Ramadan, Passover and Easter intersect this week, spotlighting the generosity of faith-based communities.
The big picture: Charitable giving is a big part of Islam, Judaism, Christianity and other religions — with billions given to organizations, communities and those in need worldwide each year.
China on Saturday began three days of military drills around Taiwan in what the People’s Liberation Army called a "stern warning" after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited the U.S. and met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Driving the news: China had sent several warships and 71 planes near Taiwan, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said as of Saturday afternoon local time. At least 45 planes had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
Russian authorities on March 30 said they had detained an American reporter for the Wall Street Journal on espionage charges.
Driving the news: Evan Gershkovich is the first U.S. journalist to be detained in an espionage case since the Cold War, the Committee to Protect Journalists told Axios.
Israel focused its overnight strikes in Gaza and Lebanon on Hamas targets in an effort to avoid a wider conflict with Hezbollah, two Israeli defense officials said.
Driving the news: In discussing their response to a barrage of rockets launched from Lebanon on Thursday, Israeli ministers concluded that Israel didn't have any interest in getting dragged into a war in Lebanon that would risk turning into a regional conflict, the Israeli officials said.
The U.S. State Department says it's "monitoring closely" a Chinese maritime operation in the Taiwan Strait this week that includes boarding and inspecting ships.
Why it matters: Officials in Taipei believe the unprecedented action in the Taiwan Strait is in reprisal for their president's D.C. meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The Israeli military attacked Gaza and launched rare strikes against Lebanon overnight in response to a barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel earlier Thursday. Dozens of rockets were also fired from Gaza overnight.
The big picture: It's the most serious escalation between Lebanon and Israel since the 2006 war. Israel blames Hamas militants in Lebanon and says the Lebanese government is responsible for any attacks coming from its territory.
