Bosnian Serb leader stirs talk of war The fragile multiethnic government of Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing what may be its greatest crisis since the Balkan wars: The Serb nationalist leader, Milorad Dodik, is threatening to tear the country apart.
Dodik has threatened to secede the Republika Srpska, the Serb territory he leads, from the rest of Bosnia; he has stopped meeting with the country’s other regional presidents; and he has vowed to withdraw from state institutions like Bosnia’s armed forces and tax agency in favor of his own agencies.
Some political rivals and foreign diplomats point to recent scandals and see the rhetoric as a way to deflect allegations of corruption and rally his nationalist base ahead of October elections.
But in a region where the shadow of war is everywhere, many Bosnians fear that the country’s peace is under threat.
Quotable: “It will not be peaceful,” warned Sefik Dzaferovic, one of Bosnia’s three presidents, each elected to represent a particular ethnic group.
A political game? “He hates stability because he then has to explain why we are living like we do,” said Branislav Borenovic, a Serb opposition party leader, adding that Dodik “plays on the emotions of his people and doesn’t care about the consequences.”
International responses: An October U.N. report described the situation as “the greatest existential threat” to the country’s survival since the early 1990s. Germany and Britain are discussing sanctions. Hungary’s leader has offered support to Dodik.
Israel plans fourth vaccine shot Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced yesterday that Israel would offer a fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot to people age 60 and over, as well as to medical workers.
Israel was a leader in rolling out the first round of Covid vaccinations and later in giving booster shots, and it is the first country to offer an additional booster so broadly.
The Ministry of Health said it had approved the move in light of rising morbidity and the risk to older people. The infection level in Israel has risen to about 5,000 new cases per day, the highest since September. Officials did not immediately present new data to back the decision.
Some experts have warned that it may be premature, and others have voiced concerns that a fourth shot in less than a year could instead weaken immunity. But a panel advising the Israeli government has recommended giving an additional shot to those 60 and older, pointing to waning immunity in that age group.
Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.
In other developments:
A U.K. report found that people who contracted the Omicron variant were about half as likely to need hospital care as those infected with the Delta variant, and one-third as likely to need emergency care.
Two studies provided good news about the antiviral drug remdesivir.
Goldman Sachs told its U.S. employees to work from home for the first two weeks of the year.
Twitter indefinitely suspended the personal account of U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene after the company said she had violated Covid misinformation policies.
South Africa’s Parliament burns A large fire damaged much of the country’s Houses of Parliament yesterday. Officials warned that the damage to the historic complex would be extensive.
Officials said the fire spread from an office space on the third floor of a building adjacent to the old National Assembly building. A spokesman for Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service warned that the buildings themselves were at risk of collapse, given the intense heat of the fire.
Moloto Mothapo, a spokesman for Parliament, said that a man in his early 50s was arrested in connection to the fire.
Details: No injuries or fatalities have been reported. Parliament was not in session.
Quotable: “The entire parliamentary complex is severely damaged — waterlogged and smoke damaged,” said J.P. Smith, Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, adding that “the roof above the old assembly hall is completely gone.”
THE LATEST NEWS Other Big Stories
Sudan’s prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, who was ousted in a military coup but reinstated over a month ago, resigned from office yesterday in the latest upheaval for the country. Above, a protest against the coup in Sudan’s capital on Sunday.
At least 12 people were killed in a stampede near Jammu in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, where thousands of devotees had gathered at a Hindu shrine to mark the New Year.
The South Korean military said yesterday that an unidentified person had crossed the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea.
A Times investigation revealed flaws in the Pentagon’s dismissals of civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria.
Europe News
The E.U. has drawn up plans to classify some nuclear power and natural gas plants as green investments, which could set off a resurgence of nuclear energy on the continent.
Venice will replace a multimillion-dollar footbridge made of glass and steel and designed by the star architect Santiago Calatrava after too many tourists slipped on it.
Santander UK accidentally paid about $175 million to tens of thousands of people on Christmas Day.
The uproar over an art exhibition in a Kurdish city in Turkey reflected how polarized the country has become under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Science and Technology
Prenatal blood tests that warn of rare disorders are usually wrong.
Tesla reported an 87 percent increase in deliveries of its cars in 2021, propelled by sales in Europe and China.
U.S. regulators asked AT&T and Verizon to postpone expanded 5G services, citing fears of signal interference that they said could pose risks to flight safety. The wireless companies said no.
Morning Reads
Spain’s art and architecture conservators have been grappling with amateur — and unwanted — restorers who sometimes ruin works of art. The latest episode? A seam of modern cement poured into an ancient archway at the Church of Santa María del Castillo, built around 1250, in Valladolid Province.
Some say the problem has to do with local authorities who delay upkeep and repairs to historic sites.
Lives lived: Betty White, who created two of the most memorable characters in sitcom history, Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and the sweet but dim Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls,” died. She was 99.
ARTS AND IDEAS To the moon — and beyond This year will be a big one for spaceflight and exploration. Here are a few things to watch for in cosmic news during this trip around the sun.
The moon: If 2021 was the year of space tourism and robotic missions to Mars, expect the moon to take center stage in 2022. Several governments are launching moon-bound spacecraft, with an eye toward returning humans there later this decade.
Meteors: On a few special dates this year, sky watchers will be able to catch meteor showers bursting through the darkness. Here’s an overview with tips on ways to watch, including finding dedicated dark-sky areas in cities.
Rockets: Two massive rockets are expected to debut. The NASA Space Launch System, designed to ferry astronauts to the moon, will strike out on its first test flight. And SpaceX is building Starship, a reusable rocket, to send humans to Mars.
China: The country says it will finish building the Tiangong space station in orbit in 2022. (In 2021, it sent two different crews of astronauts to live there.)
You can keep track of these and more big moments by subscribing to The Times’s space and astronomy calendar.
PLAY, WATCH, EAT What to Cook
This coconut-lemongrass tapioca with caramelized citrus is bright, soothing and sweet.
What to Listen To
Our critics recommend these 15 standout songs you might have missed by Sofia Kourtesis, Remble, Caetano Veloso and others.
Wellness
Six secrets to successful aging, from the Well desk’s most popular stories of the year.
Now Time to Play
Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Italian region whose capital is Rome (five letters).
And here is the Spelling Bee.
You can find all our puzzles here.
That’s it for today’s briefing. Thanks for joining us. — Melina and Whet
P.S. Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated is joining our Sports desk as a general assignment reporter.
The latest episode of “The Daily” revisits Texas after the storm in February.
Amelia Nierenberg wrote today’s Arts and Ideas section. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.