The United Nations is hosting a summit today in which countries are expected to step up their measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked countries to set agendas in line with a goal to cap global temperature rise (UN) to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.

Countries’ commitments must be increased around fivefold to meet the 1.5° target, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. Guterres has also called for an end to new coal plants by 2020 and for countries to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The United States is not taking part (Politico) in the summit, and China will not be represented by its president, Xi Jinping. A coalition of businesses with a combined market capitalization of more than $2.3 trillion is pledging emissions reductions (Reuters) as the summit gets underway.

President Donald J. Trump suggested he discussed former Vice President Joe Biden (WaPo) during a July phone call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Lawmakers are looking into any connections between the provision of U.S. aid to Ukraine and Trump’s call, after sources familiar with the call said Trump pressed Zelensky (WSJ) to investigate Biden’s son.

The Chinese government is carrying out a campaign to assimilate the Hui Muslim minority in Gansu Province that has included demolishing mosques and purging the area of religious items, according to a Washington Post report.

Australia: Prime Minister Scott Morrison toured a paper mill in Ohio with U.S. President Trump as part of a state visit (SMH), only the second such visit since Trump took office. Both leaders touted the alliance between their countries.

CFR lays out what to know about the U.S.-Australia alliance.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended his government’s recent actions (Hindu) in the disputed Kashmir region while speaking at a rally in Houston, Texas, alongside U.S. President Trump. Trump stressed the importance of border security (Axios) for both countries.

This CFR timeline looks at U.S.-India relations since 1947. 

Afghanistan: A Taliban delegation, on a visit to Beijing, held talks with senior Chinese officials  (VOA) about stalled peace negotiations with the United States. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called for resuming the peace process. 

CFR’s Max Boot argues that it is time to reboot the peace talks.

More than two hundred people have been arrested in nationwide protests (Guardian) over the weekend that called for President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to step down, according to a Cairo-based monitoring group. 

Israel: A bloc of Arab parties in the country’s parliament has backed (AP) former defense official Benny Gantz for prime minister, its first endorsement in nearly three decades. Neither Gantz’s coalition nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party was able to win a majority in last week’s elections.

The World Health Organization, in a statement, criticized Tanzania (Reuters) for refusing to release information about the spread of Ebola in the country. The government said last week that it had no confirmed or suspected cases, but the WHO said it received reports that a woman died of the disease earlier this month.

DRC: A second Ebola vaccine will be deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo to combat the ongoing outbreak (Al Jazeera) in the country’s east. An initial vaccine has been given to more than 220,000 people, according to health authorities.

Chancellor Angela Merkel announced measures to reduce carbon emissions (DW) to 55 percent of Germany’s 1990 levels by 2030. They include raising fuel prices, subsidizing electric vehicles, and banning oil heaters in buildings in the coming years.

Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan provided few details about the agreement, though it is expected to require migrants who pass through El Salvador to apply for asylum there (NYT) rather than in the United States.

CFR looks at whether “safe third country” agreements can resolve the asylum crisis.

Brazil: Hundreds of protesters in Rio de Janeiro denounced the killing of an eight-year-old girl they blame on police (Guardian). Killings by police officers in Rio State have risen 16 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year, according to the public defender’s office.