China’s COVID-19 Surge Prompts International Calls for Detailed Data |
At the request of the World Health Organization (WHO), Chinese scientists briefed the agency’s officials (Reuters) in a closed meeting about China’s COVID-19 outbreak. The Chinese government has stopped reporting daily cases of the virus (NYT), and researchers have raised doubts about the low number of reported deaths. The WHO has called on China to share detailed data on hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccinations.
The COVID-19 surge has prompted countries to impose new testing requirements on travelers from China. Beijing denounced the moves as “excessive” and threatened to take countermeasures. Meanwhile, as the virus strains China’s economy, officials are pausing a spending program meant to boost the chip industry, Bloomberg reported. |
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“The clumsy enforcement of [China’s previous policy of] zero-covid, followed by its hasty abandonment, will go down as an error for the ages,” the Economist writes.
“China’s warning [about other countries’ travel requirements] came as the country ended the three-day-long New Year’s holiday weekend with tepid economic numbers, suggesting a gloomy outlook for a speedy pandemic recovery,” the Wall Street Journal’s Joyu Wang writes.
Think Global Health interviews the University of Washington’s Ali H. Mokdad about COVID-19’s rapid spread through China. |
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Japan to Incorporate Security Assistance Into Foreign Aid |
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Myanmar Junta Plans Mass Prisoner Release |
The military government will grant amnesty (Reuters) to some seven thousand prisoners to mark Myanmar’s Independence Day, state media reported. Authorities said they will not free those convicted of certain crimes, such as murder and rape. It is unclear if political prisoners will be freed.
India: New Delhi approved a $2 billion plan (Reuters) to promote green hydrogen, or hydrogen fuel made using renewable energy. India aims to produce five million tons of it annually by 2030.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Iranian Chess Player Warned Not to Return Home After Competing Without Hijab |
Sara Khadem arrived in Spain after receiving threatening phone calls telling her not to return to Iran following a chess tournament in Kazakhstan last week, an unnamed source told the Sydney Morning Herald.
China/Israel/Palestinian territories/UAE: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China called for a UN Security Council meeting (The National) after Israel’s new far-right security minister visited a Jerusalem holy site that has been a hotbed for Israeli-Palestinian tensions. |
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In CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey, experts assess potential concerns such as a crisis over Taiwan, an escalation of the war in Ukraine or instability in Russia, and nuclear weapons development by Iran and North Korea. |
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Tanzania Ends Ban on Opposition Rallies |
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Erdoğan to Hold Calls With Putin, Zelenskyy |
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will hold separate calls with (WaPo) Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, Erdoğan’s spokesperson said.
France: Thousands of people attended the funeral (AFP) for three Kurds killed in a xenophobic shooting in Paris last month. |
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Colombian Guerillas Deny Having Agreed to Cease-Fire |
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Lawmakers Fail to Elect House Speaker After Historic Three Votes |
Republican lawmakers thrice failed to reach a consensus (NYT) on who should be speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after a hard-right minority within their party blocked the election of front-runner Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). It is the first time in one hundred years that there have been multiple votes for the speaker. Lawmakers will reconvene today. The President’s Inbox podcast discusses how the new Congress will impact U.S. foreign policy. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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