The Summer Olympic Games officially began (Kyodo) in Japan today, with an opening ceremony in a largely empty stadium underscoring the threat the coronavirus still poses to the world and to Tokyo itself. The city registered a six-month high (AP) in COVID-19 cases yesterday. 
 
After a yearlong postponement, organizers had hoped that games could represent the recovery from the pandemic, but Tokyo has been under a state of emergency due to the virus since last week. Amid public unease with the games, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s approval has fallen (Nikkei) from 74 percent at the start of his term to 33 percent in July. Organizers have said they hope a reduced-capacity Olympic Games, which run through August 8, can still inspire viewers. Over 11,000 athletes, representing 205 countries, are set to participate (AFP). Suga is meeting with foreign dignitaries (Nikkei) in Tokyo for the opening ceremony, including U.S. First Lady Jill Biden and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will be in China (SCMP) for two days of talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other officials beginning Sunday. Sherman is the highest-ranking U.S. official (Al Jazeera) to visit China during the Biden administration, as the relationship between Washington and Beijing remains tense.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the group will not cease combat until Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is removed and a new negotiated government is installed. The group has rapidly seized territory in recent weeks as U.S. forces complete their departure.
 
Afghanistan: The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill (TOLOnews) to allow eight thousand extra visas for Afghans who aided the U.S. mission and are at risk for retaliation amid the U.S. withdrawal. The bill now heads to the Senate.
 
In Foreign Affairs, the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Seth G. Jones explains how the United States can prevent a complete Taliban victory.

The United States and Iraq are preparing to announce a shift in the U.S. mission in Iraq from a combat to a fully advisory role, an unnamed U.S. official told Politico. The move, which could take place by year’s end, is expected to be announced during the visit of Iraq’s prime minister to Washington next week.
 
Israel, Palestinian territories: Former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay will lead a  probe (AFP, Times of Israel) into violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in Israel, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. The investigation is a result of aspecial session of the UN Human Rights Council that followed the conflict in Gaza in early May between Israel and Palestinian militants.

The conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has spilled into (BBC) the neighboring region of Afar, displacing more than 54,000 people (Reuters), officials said. Afar is home to the main road and railway that run from Ethiopia’s landlocked capital of Addis Ababa to the port of neighboring Djibouti.
 
For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin looks at the growing risks of the new phase in Tigray’s conflict.
 
African Union: The AU will readmit Israel (Haaretz) as an observer country, nineteen years after it lost this status under pressure from former Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi.

Negotiations over fully restoring travel between the European Union and the United States are struggling due to the lack of a federal U.S. vaccine certification system, according to a diplomatic memo seen by Bloomberg.
 
For Think Global Health, John P. Moore writes that vaccine certificates are a price worth paying for freedom.
 
France: French President Emmanuel Macron implemented new personal security measures (France 24, AFP), including changing his phone and phone number, in response to a report that he may have been targeted by Pegasus spyware.

The Biden administration announced new sanctions (NYT) against Cuba’s defense minister and a group of government security forces in response to alleged human rights violations during widespread protests earlier this month. Washington is also studying the possibility of allowing some remittances to the country after they were restricted under the Donald Trump administration.
 
Ecuador: President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency (AFP) in the prison system after 22 people were killed in riots. The military and police will be in charge of controlling the prisons.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky warned (NYT) of  another “pivotal point” in the coronavirus pandemic as the Delta variant of the virus is rapidly spreading through unvaccinated communities. Epidemiological modelers project that there could be 850 daily deaths (NPR) nationwide from the virus by October, up from the current level of around 300 per day.
 
This In Brief looks at five graphics that show the Delta variant’s threat.