Axios

North Korea has reported its first COVID-19 death, Reuters reported Thursday.

Why it matters: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared a "severe emergency incident" and launched a nationwide lockdown on Thursday after announcing a person had tested positive.

Four congressional Democrats sent a formal request to the CEOs of YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook's parent company Thursday to archive any content of alleged Russian war crimes.

Why it matters: Social media users have posted graphic images and videos throughout Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The content could be valuable to investigators, who have said they will seek to hold perpetrators accountable.

Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata said in a closed lecture to the board of governors of Tel Aviv University on Thursday that Western countries should stop pressuring Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on human rights, a source who attended the remarks tells Axios.

Why it matters: In putting increased focus on human rights and democracy, President Biden has kept his distance from the leaders of countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Israel sees those countries as central to regional security and countering Iran.

A Mexican judge on Friday is expected to decide the fate of a portion of Tren Maya (Mayan Train), a railroad being built in the Yucatán Peninsula that critics say is devastating wildlife habitats, historic artifacts and homesteads.

Why it matters: The jungle area between Tulum and Playa del Carmen that is being razed and split in two by that portion of the train line is home to one of few natural habitats for the jaguar, an endangered species. It also holds the world’s largest underwater cave system, which is filled with ancient artifacts.

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday voted to launch a probe into alleged "abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law" by Russian troops in the Kyiv region.

Driving the news: UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet earlier Thursday said over 1,000 bodies of civilians have been recovered in areas around Kyiv that were previously occupied by Russian troops.

More than 1,000 bodies of civilians have been recovered in areas around Kyiv that were previously occupied by Russian forces, United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Thursday.

What they're saying: "Some of these people were killed in hostilities, others appear to have been summarily executed," Bachelet added while speaking before a session of the UN Human Rights Council. "Others still have died because of stress to their health caused by hostilities and the lack of medical aid."

Finland's president and prime minister announced Thursday that they support an application for NATO membership, setting in motion a process that will culminate in the alliance's ninth enlargement since its founding in 1949.

Why it matters: Finland's membership in NATO would more than double the length of the alliance's borders with Russia. Sweden is expected to make an announcement on applying to NATO on Sunday. The transformation of Europe's security landscape is a nightmare for Vladimir Putin — but one triggered by his own decision to invade Ukraine.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared a "severe emergency incident" and launched a nationwide lockdown on Thursday after announcing a person had tested positive for COVID-19, state media reports.

Why it matters: It's the first time Pyongyang has publicly confirmed having a case in the country, though health experts have long raised doubts that it's been unaffected by coronavirus infections. The isolated nation has no COVID vaccines, raising concerns it could become an epicenter of new variants, per the Washington Post.

The Biden administration is pressing Israel and the Palestinian Authority to engage in a joint investigation into the death of Palestinian American Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh as soon as possible, according to three sources briefed on the issue.

State of play: Israel told the Biden administration it is ready for a joint investigation with Palestinian and U.S. officials, while the Palestinian Authority has not given a clear answer yet, the sources said.

The White House is calling on China to "immediately release" Cardinal Joseph Zen and others who were arrested by Hong Kong authorities Wednesday, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a press briefing.

Why it matters: Zen and the other individuals arrested were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, a now-defunct fund that helped pay legal and medical fees for demonstrators arrested in the city's pro-democracy protests in 2019, AP reported.

Enrique Mora, the EU mediator in the indirect nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, met with Iranian chief negotiator Ali Bagheri in Tehran on Wednesday in an effort to salvage a possible nuclear deal.

Why it matters: It's Mora’s second trip to Tehran since a “pause” in the Vienna nuclear talks was announced eight weeks ago.

Israel's fragile coalition got a bit more stable on Wednesday when the Islamist Ra'am party announced it would return to the fold.

Why it matters: The opposition had tabled a bill to move toward new elections, but withdrew it after the announcement from Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas, which confirmed the bill lacked the votes to pass.

A soldier accused of killing a civilian will be the first Russian service member to stand trial on war crimes charges since the start of the war, the office of Ukraine's prosecutor general announced Wednesday.

The big picture: Last week, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova told the U.S. Helsinki Commission that Russia had committed nearly 10,000 war crimes over the course of the war.

Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was fatally shot while covering an Israeli military raid in the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank on Wednesday morning.

The big picture: Tom Nides, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, confirmed Shireen Abu Akleh was a Palestinian American citizen and called for "a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death," as Palestinian and Israeli officials gave conflicting accounts of what happened to the veteran reporter.

The European Union announced Wednesday it will drop its mask mandate in airports and on flights next week because of waning coronavirus restrictions in European countries and the continent's vaccination and naturally acquired immunity levels.

Why it matters: The EU Aviation Safety Agency said it hopes the decision, made with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, is "a big step forward in the normalisation of air travel," though it still recommended masks for passengers.

Coral bleaching affected 91% of reefs surveyed along the Great Barrier Reef this year, according to a new report by Australian government scientists.

Why it matters: The report confirms a sixth mass bleaching event since 1998 occurred at the world's largest coral reef ecosystem in March due to a heat wave driven by climate change. It's the fourth such event since 2016, notes the report, which warns climate change "remains the greatest threat" to the ecosystem.

The leader of a violent Haitian gang has been charged in connection with the kidnapping of an Ohio-based Christian missionary group in Port-au-Prince last October, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

The big picture: Joly Germine, 29, also known as "Yonyon," is the first person to be charged over the armed abduction of the 16 Americans, including five children, and one Canadian citizen in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, per a DOJ statement that notes most of the missionaries "were held captive for 61 days before escaping."

The House passed a nearly $40 billion military and humanitarian aid package for Ukraine late Tuesday.

The big picture: The vote passed 368-57, hours after congressional leaders struck a deal on the aid — which Axios' Alayna Treene notes is billions more than the $33 billion the White House initially requested. All 57 votes opposed to the package were cast by Republicans.

The head of the U.S. intelligence community warned Tuesday there's no "viable" prospect for peace negotiations in Ukraine in the near term, predicting a protracted "war of attrition" that's likely to become "more unpredictable and escalatory."

Why it matters: The U.S. is doubling down on helping Ukraine defeat Russia on the battlefield but with little clarity about how the war ends. That means the mammoth $40 billion package of additional security and financial assistance set to pass the House on Tuesday night is unlikely to be the last.