Russia’s prime minister will visit Belarus today (Reuters) and Belarus’s defense minister will be in Moscow tomorrow as the two countries step up diplomacy in the face of continued protests (CNN) over Belarus’s disputed presidential election.
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated support for Belarus’s embattled government yesterday, saying his country would respond “firmly” to efforts to destabilize Belarus or disrupt its ties with Russia. Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union are working to increase pressure (Politico) on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said Belarus will respond in kind to travel bans imposed by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on Belarusian officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said senior Chinese diplomats must now ask permission (SCMP) to meet with local officials or visit universities in the United States. China’s embassy and consulates must also get approval to host certain cultural events, he said. China warned of possible countermeasures.
 
Japan: The country’s coast guard said (Kyodo) a China-bound freighter carrying 43 people and about 5,800 cattle is missing in the East China Sea. One crew member was found drifting in the waters, but severe weather is hindering the search operation.

The United States sanctioned two high-ranking International Criminal Court (ICC) officials, including chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and restricted visas for unnamed personnel aiding the court’s investigation of possible war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The ICC called the measures (TOLO) “serious attacks” against the court, justice, and rule of law.
 
CFR’s David J. Scheffer explains the ICC’s probe into atrocities allegedly committed in Afghanistan.
 
India: The government banned 118 mobile applications (Hindustan Times), including the popular game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), citing sovereignty and security concerns. The ban, which mostly targeted Chinese applications, comes amid border tensions between China and India.

Interim UN envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams told the UN Security Council that foreign backers have increased weapons shipments (RFE/RL) to Libya. Williams said the shipments escalated violence, breached the conflict-ridden country’s sovereignty, and violated a UN arms embargo.
 
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia said it will permit (NYT) all flights to and from the United Arab Emirates, including those from Israel, to pass through its airspace. The decision came days after Saudi Arabia permitted an Israeli commercial jet to cross over it for the first time.

The United States will “temporarily pause” (AP) some aid to Ethiopia over the country’s decision to fill a contested dam on the Blue Nile river before reaching an agreement with Egypt and Sudan and implementing all safety measures, a State Department spokesperson told the Associated Press.
 
Tanzania: President John Magufuli pledged to connect 2,600 villages (East African) without power to the national grid within two years if he is reelected in October.

Germany said tests showed (RFE/RL) that Russian dissident Alexey Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. Chancellor Angela Merkel called the poisoning “attempted murder.” Russia said the allegations lacked evidence.

Truckers ended a weeklong strike (MercoPress) in Chile’s restive Araucania region after reaching a deal with the government to increase security for those who had suffered in recent arson attacks on their vehicles. The strike had hamstrung supply chains.
 
Venezuela: Prominent opposition figure Henrique Capriles Radonski said he supports (WSJ) Venezuela’s December legislative elections and argued that boycotting them, as opposition leader Juan Guaido plans to do, will mean forfeiting all opposition seats in the National Assembly.

Publicly held federal debt is projected to reach (WSJ) 98 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this fiscal year, the highest level since World War II. It is expected to reach or exceed 100 percent next year, the Congressional Budget Office said.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at the United States’ national debt dilemma.

Canada and the Netherlands announced they will aid (Al Jazeera) a case Gambia brought against Myanmar in the International Court of Justice over alleged genocide of the Rohingya people. They encouraged other countries to follow suit.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains the Rohingya crisis.