France’s Macron Leads Delegation to Algeria in Effort to Mend Ties |
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Algeria today (FT) for a three-day visit aimed at resolving tensions that led Algeria to recall its ambassador to France last year. At the time, Macron accused the former French colony of “rewriting history” to promote “hatred of France.” Macron will travel with six ministers and over eighty other people, including business leaders and an expert on North African history. Improving ties could yield dividends for Macron among the large French-Algerian community and improve France’s ability to conduct military operations in Africa.
Algeria’s oil and gas supplies have attracted European countries (Politico) seeking to reduce energy dependence on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. No major energy deals are expected to be announced during Macron’s visit, in part because Italy moved first to secure gas deals with Algeria at the start of the Ukraine war.
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“In recent years, Macron has made unprecedented steps to acknowledge torture and killings by French troops during Algeria’s 1954–62 war of independence, in a bid to appease the two countries’ still rancorous relations. Yet the series of symbolic gestures has fallen short of an apology from France for its actions during the war—a longstanding demand from Algeria,” the Associated Press’s Sylvie Corbet writes.
“You don’t come with such a large delegation—including the foreign, defense, economy and interior ministers—and stay for two days, if all you are going to discuss is the past,” Hasni Abidi of the Research Center for the Arab World and the Mediterranean tells the BBC. |
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Taiwan Proposes Record Hike to Military Budget |
The proposed defense budget would amount to around 2.7 percent (SCMP) of the island’s gross domestic product (GDP) if passed. Taiwan’s statistics department minister said the new spending would mostly go toward the operational costs of responding to threats from mainland China.
On The President’s Inbox podcast, CFR’s David Sacks discusses Taiwan’s China challenge.
China: To address China’s property market slowdown, Beijing announced around $146 billion (Bloomberg) in new stimulus funding, largely directed at infrastructure. |
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Former Pakistani Premier Granted Pre-arrest Bail |
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was granted bail (Dawn) by an Islamabad court after authorities charged him under an antiterrorism law for comments he made at a recent rally and for violating a ban on large public gatherings.
Myanmar: Authorities arrested (BBC) the former British ambassador to Myanmar, Vicky Bowman, and her husband, a former Myanmar political prisoner. Bowman was charged with violating visa rules. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Washington Responds to EU Plan to Salvage Nuclear Deal |
The U.S. State Department said it completed a review of the text proposed by the European Union (EU), which relayed the U.S. response (CNN) to Iran. The State Department did not announce the details of the response. |
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Angola’s Ruling Party Leads in Preliminary Vote Count |
With 86 percent of ballots counted, the country’s electoral authority said the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) leads with 52 percent of votes (Reuters). An opposition party disputed an earlier announcement of preliminary results.
Ethiopia/Sudan: Ethiopia’s military said it shot down (Sudan Tribune) a Sudanese plane that was carrying arms to rebels in the Tigray region. |
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Russian Strike on Ukrainian Train Station Kills at Least Twenty-Two Civilians |
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| Canada on Track to Exceed 2022 Immigration Target |
With 275,000 new permanent residents as of July, Canada is set to surpass its goal (Reuters) of granting permanent residency to 431,000 people this year, the country’s immigration minister said. Authorities will hire up to 1,250 workers to speed application processing.
This Backgrounder unpacks Canada’s immigration policy.
Mexico: A judge ruled that the attorney general who oversaw the original investigation into the 2014 disappearance of forty-three students will face trial (AP) for forced disappearance, failure to report torture, and misconduct.
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Biden Announces Plan to Cancel Billions of Dollars in Student Debt |
President Joe Biden announced the erasure (AP) of $10,000 in federal student loan debt for Americans earning under $125,000 per year, and an additional $10,000 canceled for Pell Grant recipients. Biden campaigned on the pledge, which is expected to reduce debt for more than forty million people. This Backgrounder discusses whether rising student debt is harming the U.S. economy. |
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