Morning Brief

Public opinion, consistently against the games, has soured for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, too.

Rivals may have a chance to catch up in polls after Merkel’s apparent heir, Armin Laschet, committed a widely panned gaffe.

Coronavirus deaths on the continent jumped 43 percent this week, as hospitals lacking oxygen and vaccines face a rising caseload.

A divergence between U.S. and EU thinking on China is set to follow Merkel out of office.

More than 1,200 people have been arrested in the riots and looting that have followed the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.

U.S. lawmakers are eager to condemn Cuba’s government after Sunday’s protests—just don’t mention the embargo.

Kerry faces a Russia dependent on oil and gas exports that is wary of coercion wrapped up as regulation.

As U.S. focus moves elsewhere, regional powers are closely watching Afghanistan’s fate.

The assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse by an unknown group raises fears that an already broken country could slip into chaos.

The visit of Khalid bin Salman has been met with little fanfare and proves Saudi Arabia is far from the “pariah” of Biden’s campaign pledge.

The U.N. Security Council discusses a draft resolution today ahead of a key deadline on aid access.

African nations have warned that the minimum rate of 15 percent is too low, while three EU nations have yet to sign on.