The U.S. will send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan even as the Biden administration continues to withhold formal recognition of the Taliban, the group's leaders announced on Sunday, AP reports.
Of note: State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in an emailed statement that the two sides discussed the U.S. providing "robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people" during talks in Qatar that concluded Sunday.
Tens of thousands of people attended demonstrations all over Poland Sunday to show support for the country's European Union membership after a constitutional court ruling sparked fears of a possible exit from the union, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: Days earlier Poland's constitutional court ruled that the country's constitution can take precedence over some EU laws, per AP.
The U.S. and Russia have both agreed to lift targeted sanctions against each other in order to enable Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to travel to Moscow this week, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The U.S. passed a spate of sanctions against Russia this year and relations between the two powers are strained. Nuland, the third-ranking State Department official, will meet with senior Russian officials this week to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues, per the State Department.
Pfizer will vaccinate all residents over the age of 12 in the Brazilian city of Toledo as part of a study measuring the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine, the company said in a statement.
Why it matters: Researchers in the study hope to monitor viral transmission in a real-life scenario after the population has been inoculated.
President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday that Taiwan would never "bow to pressure" from China's government and pledged to strengthen the self-governing island's defenses to protect its "democratic way of life," per the BBC.
Why it matters: Tsai's declaration on Taiwan's National Day came one day after China's President Xi Jinping vowed to achieve "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan.
Police in India said Saturday they've arrested the son of a junior minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government after nine people died during protests against new farming laws, per AP.
The big picture: It's the latest escalation in massive ongoing demonstrations against the laws, which were introduced in 2020 to deregulate India's agriculture. Farmers say it's driven down crop prices and benefits big corporations.
Pope Francis met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday, as he urged lawmakers to overcome "the narrow confines" of partisan politics to fight climate change.
Context: Francis spoke to parliamentarians who were in Rome for a meeting before the UN's climate conference, which comes as scientists caution that the window for keeping alive the Paris Agreement's most ambitious temperature target is rapidly closing, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.
The Ethiopian military has intensified airstrikes over the last few days as it continues an assault against rebel forces from the Tigray region in a nearly yearlong civil war, Bloomberg reports.
Driving the news: The reports of the intensified conflict comes days after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for a new term in Africa's second-most populous country.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold a trilateral meeting at the State Department on Wednesday with the foreign ministers of Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
Why it matters: This is the first such meeting since the signing in 2020 of the “Abraham Accords,” normalization agreements Israel struck with Bahrain and the UAE. It is a substantial step by the Biden administration to strengthen the treaty between the countries.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced Saturday that he is resigning, days after prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into corruption allegations against him, the New York Times reports.
Driving the news: Kurz, who plans to remain as the leader of his party, denies allegations that he used federal money to pay off pollsters and journalists for favorable coverage, per Reuters.
An Uber driver who plotted to join the Taliban and kill Americans was convicted Friday on two terrorism-related charges, the Washington Post reports.
The big picture: The Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan earlier this year was in part enabled by recruiting fighters like Delowar Mohammed Hossain and spreading propaganda to potential members all around the world, per the New York Times.
A U.S. delegation will meet with "senior Taliban representatives" in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday and Sunday, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: It will be the first in-person meeting at a senior level since the Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan.
