Olympic organizers have made a series of major, last-minute policy changes to reduce the risk of a superspreader event, but they declined to employ one particularly powerful tool: a vaccine mandate.
The big picture: Mandatory vaccinations would have been a massive logistical and ethical puzzle. But without one, the threat of infection will loom over the Olympic Village and could ultimately extend well beyond it.
Sending U.S. troops to Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse is "not on the agenda at this moment" but Marines will be sent to bolster security at the U.S. Embassy in the country, President Biden said at a news conference Thursday.
Why it matters:Haitian authorities requested the Biden administration to send soldiers to help stabilize the country after Moïse was killed by a group of armed men who entered his home last week.
Officials in Abu Dhabi announced Thursday that the city would reenter a partial lockdown beginning July 19, and reimplement other public health measures, "as part of proactive efforts to prevent COVID-19 variants and to ensure continuous testing."
Why it matters: United Arab Emirates' capital city has been going to great lengths to stem the spread of COVID-19, and Thursday's new guidelines are the latest iteration of these efforts.
The State Department’s point person on Israel-Palestine warned Israeli officials during his talks in Jerusalem this week that the Palestinian Authority is facing dangerous economic and political crises, three Israeli officials told me.
Why it matters: The Palestinian Authority is going through a deep legitimacy crisis after the postponement of the parliamentary elections and the death of a political activist in the custody of Palestinian security forces.
Venezuela opposition figureFreddy Guevara was detained and U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó was threatened at gunpoint this week, as President Nicolás Maduro tried tightening his grip on power.
Why it matters: The Chavista government has renewed roundups of the opposition despite scheduled negotiations between the two sides, set for August with Mexico as host and Norway as mediator.
The South African government started deploying 25,000 troops on Thursday to assist local police in curbing the widespread looting and violence that erupted after the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma, AP reports.
Why it matters: The deployment marks one of the country's largest since 1994, when white-minority rule ended. The government said at least 10,000 soldiers had taken to the streets as of Thursday morning.
Sara Naranjo, 88, took to Cuba's streets this past week because she is "done with being hungry, unemployed, without water, without power." Naranjo is one of thousands of Cubans to take part in what activists said were the largest anti-government protests on the island in decades.
What's happening: People like Naranjo, who remembers Cuba before the revolution, joined thousands of younger Cubans, who have only known Communism, in the massive street protests despite their fear of the government’s harsh response.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun rejected Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri's proposal for a new government, prompting Hariri's resignation and deepening the country's political crisis.
Why it matters: Lebanon's political stalemate is contributing to the country's economic collapse, and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has been pleading for international help to avert an imminent “social explosion." But key international players say they'll withhold aid without a new government and economic and political reforms.
State of play: Compared with the second quarter from last year, the country's economy grew 7.9% in the April to June period. That's less thanhalf of the 18.3% year-over-year growth the nation saw during the first quarter of 2021, per the South China Morning Post.
Four people have been arrested in connection with online racist abuse of England soccer players after Sunday's European Championship final, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: A specialist team is looking into the offensive comments made against three Black players — Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka — on social media sites, according to U.K. police.
Dimitri Hérard, the chief of security at Haiti's presidential palace, was taken into police custody Thursday as law enforcement continues to investigate President Jovenel Moïse's assassination, a spokesperson for Haiti’s National Police confirmed to the New York Times.
Driving the news: Moïse was killed by a group of armed men who entered his home last week. Members of the presidential guard, as well as bodyguards, have been called in for questioning, per the Times.
China's government on Thursday accused the Biden administration of hurting global trade after U.S. lawmakers this week supported restrictions on imports from China's Xinjiang region, AP reports.
Driving the news: Bipartisan legislation passed on Wednesday by the Senate would ban imports of products from China's Xinjiang region, where the ruling Communist Party is accused of holding more than 1 million members of mostly Muslim ethnic groups in detention camps, per AP.
The White House is not expecting any agreement on Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline to emerge from President Biden's meeting on Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, despite speculation that such a deal could be close.
Why it matters: The Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline faces strong bipartisan opposition in Washington, but Biden in May waived sanctions on the company working to complete it. The White House noted that the pipeline was already mostly finished and said Biden wanted good relations with Germany and "diplomatic space" to reach a deal with Merkel on the pipeline issue.
Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, will enter a five-day lockdown just before midnight to combat a growing COVID-19 outbreak, officials announced on Thursday.
Why it matters: It will be the fifth time such restrictions have been imposed on residents in Victoria's state capital, Melbourne — who last year endured one of the world's longest lockdowns (112 days), when the city was Australia's pandemic epicenter.
The Senate unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday that would ban the importation of all products from Xinjiang, China, due to the forced labor and genocide of Uyghurs and other minorities in the region.
Why it matters: Xinjiang products are deeply integrated into lucrative global supply chains, and Nike and Coca-Cola are among the major companies to have lobbied against the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, per Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian.
