In the wake of a deadly Israeli strike at a tent camp in Rafah earlier this week, an image calling for people to pay closer attention to the events in the Gazan city has spread like wildfire on social media.
Why it matters: Unlike other viral content throughout the Israel-Hamas war, the image appears to be AI-generated and has drawn criticism for sanitizing the catastrophic humanitarian toll of the war on Gaza.
The big picture: OutgoingPresident Andrés Manuel López Obrador's security policies, which included creating the National Guard and giving it tremendous power — while staying mostly away from battles with cartels and focusing on employment and education instead — have largely failed to stem criminal activity, experts say.
Luckin Coffee's fortunes have perked up, four years after an accounting scandal cost the Chinese company its top executives, its Nasdaq listing, and $180 million in fines.
Why it matters: Many had left Luckin for dead, assuming its remains would get steamrolled by Starbucks.
The White House is set to hold a trilateral meeting between U.S., Egyptian and Israeli officials in Cairo next week to discuss the reopening of the Rafah crossing and a plan for securing the border between Egypt and Gaza, three U.S. and Israeli officials said.
Why it matters: A plan for reopening the crossing, preventing Hamas from smuggling weapons into the Strip from Egypt and maintaining a tenuous peace between Israel and Egypt are top priorities for the Biden administration.
A Hong Kong court found 14 of 16 prominent pro-democracy activists guilty of subversion charges on Thursday in a case that was condemned by rights groups.
Why it matters: The activists were among 47 charged in the largest trial concerning China's sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in the global financial hub four years ago.
North Korea floated hundreds of bags of trash into South Korea overnight, Seoul's military said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: North Korea said the bags of trash were in retaliation for balloons carrying leaflets launched into the North by activists in the South.
This election year could be turned on its head by an international crisis — and it won't necessarily come in the Middle East.
Why it matters: The war in Gaza continues to attract the attention of the world and President Biden's foreign policy team. But the past few days have also been peppered with worrying headlines from other global hotspots like Taiwan, North Korea, Ukraine and Iran.
The second U.S. congressional delegation to visit Taiwan this week arrived on the self-governing island Wednesday for a meeting with Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te.
Why it matters: The show of support from the delegation, headed by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), comes despite complaints from Chinese officials about the earlier visit that Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) led days after China's military held drills around the island it claims is part of its territory to protest Lai's inauguration.
