The Israeli government on Wednesday approved the maritime border agreement with Lebanon, launching the process for final approval, which could come before the end of the month.
Why it matters: The process is especially complicated and sensitive as Israel prepares for the Nov. 1 elections. There's also a sense of urgency due to the political timeliness in Lebanon, where President Michel Aoun's term is set to end on Oct. 31.
WNBA star Brittney Griner is "afraid" that she will be forced to serve the entirety of her nine-year prison sentence, her lawyer, Alexandr Boykov, told the New York Times in an interview published Wednesday.
Driving the news: Griner was found guilty on drug charges by a Russian court in August and is awaiting an appeal date on Oct. 25. The U.S. is in negotiations with Russia about a potential prisoner swap to free Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.
The Biden administration is imposing visa restrictions on Haitian officials and others it says are involved in gangs and other criminal organizations that have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, two senior administration officials told reporters Wednesday
Why it matters: The Haitian government recently requested armed intervention and aid to help stabilize the country, which has been rocked by widespread violence, fuel access blockaded by gangs, and a cholera outbreak. A U.S. interagency delegation, including officials from the State Department and Pentagon, will travel this week to Port au Prince.
Driving the news: The whales were stranded on two beaches on New Zealand's remote Chatham Islands. The first group of 232 pilot whales came ashore on Friday, followed by a second group of 245 whales on Monday, according to a Facebook post by the nonprofit Project Jonah New Zealand, which rescues marine mammals.
Providing additional air defense to Ukraine will be a "top priority" during a meeting of NATO defense ministers later Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference.
Driving the news: Stoltenberg's remarks come mere days after Russia launched its largest bombardment of Ukraine since the start of the war on Monday.
PARIS — The explosion on the Crimean bridge and later Moscow’s bombardment of cities across Ukraine have dominated discussions in the French media and foreign ministry over the past several days, with President Emmanuel Macron declaring the Russian strikes signal a “profound change” in the nature of the war.
Why it matters: France is preparing to respond on multiple fronts, three senior French officials tell Axios. That includes looking with "a new sense of urgency" at providing much-needed air defense systems to “help Ukraine quickly,” one senior official says.
President Biden will "continue to re-evaluate" the U.S.' relationship with Saudi Arabia after a group of international oil exporters and Russia decided to significantly cut oil production in response to falling fuel prices, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN on Tuesday.
The latest: Biden told CNN in an interview broadcast Tuesday there would be "consequences" for Saudi Arabia over the decision to cut oil output, declining to elaborate further.
The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the return of 29 Benin bronzes that were stolen during a British raid on Benin City in Nigeria in 1897.
The big picture: Global anti-racism protests sparked by the 2020 murder of George Floyd renewed calls to return relics that were looted during the colonial era. Benin bronzes have become a focal point of this drive, as more Western cultural institutions move to give back previously plundered artifacts.
A former Texas police officer was charged Tuesday, more than a week after video emerged of him apparently shooting a teenager who was eating in a McDonald’s parking lot.
Driving the news: James Brennand, who was fired from the San Antonio Police Department last week, is facing two counts of aggravated assault by a public servant.
