UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a closed-door meeting (Al Jazeera) with world leaders today to focus on climate commitments before the main debate session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) begins tomorrow.
 
A new UN report warns that even if all countries comply with their current emissions commitments, the world’s average temperature will rise by 2.7°C above preindustrial levels (NYT) by the end of the century. On Friday, Guterres called for (Politico) increased U.S. financing of green development in lower-income countries and more commitments from China on emissions reductions. This week’s UN summit is expected to focus on climate change (Reuters) and COVID-19 vaccine access.

Senator Manny Pacquiao confirmed that he will run for president (Rappler) on an anti-corruption platform. He will rival a ticket that includes President Rodrigo Duterte as a nominee for vice president.
 
Hong Kong: Choosing a new electoral board, the city held its first election (SCMP) since a 2019 voting overhaul that allowed only pro-Beijing candidates to run. Less than 1 percent of Hong Kong’s population was allowed to vote (AFP).

The group claimed responsibility (Al Jazeera) for bombings that targeted Taliban vehicles in the city of Jalalabad and killed at least eight people.
 
For Foreign Affairs, Cole Bunzel examines the jihadi power struggle in the Taliban’s Afghanistan.
 
Pakistan: The government has deported at least 250 new Afghan refugees (Al Jazeera) from Balochistan Province since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, an official said.

Syria’s defense minister visited Jordan to discuss border stability as the Syrian government consolidates control of formerly rebel-held areas in southern Syria. It was the first such meeting in ten years, Reuters reports.
 
Algeria: Former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who died Friday at age eighty-four, was buried yesterday (Al Jazeera). He was the country’s longest-serving president, ruling for twenty years until his ouster in 2019.

Paul Rusesabagina, who sheltered more than 1,200 people during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and in recent years has criticized Rwandan President Paul Kagame, was found guilty (NYT) of forming an armed terrorist group.
 
Mali: France’s armed forces minister traveled to Mali to try to dissuade authorities (Reuters) from bringing Russian mercenaries to the country.

President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won two-thirds of seats (Moscow Times) in the lower house of parliament after an election marked by claims of voter fraud and restrictions on opposition candidates.
 
France: The country’s defense minister called off an upcoming meeting (BBC) with her British counterpart due to tensions over last week’s submarine deal between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
 
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR’s Ian Johnson looks at the fallout of the deal.

Today is the last day for Canadians to vote (FT) in snap elections triggered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Polls show Trudeau’s party could fall short of winning a majority.
 
Cuba/Vietnam: Shortly after Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc departed for an official visit to Havana, Vietnam approved the use (Reuters) of Cuba’s Abdala COVID-19 vaccine.

The United States has flown hundreds of Haitian migrants who were camping in a Texas border town back to Haiti (BBC).
 
This Backgrounder unpacks Haiti’s troubled history and the recent crises driving migration from the country.