Why it matters: The U.S. has responded to standoffs with North Korea, Russia, Iran and Venezuela in unorthodox and unpredictable ways. Alliances are rupturing, authoritarians are rising, and China is steadily becoming the most powerful rival America has ever faced.
Photo: Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, according to a statement from his office.
The state of play: The 55-year-old dictator and his 45-year-old wife, who is a breast cancer survivor, are showing mild symptoms but are in stable condition, according to Assad's office. They will self-isolate for two weeks.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington, D.C., in February. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a letter outlining a plan to accelerate peace talks with the Taliban that the U.S. is "considering" a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Afghan outlet TOLOnews first reported Sunday.
Why it matters: In the letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, also obtained by Western news outlets, Blinken expresses concern that the Taliban "could make rapid territorial gain" after an American military withdrawal, even with the continuation of U.S. financial aid, as he urges him to embrace his proposal.
Photo: Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via Reuters
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle delivered a devastating indictment of the U.K. royal family in their conversation with Oprah Winfrey: Both said unnamed relatives had expressed concern about what the skin tone of their baby would be. And they accused "the firm" of character assassination and "perpetuating falsehoods."
Why it matters: An institution that thrives on myth now faces harsh reality. The explosive two-hour interview gave an unprecedented, unsparing window into the monarchy: Harry said his father and brother "are trapped," and Markle revealed that the the misery of being a working royal drove her to thoughts of suicide.
A woman holds flags of South Korea and the U.S. during a June rally in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. and South Korea announced Sunday they've reached an agreement "in principle" on a new cost-sharing plan for the American troop presence on the Korean Peninsula.
Driving the news: The State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said in a Twitter post there had been a "negotiated increase" from South Korea in support for the U.S. troops' presence, without elaborating further.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
An electoral poster in favor of a "burqa ban" initiative reading in French: "Stop extremism!" Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images
Swiss voters approved a ban on full facial coverings, including niqabs and burqas, by a razor-thin margin in a highly-contested referendum Sunday, CNN reports.
Why it matters: The proposal, which has been criticized by various Swiss religious organizations, human rights groups and even the federal government, passed with 51.21% of the vote. While it does not mention Islam specifically, it has been referred to by some Swiss media as a "burqa ban," per CNN.
Pope Francis meets Abdullah Kurdi at Erbil's Franso Hariri Stadium on March 07, 2021 in Erbil, Iraq. Photo: Vatican Pool/Vatican Media via Getty Images
Pope Francis on Sunday met the father of Alan Kurdi, a Syrian boy whose body washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015.
Why it matters: Kurdi's image has been recognized around the world as a symbol depicting the plight of Syrian refugees on their journey to Europe.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Students in the U.K. will return to in-person learning on Monday after being closed for two months.
Why it matters: The British government is reopening schools as the first step to lift all COVID-19 restrictions by June, the AP reports. Students will be tested for the virus frequently, with high schools and colleges to reopen in phases, allowing students to be tested several times before returning to regular classes.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Photo: Greg Baker - Pool/Getty Images
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a speech on Sunday warned the U.S. against getting involved in China's "internal affairs," saying that "both sides need to abide by the principle of non-interference," CNBC reports.
Why it matters: Biden has promised a hardline approach with China. Tensions between the U.S. and China had heightened for years under the Trump administration.
Pope Francis waving as he arrives near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the old city of Iraq's northern Mosul on March 7. Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP via Getty Images
Pope Francis was on Sunday visiting areas of northern Iraq once held by Islamic State militants.
Why it matters: This is the first-ever papal trip to Iraq. The purpose of Francis' four-day visit is largely intended to reassure the country's Christian minority, who were violently persecuted by ISIS, which controlled the region from 2014-2017.
The 43rd Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on March 6. Photo: David Gray/AFP via Getty Images
Some 36,000 people turned out for the 2021 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade celebrating the LGBTQ community in Australia Saturday, per Nine News.
The big picture: For the first time in its 43-year history, organizers moved the event from Oxford Street to the Sydney Cricket Ground because of the COVID-19 pandemic. New South Wales, of which Sydney is the state capital, has reported no community cases for 50 days.