The agreement between the Taliban, Pakistan, and China over the weekend extending the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to Afghanistan is the fruit of many years of China's outreach to the Taliban. But it may not achieve the aims Beijing hopes for, experts say.
The big picture: The Taliban needs Chinese investment after much of the international community cut ties with Kabul. Beijing says it wants Afghanistan to take more steps to protect Chinese nationals and coordinate more closely with China on controlling Uighur militant groups based there.
The Hollywood studio policiesthat writers are on strike against are particularly harmful to writers of color and Latino writers because they trap many in entry-level positions, industry professionals tell Axios.
The big picture: Thousands of writers in Los Angeles and New York went on strike last week against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), grinding to a halt costly productions while they fight for a number of changes they say are crucial for writers to be able to earn a living.
As Hollywood writers continue a massive strike against studios, some say they're worried that the unregulated use of artificial intelligence could hurt efforts to diversify the industry.
Details: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) wants the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to regulate the use of AI in projects covered by its agreements and declare that AI can't write or rewrite literary material or be used as source material.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Tuesday that a "real war has again been unleashed against our homeland" as he marked Russia's Victory Day, which commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The big picture: More than a year on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and with his forces bracing for a Ukrainian counter-attack, Putin again tried to paint the West as the true aggressors and equate Russia's current fight with its war against the Nazis.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested during a court appearance in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday, according to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The big picture: The cricketer-turned-politician was in court on corruption charges, which Khan and his supporters say are politically motivated.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides will leave his post this summer after nearly two years in Jerusalem, two U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: Nides announced his departure at a time when the Netanyahu government's controversial judicial overhaul continues to complicate the U.S.-Israel relationship. President Biden still hasn't invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House — more than four months after the Israeli leader was sworn in.
Israeli strikes on Gaza Tuesday killed at least 13 Palestinians, including eight civilians and three senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commanders, according to Palestinian officials.
Why it matters: It's the biggest Israeli military operation in Gaza since last August when Israeli forces conducted a wave of air strikes against the PIJ group. Tuesday's strikes will likely lead to a wider escalation.
Canada's government on Monday expelled a Chinese diplomat who was accused of trying to intimidate a lawmaker who had sponsored a motion that declared Beijing's treatment of Muslim Uyghurs as a genocide.
Driving the news: Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly in a statement announced the government had declared the Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei "persona non grata." Hours later, Beijing took retaliatory measures.
Turkish President Recep TayyipErdoğan looks unusually vulnerable heading into Sunday's presidential election, but the bigger surprise may be that he's still in the fight.
The big picture: Turkey's rampant inflation and feeble response to February's devastating earthquake — two issues that have dominated the run-up to the vote — were both arguably symptoms of Erdoğan's authoritarian style.
An experimental, uncrewed and reusable spacecraft being developed by China completed its second mission on Monday after remaining in orbit for 276 days, according to Chinese state media.
Why it matters: Very little is publicly known about the spacecraft, though experts have speculated that it could one day be used to interfere with satellites in orbit.
A U.S. collegeeducation, once a status symbol for Chinese families, appears to be losing its appeal as many consider alternative destinations, experts tell Axios.
Why it matters: China has been the top country of origin for international students in the U.S. for more than a decade, making it a key source of revenue for many American universities and colleges.
Senior U.S. and Chinese officials discussed the importance of stabilizing bilateral relations on Monday after recent events derailed efforts to repair ties.
Why it matters: It's the first known meeting between China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang and U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns since the U.S. downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon in February.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. and its allies have imposed sanctions on Moscow's energy exports, banks, and oligarchs. But one luxury good has largely escaped the glare of international sanctions: diamonds.
Why it matters: Russia counts diamonds as one of its top 10 non-energy exports by value, with exports totaling over $4.5 billion in 2021, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
Senior Biden advisers on Monday briefed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on talks between White House National Security adviser Jake Sullivan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Israeli and U.S. officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: Sullivan recently said that achieving a full normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is in the national security interest of the U.S. Normalization was one of the issues Sullivan had planned to discuss with MBS while in Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. officials.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is threatening to pursue legal action against Secretary of State Antony Blinken if the State Department doesn't comply with a subpoena for an internal cable about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Why it matters: McCaul's threat escalates an unprecedented effort by House Republicans to obtain sensitive information as part of their probe into the chaotic U.S. exit in the summer of 2021.
