Axios

The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that traversed the U.S. last week before it was shot down was capable of collecting communications, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday.

Why it matters: The balloon was furnished with "multiple antennas" and other equipment that was "clearly for intelligence surveillance," the spokesperson said.

The Biden administration warned the Israeli government that it would consider any transfer of civilian authorities in the occupied West Bank to far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as a step toward annexation, two Israeli and U.S. officials told me.

Driving the news: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must decide in the coming weeks if and how to implement his government's coalition agreement that states Smotrich, a radical right-wing settler who supports annexation, should be given authority over two military units in charge of the civilian administration in the West Bank.

A steady stream of foreign delegations from around the world have been arriving in Taipei since the pandemic, demonstrating the increasing importance democratic governments place on the future of Taiwan.

Why it matters: Democratic stakeholders increasingly see Taiwan as playing a key role in the global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism.

Nicaragua has freed more than 200 inmates considered to be political prisoners and sent them to the U.S., a senior Biden administration official said Thursday.

Why it matters: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has for years cracked down on political dissent, which has included the arrest and detention of opposition leaders.

Editor's note: Follow latest coverage of the earthquake aftermath,

The first United Nations humanitarian aid convoy entered northwest Syria Thursday, three days after a devastating earthquake struck the region and flattened buildings in parts of both Turkey and Syria.

The big picture: The total death toll surpassed 19,350 Thursday, as search and rescue operations continued after a magnitude 7.8 quake struck Monday morning just north of Turkey's Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and his young daughter watched a parade of Pyongyang's largest nuclear missiles and newest military hardware in the capital on Wednesday night.

Why it matters: The parade marking the 75th founding anniversary of the North Korean army featured Pyongyang's largest-ever intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), per Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday paid a surprise visit to France and the United Kingdom, the latter of which has become one of the country's biggest backers in its war against Russia.

Why it matters: It's his second known trip out of Ukraine — and his first to Britain — since the invasion began in February 2022.

New satellite images from Turkey and Syria illuminate the extent of devastation facing the region after a massive earthquake and aftershocks struck on Monday, reducing neighborhoods to rubble and displacing thousands of people in the dead of winter.

Driving the news: The death toll surpassed 12,000 on Wednesday as search and rescue operations continued, with officials warning that the death toll will continue to rise.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday that barring all Russian athletes from participating in the 2024 Olympics could amount to discrimination, AP reports.

Why it matters: Global sports organizations are still grappling with how to sanction Russia's invasion of Ukraine while upholding principles of fairness and individual opportunity.