Tanzanian President John Magufuli has died at the age of 61, BBC Africa reports citing a statement made by the vice president on state TV.
Why it matters: The strongman president was re-elected in October in an election marred by crackdowns on critics. He was also perhaps the only world leader to reject coronavirus vaccines outright, falsely claiming they didn't work and that the country had already defeated the virus.
Israeli-Jordanian relations deteriorated into a crisis this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election campaign helping to bring tensions to the brink of an explosion.
Driving the news: The crisis erupted on March 10 ahead of a visit by the Jordanian crown prince to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The unusual visit was intended to highlight Jordanian custodianship over the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
Israelis will go to the polls next Tuesday for the fourth time in two years, with Netanyahu running an aggressive campaign against a splintered opposition.
Why it matters: Netanyahu's narrow path to a 61-seat majority would require him to form an ultra-right-wing government, dependent on the votes of Jewish supremacists and anti-LGBT and pro-annexation members of Knesset. With a majority, Netanyahu could pass a law or take other steps to delay or end his corruption trial.
Russia's ambassador to Washington has been recalled to Moscow for "consultations" to determine how to move forward with relations with the U.S., the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
Why it matters: The news came hours after an interview aired in which President Biden agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "killer" and pledged to hold the Kremlin accountable for interfering in the 2020 election.
In the first round of U.S.-Israel strategic talks on Iran last week, senior national security and foreign policy officials laid down all they know about Iran's nuclear program, three senior Israeli officials familiar with the talks tell me.
Why it matters: Amid President Biden’s push for diplomatic reengagement with Iran, the U.S.-Israel strategic dialogue is intended to hash out differences in approach and coordinate on the path forward.
President Biden said in an interview with ABC Wednesday that he believes Vladimir Putin is a "killer," and promised that the Russian president will "pay a price" for interfering in the 2020 U.S. elections.
Why it matters: Biden has pledged to take a hard line against the Kremlin, which has a history of attempting to assassinate and imprison dissidents and political opponents.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced late Tuesday sanctions for 24 more Chinese and Hong Kong officials for further curtailing democracy in the Asian financial hub.
Why it matters: Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan are due to meet this week in Alaska with senior Chinese officials in the first face-to-face discussions between diplomats from the U.S. and China since President Biden took office.
Former first lady Michelle Obama told NBC Tuesday it "wasn't a complete surprise" to hear Prince Harry and Meghan Markle speaking to Oprah Winfrey last week about facing racism within the British royal family.
What she's saying: In an interview with Jenna Bush Hager on NBC's "Today" show, Obama said: "Race isn't a new construct in this world for people of color.
The Capitol riot's fallout is rippling beyond our shores.
What's happening: Public relations agents for the government of Haiti are drawing parallels between political unrest in that country and the Jan. 6 attack, based on public records.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan will take a "tough-minded" approach to their first meeting with senior Chinese officials and raise several of the most sensitive issues in the relationship, senior administration officials told reporters on Tuesday night.
Why it matters: President Biden's two top foreign policy aides will meet face-to-face in Alaska on Thursday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi. A senior official says one goal of the meeting is to dispel any notion in Beijing that Biden will take a softer line on China behind closed doors than he has thus far in public.
The Olympic torch relay kicks off next week at a spectator-free "Grand Start" in Japan, with organizers hoping to avoid a cancellation after last year's delay.
The big picture: The Tokyo Olympics start in four months, and there's considerable opposition to the Games in Japan, AP reports.
Russian authorities on Tuesday said they are prepared to block Twitter in a month's time if the social media giant does not comply with demands to remove upwards of 3,000 posts of banned content, AP reports.
Driving the news: Russia claims Twitter failed to heed previous warnings to remove posts about child suicide and pornography, and information about drugs. Authorities in the country have a fraught relationship with social media platforms, which for years have provided a forum for political dissent.
The head of the European Medicines Agency said at a briefing Tuesday that while a full review is ongoing, there is currently "no indication" that the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is responsible for the small number of blood clots reported in patients in Europe.
Driving the news: EMA executive director Emer Cooke said she is "firmly convinced" that the benefits of the AstraZeneca shot "far outweigh" the risks, and expressed concern that the suspension of vaccinations by dozens of European countries could increase vaccine skepticism.
The U.S. is on-pace to encounter more people at the U.S.-Mexico border "than we have in the last 20 years," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote in a lengthy statement on Tuesday.
The big picture: The scale of the arrivals represents a budding crisis for President Biden. Mayorkas acknowledged that the arrival of the migrants, including unaccompanied children, at the Southwest border is "difficult," but added that the administration is "making progress and we are executing on our plan."
The spread between U.S. and German 10-year government bond yields widened to its steepest level since January 2020 on Monday, as European yields tumbled following the European Central Bank's announcement that it will speed up its pace of bond buying.
The big picture: The ECB became the first major central bank to announce an increase in bond buying to stem higher yields.
The U.S. accounted for 37% of all global arms exports over the last five years, with Saudi Arabia — easily the world’s top arms buyer — accounting for one-quarter of those sales, according to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
By the numbers: U.S. arms exports rose by 15% from 2011-2015 to 2016-2020, with 96 countries buying arms from America. Russia remained the second-largest exporter with 20% of the market, but supplied a smaller pool of 44 countries and saw sales fall by 22% from the previous five years due primarily to a decrease in sales to India.
Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on Monday warned the Biden administration to "refrain from causing a stink," according to the state-run KCNA news agency.
Why it matters: The North Korean regime's first comments about the Biden administration come as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visit South Korea and Japan this week.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday appointed cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga as the new health minister, as the number of infections and deaths from COVID-19 continue to spike in the country, per Bloomberg.
Why it matters: Queiroga is Brazil's fourth health minister since the pandemic began. Intensive care units in 25 of Brazil's 26 state capitals are operating at capacity or close to it, and the numbers show no signs of slowing down.
