Israel and South Korea have agreed to exchange 700,000 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses, the Israeli Prime Minister's office announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: The deal marks the world's first COVID-19 vaccine swap, and could prove to be a template for other governments, the Wall Street Journal reports.
More than 90% of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan has been completed, U.S. Central Command estimated in an update published Tuesday.
Why it matters: The milestone, a full two months before President Biden's goal of withdrawing all U.S. forces by Sept. 11, comes amid concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, as the Taliban seizes vast swathes of territory on the battlefield.
U.S. tech companies for years have grumbled about how the Chinese government favored its homegrown heroes, largely shielding them from global competition. Now, though, China is turning on its own Big Tech companies, reminding them who's boss.
Why it matters: This complicates U.S. IPO plans for dozens of Chinese companies, and potentially revalues even more Chinese unicorns.
A former contender in Belarus' 2020 presidential race was sentenced on Tuesday to 14 years in prison by the Supreme Court, in a corruption case that is being widely viewed as politically motivated, AP reports.
Driving the news: Viktor Babariko, the former chief executive of a Russia-owned bank, sought to to challenge Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, but was arrested two months before the August 2020 vote.
Former Australian Member of Parliament Julia Banks criticized Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday after accusing a current government minister of inappropriately touching her at Parliament House in Canberra in 2017.
Driving the news: Banks told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Monday night that she was "on a couch talking to another MP" when the unnamed minister sat down and "put his hand on my knee and ran it up my leg, on the upper part of my leg." Morrison's office said he hadn't been aware of the allegation.
Tajikistan called in 20,000 military reservists on Monday to strengthen the border after 1,037 members of Afghanistan's security forces fled to the country and dozens more were taken captive by the Taliban, per Reuters.
Why it matters: The crossings, which were permitted by Tajikistan, came after the Taliban took over at least six key districts in the northern province of Badakhshan, which borders Tajikistan.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said that England will lift mask requirements and social distancing rules later this month amid rising coronavirus cases, AP reports.
Driving the news: Individuals in England will no longer be required by law to wear face masks in indoor public spaces. Businesses can still require masks and remove distancing restrictions, but Johnson said fighting the pandemic would now be a matter of "personal responsibility," and Britain would have to “learn to live with this virus," per the AP.
Dozens of people are missing and at least four are dead after a mudslide crashed through several buildings in the city of Atami on Saturday, just west of Tokyo, Japan, AP reports.
Details: In addition to the four confirmed dead, 25 people have been rescued, including three who are injured, per AP.
Health authorities in Italy are attempting to vaccinate "people on the margins of society, the most fragile," by holding overnight vaccine drives in the Lazio region, which includes Rome, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Italy's National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty has estimated there are at least 700,000 people in the country who are not registered with the national health service and may lack access to the country’s coronavirus vaccination campaign.
Russia-linked hackers suspected in this weekend's mass attack on software provider Kaseya, which could affect thousands of companies worldwide, demanded $70 million to restore data they are holding for ransom, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The hack is the latest and most dramatic in a series of high-profile ransomware attacks this year, exposing the pandemic-style threat that this type of cybercrime poses to companies and governments around the world.
Rescue workers in Japan were stepping up efforts to find 113 people still missing from a weekend deadly mudslide in Atami, west of Tokyo, the city's mayor told NHK Monday.
The big picture: Shizuoka Prefecture officials confirmed the deaths of three people following Saturday's disaster. Officials said some of those unaccounted for could've been away at the time, CNN reports. Crews were still finding survivors Monday, including a mother and baby who escaped injury despite their building being "buried in mud," per NHK.
Pope Francis is "doing well" after undergoing scheduled intestinal surgery, the Vatican announced Sunday night.
Details: The Pope left the Casa Santa Marta, his official residence, for the surgery concerning the symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon at a Rome hospital on Sunday afternoon local time.
