Officials from Israel and Lebanon met today for negotiations—the countries’ first direct civilian diplomatic talks in thirty years—aimed at resolving their disputed maritime border (Haaretz). The talks ended after roughly an hour (Reuters), with an agreement to meet again in two weeks.

​U.S. officials mediated the talks, held at a UN base in Lebanon. Israel and Lebanon are still formally at war. Israeli officials stressed that the talks would focus exclusively on the delineation of both countries’ territorial waters to allow for future oil drilling, and that they did not signal a normalization of relations (Times of Israel) akin to Israel’s recent agreements with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah also said the talks did not signal peace with Israel.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans to turn the city of Shenzhen into a global hub for international trade, finance, and technology—a move some analysts said was in response to unrest in Hong Kong (WaPo). Xi also noted Beijing’s support for the so-called Greater Bay Area initiative, a plan to knit together several southern cities, including Hong Kong, to form a Chinese rival to Silicon Valley.

​Australia: The country’s Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half its coral (BBC) since 1995 due to warmer seas resulting from climate change, a study found.

The former chief minister of India-administered Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, was freed after being detained for fourteen months (PTI) following India’s revocation of the region’s partial autonomy in August 2019. She vowed to fight for the restoration of Kashmir’s status.

​CFR’s Alyssa Ayres discusses the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy on The President’s Inbox podcast.

Kyrgyzstan: President Sooronbay Jeenbekov rejected the appointment (RFE/RL) of Sadyr Japarov, an opposition figure and convicted kidnapper sprung from prison last week, as prime minister, citing the lack of a quorum in parliament. The U.S. embassy issued a statement in support of Jeenbekov’s efforts to restore “constitutional order” and warned of the influence of organized crime.

Saudi Arabia failed to become a member (Al Jazeera) of the UN Human Rights Council. China, Cuba, and Russia were among the fifteen countries elected, angering rights groups who decried the three countries’ human rights records.

A presidential panel on police reform agreed to demands (This Day) of protesters demonstrating against police brutality, including the unconditional release of arrested protesters. The police inspector general also announced the formation of a new police unit to replace the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, whose alleged abuses sparked the protests that continue across the country.

​Rwanda: The government approved the cultivation and export of marijuana (East African), though use of the drug remains illegal.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) authorized the European Union to impose tariffs (NYT) on $4 billion worth of U.S. goods in retaliation for illegal subsidies provided to the U.S. airplane manufacturer Boeing. The United States imposed tariffs on the EU last year after winning its own WTO challenge over subsidies provided to Boeing’s European rival Airbus.

This CFR Backgrounder explains how trade disputes are resolved.

​Russia: Moscow pushed back (RFE/RL) against a U.S. negotiator’s claim that an agreement had been reached to extend the New START nuclear treaty. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia would not agree to an extension of the treaty, set to expire in February, before the U.S. presidential election in November.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knocked China for its “coercive diplomacy” (AFP), as well as its crackdown in Hong Kong and repression of Muslim Uighurs, during remarks marking the fiftieth anniversary of Canada-China relations. Two Canadian citizens remain detained by China in a move widely seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a top executive of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

​Chile: There are growing calls to reform (Guardian) the country’s national police force, known as the Carabineros, in the wake of a series of abuse accusations. A police officer was recently caught on camera pushing a teenage demonstrator off of a bridge.

The U.S. Supreme Court effectively allowed the Donald J. Trump administration to prematurely end the 2020 census (NYT), pausing the count while another court battle plays out. The decision could lead to a dispute over how the decennial figures are used to apportion representation in Congress.

This CFR Backgrounder explains why the census matters.

Governments around the world have used the coronavirus pandemic to crack down on internet freedom (Wired), the watchdog Freedom House said in a new report. Countries have used the pandemic as a pretext to arrest journalists and activists, restrict and censor online speech, and expand mass surveillance, the report says.