U.S. lawmakers are urging Azerbaijan to end the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh as the region remains cut off from food, medicine and often fuel for a 53rd day.
Driving the news: House Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) joined demonstrators at the Capitol Thursday, calling for the U.S. to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the human rights abuses against the people of Karabakh and urging support for a bipartisan House resolution.
Majid Khan, a detainee at the U.S. detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, has been transferred to Belize after completing his sentence, the Department of Defense announced Thursday.
The big picture: Khan was the first person to publicly testify about the brutal treatment he experienced as part of the U.S. government's interrogation program at CIA black sites. His transfer comes as the Biden administration moves to make good on its promise to close the Guantánamo prison.
The Biden administration is crediting its new border policy for a significant drop in the number of Cubans and other migrants who have tried to unlawfully cross the southern border.
But immigration experts say the new measures may not be an effective long-term strategy to stem the flow of Cubans attempting to come to the U.S.
Ecuadorians on Sunday will vote on several measures aimed at reforming the nation's constitution, including reducing the size of its legislative body.
Details: President Guillermo Lasso, a center-right leader, called for the referendum late last year, saying it would create better legislative representation and help battle a crime wave and environmental problems.
A new generation of Latino artists is reinterpreting old R&B classics and producing new ones in a soul music revival that's hot on streaming services, YouTube and music venues.
Why it matters: The music, sometimes called modern "souldies" or "brown-eyed soul," shows the deep, historic influence of Black culture on Latinos.
The European Central Bank and Bank of England both continued to raise interest rates at a historically rapid pace on Thursday — but they sent different signals about how much more policymakers will need to restrain the economy to contain inflation.
Driving the news: Both central banks raised rates by a half-percentage point, matching the same pace as the last round of hikes in December.
The United States said on Thursday it will boost its military presence in the Philippines after Manila agreed to give the U.S. access to four additional bases as it seeks to counter China's aggression in the region.
Why it matters: The announcement comes amid growing concern over China's increasing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and aggression toward Taiwan.
King Charles III won't feature on Australia's $5 note after the country's central bank announced it will replace the late Queen Elizabeth II's image with a design honoring the first Australians.
Why it matters: The Australian Reserve Bank Board's decision ends a longstanding tradition of Australia's British-based head of state on the bank notes.
