Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a televised speech that she is withdrawing the extradition bill (SCMP) that has sparked months of protests in Hong Kong to “fully allay public concerns.” The move marks a major concession to pro-democracy activists, though it was met by resistance from some demonstrators.
 
In the speech, Lam also pledged to meet with citizens to understand their grievances. While demonstrators initially called mainly for the bill’s withdrawal, their demands have grown (NYT) to include amnesty for arrested protesters and direct elections in the territory. A pro-Beijing lawmaker called the move a “step forward” (FT), while prominent activist Joshua Wong wrote on Twitter that it is “too little and too late now.”

A new report by a UN-commissioned panel of experts found that France, the United Kingdom, and the United States may be complicit in ongoing war crimes in Yemen. The group called for an end to violence against civilians and to the “pervasive lack of accountability” for backers of the conflict, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
 
In this CFR conference call, former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Barbara K. Bodine discusses the prospects for peace in Yemen.
 
Iran: President Hassan Rouhani, in a speech to parliament, said he will not hold talks with the United States (Al Jazeera) unless they are multilateral and Washington lifts sanctions it imposed after its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. Rouhani said Tehran will further breach the terms of the deal (MEE) in two months if remaining signatories do not provide financial relief.

China’s state energy regulator has called for new incentives to increase domestic shale gas production (VOA) after Beijing imposed tariffs on imports of U.S. natural gas last year. China is the world’s second-largest buyer of liquefied natural gas.

Nine former U.S. ambassadors, in an open letter (Atlantic Council), called for a limited drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and warned that pulling out a substantial number of troops too soon could lead to “total civil war.” The group wrote that a major troop withdrawal “must be contingent on a final peace.”
 
India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the far eastern city of Vladivostok today. The two are expected to sign several cooperation agreements  (Mint), including one on military exports.

The World Economic Forum on Africa began today in Cape Town (Axios) as looting and arson attacks seen as anti-immigrant continued in two other major cities. Authorities have arrested more than ninety people (VOA) for suspected involvement in the attacks.
 
Zimbabwe: Public-sector doctors have gone on strike (Reuters) over low pay amid the country’s continued economic crisis. It is their second strike in less than a year.
 
CFR looks at how long-standing financial troubles and drought in Zimbabwe have pushed millions to the brink of starvation.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he will seek to hold a snap election on October 15 after lawmakers, including twenty-one from his own party, came together to advance legislation that would prevent a no-deal Brexit (Guardian). Parliament is set to vote on the bill, which would force a request for an extension if Britain and the European Union don’t reach a deal by the October 31 deadline, today.
 
Italy: Members of the antiestablishment Five Star Movement voted in an online poll to join a coalition (FT) with the center-left Democratic Party, greenlighting a new governing majority that would sideline Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini. Italian President Sergio Mattarella must still approve the coalition.

The country plans to increase its minimum wage (Bloomberg) by 35 percent over the next three months to combat the devaluation of the Argentine peso since August’s presidential primary.
 
Bahamas: The death toll from Hurricane Dorian rose to at least seven people (BBC), and Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said that number is expected to go higher. The Red Cross estimates as many as thirteen thousand homes were severely damaged or destroyed.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at U.S. disaster relief at home and abroad.

The U.S. manufacturing sector contracted in August (FT), its first contraction in three years, according to data from a major supply management association. Analysts cited fears over global trade tensions.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Chad P. Bown and Douglas A. Irwin write that decoupling from China will change everything.