Meta announced Wednesday it has removed over 600 Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to a Chinese influence operation that claimed the U.S. was pressuring the World Health Organization (WHO) to blame COVID on China.
Why it matters: Though Meta said the network was unsuccessful, it marks yet another COVID disinformation campaign instigated by China in an effort to discredit the U.S.
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has suspended all tournaments in China and Hong Kong in light of the treatment of tennis player Peng Shuai, WTA chair Steve Simon announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The WTA has maintained that the Chinese government's failure to address her accusations of sexual assault remains an issue of concern.
When asked Wednesday whether NATO was expanding toward Russia's "sphere of influence," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gave an impassioned response, pounding his podium and insisting that it's "not acceptable" for the Kremlin to control the actions of its sovereign neighbors.
Why it matters: Russia's attempts to destabilize Ukraine — through a massive military buildup on its border, weaponized disinformation and an alleged coup plot — were a main topic of discussion at NATO's two-day ministerial meeting in Latvia this week.
Russia on Wednesday ordered members of the U.S. Embassy staff that have been in the country for at least three years to leave by Jan. 31, according to Reuters.
Why it matters: It's a continuation of the diplomatic breakdown between the U.S. and Russia amid heightened tensions over Russia's military buildup in eastern Ukraine.
Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and South Korea on Wednesday became the latest countries to report cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. They followed similar announcements made in Brazil and Japan on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The arrival of the "variant of concern" in more countries underscores the difficulties governments are facing as they seek to reopen economies stalled by nearly two years of pandemic restrictions in the era of global air travel.
The Biden administration, House and Senate Democrats and even the German government have been engaged in a multi-pronged effort to stop Congress from imposing mandatory sanctions on a Kremlin-backed natural gas pipeline.
Why it matters: President Biden's decision to let Nord Stream 2 proceed has put his allies in an uncomfortable bind. Republicans have already blocked dozens of Biden's foreign-policy nominees, and the dispute threatened to derail an annual defense bill passed by Congress every year for six decades.
A new United Nations report warns that global tourism will see only modest revenue gains in 2021 after last year's historic losses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it matters: Tourism revenues in 2020 fell by more than half from the previous year — a significant blow to the global economy, according to an analysis by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Former Honduras first lady Xiomara Castro is set to become the country's first female president, after the ruling party conceded defeat in the country's elections on Tuesday night, per AP.
Why it matters: The democratic socialist and her Libre Party have broken a 12-year run for the conservative National Party, which U.S. prosecutors alleged fostered a "narco-state," note Axios Latino's Marina E. Franco and Russell Contreras.
Senior diplomats from France, Germany and the U.K. briefed reporters Tuesday on the sidelines of the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna, saying that if Iran starts enriching uranium to 90% purity, the level needed to produce nuclear weapons, it would "seriously imperil" the negotiations.
Why it matters: Israel has shared intelligence with the U.S. and several European allies suggesting that Iran is taking technical steps to prepare to enrich weapons-grade uranium, as Axios first reported on Monday.
An Axios investigation found that Airbnb has over a dozen properties listed for rent in China's Xinjiang region on land owned by a paramilitary group that has been sanctioned by the U.S. government for complicity in genocide.
Axios China author Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian joins host Erica Pandey to discuss how these listings expose Airbnb to regulatory risk under U.S. law and raise important questions about how U.S. companies operate abroad, especially in China.
The World Health Organization on Tuesday advised those 60 or older and other vulnerable people to postpone travel plans in response to the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Driving the news: The WHO said on Monday that the Omicron variant poses a "very high" risk and may be more transmissible than other strains of COVID-19.
Dutch health officials announced Tuesday that they have discovered two cases of the new Omicron variant in the country dating back to Nov. 19 and Nov. 23, days before the variant's detection was announced by South African scientists.
Why it matters: Although the Netherlands announced that it had discovered more than 10 Omicron cases last Sunday, the discovery of these new, older cases means the variant was already spreading in Western Europe before Omicron's existence was publicly known.
The two largest countries in the world seem intent on effectively banning their citizens from participating in crypto, which poses a serious threat to the crypto agenda.
Why it matters: The crypto world is global — but the real world is fragmented into nation-states, each of which claims control of what happens within its borders.
Greece announced Tuesday that people 60 or older will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Jan. 16 or pay a monthly fine of 100 euros (about $114), Reuters reports.
Driving the news: "It's the price to pay for health," said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who added the decision to impose a fine "tortured" him.
Regulators in the U.K. on Tuesday said they have directed Facebook parent company Meta to sell Giphy after finding "the takeover could reduce competition between social media platforms and increase Facebook's already significant market power."
Why it matters: Facebook agreed to buy Giphy in May of last year for an estimated price of $400 million. The deal almost immediately invited antitrust scrutiny, given the increased attention to Facebook's growing market power.
The Chinese government isheavily promoting tourism in Xinjiang while committing genocide against the region's native residents.
Why it matters: Xinjiang's tourism industry profits from a system that largely excludes Uyghur people while appropriating their culture for state purposes and the financial gain of China's majority ethnic group.
Airbnb has more than a dozen homes available for rent in China's Xinjiang region on land owned by an organization sanctioned by the U.S. government for complicity in genocide and forced labor, an Axios investigation has found.
Why it matters: The listings expose Airbnb to regulatory risk under U.S. law. They also landyet another American tech company in the crossfire between the U.S. and China.
Just when it seemed safe to travel overseas again, along comes Omicron.
Why it matters: The emergence of the new coronavirus variant couldn't come at a worse time, just weeks before millions of people are expected to travel for the holidays to reunite with loved ones they've missed during the pandemic.
The Taliban have "killed or forcibly disappeared" over 100 former members of Afghanistan's security forces since the group took power in August, a Human Rights Watch report published Tuesday found.
Why it matters: Former military members and officials from the ousted government, activists and other Taliban critics are facing peril amid executions driven by revenge — despite Taliban promises of an "amnesty" with no retributions, notes the New York Times, which first reported the news.
Magdalena Andersson, who was last week appointed to serve as Sweden's first female prime minister but resigned hours later, was again elected Monday to lead the Nordic nation.
The big picture: The Social Democratic Party leader is set to lead a one-party government until a September 2022 election after lawmakers elected her to the role in a close parliamentary vote, per AFP. She resigned last week after the Green Party withdrew its support from the two-party coalition government.
Barbados officially became a republic at midnight local time after Dame Sandra Mason was sworn in as the Caribbean nation's first president in a ceremony attended by the United Kingdom's Prince Charles.
Why it matters: Mason replaced Britain's Queen Elizabeth as head of state Tuesday — removing the country's final remaining colonial tie to the U.K. almost 400 years after the first British ships arrived in Barbados.
U.S. officials have extremely low expectations as world powers resume negotiations with Iran to curb its nuclear program, believing the Iranians aren't yet ready to negotiate seriously, Axios is told.
Driving the news: Senior officials in the U.S. intelligence community have assessed the new Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, thinks of his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, as a weak accommodationist who negotiated a bad deal with the U.S. and other world powers in 2015.
