also recognized that the United States, which recently sought to use the deal to reimpose sanctions on Iran, is not a participant after it withdrew from the agreement in 2018.

Mauritius asked Japan to pay (Kyodo) $34 million to support its fishing community after a Japanese vessel ran aground and leaked oil off its coast. Fishing in affected areas is now prohibited. Japan will send another relief team to Mauritius today.
 
This CFR timeline looks at ten ecological disasters involving multinational corporations.
 
Uganda: The government suspended three-quarters of the refugee aid groups in Uganda, saying many of them lacked (Guardian) valid, unexpired documentation and permissions.

French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo reprinted the caricatures (NYT) of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed that triggered a deadly attack on its offices in 2015. Muslim-majority Pakistan rebuked the move (WaPo). Today, the trial will begin for fourteen alleged accomplices in the attack.
 
Russia: Facebook removed fifteen accounts and pages it said were part of a Russian influence operation in the United States and elsewhere. Twitter suspended five related accounts. The Russian group tied to the operation (BBC) was indicted for interfering in the 2016 U.S. election.

Deltan Dallagnol quit as the lead prosecutor of a Brazilian corruption team recently criticized (FT) by President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. Dallagnol had warned of “political forces” within the team, which has uncovered a vast corruption network.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains Brazil’s corruption fallout.
 
Peru: The attorney general launched a preliminary probe (teleSUR) of former President Ollanta Humala for corruption tied to the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Officials alleged Humala received $3 million from the company for his campaign.

The White House announced that the United States will not take part (CNN) in a global effort led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop and distribute a vaccine for the coronavirus. A White House spokesperson indicated concerns about corruption by China and the WHO. U.S. companies are already conducting trials of potential vaccines.

This CFR Backgrounder unpacks the global effort to create a coronavirus vaccine.