Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will soon be able to download a certificate that would allow them to attend cultural events, fly abroad and go to gyms.
Why it matters: Preventing unvaccinated people or those who have only received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the country from using those additional services or attending extracurricular activities has created a number of legal, moral and ethical questions for Israel’s government, the New York Times noted.
Severe monsoon flooding across several areas of Indonesia's capital forced more than 1,300 people to evacuate on Saturday, Reuters reported.
The big picture: The country's meteorology agency warned that conditions are expected to worsen as the heaviest rain of the season could fall in and around Jakarta over the next week, per Reuters.
A Moscow court on Saturday ordered Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to pay a fine in a defamation case, hours after another court rejected his appeal against his 2.5-year prison sentence.
The state of play: The court ordered Navalny to pay approximately $11,500 after he called a 94-year-old World War II veteran and others featured in a pro-government video "corrupt stooges," "people without conscience" and "traitors," AP reports.
Myanmar police officers on Saturday opened fire against protesters, killing at least two people and injuring at least 40 others, The New York Times reports.
The state of play: Hundreds of shipyard workers have walked off their jobs since the Feb. 1 military coup. A group of over 1,000 gathered in the city of Mandalay to protest the overthrow of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and demand an end to military rule.
The leaders of seven of the world’s most powerful democracies released a joint statement following their virtual summit on Friday, pledging to help low-income countries gain access to coronavirus vaccines and to “deliver a green transformation” by making environmentally conscious investments during the economic recovery.
What they're saying: The statement released after Biden's first international summit echoed many of his priorities, including making 2021 "a turning point for multilateralism."
President Biden committed the U.S. to "working in lockstep with our allies and partners" to protect democracy and promote prosperity, telling the Munich Security Conference on Friday: "Democracy doesn't happen by accident. We have to defend it. Fight for it. Strengthen it. Renew it."
Why it matters: In his first major speech to world leaders, Biden acknowledged that four years of former President Trump's "America First" foreign policy has left the transatlantic relationship in disrepair.
The Israeli government has raised concerns about Secretary of State Tony Blinken's announcement on Thursday that the U.S. is willing to open discussions with Iran about returning to the 2015 nuclear deal.
What they're saying: “Israel believes that going back to the old nuclear agreement will pave Iran’s path to a nuclear arsenal. We remain committed to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not return as working members of the British royal family, and will relinquish all honorary military appointments and royal patronages, Buckingham Palace announced Friday.
The big picture: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced last year that they would "step back" as senior members of the royal family in order "to carve out a progressive new role within this institution" — choosing to become financially independent and splitting time between the U.K. and North America.
The United Kingdom's Supreme Court ruled Friday that Uber drivers should be classified as "workers" and not self-employed independent contractors, dealing a major blow to the ride-hailing giant's business model.
Why it matters: Uber has 65,000 active drivers in the U.K., according to the AP. The ruling could have major implications for the gig economy in Britain writ large.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to wait a month for a call from President Biden, and while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got a call Thursday, it came not from Biden but from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The big picture: Biden, Austin, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and national security adviser Jake Sullivan have together called officials from at least 43 countries, with Blinken alone calling 39 (there’s considerable overlap between their call lists).
The U.S. is committing $2 billion for the global COVAX vaccine initiative within days (using funds already allocated by Congress), plus an additional $2 billion over the next two years, the White House announced ahead of Friday's virtual G7 summit.
Why it matters: Senior administration officials told reporters Thursday evening that they'll use those commitments to "call on G7 partners Friday both to make good on the pledges that are already out there" and to make further investments in global vaccine manufacturing and distribution.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday to reaffirm the "strategic defense partnership" between the two nations and discuss recent changes to U.S. policy on Yemen, the Pentagon said.
Why it matters: The call comes just days after the White House said it would "recalibrate" its relationship with Saudi Arabia, and return to "counterpart to counterpart" engagement, with President Biden's counterpart being King Salman, not MBS.
