The Trump administration issued a new rule that prevents almost all migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S. southern border, prompting criticism from the United Nations and vows from human rights groups to file lawsuits.
 
The rule, which took effect Tuesday, bars migrants (Reuters) who travel through a third country from seeking asylum unless they already applied for and were denied asylum in that country. Mexico and Guatemala gave no assurances (NYT) they would grant asylum to those attempting to reach the United States, and U.S. efforts to strike deals with both countries have so far floundered. The UN refugee agency said it was “deeply concerned” about the new U.S. measure, which it said is not in line with international obligations.

Last month, the Philippines purchased Huawei equipment for a 5G network (WSJ), and it is slated to start rolling out a network installed by the state-owned China Telecommunications Corporation this month, despite a U.S. push for other countries to ban Huawei products.
 
For CFR’s Digital and Cyberspace Policy program, Robert Williams looks at the cybersecurity challenges that come with 5G networks.
 
China: In the second quarter of 2019, the country experienced its slowest economic growth (FT) since it began releasing data in 1992, according to its statistics agency. Gross domestic product grew at 6.2 percent year on year.

In an attempt to bypass the threat of U.S. sanctions on planned sales of billions of dollars worth of arms to India, the two countries are developing a method to process defense purchases in their local currencies, according to a Bloomberg report.
 
Pakistan: At least twenty-two people died (Dawn) in flash floods in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir that began late Sunday, according to police officials.

Representatives from the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels agreed yesterday on steps to de-escalate (MEE) the ongoing conflict in the port city of Hodeidah and allow humanitarian aid deliveries, the United Nations said. The UN statement said that political leaders from the parties must still buy in to any troop-withdrawal agreement.
 
Iran: France’s foreign ministry called yesterday (Guardian) for the release of a prominent French-Iranian anthropologist who is believed to have been arrested in Iran in June.

Former President Jacob Zuma, in court testimony yesterday, said investigations into corruption (FT) by his government to help the Gupta brothers, a powerful business family, were part of a conspiracy against him. Hearings in the judicial inquiry against Zuma will continue until the end of the week.
 
Ethiopia: The top security advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was named president of Amhara Region (Reuters), several weeks after the former head of the region was assassinated in a coup attempt.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at Abiy’s aggressive reform agenda.

The European Parliament will vote later today (BBC) on whether to confirm German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen to lead the European Commission, the EU’s primary executive body. Von der Leyen pledged in a Tuesday speech to create a European investment bank for sustainable energy, move the region toward carbon neutrality, and increase the EU’s border force to ten thousand staffers by 2024.
 
Italy: In an operation against far-right extremist groups in several cities yesterday, police seized a cache of weapons (Politico) that included assault rifles and an air-to-air missile. Authorities said the raids were part of an investigation into Italian participants in the Russia-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

Thousands of people in San Juan protested for the third consecutive day after the publication of hundreds of pages of leaked text conversations (AP) in which Governor Ricardo Rossello made what were seen as sexist and homophobic comments. Several top officials in Rossello’s administration have resigned.
 
El Salvador: A woman who was sentenced to thirty years in prison for abortion pleaded not guilty (DW) at the start of a retrial of her case yesterday. The Supreme Court overturned the verdict (AP) against her in February.
 
CFR’s Rachel B. Vogelstein and Rebecca Turkington explain abortion law around the world.