Local officials in Guangzhou issued a rare apology Wednesday on behalf of community health workers who broke into dozens of apartments while searching for people who tested positive for coronavirus and other people who had close contacts.
Why it matters: The break-ins prompted severe criticism from residents on social media, while photos circulating on platforms showed broken locks in front of apartment doors, according to the New York Times.
With the U.S., Israeli and Lebanese governments hoping to finally reach a deal on the disputed Israel-Lebanon maritime border, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah again threatened war if Lebanon's "rights" in the Mediterranean aren't respected.
Why it matters: The dispute is focused on a potentially gas-rich, 330-square-mile area of the Mediterranean Sea off of Israel and Lebanon. The revenues from future natural gas production there could reach billions of dollars.
Israel quietly lobbied the Biden administration in recent weeks to press Turkey not to invade northern Syria for another military operation against Kurdish fighters there, two Israeli officials told me.
Why it matters: It's a sensitive moment for Turkey and Israel, which are in the process of normalizing relations.
Integrated air and missile defense in the Middle East with Israeli participation is “a priority” for the U.S., Gen. Michael Kurilla, the head of the U.S. Central Command, told Axios after a visit to the region.
Why it matters: Missile and drone attacks by Iran and its proxies have become the main threat to the U.S., Israel and Arab countries in the region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia's military ambitions extend beyond the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
Why it matters: Lavrov's comments are a departure from earlier claims that Russia did not intend to occupy Ukraine or “impose anything on anyone by force." They also match the reality on the ground, and come a day after the U.S. said intelligence shows the Kremlin is planning to annex multiple Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine.
Driving the news: Zelenska asked whether teachers in Ukraine should prepare to work in classrooms or bomb shelters. "We would have answers if we had air defense systems," she said.
State of play: Sunak (137 votes) finished first in the final vote among Conservative members of Parliament, while Truss (113 votes) leapfrogged trade minister Penny Mordaunt (105 votes) to reach the runoff round.
European Union leaders, citing risks from "the Kremlin's weaponization of gas exports," proposed plans Wednesday for all member states to reduce natural gas consumption by 15% until spring.
Why it matters: The plan reflects growing concern that Russia, the EU's top supplier, could cut exports of the key industrial, electric and residential fuel well beyond already reduced levels. “Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
