After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly stated last week that he wants to improve relations with Israel, the Israeli government decided to start a low-profile outreach to Turkey in order to determine whether his intentions are sincere, two Israeli officials told me.
Why it matters: Relations between Israel and Turkey, once close allies, started deteriorating in 2008 and have entered a state of ongoing crisis. In 2018, Turkey downgraded its diplomatic relations with Israel after unrest surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
A Hong Kong court on Thursday ordered pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai back into custody for charges brought under the city's draconian national security law, just over a week after he was initially released on bail, Reuters reports.
The state of play: Lai is the most high-profile figure to be charged under the law. He was granted a HK$10 million ($1.3 million) bail, before the court rescinded the ruling on Thursday and said that a judge who oversaw the case "may have erred" in granting bail.
Health regulators in China said Thursday they have approved the country's first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, for general use, AP reports.
Why it matters: Like the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, Sinopharm's shot is said to be cheaper and easier to store than Pfizer or Moderna's vaccines.
The historic post-Brexit trade deal reached between Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government and the European Union was signed into U.K. law by Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday morning.
Why it matters: The law will come into effect at 11pm Thursday U.K. time when the Brexit transition period officially ends.
Two U.S. B-52 bombers flew a strategic mission over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, the second mission of its kind this month, AP reports.
Why it matters: The flights are meant as a show of force to deter Iran from attacking American or allied targets in the Middle East amid signals that the country may be planning attacks against U.S. allied targets in neighboring Iraq or elsewhere in the region, per AP.
President Trump's pardon of four former Blackwater contractors convicted in the 2007 Nisour Square massacre of Iraqi civilians violated international law, United Nations experts said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The Geneva Conventions require countries to "hold war criminals accountable, even when they act as private security contractors," per UN. By pardoning the four men, Trump directly contradicted and violated these obligations, according to the experts.
A Premier League match on Wednesday match between Tottenham and Fulham has been postponed following a number of positive coronavirus cases from players and staff members.
Why it matters: This is the third Premier League match to be postponed this season and the second this week, after a Monday game between Everton and Manchester City was called off due to an outbreak.
The European Union on Wednesday finalized an agreement in principle on a long-delayed investment deal with China, appearing to defy resistance from within the EU and a request for consultations about "common concerns" from the incoming Biden administration.
Why it matters: The deal will open up both markets to investment and commit Beijing to ending certain unfair trading practices, strengthening economic ties between the EU and its second-largest trading partner.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was approved for use in the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The U.K. is the first country to authorize this coronavirus vaccine that's cheaper and easier to store than others. It's less than three weeks since British regulators became the first in the West to give emergency approval for a COVID-19 vaccine — Pfizer-BioNTech's.
Senators in Argentina voted early Wednesday to legalize abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy by 38 votes to 29, with one lawmaker abstaining.
Why it matters: The predominantly Catholic country is the largest Latin American nation to vote to legalize elective abortion. President Alberto Fernández has already pledged to sign the bill into law.
A court in Shenzhen, China, on Wednesday imprisoned 10 pro-democracy activists who tried to flee Hong Kong by speedboat and deported back home two minors who were with them.
The big picture: Coast guards caught the group in August 45 miles southeast of Hong Kong Island on their way to Taiwan, which has become a refuge for the city's pro-democracy exiles, per the New York Times.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency alerted Congress Tuesday about plans for a $290 million arms sale to Saudi Arabia that would include 3,000 precision guided munitions.
Why it matters: The State Department's approval of the potential deal in the Trump administration's final weeks comes despite President-elect Joe Biden vowing during his election campaign to end weapons sales to the Saudis.
