Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) has introduced an amendment that would trigger a cascade of sanctions against top Russian officials, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, major financial institutions, sovereign debt transactions and more in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Why it matters: U.S. officials have been sounding the alarm about Russia's massive military buildup on the eastern border of Ukraine. The sanctions threat is intended to serve as a powerful deterrent against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R) supports the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for its "unapologetic criticism" of the Chinese government and willingness to pull out of China over the missing tennis player Peng Shuai, the Texas lawmaker wrote in a letter this week.
Why it matters: Peng, a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion, has not been seen in public since she accused China's former vice premier of sexual assault earlier this month. Her disappearance has led to growing international concern.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the Biden administration is "deeply concerned" about tennis player Peng Shuai's disappearance and is calling on the Chinese government to provide "independent, verifiable proof" of her whereabouts.
Why it matters: Peng has not been seen since she accused China's former vice premier of sexual assault earlier this month. China's state-controlled media suppressed all reporting on the case.
The European Medicines Agency Friday issued advice for a pill developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to treat COVID-19, allowing medical professionals to prescribe the drug in emergency situations.
Why it matters: It gives European nations another tool to treat potentially severe cases of the disease, though the drug, known as molnupiravir or Lagevrio, has not been approved for marketing in the EU.
Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Friday that the country will enter a national lockdown beginning Monday that will last at least 10 days in an attempt to head off a fourth wave of coronavirus cases.
Why it matters: It's the first European country to re-enter a lockdown since the spring. Cases in the country have started to rise in part because of deep skepticism among many Austrians about vaccines.
Public officials around the world are imposing new restrictions on the unvaccinated as many nations struggle to raise their COVID-19 vaccination rates.
Why it matters: Unvaccinated people are five times more likely than those vaccinated to get infected and 10 times more likely to die from the coronavirus, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many health care systems are buckling under new waves in cases among the unvaccinated.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Friday that his government will repeal the country's farming laws that were introduced in September 2020.
Serena Williams is the latest top athlete to speak out about Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai on Thursday, calling for an investigation into her disappearance amid concern for her safety.
Why it matters: Peng, 35, has not been seen in public since she accused China's former vice premier of sexual assault earlier this month. China's state-controlled media suppressed all reporting on the case.
The State Department has bypassed a recommendation from an independent government commission to name India to its "red list" of countries engaged in "systematic, ongoing and egregious" violations of religious freedom — for the second consecutive year.
Why it matters: The omission is the latest example of leniency applied to India by the administration and U.S. lawmakers. Strengthening ties with the world's largest democracy has featured prominently in both the Trump and Biden administrations' strategy for countering China.
Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation is intent on keeping up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, and keeping their jailed leader alive, despite being declared an "extremist" enterprise and their staff forced into exile.
What they're saying: "We have a slogan that Putin has to regret that he pushed us out of the country," said Leonid Volkov, Navalny's top adviser.
