Israel and Hamas reached an agreement through Qatari mediation to transfer medicine to the hostages held in Gaza, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Friday.
The big picture: It's the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that Hamas agreed to allow Israel to send the hostages critically needed medicine.
A handful of European and Asian countries dominate a new global ranking of the world's most powerful passports, with citizens of those nations able to travel most freely throughout the world.
Why it matters: The list, released this week byHenley & Partners, highlights the growing divide between the travel privileges that people from different countries enjoy — sometimes referred to as "passport privilege."
The U.S. and U.K. conducted airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday after the group defied repeated warnings to halt its attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, President Biden said.
The big picture: Biden said in a statement that at his direction the military forces, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, "successfully conducted strikes" against several targets "used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world's most vital waterways."
Journalist Alicia Menendez says she will use her new show on MSNBC to take viewers inside the policy decisions that most affect them.
The big picture: Menendez is one of few Latinas on national news networks. The underrepresentation of Latinos in media can lead to simplistic or inaccurate portrayals of the roughly 63.7 million Hispanics living in the U.S.
Why it matters: The proliferation of Mexican restaurants — once staples only of the Southwest and parts of the Midwest — highlights the growing influence of Mexican Americans on U.S. culture and the effects of increased migration from Mexico over the last 30 years.
More than $1 billion worth of weapons the U.S. has sent to Ukraine have not been properly tracked and remain "delinquent," according to a new Department of Defense Inspector General report.
Why it matters: The revelation comes as opposition to sending more aid to Ukraine has grown among Republicans in Congress in recent months, and Kyiv pleads for more aid to support its defense against Russian forces.
Nearly 10,000 people died from COVID-19 in December, fueled by holiday gatherings, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
The big picture: The JN.1 variant has been the dominant COVID variant, and its rise suggests it's either more transmissible or better at dodging immune systems than other strains that are floating around.
U.S. Latino comedianshave largely become successful by performing in English, but one Venezuelan comic is flipping the narrative by selling out shows and drawing a massive online following with his entirely Spanish-language sets.
The Biden administration will send an unofficial delegation including former senior officials to Taipei after this weekend's presidential election, senior administration officials said.
Why it matters: The visit will mark a show of support for Taiwan after months of intense pressure from China, which opposes Taiwan's self-governance, but is also likely to raise tensions with Beijing.
The International Court of Justice is set to hold two days of preliminary hearings beginning Thursday on South Africa's case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
The big picture: Israel has rejected the allegations as "atrocious and preposterous." But the case could have serious implications for its global reputation and set a legal precedent.
Senior Biden adviser Amos Hochstein is expected to visit Beirut on Thursday to continue efforts to calm tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border as skirmishes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah escalate, the White House said.
Driving the news: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials told Hochestein inTel Aviv last week that there is only a short window of time to find a diplomatic solution that will prevent an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.
