Speeches by world leaders kick off today (NYT) at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, though several addresses will be made virtually due to the pandemic. The debate is expected to focus on boosting COVID-19 vaccination rates globally and fighting climate change, as well as emphasize the geopolitical tensions (CNN) that undermine those goals.
 
U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi are due to speak today, Xi and Raisi via prerecorded video. French President Emmanuel Macron opted to send his foreign minister in the wake of tensions over a recently announced alliance between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom (UK). Talks about Iran’s possible reentry into the 2015 nuclear deal are set to occur on the summit’s sidelines (Reuters).

From 2016 to 2020, technology-related foreign direct investment (FDI) between the United States and China fell 96 percent (SCMP), according to Bain & Company. However, the management consulting firm said complete economic decoupling is “not imminent.”
 
This timeline traces U.S. relations with China.
 
Philippines: Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the Philippines backs the new defense partnership (Reuters) between the United States, Australia, and the UK.

The Taliban announced new deputy members (TOLOnews) to their interim cabinet that include representatives of the Hazara ethnic minority but not women (Al Jazeera).
 
This Backgrounder examines the Taliban’s return to power.
 
India: A member of a CIA team that traveled to India earlier this month was treated for symptoms consistent with so-called Havana syndrome, CNN reports.

The European Union (EU) condemned public executions (Al-Monitor) that Yemen’s Houthi rebels conducted for nine people allegedly linked to the killing of a senior Houthi leader. The United Nations and the United States had already denounced the executions and said the suspects’ trial was not fair.
 
This Backgrounder looks at the war in Yemen.
 
Algeria: French President Macron said he will create a reparations program (RFI) for Algerian Muslims who fought for the French during Algeria’s war of independence and were then abandoned by France.

State media said the coup’s plotters were linked (BBC) to former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019.
 
Nigeria: Authorities said they imposed a communications blackout (Reuters) in parts of the northwestern Sokoto State as part of ongoing efforts to prevent kidnappings.

Moscow rejected the ruling (AFP) by the European Court of Human Rights about the killing of former government agent Alexander Litvinenko.
 
France: In retaliation for Canberra canceling plans to buy French submarines, Paris is seeking EU support in delaying a trade deal (Guardian) the bloc has planned with Australia.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party will win around the same number of seats it held before the elections, despite a sizable lead in the polls, CBC projects.
 
El Salvador/Guatemala: The United States put Guatemala’s attorney general and five Salvadoran judges (Reuters) on a list of “undemocratic and corrupt” officials over graft concerns.

The shift will mark an end to pandemic travel bans (Politico) by the United States that have caused tensions with international allies. The details of the plan have yet to be announced.