Axios

An airstrike in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region on Friday ripped through a kindergarten killing at least seven people and injuring many others, the New York Times reported.

Why it matters: Friday's attack is the latest escalation after a months-long ceasefire was broken this week in a conflict that has spilled over into neighboring regions and created a dire humanitarian crisis.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz received "positive hints" from White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan that the U.S. is developing a military option against Iran in parallel to the negotiations on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior Israeli defense official said in a briefing with reporters on Friday.

Why it matters: Since President Biden assumed office, and even more so after indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran on a nuclear deal resumed, Israel has pressed the administration to present a credible military threat against Iran, stressing this is the only way Tehran will be more flexible in the negotiations.

The Biden administration announced Friday it will nominate an ambassador-at-large for the Arctic, raising the profile of American policymaking for the region.

Why it matters: The move comes at a time of increased militarization in the far north, with NATO members squaring off against Russia, and at a time of rapid climate change that is making the Arctic more accessible.

Residents in the U.K. will experience an 80% increase in their annual household energy bills, bringing average costs up from 1,971 pounds ($2,332) a year to 3,549 pounds ($4,197), the country’s energy regulator said Friday.

Driving the news: The price cap announced Friday will take effect Oct. 1, after which it is expected to increase again, CNBC reports.

A mission from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to visit the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station next week in an effort to stabilize the nuclear and security situation, the agency said.

Driving the news: The logistical details of the visit are being worked out, said Lana Zerkal, an adviser to Ukraine’s energy minister. Russia is trying to block the visit, she said.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) referred to Taiwan as a "country" during a meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei on Friday.

Why it matters: Blackburn made her comment in person, but her spokesperson confirmed to Axios she deliberately used the word. It's likely to further anger Beijing, which has warned of consequences for the U.S. if American officials continue to visit the island it sees as a breakaway province.

SpaceX and T-Mobile are partnering to bring wireless phone service to remote areas with spotty coverage.

Driving the news: T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced the collaboration Thursday at the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, claiming the service will roll out next year and work with existing phones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday evening that there was nearly a "radiation accident" when Europe's largest nuclear power plant was temporarily disconnected from the electric grid.

How it happened: Ukraine's state nuclear company said Thursday morning that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station had lost its connection to Ukraine's power grid "for the first time in the history of the plant." Fires had damaged power lines outside the station.

President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for control of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station to be returned to Ukraine.

Driving the news: The two leaders during a phone call Thursday also called for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to gain access to the plant, according to a White House readout.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya in Bangladesh and elsewhere continue to suffer "unimaginable consequences" five years after fleeing the Myanmar military's bloody campaign against them.

The big picture: The Rohingya, the majority of whom are Muslim, have been described as the "world's most persecuted minority." Thousands were killed and 745,000 displaced in 2017 as Myanmar's military intensified its yearslong campaign against the ethnic minority in what the U.S. and other countries have declared a "genocide" — a declaration Myanmar rejects.

Devotion to unsanctioned Catholic folk saints is one of the fastest growing religious movements in Latin America and is surging in the U.S., experts say.

The big picture: Some Latinos who feel alienated by Christian traditions are turning to saints not sanctioned by the struggling Catholic Church for spiritual guidance around love, crime and money.

The percentage of Latinos who identify as Protestant — evangelical and other Christian faiths — is expected to grow from about 25% today to 50% by 2030.

Why it matters: More Latinos are leaving Catholicism for Protestant churches, which is influencing the political landscape in the U.S.

The percentage of Latinos in the United States and Latin America who say they have no religious affiliation has been steadily rising despite how ingrained religion is in Hispanic culture.

State of play: The percentage of Hispanics in the U.S. who identify as atheists or agnostics grew in the past 12 years, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

Heavy monsoon rains that triggered flooding and landslides in Pakistan this summer have killed over 900 people, including 326 children, and displaced tens of thousands, Pakistani officials say.

The big picture: Millions have been affected by the rains and flooding, which have destroyed more than 95,000 homes and damaged hundreds of thousands more, according to the UN. It's one of the worst monsoon seasons Pakistan has seen in recent years, with last month being the wettest July since 1961, per Reuters.

The Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station was reconnected to the Ukrainian power grid after temporarily losing connection earlier on Thursday but "the situation remains very risky and dangerous," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address Friday.

The latest: "Any actions by Russia that could trigger the shutdown of the reactors will again put the plant one step away from disaster," Zelensky emphasized.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday to increase the size of Russia's armed forces as the war in Ukraine enters its seventh month.

Driving the news: The decree calls for the augmentation of Russia's forces from 1.9 million troops to 2.04 million, Reuters reported.

When Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata arrived in Washington this week, his government was highly concerned that the Biden administration was about to make new concessions to reach a nuclear deal with Iran. After the visit, that anxiety has been reduced, three Israeli officials say.

Why it matters: The U.S. and Iran have moved much closer to a deal to restore the 2015 nuclear accord in recent weeks, but a few key Iranian demands remain unresolved. According to the Israeli officials, the U.S. has toughened its positions on those demands.

Latinos are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide, experts and historians say.

Why it matters: Latinos are expected to play an immense role in diversifying the nearly 200-year-old church, which has grappled with claims of discrimination in the past.

Worldwide cases of monkeypox have dropped 21% over the past week, the World Health Organization said in a report released Thursday.

Why it matters: Although the results would need to be confirmed, the latest figures could be an early signal that cases in Europe are beginning to decline, reversing weeks of rising infections, according to the report.

At least 25 people were killed and another 31 were wounded in an attack by Russian forces on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office confirmed Thursday.

Driving the news: Zelensky said during a UN Security Council meeting Wednesday that Russia had launched a rocket attack on a railroad station in central Ukraine, causing five passenger cars to catch fire on the country's Independence Day.

Russian opposition figure Yevgeny Roizman said he was detained by security forces in Russia's fourth-largest city, Yekaterinburg, on Wednesday for comments he made about Putin's war on Ukraine.

Driving the news: Roizman, who served as mayor of Yekaterinburg from 2013-2018, was charged with "public dissemination of deliberately false information about the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation," according to a post on his Telegram account.

Three American service members were injured in Syria in two separate rocket attacks by suspected Iran-backed militants on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.

The big picture: The latest in a series of attacks on American personnel to be linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard came hours after the U.S. military said it had launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed groups in eastern Syria.