The soldiers who carried out a coup against Guinean President Alpha Conde on Sunday announced that military officers have assumed political leadership (Reuters) of the country’s regions and districts. The United States, the United Nations, and the African Union condemned the coup (Al Jazeera)—Central and West Africa’s third since April—and called for an immediate return to civilian rule. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) threatened sanctions and scheduled an emergency meeting (Reuters) on Thursday.
 
Conde became Guinea’s first democratically elected president in 2010, but his move to change the constitution and sidestep a two-term limit in 2020 sparked protests. On Sunday, gunfire was heard (NYT) in the capital of Conakry, and military officers arrested Conde. Military special forces commander Mamady Doumbouya said the government and the constitution were dissolved.

South Korea successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine, Yonhap reported, making it the eighth country to possess (Reuters) submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
 
Hong Kong: Hong Kong will allow two thousand nonresidents, including those from mainland China, per day to skip strict quarantine requirements (SCMP) beginning September 15, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced. Hong Kong had maintained (Bloomberg) strict pandemic travel restrictions.

Duwa Lashi La, the head of a group of legislators ousted by Myanmar’s military in a February coup, called for a “people’s defensive war” (Al Jazeera) against the junta. He urged the escalation of attacks against the junta.
 
Afghanistan: The Taliban announced they captured (TOLOnews) the last provincial capital not under their control in Panjshir Province after several days of heavy fighting. The leader of the opposition forces vowed to continue fighting the Taliban.
 
This Backgrounder examines the Taliban.

Israeli security forces launched an operation to recapture (Guardian) six Palestinians who they said escaped from one of the country’s highest-security prisons. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the jailbreak a “grave incident.”
 
Iraq: The self-declared Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least twelve Iraqi police officers (WSJ) near the city of Kirkuk.

An attack in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least thirty people (AFP) over the weekend, according to local and UN sources. They said jihadis from the Allied Democratic Forces armed group were the suspected attackers.

Belarusian activist Maria Kolesnikova received an eleven-year jail sentence (BBC) and lawyer Maxim Znak received a ten-year jail sentence after they took part in a council that challenged the results of the country’s 2020 presidential election. Authorities accused the council of trying to stage a coup.
 
This 2020 meeting looked at the crisis that stemmed from Belarus’s contested election.
 
Germany: A German foreign ministry spokesperson said Germany holds Russia responsible (FT) for targeting German politicians in cyberattacks ahead of upcoming elections.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will join (MercoPress) rallies of his supporters today in the city of Sao Paulo and the capital of Brasilia. Bolsonaro’s approval rating is at the lowest of his term. Opposition leaders have also planned protests.
 
El Salvador: El Salvador begins to accept bitcoin (FT) as legal tender today. It is the first country to take this step, which supporters say will make remittances more affordable but skeptics warn could increase the risk of money laundering.

Around 8.9 million Americans are expected to see a reduction (AP) in unemployment benefits as two federal pandemic-related programs expire today. The U.S. Department of Labor estimated that there are still 5.7 million fewer jobs in the economy than before the pandemic.