The Netherlands will reinstate work-from-home guidelines just weeks after lifting them as COVID-19 infections surge, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Wednesday, per Reuters.
Why it matters: The move comes amid a soaring COVID-19 case rate and follows restrictions reimposed last week on bars, restaurants and clubs, a further reversal of the Dutch government's recent reopening of the country to some pre-pandemic activity.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) last week called Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to protest over the demolition of a house in the West Bank owned by a Palestinian American accused of carrying out a terror attack, Israeli officials tell me.
Why it matters: The demolition — which sparked the Biden administration's first criticism of the new Israeli government on the Palestinian issue — took place while Meeks was leading a bipartisan delegation to Israel.
The UAE inaugurated its embassy in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, 10 months after the signing of the Abraham Accords on the White House lawn.
State of play: Relations have progressed quickly since then, and the raising of the Emirati flag outside the embassy offices in the Tel Aviv stock exchange building on Wednesday was another symbolic step forward.
Israel's month-old government is fighting uphill battles every week in the Knesset, fending off filibusters that have forced Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his Cabinet to spend full nights each week in legislative sessions.
Why it matters: The new government still appears very unstable because its constituent parties hold opposing views on many issues, making it difficult to muster a majority on politically sensitive votes.
Outgoing Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in a report to parliament that the Biden administration has agreed to lift almost all U.S. sanctions on Iran to secure a mutual return to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Why it matters: The report includes details that hadn't been made public before now and is the most official and comprehensive Iranian account of the status of the indirect talks with the U.S.
The Biden administration will begin evacuating Afghans who assisted the U.S. military during the 20-year war in Afghanistan in the last week of July, a senior administration official said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Since announcing the full military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden has faced pressure from lawmakers and veterans to come up with a plan to protect Afghan translators and other military aides before the drawdown is completed late next month.
Authorities in Belarus on Wednesday carried out more than 40 raids against the offices and homes of human rights activists and journalists, one day after the country’s authoritarian president said he would "deal with" non-governmental organizations he believes are fomenting unrest, AP reports.
Driving the news: The prominent Viasna human rights center was one of the offices targeted, in addition to other Belarusian NGOs and homes of activists.
Italy's government on Tuesday announced it will ban large cruise ships from sailing into Venice after declaring the city's lagoon a national monument.
State of play: Italy's Council of Ministers said the ban, which will take effect on Aug. 1, will help protect the city's "environmental, artistic and cultural heritage."
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to a hospital in Brasilia after experiencing abdominal pain earlier in the day, local media reported, citing the presidential palace.
State of play: Bolsonaro had been complaining about persistent hiccups and was taken to the hospital to investigate the cause. He will be under medical observation for 24 to 48 hours, but is not required to stay in the hospital, Brazilian newspaper Globo reports.
Former President George W. Bush sharply criticized President Biden's decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, telling German broadcaster DW News Wednesday that he believes Afghan women and girls will suffer "unspeakable harm."
Why it matters: Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 in order to topple the Taliban and deny al-Qaeda of a safe haven to launch terrorist attacks against the United States. Two decades later, Biden is ending America's longest war.
Pope Francis arrived at the Vatican after being discharged from a Rome hospital Wednesday, 10 days after undergoing scheduled intestinal surgery, AP reports.
Driving the news: The Ford car carrying Francis stopped briefly at the side entrance to Vatican City, where the pope greeted some security guards with the assistance of a bodyguard, per AP.
President Biden's latest ambassadorial picks reveal his strategy when it comes to the diplomacy of diplomacy: He's blending career servants with political supporters to avoid raising the ire of State Department professionals while filling posts around the world.
Why it matters: The U.S. diplomatic corps remains shaken from cuts to its ranks by Rex Tillerson, former President Trump's first secretary of State.
Cuban officials on Tuesday confirmed the death of a 36-year-old man during anti-government demonstrations that were triggered by food and medicine shortages.
Driving the news: The government said Diubis Laurencio Tejeda died in Havana on Monday amid clashes between police and protesters during which an undisclosed number of people were arrested, per AP.
A "wobble" in the moon's orbit will combine with rising sea levels due to the Earth's warming to bring "a decade of dramatic increases" in high-tide coastal floods across the U.S. in the 2030s, NASA warns in a new study.
Why it matters: Low-lying areas near sea level already increasingly at risk from flooding will see their situation "only get worse," per a statement from NASA administrator Bill Nelson.
