An attorney for the owner of the skyscraper-sized container ship Ever Given argued on Saturday that Suez Canal operators were at fault for the ship's grounding, according to Reuters.
Why it matters: The ship is currently detained in Egypt as the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) attempts to secure a $916.5 million claim against its Japan-based operator, Shoei Kisen. An Egyptian court is expected to make a decision the claim on Sunday, per Bloomberg.
Before 11 days of fighting in the Gaza Strip ended in a ceasefire, President Biden held six phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and one with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Behind the scenes: To get the inside story of those phone calls, President Biden's strategy, and the path to a ceasefire, Axios spoke to three U.S. and Israeli sources who were deeply involved in the diplomacy. They requested anonymity to speak freely.
A Mount Everest climbing expert on Saturday told the AP there are at least 100 active coronavirus cases at the base camp.
Why it matters: The remarks from Lukas Furtenbach contradict statements from Nepalese officials who have denied knowledge of active infections among climbers and support staff during this season, AP reports.
German authorities announced it will ban most non-essential travel from the United Kingdom starting Sunday to prevent the spread of new coronavirus variants.
The state of play: Germany classified Britain as "an area of variant of concern," saying that outbreaks are reemerging and more infectious variants, including the one dominant in India, have been detected.
Nepal's president on Saturday dissolved the country's parliament and scheduled new general elections for November, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: Opposition leaders protested the move, saying that planning new elections should not be the government's focus while the country continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Times reports.
At least three people died and another 36 people are injured after two separate earthquakes hit China on early Saturday, AP reports.
The state of play: The first earthquake had a magnitude of 6.1 and hit southern China, in the Yunnan province. Hours later, approximately 620 miles north, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit central China in Qinghai province, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
President Biden at a press conference on Friday evening pushed back on Republican claims that the Democratic Party is anti-Israel.
Why it matters: A number of Democratic lawmakers became frustrated with Biden this week for his behind-the-scenes approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as the administration's sale of weapons to Israel. Some lawmakers said they thought the White House should be more publicly forceful in its efforts to de-escalate the crisis.
President Biden announced Friday the appointment of Sung Kim as U.S. special envoy for North Korea.
Why it matters: Kim, currently a senior official at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, has a long career in diplomacy with Asia. Biden said he and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are both "deeply concerned" about the situation in North Korea.
The recent escalation in violence between the Israeli military and Hamas in Gaza has had a ripple effect around the world, with reports of several incidents fueled by anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Driving the news:Israel and Hamas approved a ceasefire that went into effect at 2 a.m. local time on Friday. But fears remain that agreement is fragile and the conflict will resume. Gaza health officials say at least 232 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the crisis, including 65 children. Twelve people have been killed in Israel.
One day after the ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli police forcibly dispersed a protest at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or Temple Mount, the site of a previous police raid last Monday that Hamas cited in launching its initial rocket attacks.
Why it matters: Tensions in Jerusalem were a primary driver of the escalation in Gaza. Today’s clashes show those tensions are still high.
Among the topics that Secretary of State Tony Blinken raised with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in their first meeting on Wednesday was the crackdown on the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Why it matters: RFE/RL, which is editorially independent, has the largest audience in Russia of any international media organization across its several platforms, according to the U.S. Agency for Global Media. But its continued operations in Russia are in doubt.
The killing of George Floyd didn't just lead to the massive Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. It inspired demonstrations against the ravages of racism and police brutality in other countries, too.
The big picture: The movement raised people's awareness of the problems, but hit roadblocks when it came to structural change.
The juxtaposition of Congress widely criticizing Israel while the president maintains support has created a good cop/bad cop role reversal that isn't going unnoticed in Israel.
Why it matters: An increasing number of Democratic lawmakers became frustrated with President Biden this week for his behind-the-scenes approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Axios found. That's a sea change from a tradition of presidential prominence, as well as unquestioned congressional support for Israel.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in's visit Friday to the White House includes a high honor: a foreign head of state's participation in a Medal of Honor ceremony.
Why it matters: The decision to include Moon in the honoring of Ralph Puckett Jr., 94, of Georgia, a retired Army colonel and Korean War hero, says a lot about President Biden's approach to diplomacy, the military and domestic politics.
