Austria Announces Lockdown, Europe’s First COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Amid surging COVID-19 infections, Austria announced it will begin a nationwide lockdown (Politico) on Monday and mandate that all citizens be vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning in February. It is the first country in Europe, and one of the first in the world, to make vaccinations mandatory for all citizens.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know how Covid will evolve. Three possible scenarios: 1) Status quo, in which Delta remains our chief challenge. 2) Worst case, in which a new dangerous variant emerges. 3) Best case, in which the virus evolves to be less severe,” CFR’s Tom Frieden tweets.
Why It Matters: ‘Hyperventilating Over Hypersonics’
China’s test of a hypersonic missile raised concerns about nuclear-armed weapons that can evade defense systems. Experts examine prospects for a new global arms race.
China: A report published in Science suggested that the first person to catch COVID-19 was a vendor at a Wuhan animal market in late 2019. The report’s author, scientist Michael Worobey, told the New York Times that this suggests the pandemic began at the market.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will repeal three laws passed in 2020 to reform the farming sector. Hundreds of thousands of farmers have demonstrated (Guardian) against the laws, which they said privilege private companies and hurt their own incomes.
Afghanistan: More than twenty-eight thousand Afghans have applied for humanitarian entry to the United States since shortly before the Taliban’s takeover, but only around one hundred applicants have been approved (AP), according to U.S. officials.
Middle East and North Africa
Turkey Calls for Continued Dialogue With Israel After Couple Freed
Turkey freed an Israeli couple (AFP) that had been detained in Istanbul for suspected espionage. Their release came after a rare round of diplomacy between Turkey and Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said continued contact between the countries is in their “mutual interest.”
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to visit Jerusalem. He calls for peace in a speech to the Knesset. The trip generates peace negotiations that result in the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty sixteen months later.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia Releases Some Detained UN Staffers
Authorities released six UN employees (AP) and more than seventy aid delivery drivers who had been detained amid the country’s state of emergency. Five UN staffers remain in custody, a UN spokesperson said.
Uganda: Security forces killed (BBC) Muslim cleric Sheikh Muhammad Abas Kirevu, who they said was working with armed groups linked to suicide bombings in the capital, Kampala.
Europe
United Kingdom Set to Designate Hamas as Terrorist Group
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government will introduce laws (Politico) that could allow prison sentences of up to ten years for anyone involved with the Palestinian militant group.
Annual Deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest Reaches Fifteen-Year High
The administration of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro apparently delayed the publication (BBC) of data on deforestation until after the UN climate conference in Glasgow, where it argued it had moved to reduce the practice.
Chile: The country holds general elections (Reuters) on Sunday. In the presidential race, left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric Font and right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast Rist are expected to make it to a runoff.
United States
Congress to Vote on Spending Bill
The House of Representatives is set to vote (WSJ) on a $1.75 trillion climate, education, and social-spending bill, which is expected to pass.
