Axios

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit France next week as the U.S. continues efforts to regain ground with the European country after the fallout of the Australia-U.S.-UK (AUKUS) deal, the State Department said Friday.

Why it matters: America's oldest ally was blindsided earlier this month when President Biden announced a new agreement to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines as part of a trilateral Indo-Pacific security initiative. The pact canceled Australia's $90 billion submarine deal with France.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story was based on statements from a Twitter account claiming to be chancellor Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat. The headline and the bulk of the story have been corrected and updated after the Taliban told Axios that the account was not from Ghairat.

The Taliban told Axios Friday that a Twitter account claiming to be Kabul University's newly appointed chancellor Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat is "fake" following outrage over tweets from the account that said women will be barred from the university for work and study.

What they're saying: "[T]he account [belonging] to the university chancellor, it is [a] fake account," Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told Axios via WhatsApp. "Women have right of access to education and work while observing hijab. Work is underway to formulate a mechanism in this regard."

There's plenty written about what oil giants like Exxon are — and aren't — doing on climate, but a report from a Columbia University energy think tank explores how Chinese companies are approaching the matter.

Why it matters: Chinese state companies have a role to play in China's vow to peak emissions before 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060.

Australia on Friday announced plans to lift its travel ban for fully vaccinated citizens starting next month.

Why it matters: The announcement comes 18 months after Australia imposed some of the world's most severe border restrictions — trapping most Australians and permanent residents in the country, and preventing thousands of others outside the island nation from returning home.

North Korea tested a new anti-aircraft missile Thursday, the country announced Friday, according to AP.

Why it matters: The test was the country's latest weapons firings since it restarted missile launches in September in protest of international sanctions.

The travel itineraries of the Biden administration’s top foreign policy officials show a clear pattern.

The big picture: Early engagement with long-standing partners in Europe, the Middle East and East Asia; An effort to deepen relationships in Southeast Asia; Limited emphasis on Latin America beyond migration issues.

Fresh off his first visit with Vladimir Putin in over a year, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused a top Biden official of "supporting terrorism" and demanded the U.S. pay $1.4 billion for kicking Turkey out of a stealth fighter jet program.

Why it matters: Erdoğan's belligerence and deepening cooperation with Russia is sending a key U.S. relationship in the wrong direction, serving up yet another foreign policy headache for President Biden.

The Biden administration will "build on" existing tariffs on billions of dollars of Chinese imports as part of a strategy against the Chinese government for failing to meet commitments under the Trump-era Phase One deal, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in an interview with Politico on Thursday.

Why it matters: Tai's comments come as the Biden administration seeks a new trade strategy with Beijing while navigating U.S. companies' calls to lift tariffs.

Four United Nations agencies released a joint statement on Thursday warning countries not to deport Haitians "without proper assessment of their individual protection needs."

Why it matters: More Haitian migrants are making their way to the U.S.-Mexico border, as the Biden administration has begun deporting them under the Trump-era Title 42 policy.

Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday it will expel seven United Nations officials after a senior UN official warned that thousands of people in war-torn Tigray were likely experiencing government-caused famine, according to Reuters.

Why it matters: The ministry accused the seven officials, including the head of the UN's Children's Fund and the head of its Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Office, of "meddling" in internal affairs and said they have 72 hours to leave the country.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Microsoft and LinkedIn leadership on Thursday questioning why LinkedIn censored the profiles of U.S. journalists from the company's China-based platform this week, according to a letter obtained by Axios.

Driving the news: LinkedIn — which is owned by Microsoft — notified several U.S. journalists this week, including Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, that their accounts will no longer be viewable in China due to "prohibited content" on their profile.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that just 15 out of 54 African countries had fully vaccinated 10% of their populations against COVID-19.

Why it matters: The announcement that more than 70% have missed the World Health Assembly's target indicates that global leaders are struggling to narrow the large gap in vaccine access between poor and wealthy countries.

A 96-year-old woman who was a secretary for the SS commander of the Stutthof concentration camp during World War II was arrested by police after she fled before the start of her trial, according to Reuters.

Why it matters: The woman, who was a stenographer and typist in the camp commandant’s office between June 1943 and April 1945, faces 11,412 counts of accessory to murder.

The London police officer who pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping and murdering Sarah Everard was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Thursday, the BBC reports.

Why it matters: The case spurred an outcry across the U.K., with protests and anger from women who have shared their experiences of feeling unsafe and being threatened or attacked while walking alone.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted Thursday of violating campaign finance laws during his unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2012 and sentenced to a year of house arrest, according to AP.

Why it matters: It comes after Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in prison, two of which were suspended, in March for corruption and influence-peddling in another case that is currently pending appeal.

LinkedIn blocked the profiles of several U.S. journalists from the company's China-based platform this week, citing "prohibited content." My account was one of the profiles affected.

Why it matters: LinkedIn is one of the only large American social media platforms to agree to the Chinese government's demands to censor content, and is tasking its own employees with restricting what users in China can see.

Canada's Federal Court on Wednesday upheld a human rights tribunal ruling ordering the government to compensate First Nations children who faced discrimination in the welfare system.

Why it matters: The ruling clears the way for billions of dollars in compensation for affected Indigenous families. It's the latest breakthrough in a yearslong battle for justice for Canada's Indigenous peoples.

The Kremlin on Wednesday threatened to ban YouTube unless it reinstates two of Russian state-backed broadcaster RT's German-language channels that were deleted for violating COVID-19 misinformation guidelines.

Why it matters: The threat is the latest example of Russian officials going to extreme lengths to assert greater control over the internet. The channels were deleted by YouTube on Tuesday, one day before the online video giant announced it would terminate channels spreading vaccine misinformation.

Panama foreign minister Erika Mouynes expressed frustration to Axios that the Biden administration seemed caught off guard by the Haitian migrant crisis because "we sounded the alarm when we should have."

Why it matters: The worst may still be coming. Mouynes said there are as many as 60,000 migrants — mostly Haitian — poised to make their way north to the U.S.-Mexico border.