Thousands of protesters gathered in Bangkok today in defiance of an emergency decree (WaPo) that seeks to tamp down on monthslong demonstrations against Thailand’s powerful monarchy and military. 
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Yesterday, a motorcade carrying the queen was met with shouting protesters (NYT). In response to the protests, authorities in the country—which has strict lèse-majesté laws that prevent criticism of the monarchy—banned gatherings of five or more people and prohibited online speech that could “create fear” or “affect national security.” The protests, which have been largely led by students and young people, aim to remove Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader, with new elections and constrain the monarchy’s power (Reuters).

Singapore announced the creation of an air-travel bubble (Straits Times) with Hong Kong, which would allow people to move between the two locations without having to quarantine. Travelers will still need to test negative for COVID-19.

Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov resigned following mass protests (RFE/RL) that led to the annulment of the country’s parliamentary elections. His resignation came after he approved parliament’s election of Sadyr Japarov as prime minister. The speaker of parliament will assume presidential powers (CNN) unless he also resigns, in which case the powers will pass to Japarov.

Afghanistan: A Taliban offensive in the southern Helmand province could jeopardize intra-Afghan peace negotiations (WaPo) and a U.S.-Taliban agreement. Thousands of Helmand’s civilians have been caught up in the clashes (RFE/RL) between Taliban fighters and Afghan government forces.

​This CFR Backgrounder explains the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen freed two American hostages in exchange for the release of roughly three hundred rebel prisoners in a surprise deal (WaPo) brokered by the United States. Sandra Loli, an aid worker, had been held hostage for three years, and Mikael Gidada, a businessman, had been held for nearly one year.

​Iran: An Iranian former executive implicated in a fraud case was extradited from Spain (Al Jazeera) in what Iran’s judiciary called the first extradition from Europe.

Police in Uganda raided the office (Africanews) of the opposition politician and former pop star known as Bobi Wine, seizing documents and campaign materials. He is challenging President Yoweri Museveni, who has remained in power since 1986 and seeks a third term next year. Wine was apparently detained during the raid (AFP).

​Zambia: The country is moving closer to becoming the first African nation to default (Bloomberg) on its dollar bonds since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. More than a dozen African countries are in talks with China to freeze debt payments.

CFR’s Brad W. Setser explains how low-income countries can deal with coronavirus debt.

Countries across Europe are reintroducing restrictions as they grapple with a resurgence of coronavirus cases (NYT). French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a curfew on Paris and other major cities, and Germany announced curfews on bars and restaurants and limits on public gatherings (DW). Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the approval of the country’s second COVID-19 vaccine (AP).

​EU/Russia: The European Union will sanction members of Putin’s inner circle (WSJ) in response to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. An asset freeze and travel ban go into effect today.

A Brazilian company that controls JBS S.A., the world’s largest meat-packer, agreed to pay $128 million to settle corruption charges (WSJ) in the United States. The company, J&F Investimentos, admitted to paying roughly $150 million in bribes to Brazilian officials to secure cheap government financing of its global acquisitions.

​Mexico: Police captured Adan Ochoa (Reuters), known as El Azul, who headed the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel that has been blamed for a surge of violence in Mexico.

Poverty in the United States has risen to levels higher than before the pandemic as the massive federal spending in response to the crisis has dried up, according to two studies. One study found that the number of people living in poverty has increased by eight million (NYT) since May; another found that it has increased by six million in the past three months.

The Group of Twenty (G20) agreed to suspend debt payments (AP) from low-income countries for an additional six months. Some aid groups expressed disappointment that the extension was not longer nor the debt forgiven entirely.