NATO on Friday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand that the military alliance halt admission of new members in a bid to prevent Ukraine from joining, AP reports.
Why it matters: WithRussian troops amassed at the Ukrainian border, fear of another invasion has risen steadily in recent months. Friday's comments are a response to Putin's conditions for de-escalating the potentially devastating conflict.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) raised concerns about Airbnb's business activities in China's Xinjiang region in a letter to the company's CEO on Friday.
Why it matters: An Axios investigation last year revealed that Airbnb has more than a dozen homes available for rent in Xinjiang on land owned by an organization sanctioned by the U.S. government for complicity in genocide and forced labor against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the region.
Kazakhstan's president said in a televised speech Friday that he ordered security forces to "shoot to kill without warning" in an attempt to forcibly suppress an unexpected uprising, adding that those who failed to surrender "need to be destroyed."
Why it matters: "Dozens" of protesters have been killed and around 4,000 arrested, according to the government. At least 18 security forces have also been killed. A phone and internet blackout has made it virtually impossible to track events nationally, but the order will likely result in more deaths.
Russian paratroopers descended on Kazakhstan's largest city Thursday to help quell the largest uprising in the history of the former Soviet republic — with potential strategic implications for Russia's plans in Ukraine.
Why it matters: The first-ever collective intervention by the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization(CSTO) complicates Putin's strategic focus for early 2022, when Russia's military threats against Ukraine were expected to reach an inflection point.
Why it matters: Cuban authorities cracked down on civil rights protesters in multiple incidents last year. The eight individuals, who are now banned from entering the U.S., were involved with using "repression, unjust detentions, and harsh prison sentences" as intimidation tactics, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Taiwan's government announced Wednesday that it would create a $200 million fund to invest in Lithuania's economy, boost bilateral trade, and send an expert team to help the tiny Baltic nation stand up its own semiconductor industry.
Why it matters: Beijing has launched a bullying campaign against Lithuania in response to its decision to allow Taiwan to open an unofficial embassy using its own name, rather than "Chinese Taipei."
A Russia-led military alliance said Thursday it was sending forces to Kazakhstan to help quell the deadly unrest rocking the Central Asian country.
The big picture: Dozens of people, including protesters and police officers, have been killed in more than four days of unrest over what started as outrage over fuel price hikes and has since escalated into some of the worst street violence in Kazakhstan since the former Soviet country's independence in 1991, AP reports.
Novak Djokovic, the world's No. 1 tennis player, was denied entry to Australia over an issue with his visa application, the country's health minister confirmed.
The latest: The player, who was slated to play in the Australian Open later this month, has appealed the decision. He is expected to remain in immigration detention until at least Monday as he awaits a hearing.
