Schoolchildren around the world will skip class today to kick off a week of thousands of planned marches calling for decisive measures to address the climate crisis (Guardian). The strike comes ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit in New York.

The demonstrations, championed by Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg, could be the largest-ever mass mobilization regarding the climate. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked world leaders (UN) to present concrete plans at the summit to cut emissions by nearly half over the next decade and to net-zero by 2050. Australia and Japan were not invited to speak at the summit (FT) due to their continued support for coal. Oil and gas executives are set to hold a forum (Guardian) on the sidelines of the summit.

The inspector general for U.S. intelligence, in closed-door testimony to some lawmakers, described a complaint from a whistleblower about a promise President Donald J. Trump made to a foreign leader, according to a new Washington Post report. The acting national intelligence director refused to share the complaint with Congress, a break with standard procedure and possible violation of U.S. law.

The island nation of Kiribati has ended its diplomatic relations (SCMP) with Taiwan, according to the Taiwanese foreign minister. The move brings the number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies down to fifteen.

This CFR Backgrounder unpacks the China-Taiwan relationship.

Philippines: Polio has returned to the country (NYT) after almost nineteen years, according to the health secretary. There is one confirmed case and one suspected case of the disease.

The U.S. State Department announced it is rescinding $100 million in aid (State Dept.) for a large energy infrastructure project in Afghanistan and withholding $60 million in other assistance due to “government corruption and financial mismanagement.”

India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend an event in Houston, Texas, with U.S. President Donald J. Trump this weekend that is expected to bring as many as fifty thousand members of the Indian diaspora (PTI).

Representatives of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States met in Washington (State Dept.) to discuss last week’s drone attack on Saudi oil facilities. U.S. and Saudi officials have accused Iran of involvement in the attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said a military strike by either country against Iran would result in “all-out war” (Reuters). 

Syria: Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution (Reuters) calling for a cease-fire in northwest Syria. The two countries instead voted in favor of a resolution that called for a truce in the area but would exempt operations against designated terrorist groups.

A new report by a Washington, DC–based watchdog group found that politicians and military officials it says helped to destabilize South Sudan were backed by multinational corporations and other actors from China to the United Kingdom.

Austrian lawmakers voted in favor of a government veto (BBC) on a trade deal between the European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur, citing concerns about its impact on the environment. All EU countries must approve the deal for it to proceed.

This CFR Backgrounder traces Mercosur’s history.

Romania: A former anticorruption chief who put dozens of top politicians on trial has been named the European Council’s nominee to lead an EU antigraft body (BBC), despite opposition from her government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued an apology following the release of photos and video from the 1990s and early 2000s in which he appeared in blackface (CBC), calling his decision to do so “inexcusable.” Trudeau is currently campaigning for reelection.

Cuba: A mysterious illness experienced by dozens of U.S. and Canadian diplomats based in Havana starting in 2016 may have been caused by pesticide fumigation (CBC), according to a new study by a team of researchers in Canada.