Axios

Debris and "presumed human remains" from the Titan tourist submersible that imploded during a diving trip to the wreck of the Titanic earlier this month have been recovered, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.

Driving the news: Debris and evidence taken from the site of the sub's "catastrophic implosion" that killed all five men on board was unloaded at the Canadian port in St John's in Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday, per a U.S. Coast Guard statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said in a classified briefing to Israeli lawmakers that China’s growing involvement in the Middle East "could be useful" because it "will compel" the U.S. to increase its engagement in the region, two Israeli officials who attended the meeting told Axios.

Driving the news: China has sought greater influence in the Middle East — a region long dominated by the U.S. Earlier this year, Beijing brokered a major agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran on resuming diplomatic relations.

Somalia and Comoros agreed to send senior officials as observers to a ministerial meeting of the Negev Forum, a group that includes the U.S., Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, two Israeli officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: The two Muslim-majority countries, which are also members of the Arab League, don’t have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a tough call with his Israeli counterpart last week expressed concern that Israel is leaking information to the press about indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran, three U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Recent press reports by Axios and other media outlets about the indirect talks, which have been confirmed by Iran but not officially by the Biden administration, generated criticism among congressional Republicans, who are demanding the Biden administration seek congressional review for any agreement with Iran.

Saudi Arabia has so far not signed a document committing to free access to all UNESCO members for the World Heritage Committee's meeting in September, with the issue of allowing Israeli officials to enter the country as the main sticking point, Israeli officials and Western diplomats with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios.

The big picture: Saudi Arabia appears to be taking a cautious approach to any public steps that could be seen as normalization with Israel. The two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations, though the U.S. is pushing to get an agreement between the countries by early next year, U.S. officials have previously told Axios.

South Koreans woke up Wednesday a year or two younger as the country replaced its own age-counting methods with the international standard.

Why it matters: The new standardization is expected to reduce social confusion, legal problems and other conflicts stemming from the mixing of age calculations, officials have said.

Wagner boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin arrived in Belarus on Tuesday as Russian authorities said they had officially closed their criminal investigation into the group's short-lived rebellion.

Why it matters: The announcement from Russian security services makes clear that neither Prigozhin nor his troops will face immediate charges over the uprising.

In countries around the world, people are now more likely to name the U.S. as the world's leading economic power, rather than China, according to a new Pew Research Center report published Tuesday.

Why it matters: The findings underscore the U.S.' economic dominance as nations emerge from the upheaval of the pandemic and highlights the divide between the two superpowers even as U.S.-China relations remain strained.

Mexican entrepreneurs are using crickets to supplement barley in beer.

Details: La Grilla beer is being tested out in small batches in Querétaro by a local craft brewery and a company that makes gluten-free and bread products using insects.

Malaria spread by mosquitos has been detected in the U.S. for the first time in two decades.

The big picture: While there's concern over a potential rise in cases amid increased summer travel, the risk of contracting malaria in the U.S. remains extremely low.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said in a virtual briefing to the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) on Tuesday that he doesn’t believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will move forward with the entire judicial overhaul plan unilaterally because the public reaction will be "dramatic."

Why it matters: Netanyahu suspended the legislation in late March following mass protests in Israel and significant private and public pressure by the Biden administration, which urged the Israeli government to find a broad consensus on judicial reform.

Reproductive rights advocates know a new federal bill seeking to expand abortion access will face an uphill fight in Congress, but they hope it will spring communities of color to action.

Driving the news: The Abortion Justice Act, which calls for increased investments in reproductive care with the aim to better serve immigrants, people of color, and people who identify as LGBTQ+, was introduced Thursday by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)

Progressives are warning that what they see as poor messaging on the country's economic gains is weakening Latino support for Democrats, including President Biden, in Nevada and Arizona — two key battleground states.

Driving the news: Valiente, the research wing of the Way to Win Action Fund, today released findings from eight focus groups where Latino voters in both of those states expressed only "soft" support for Biden, adding that he did not do anything to help them or their families and that they did not know about Democrats' accomplishments over the past two years, such as the America Rescue Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

The short-lived rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend may sow doubts that Russia can be the stable, reliable partner China needs to achieve its ambitions, experts say.

Why it matters: Beijing's ability to achieve its goal of creating an alternative to the Western-led world order may depend in part on the survival of a Russian regime willing and able to support that goal.

Tensions between China and India have brought Delhi closer to Washington, with India joining democracies, including the U.S., Japan and Australia, to strengthen security and technology cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

The big picture: The relationship between China and India has never been cozy, but over the past three years, ties have hit a new low amid border clashes, fears of regional influence and growing great power rivalry.

The 30 men remaining at Guantánamo Bay face "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law" at the U.S. detention center, a United Nations human rights investigator said Monday.

Driving the news: "The U.S. government must urgently provide judicial resolution, apology and guarantees of non-repetition," said Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, as she released her report to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken directed State Department staff in an urgent cable Friday night to not talk about the uprising that was unfolding in Russia as the Wagner mercenary group took over the city of Rostov-on-Don, according to three U.S. officials.

Why it matters: The unusual cable, which was sent to all U.S. diplomats around the world, showed the level of alarm in the Biden administration about the developments in Russia and how important it was for the White House and the State Department to control the U.S. messaging on the situation publically and privately.

Biden administration officials on Monday denounced online harassment against a Wall Street Journal reporter who asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his government's human rights record at the White House last week.

Driving the news: Sabrina Siddiqui has been subject to "intense online harassment from people inside India," some of them politicians associated with Modi's government, and is being targeted because of her Muslim faith, another reporter said during a White House press briefing Monday.