Amid the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban has negotiated takeovers of at least twenty-six of the Afghan government forces’ bases and outposts since May 1, often offering to spare lives in exchange for surrender, the New York Times reports.
 
The takeovers happened in four provinces. Four occurred at district centers that previously housed local officials. In recent weeks, six thousand families have fled their homes (VOA) due to heavy fighting between the Taliban and government forces, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s refugee agency said. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief Jens Stoltenberg told the Associated Press that the alliance will continue to provide civilian advice to Afghan ministers, funds for security forces, and support for ongoing peace talks. A Taliban statement today warned of consequences (TOLOnews) if the United States maintains a military presence in the region, especially in Pakistan.  

Chinese authorities did not allow (Reuters) Australia’s ambassador in Beijing to attend the trial of Yang Hengjun, an Australian blogger detained in January 2019 and accused of espionage. The case has strained relations between the two countries as Australia has tried and failed to obtain more information about the charges. 
 
Hong Kong: The judiciary extended prison sentences (Guardian) for media tycoon Jimmy Lai by fourteen months and for other pro-democracy activists by up to eighteen months. Separately, a former lawmaker was denied bail (Bloomberg), with the judge referring to her conversations with the foreign press as evidence that she criticized Hong Kong police and a national security law imposed by Beijing.

In an effort to speed vaccine imports, India scrapped a requirement (Reuters) that “well-established” foreign COVID-19 vaccines, such as those from Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer, must undergo trials in the country before being introduced to the population.

The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution establishing a permanent commission of inquiry (AP) to monitor rights violations in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. It is the first such commission with a continuous mandate.
 
Bahrain: The country’s central bank said people and companies will have the option to delay all loan repayment installments (Daily Tribune) for six months due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

Germany officially recognized that its actions from 1904 to 1908 as a colonial power in Namibia constituted genocide and agreed to pay the country $1.3 billion (CNN) for reconstruction, development, and reconciliation efforts. During that period, German forces killed as many as eighty thousand people in response to an anti-colonial uprising.
 
Somalia: The government and some regional leaders agreed to hold parliamentary elections (WaPo) within sixty days, followed by a presidential vote. The deal ended a months-long impasse.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Washington will not rejoin (AP) the Treaty on Open Skies. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the pact, which allows signatories to fly unarmed surveillance aircraft over each others’ territory and was one of two remaining U.S.-Russia arms control agreements. Russia is also expected to exit the pact.
 
This In Brief explains the Open Skies treaty.
 
Turkey: Turkey successfully pushed NATO allies to water down an official statement about Sunday’s Minsk plane diversion so that it would not mention further Western sanctions on Belarus, call for political prisoners to be freed, or threaten a suspension of NATO cooperation, Reuters reported.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said that twelve companies and organizations, including Mastercard and Microsoft, will begin investment projects (WSJ) in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, which form Central America’s so-called Northern Triangle. Washington aims to improve socioeconomic conditions in the countries to prevent migration to the United States, but has hesitated to engage with some of their governments due to corruption.
 
This video explains why people are fleeing the Northern Triangle.
 
Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized (CBC) for the government’s internment of hundreds of Italian Canadians during World War II, calling it an “injustice.”

Microsoft reported that hackers linked to Russian intelligence used the email system (NYT) of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to target more than 3,000 accounts across more than 150 organizations. Microsoft said the hackers are from the same group behind the recent SolarWinds hack.
 
CFR’s Robert K. Knake explains why the SolarWinds hack is a wake-up call.