Foreign ministers from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and other nations began their annual meetings (Kyodo) virtually, with the appointment of a special envoy to Myanmar high on the agenda. Myanmar’s military junta announced yesterday it will extend a state of emergency (AP) for two years and hold elections in 2023.
 
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is participating virtually in this week’s meetings. ASEAN, which includes Myanmar, decided to appoint a special envoy to the country in April, but it has yet to do so. Since the military took power in a February coup, more than nine hundred people have been killed (Reuters) and nearly seven thousand arrested amid a crackdown on protests, according to the watchdog Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The military has clashed with opposition groups across the country, and doctors and others have refused to work (Kyodo) as part of a civil disobedience movement. Meanwhile, the country has seen a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

Some flights, trains, and buses to Beijing have been put on hold (SCMP) in an effort to stop the coronavirus’s Delta variant from spreading in China’s capital. More than 360 total COVID-19 cases have been reported in over 20 cities since last month. Millions of people are under movement restrictions (AFP).
 
This In Brief uses five graphics to show the Delta variant’s threat.
 
New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issued a formal apology (AAP) for the government’s disproportionate targeting of Pacific people during 1970s immigration raids.

Taliban fighters intensified their attacks (BBC) around the cities of Herat, Lashkar Gah, and Kandahar after previously focusing offenses on small cities and rural areas. The Afghan government sent reinforcements to counter them.

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken joined British and Israeli officials in blaming Iran (Bloomberg) for an attack on an Israel-linked tanker on Thursday. Two people were killed. Blinken said the United States is consulting with partners on an appropriate response to the attack, which Iran denied carrying out.
 
Israel: The cabinet approved a budget (Times of Israel) for the first time in three years. The budget still needs to be passed by the parliament. If it does not pass by early November, the new government will dissolve.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Yohanan Plesner discusses whether Israel’s new center can hold.

Zambian President Edgar Lungu said he authorized the deployment of the military (Al Jazeera) to curb violence ahead of August 12 elections. Clashes between government and opposition supporters have broken out in recent days.
 
For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin unpacks warning signs ahead of Zambia’s elections.
 
Nigeria: A group representing around 40 percent of doctors in Nigeria went on strike (AFP) over overdue pay, poor facilities, and insurance benefits as the country battles a new COVID-19 wave.

The European Commission announced it is sending three firefighting planes (Hurriyet) to Turkey to help combat wildfires that have been burning there since last week. Azerbaijan, Iran, Qatar, and Russia have also sent personnel and equipment.
 
Belarus: Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was granted a Polish humanitarian visa (BBC) after voicing fears about her safety. Tsimanouskaya said Belarussian officials tried to force her to travel from Japan to Belarus after she criticized coaching staff.

Colombia’s attorney general announced that former army commander Mario Montoya will be charged (Reuters) for 104 extrajudicial executions that occurred between 2002 and 2008 amid the country’s internal conflict with guerillas. Montoya’s lawyer said the attorney general does not have the authority to issue charges, as the case is being handled by Colombia’s transitional justice court.
 
Nicaragua: The government granted citizenship (AP) to former Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and his family after Salvadoran authorities issued a warrant for Sanchez Ceren’s arrest on corruption charges.

A federal ban on evicting tenants who are behind on housing payments expired over the weekend. Though some $46 billion in federal rental assistance was approved during the pandemic, only $3 billion had been distributed at the end of June. Around 3.6 million Americans could face evictions in the next two months, PBS reports.