Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday the government will impose a three-week lockdown in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza following a major resurgence in coronavirus cases, AP reports.
Why it matters: Israel is the first developed country to re-enter lockdown, which it had initially lifted in May, according to Haaretz. The lockdown will begin on Friday, coinciding with the start of Rosh Hashanah.
Former FBI agent Peter Strzok said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that Rudy Giuliani's work with a Ukrainian lawmaker who was sanctioned by the U.S. last week for pro-Russian election interference is part of a "pervasive pattern of contact" that Trump associates have had with Russia.
The big picture: Strzok led the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and worked for special counsel Robert Mueller before being removed and later fired by the FBI for sending text messages critical of President Trump.
Russians were voting Sunday in local elections seen as a test in the popularity of President Vladimir Putin and the ruling United Russia party that supports him ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.
Why it matters: The polls come weeks after Russian opposition leader and Putin critic Alexei Navalny was found to be poisoned with nerve agent Novichok — a calling card of the Russian security services. Navalny had backed United Russia's "key challengers" and was promoting a tactical "smart voting" system before he fell ill, the BBC notes.
Dozens of lockdown protesters in Melbourne, Australia, were arrested after facing off with riot police for a second straight day on Sunday, per Nine News.
The big picture: The Victorian state capital has been under a nightly curfew since Aug. 5 amid surging coronavirus cases. From midnight Sunday, the curfew was being cut by an hour to 9pm–5am. Victoria's states of emergency and disaster were extended until at least Oct. 11, as state officials confirmed Sunday 41 new cases and seven more deaths from COVID-19. All other states and territories have reported single-digit or zero cases for weeks.
Greek police on the island of Lesbos used tear gas Saturday on protesters left homeless after their overcrowded refugee camp was destroyed by fire earlier this week, per the BBC.
Why it matters: The island's new Kara Tepe camp can accommodate 3,000 people, with priority given to "vulnerable groups," Ekathimerini.com reports. It's unclear what will happen to the other 8,500 people. Rights groups and local health officials say the displaced people have no access to sanitation.
Delegates from the Afghanistan government and the Taliban opened direct peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday after repeated delays, seeking to bring roughly two decades of fighting to a close.
Why it matters: Afghanistan’s leaders said they want to end the war that has left millions dead and displaced, though the talks began amid a U.S. troop withdrawal and violence perpetrated against Afghan officials and civilians, the New York Times writes.
China on Friday enacted fresh restrictions on U.S. diplomats working in mainland China and Hong Kong as tensions between the two countries continue to rise, AP reports.
The state of play: A statement from the Chinese foreign ministry framed the move as a direct rebuke of similar restrictions America put on Chinese diplomats last year. The statement noted that the rules pertain to senior diplomats and other personnel at the U.S. embassy in Beijing as well as consulates in China, per the Guardian.
