The U.S. State Department has ordered a temporary pause on arms sales (WSJ) to Saudi Arabia and an examination of sales to the United Arab Emirates. Officials said such pauses are routine for new administrations as they review sales and transfers approved by the previous president.

Specifically under examination is the Donald J. Trump administration’s decision (WaPo) during its final months in office to sell precision-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia and stealth F-35 fighters to the UAE. It is unclear how long the review will last. Arms sales to Saudi Arabia have faced bipartisan criticism, as Saudi forces have repeatedly bombed civilian targets in war-ravaged Yemen using American-made weapons. While Trump pushed to strengthen the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Biden has vowed to “reassess” ties with Saudi Arabia (Al Jazeera).

The Biden administration pledged to support (SCMP) the Philippines in the event that it is attacked in the South China Sea and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to back Japan in disputes in the East China Sea. China claims much of the seas.

Indonesia: Hundreds of Rohingya refugees are missing (AFP) from a camp on the country’s northern coast. Authorities fear that they were trafficked to nearby Malaysia.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at the plight of the Rohingya.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court dismissed all charges (WSJ) against the man who was convicted in the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Kyrgyzstan: During his swearing-in ceremony, President Sadyr Japarov vowed to improve the country (RFE/RL) and emphasized that Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan will be major partners.

A man was killed in Tripoli, Lebanon, during clashes between police and protesters (Reuters) demonstrating against the country’s strict COVID-19 lockdown. Human rights groups say that the lockdown has exacerbated the country’s economic crisis and left people with few means of making a living.

This CFR In Brief examines whether Lebanon is a failed state.

Lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of Congo voted to oust (AFP) Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba. The move was the latest in a political power struggle between President Felix Tshisekedi and officials, such as Ilunga Ilunkamba, who are loyal to former President Joseph Kabila.

CAR: Former militia commander Mahamat Said Abdel Kani will appear (BBC) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) today for the first time. Authorities in the Central African Republic handed him over to the ICC on Sunday. He is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity after the overthrow of President Francois Bozize in 2013.

Talks between the European Union and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca yesterday failed to settle a dispute (FT) over COVID-19 vaccines. AstraZeneca, which earlier said that it was unable to meet agreed-upon supply targets, did not accept the European Commission’s demand that the company use vaccines from factories in the United Kingdom to make more deliveries to the EU.
 
This CFR In Brief explains the global COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
 
Poland: A near-total ban on abortion went into effect (NYT) yesterday. Thousands of people protested. The decision was made in October, but the ban’s implementation was delayed because of mass demonstrations late last year.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology said deliveries of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to Latin American countries could be delayed (Reuters) by up to three weeks. Several countries—such as Argentina, Bolivia, and Mexico—are looking to use the vaccine.
 
Colombia: Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo died after contracting COVID-19 (MercoPress). He was sixty-nine years old.

President Biden signed executive orders (AP) that declared climate change a top national security and foreign policy concern, pledged to reserve 30 percent of federal land and water for conservation in the next decade, directed agencies to focus on low-income and minority communities that have been impacted disproportionately by pollution, and called for a climate summit for world leaders in April, among other climate-focused actions.