Israel is taking another look at its security strategy following the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Israel had seen Saudi Arabia's anti-Iran stance as a bulwark in its security strategy. And, Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi was thrown into the global spotlight in 2008 after hurling his shoes at then-President George W. Bush. Two decades after the US-led invasion of Iraq, we ask Zaidi about his views on the country today. Also, for months now, the fighting in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been relentless and deadly. On Sunday, Ukraine's president said the Ukrainian military managed to kill 1,100 enemy soldiers near Bakhmut. Plus, "Naatu Naatu," an award-winning Indian Telugu-language song.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris on Friday with the aim to reset relations. The UK's new controversial immigration bill dominated the meeting, as it would ban all migrants arriving in Britain on small boats from the shores of France. And, Xi Jinping has secured a third term as general-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. The position wields unmatched power for deciding the direction that China will take in the future. Also, Saudi Arabia and Iran committed to restoring diplomatic relations on Friday in a deal brokered by China. It represents a huge breakthrough between the Middle East's biggest powers since they broke off relations in 2016. Plus, Czechs and Brits crash the baseball party.

Lawmakers in Georgia say they’re now scrapping plans to introduce a measure that would have required media organizations and NGOs getting more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence.” And, amid Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, many of the country's top athletes returned back to their rigorous training routines. This fencer and wrestler are both focused on gold at next summer's Olympics in Paris. Also, the self-described global artist Yun-Fei Ji grew up during China's chaotic Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and '70s. He landed in New York City in the 1990s, where he expanded his art practice by living in two worlds. Plus, remembering Chaim Topol, who played Tevye in the acclaimed "Fiddler on the Roof."

Thousands of protesters in Tbilisi, Georgia, are speaking out against a bill that would require organizations receiving more than 20% of funding from international sources to register as "foreign agents." Many fear this legislation would push Georgia further from Western allies, and muck up aspirations to EU membership. And, last week, two Americans were killed in the Mexican city of Matamoros following their kidnapping. They were part of a group of four travelers who crossed the border seeking medical tourism. Also, the cause of the explosions that hit the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last September has been widely debated. Now, officials are reacting to media reports that a pro-Ukraine group was behind them. Plus, a new memoir uncovers Ukraine's troubled past.

The French president is determined to raise the pension age to 64. But plenty of French workers are pushing back. For the sixth time this year, people across the country are walking off their jobs. And, the US and European police shut down a notorious cybercrime gang linked to Russia. After breaking into computer networks, the so-called DopplePaymer group demanded payment to unscramble sensitive material and to not release it online. Also, a Cuban filmmaker returns to see his family during the island's worst economic crisis in decades. Hundreds of thousands of mostly young Cubans have left the country in recent months, and those who stay behind are growing more desperate. Plus, the documentary film "Navalny” is up for an Academy Award.

The Turkish government has begun investigating journalists, media commentators and social media users accused of spreading misinformation about earthquake recovery efforts. If convicted, they could face up to three years in prison. And, former Prime Minister Imran Khan's speeches were banned by Pakistan's media regulator on Monday. The regulator said Khan was "spreading hate speech" in his recent rhetoric against the country's institutions. Also, almost three years after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, mask usage in Mexico is still relatively common. But usage varies widely from country to country, where culture and politics determine how widespread the practice is at this point. Plus, Swiss authorities say Toblerone is not "Swiss" enough.

A group of Israeli activists traveled to a village in the West Bank on Friday, intending to bring a message of coexistence with Palestinians. But they were halted by Israeli soldiers. These rising tensions come amid a crisis of democracy in Israel. And, thousands of passengers were stranded in airports in Colombia and several other Latin American countries this week following the collapse of the budget airline Viva Air. It's the latest airline company to fold amid decreasing passenger demand and higher oil prices. Also, most salt production in Mexico is industrial. But a handful of Indigenous salt-makers are preserving an ancestral tradition of making artisanal salt that goes back 2,000 years. Plus, Nigeria reverses a decision on its new bank notes. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken unexpectedly met his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in New Delhi, India, on Thursday. But minimal actual dialogue seemed to take place amid deepening global rifts. And, Romania's Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă introduced his new adviser, Ion, an artificial intelligence assistant. Also, a multiagency assessment from US intelligence officials says it is unlikely that a foreign adversary is behind the cases of so-called "Havana Syndrome'' that has stricken American diplomats, defense officials and spies based overseas. Instead, the cases appear to have different causes, from environmental factors to undiagnosed illnesses. Plus, Nigerian author Ayòbámi Adébáyò talks about her new book, "A Spell of Good Things."

Bola Tinubu will be Nigeria's next leader, extending his party's rule. But the opposition is calling the election rigged and promising to challenge the results in court. And, African countries have mostly stayed on the sidelines of the Russia-Ukrainian war. Many African nations import large supplies of wheat and fertilizer from the two warring nations and they aren't eager to jeopardize those vital supplies by taking sides. Also, the United Nations estimates that the number of migrants crossing the dangerous Darien Gap will exceed the previous year. Approximately 60,000 children among them will face extreme violence, harsh weather conditions and hunger along the way. Plus, how ketchup kept this man alive for 24 days lost at sea. 

Diplomats from many Arab nations are meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time since the country's civil war began in 2011, when most of them severed ties. The visits follow the devastating earthquakes that hit the region earlier this month. And, the Taliban restricted the media and freedom of expression when they took power in August 2021. In the last two months, there's been a crackdown on government critics who have been imprisoned alongside academics, journalists and former Afghan government employees. Also, the European Parliament has banned the Chinese short-video-sharing app TikTok from staff phones for security reasons. This follows similar actions taken by the governments of Canada and the United States in recent days. Plus, 76 years after a deadly massacre, Taiwanese people continue to commemorate — and debate — the tragedy.