European Union leaders will today introduce thirteen proposed rules (FT) that would help the bloc reach its existing climate goal of limiting greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. If passed, the rules would transform much of everyday life and business. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dubbed the plan the EU’s “man on the moon” moment.

The proposals would give muscle to the previously announced European Green Deal. The rules are based on the principle that greener options should be cheaper (Reuters) than those that pollute more. They include measures to expand carbon pricing, tax greenhouse gas emissions (NYT) associated with imported products, and offer financial support to households suffering from energy poverty. EU leaders anticipate pushback (Politico) against the hundreds of pages of proposed rules, which will be negotiated by EU member states and the European Parliament.

The Beijing-controlled electoral commission in Macau banned twenty-one candidates (Guardian), including fifteen from pro-democracy groups, from running in September elections. Like Hong Kong, Macau falls under China’s policy of “one country, two systems.” 

China: The U.S. government issued a business advisory (SCMP) warning that American firms operating in China’s Xinjiang region “run a high risk of violating U.S. law” given the extent of abuses in the region such as forced labor and mass surveillance.

A delegation of prominent Afghan politicians, including High Council for National Reconciliation Chair Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai, will begin talks with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, this week, TOLOnews reports.

Myanmar: In his first meeting with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the group (Al Jazeera) to act to end violence and restore democracy in Myanmar.

This Backgrounder looks at ASEAN.

The United Arab Emirates opened a new embassy (Haaretz) in Tel Aviv, following the inauguration of Israel’s embassy in the UAE last month. The countries normalized diplomatic relations last year as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords. 

In this 2020 Foreign Affairs article, CFR’s Martin Indyk discussed how President Trump’s botched plan for peace in the Middle East produced the Abraham Accords.

Iran: Four Iranian intelligence operatives were charged in a U.S. federal court for conspiring to kidnap (NYT) an Iranian American journalist living in New York who criticized Iran’s government.

Protests and looting after the jailing of former South African President Jacob Zuma have escalated into the country’s worst unrest in decades, with more than seventy people killed (Al Jazeera) and over 1,200 arrested.

DRC: Prosecutors ordered the arrest of former Democratic Republic of Congo Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon on accusations of misappropriating $140 million, two government sources told Reuters.

France’s competition authority hit Google with a $593 million fine (BBC) for failing to negotiate deals with news publishers “in good faith” for use of their content. The regulators had ordered Google (WSJ) to negotiate publishing rights in April 2020. 

For the Net Politics blog, Maya Villasenor discusses whether antitrust regulators can face the challenges posed by big tech.

The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security are sending personnel to Haiti (White House), including security experts and a police advisor, in response to the country’s request for security support in the wake of President Jovenel Moise’s assassination.

Mexico: At a public ceremony, the Mexican Navy issued a rare apology (Reuters) for its role in a series of forced disappearances that occurred during 2018 operations against drug cartels in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo.

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported daily in the United States has doubled over the past three weeks (AP), a rise that follows months of decline, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Authorities in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis are asking vaccinated people to resume wearing masks in public.