Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Mali’s Foreign Ministry summoned France’s ambassador to Bamako amid a tense dispute over military cooperation in the region.
- AMERICAS: Border crossing points between Venezuela and Colombia were reopened to pedestrians, a prelude to anticipated resumption of commercial activity across the border.
- ASIA: Taiwan’s defense minister warned that the island’s military relations with Beijing have plunged to their lowest point in four decades.
- EUROPE: A group of French senators arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit following a large Chinese show of force with fighter jets near the island, and Beijing warned the trip will hurt its ties with France.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran appointed Ali Salehabadi as the head of the central bank.
- TECH AND COMMUNICATIONS: Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg issued a statement denying that the company prioritizes profits over user safety.
Top Story
- Global: US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree to abide by the Taiwan agreement.
- US President Joe Biden said that he has spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan and they agreed to abide by the “Taiwan agreement”, as tensions have ratcheted up between Taipei and Beijing.
- After returning from a trip to Michigan, President Biden told reporters he spoke to President Xi about Taiwan, and made it clear that President Xi should not be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement.
- Taiwan is expected to be on the top of the agenda ahead of a meeting between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Zurich.
- On Sunday, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price released a statement that, “The United States is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability.”
- President Biden referenced the one-China policy that recognizes Beijing but with expectation for Taiwan’s future to be resolved peacefully.
- Reuters, The Hill, Bloomberg, Yahoo News, South China Morning Post
Africa
- Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed nominated incumbent Ahmed Shide to return as finance minister in his new cabinet. (Reuters)
- Libya: The country’s eastern-based parliament said legislative elections have been postponed to January instead of being held on December 24 as planned. (France24)
- Mali: The Foreign Ministry summoned France’s ambassador to Bamako amid a tense dispute over military cooperation in the region. (Reuters)
- Mozambique: The southern Africa Development Community (SADC) agreed to extend the presence of regional troops battling insurgents in the country’s north. (BBC)
Americas
- Region: Border crossing points between Venezuela and Colombia were reopened to pedestrians, a prelude to anticipated resumption of commercial activity across the border. (EFE)
- Nicaragua: Vice President Rosario Murillo said that the country will acquire 7 million doses of Cuban COVID-19 vaccines. (AP)
- Peru: Indigenous protesters took over a pipeline station of state-owned oil company Petroperu in the Loreto region. (Reuters)
- United States: The State Department disclosed the number of nuclear weapons in the national stockpile, a practice which had been stopped under the Trump administration. (AP)
Asia
- Region: A longstanding and controversial agreement by which Australian asylum seekers are detained in an offshore camp in Papua New Guinea was scrapped by the two countries. (AFP)
- Region: Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow agreed to create a border trade zone to improve regional transport networks and solve transboundary water issues. (Xinhua)
- Philippines: The son of Ferdinand Marcos has registered his candidacy for next year’s presidential elections. (AP)
- Japan: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 struck off the country’s Miyazaki Prefecture. (Xinhua)
- Taiwan: The defense minister warned that the island’s military relations with Beijing have plunged to their lowest point in four decades. (AFP)
Europe
- France: A group of senators arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit following a large Chinese show of force with fighter jets near the island, and Beijing warned the trip will hurt its ties with the country. (AP)
- Germany: The Greens said they want to move to three-way talks with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and liberal Free Democrats (FDP) on forming a new coalition government. (Reuters)
- Moldova: Prosecutor-General Alexandru Stoianoglo was suspended and arrested on allegations of corruption. (RFE/RL)
- Russia: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone conversation to discuss the Iran nuclear deal and bilateral affairs. (Xinhua)
- Vatican City: Pope Francis expressed his shame at the sexual abuse of children by French Catholic clergy, after the scale of the problem was detected in a devastating report. (AFP)
Middle East
- Iran: The country appointed Ali Salehabadi as the head of the central bank. (Reuters)
- Israel: The Defense Ministry announced a $520 million deal to sell air defense systems to the Czech Republic. (Reuters)
- Qatar: Leaked documents from the Pandora Papers show the ruling family bought two of the UK’s most expensive houses in a deal that allowed them to avoid £18.5m in stamp duty. (BBC)
- United Arab Emirates: Former U.N. human rights commissioner Mary Robinson urged the country to free a pro-democracy campaigner jailed in 2018 for criticizing the government on social media. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg issued a statement denying that the company prioritizes profits over user safety. (AFP)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report
- Volcanoes:
- La Palma, Spain
- Explosive activity continues
- Erupting
- Source
- La Palma, Spain
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 06OCT21)
- Confirmed cases: 235,916,313
- Deaths: 4,819,145
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 06OCT21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (07OCT21)
- Global: G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies meeting. (to 08OCT)
- Event: Atlantic Council discussion on the US-Italian defense relationship.
- Afghanistan: 20th anniversary of US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
- China: National Day Holiday.
- Europe: Meeting of EU ministers for justice and home affairs in Brussels. (to 08OCT)
- Europe: German Chancellor Angela Merkel to meet Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Pope Francis in Rome.
- India: Visit by Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
- Mexico: Visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (to 08OCT)
- Russia: First meeting of 8th State Duma.
- Sweden: Announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- United States: House Committee on Foreign Affairs virtual briefing given by former U.S. Special Envoy for Haiti Daniel Foote.
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