U.S., Saudi, Emirati and Indian national security advisers are expected on Sunday to discuss a possible major joint infrastructure project to connect Gulf and Arab countries via a network of railways that would also be connected to India via shipping lanes from ports in the region, two sources with direct knowledge of the plan told Axios.
Why it matters: The project is one of the key initiatives the White House wants to push in the Middle East as China's influence in the region grows. The Middle East is a key part of China's Belt and Road vision.
Investing legends Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger on Saturday urged the U.S. and China to settle their widening differences, arguing the superpowers have a "mutual interest" in continuing cooperation.
Why it matters: On multiple fronts, the world's two largest economies have found themselves at repeated loggerheads, with few signs of near-term reconciliation.
The Biden administration announced Friday a plan to allow Afghan refugees who fled their homes for safety to temporarily extend their time in the U.S. as they face uncertainty about their future.
Why it matters: Thousands of refugees, many of whom served alongside American troops as interpreters during the decades-long war, faced the prospect of soon having to return to Afghanistan — now in the Taliban’s draconian grip.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned on Saturday in a royal ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
The big picture: It's the first U.K. coronation in 70 years. King Charles III, 74, ascended the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla were officially crowned on Saturday in a royal ceremony at Westminster Abbey that was decades in the making.
The big picture: The lavish ceremony included traditions that have been in place for more than 1,000 years. It was the first coronation in the U.K. in 70 years.
The Sudanese army said on Friday that it has sent representatives to Jeddah to meet with the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group for cease-fire talks mediated by Saudi Arabia.
Why it matters: It will be the first time representatives of the two warring generals will hold direct talks since the recent fighting began.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić promised Friday to pursue an "almost complete disarming of Serbia" after two mass shootings in 48 hours left a combined 17 people dead.
The big picture: Serbia has one of the world's highest rates of gun ownershi, due in part to the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, but mass shootings had been very rare before this week.
COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared Friday.
The big picture: It's been more than three years since the WHO first declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern — the global body's highest alert level. Since then, there have been more than 765 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 7 million people have died of the virus.
A drive-by shooting in Serbia late Thursday left at least eight people dead and 10 others wounded, state media report.
The big picture: The attack near the town of Mladenovac, south of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, was the second mass shooting in two days in a country that the BBC notes has 39.1 firearms per 100 people due to the Balkan wars of the 1990s, but where mass shootings are rare.
