As global concerns over the omicron coronavirus variant continue to rise, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said yesterday that European countries should consider vaccine mandates (Bloomberg). Incoming German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he supports such a requirement (DW) but that the decision would be left to Germany’s parliament.
 
In the United States, the White House published new virus response measures, including expanding access to booster shots for all adults, requiring insurance companies to reimburse individuals who buy rapid tests, and tightening predeparture testing protocols for international travel. It also said it will work to increase domestic and international vaccine-manufacturing capacity.

The two countries said they will update (Yonhap) their joint wartime contingency plans in response to evolving nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang.
 
China/Hong Kong: The Women’s Tennis Association suspended tournaments in mainland China (SCMP) and Hong Kong over concern for the welfare of tennis star Peng Shuai, who accused a former Chinese official of sexual assault.
 
CFR’s Jerome A. Cohen examines Beijing’s history of silencing critics.

Dozens of journalists in New Delhi protested (Al Jazeera) against the newly implemented “lottery system,” which limits the number of reporters allowed to cover the ongoing legislative session.
 
Bangladesh: Authorities arrested a mayor (AFP) who refused to issue a permit for a mural depicting the prime minister’s father. Critics say the government has used new internet laws to silence dissidents by charging them with defaming the prime minister’s father.

The drafts cover sanctions removal (Reuters) and Iran’s nuclear commitments, the country’s top nuclear negotiator said. European intermediaries in Vienna, Austria, are facilitating talks between the United States and Iran to resurrect the 2015 nuclear deal.
 
Afghanistan/Iran: A “misunderstanding” over the demarcation of the countries’ shared border prompted brief clashes (VOA), the Taliban said.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said the town of Lalibela, home to a UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site, was cleared of Tigrayan forces (Reuters).
 
Ghana: A lawmaker from the ruling party joined opposition legislators in sponsoring a bill that would jail LGBTQ+ people (Bloomberg) and require reporting gay people to the authorities.
 
CFR’s Paul J. Angelo and Dominic Bocci look at the changing landscape of global LGBTQ+ rights.

Migrant rights groups criticized the proposal (Guardian), which would allow nations that detain asylum seekers to hold them in processing centers for up to sixteen weeks rather than the current maximum of four.
 
For Foreign Affairs, Mark Galeotti discusses how migrants got weaponized in Belarus.
 
Turkey: The country’s finance minister resigned (FT) amid a sharp plunge in the value of the lira. He was replaced by a loyalist to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

President Jair Bolsonaro backed the candidate (AFP), former justice minister Andre Mendonca, who said he would defend Brazilians’ right to same-sex civil unions.
 
Argentina: A federal judge charged former President Mauricio Macri (MercoPress) with spying on the families of victims of a 2017 submarine accident.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets today (France 24) with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, amid rising U.S.-Russia tensions over Russia’s military buildup at its border with Ukraine.