We’re covering the swearing-in of Iran’s new president, plans for Covid booster shots in Europe and a U.S. push for electric cars.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, center, surrounded by guests after being sworn-in at the parliament in Tehran. Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA, via Shutterstock

Iran’s new hard-line president is sworn in

Ebrahim Raisi, an extremely conservative cleric, was sworn in as president on Thursday, bringing to power a close ally of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He takes office at a turbulent time. Iran’s economic weakness, compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, a water shortage and the severely damaging effects of American sanctions, is considered his most immediate problem.

Tensions are also running high with Israel. Israeli officials have accused Iran of carrying out a deadly drone attack last week on an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean managed by an Israeli company. Israel may soon retaliate for that attack.

Who is Raisi? Before his election, Raisi, 60, was the head of Iran’s judiciary. He spent much of his career as a prosecutor and is on a U.S. sanctions list over his human rights record.

Context: Raisi’s June election was skipped by many Iranians who saw it as being rigged in his favor. Vaccine shots given at a nursing home in Reims, France in January. France is planning to offer boosters for the elderly. Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times  France and Germany stick to vaccine booster plan France and Germany will administer booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines to older and vulnerable people in the coming months, despite an appeal from the World Health Organization for a freeze on those shots to send doses to poorer nations. President Emmanuel Macron said that France would begin offering people a third shot starting in September, particularly to “the most vulnerable and the most elderly.” German officials made similar statements, arguing that they needed to care for their own residents while still donating millions of doses. The announcements came just a day after the W.H.O. called for a moratorium on booster shots so that supplies could be focused on countries who have not yet vaccinated at least 10 percent of their populations. More than 80 percent of the vaccines administered worldwide have been used in wealthier countries, according to the W.H.O. Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic. In other developments: The global caseload of known coronavirus infections surpassed 200 million. The Biden administration is developing plans to require all foreign travelers to the U.S. to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with limited exceptions. Authorities in the Australian state of Victoria announced a sixth lockdown to try to avert a prolonged outbreak of the Delta variant.  Electric cars charging at the University of California, Irvine, in 2015.Lucy Nicholson/Reuters U.S. moves to phase out gas cars President Biden announced a plan that would rapidly shift Americans from gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles over the next decade. The plan, which calls for more stringent auto pollution rules and increases mileage standards, sets a target that half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. be electric by 2030. The three largest automakers signed onto the plan on the condition that Congress passes an infrastructure bill that includes funding for a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. Tackling climate change: Biden has pledged to cut planet-warming emissions by 50 percent from 2005 levels by the end of this decade. But that promise will be impossible to meet without a radical shift away from gas-powered cars and trucks. China angle: Biden has voiced concerns that the U.S. is trailing China in the manufacturing of electric vehicles. He believes a retooled automotive and battery industry can generate jobs and boost American trade power.  FULL ACCESS to an exclusive site for and by entrepreneurs