At least twenty people were killed and fifty others wounded in an hours-long attack (AP) at the Kabul office of vice presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh yesterday, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry. It was the first day of the country’s presidential campaign period.
 
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, in which Saleh was safely evacuated. Saleh’s running mate, President Ashraf Ghani, is seeking reelection in the September vote against a backdrop of continued attacks (Al Jazeera) while the Afghan government, the United States, and the Taliban attempt to negotiate an end to the country’s eighteen-year war. Ghani’s office said Saturday that direct talks with the Taliban would begin in two weeks, while a Taliban spokesperson said the militant group will not negotiate with the government (NYT) until an agreement with the United States is reached.

Beijing’s office for Hong Kong affairs described recent pro-democracy protests as “horrendous incidents” (CNA) and defended Hong Kong police and Chief Executive Carrie Lam in a rare press conference today. Police detained nearly fifty people in weekend clashes with protesters. A spokesperson said Beijing would not accept (SCMP) any challenge to the central government’s authority.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at democracy in Hong Kong.
 
China: Prominent activist Huang Qi was sentenced to twelve years in prison (WaPo) on charges of leaking state secrets. More than a dozen international human rights groups, as well as UN experts, have called for his release.

Myanmar’s foreign secretary is meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart (AP) in Dhaka today to discuss plans to repatriate Rohingya refugees. He met with refugees in camps in southeastern Bangladesh over the weekend. Many Rohingya say they still fear returning to their home country, where security forces launched a violent crackdown against the ethnic minority in 2017.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains why so many Rohingya fled Myanmar.

An air strike in the rebel-held Idlib region killed at least thirteen people (Al Jazeera) on Saturday. A day earlier, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet condemned what she called “international indifference” (DW) over the escalation in Idlib, where more than one hundred civilians have been killed in the past ten days.
 
Iran: Remaining signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement met in Vienna yesterday (NYT) to discuss conditions for keeping the deal alive. The talks come as the United Kingdom and Iran have debated whether to release tankers from each other’s countries seized earlier this month.

Assailants killed sixty-five people (Reuters) in an attack on a group returning from a funeral in the country’s northeast on Saturday, according to a local official. It is one of the deadliest attacks against civilians in Nigeria in recent years. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
 
DRC: The World Food Program is doubling its food assistance (UN) in areas affected by the Ebola outbreak over the next six months. The UN agency will provide weekly rations to encourage people to return to distribution centers and receive regular medical check-ups.
 
On CFR’s Africa in Transition blog, John Campbell writes that Ebola will continue to spread without increased international support.

Police detained nearly 1,400 activists (AP) who participated in a Saturday protest against a ban on some opposition candidates from running for Moscow’s city council, according to a monitoring group. Most of those arrested have been released; about 150 people were reportedly still in custody yesterday.
 
Turkey: In the coming weeks, the government will repatriate sixty children (NYT) currently being held in Iraq because their family members are suspected of joining the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Turkey has repatriated more than two hundred children since the start of the year.

Mexico has launched a plan to create twenty thousand jobs (Reuters) in Honduras by December in a bid to curb migration toward the United States. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said efforts will focus on the coffee industry, among others.
 
Guatemala: Hundreds of Guatemalans protested Saturday (WaPo) against a deal that requires U.S. asylum seekers who transit through Guatemala to first apply for asylum there. Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed the agreement on Friday, but rights groups and some lawmakers question its legality.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats submitted his resignation (NYT) yesterday. Coats had been at odds with President Trump on issues including Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Trump said he will nominate Representative John Ratcliffe to replace him.