China has removed more than 1,000 social media accounts for criticizing the government's COVID-19 policies, BBC reports.
Driving the news: Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, suspended or banned 1,120 accounts for what it described as personal attacks against the county's coronavirus specialists, per BBC.
A State Department official stressed the importance of Israel's "independent institutions" for its "thriving democracy" after the country's new government revealed a plan to pass laws that would weaken the Supreme Court.
Why it matters: The Biden administration is treating the issue with utmost sensitivity because of its domestic political aspects. But the U.S. also understands the implementation of the plan could have an impact on Israel’s democracy and, as a result, on the two country's bilateral relationship, U.S. officials say.
A federal judge in Mexico City halted the extradition Friday of Ovidio Guzmán, a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, to the U.S, per CNN.
Driving the news: The order comes a day after the younger Guzmán was arrested in Culiacán, Mexico, in an operation that led to deadly clashes resulting in at least 29 deaths.
The U.S. has authorized a new military aid package for Ukraine worth more than $3 billion, the Department of Defense announced Friday.
The big picture: The Biden administration has now sent $24.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion last February, per the DOD.
The new Israeli government on Friday announced a series of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority over its latest push for the International Court of Justice to issue a legal opinion on the Israeli occupation.
Why it matters: Although some of the Israeli sanctions are only symbolic and others include immediate implementation of steps that were already in the works, Friday's move will likely further escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.
The arrest in Mexico of Ovidio Guzmán, a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, sparked deadly riots in the northern state of Sinaloa Thursday, ahead of President Biden's visit to the country next week.
Details: Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya said clashes left at least seven security force members dead and 21 others injured, along with eight civilians, following the arrest of the 32-year-old Guzmán, described by the U.S. State Department last month as a "high-ranking member" of the Sinaloa Cartel that his father previously led, per Reuters.
Four years after dozens of countries backed Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president, the Venezuelan opposition has dissolved his "interim government," replaced him as National Assembly leader, and entered a new era of uncertainty.
Why it matters: Guaidó never truly held the levers of power in Caracas, and his support with the public and within the fractured opposition had been slipping for years. But U.S. policy and, crucially, the opposition's claim to billions in Venezuelan assets overseas, were still based around the premise of Guaidó's legitimacy.
