Here is a quick look at the top global stories of the week:
Gaza is now experiencing famine, the world’s leading authority said Friday. This comes after months of warning by aid groups that Israeli restrictions on the entry of food into the Palestinian territory were causing starvation. Israel rejected the report, calling it a lie. Separately, Israel’s defense minister warned that Gaza’s largest city would be destroyed unless Hamas disarmed and released all the hostages.
Read our explainer on how experts confirmed the famine, and see AP’s photos of Palestinians struggling for food.
National Guard troops will soon start carrying weapons as they patrol the streets of the capital for President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration, the Pentagon said. Federal authorities have set up checkpoints and said more than 600 people have been arrested in the past two weeks.
Read our reporting on what’s happening in the city, as well as our political analysis. And look at our best photos here.
The Texas Legislature was poised to approve a new U.S. House map as early as Friday that would give Republicans a bigger edge in the 2026 midterm elections, after Democrats ended a two-week walkout. In response, California moved to call a special election for a new map that would give Democrats the same number of extra seats and negate Trump’s push for more GOP-held districts in Texas.
Read the AP’s analysis on how partisan redistricting could upset the balance between the two parties, what other states are doing in the redistricting race, how the California governor’s profile has soared as a result of the fight, and how Trump is using the powers of his office to help his party in the election.
Some conservative Christians are arguing that empathy can lead to sin, the Cambridge Dictionary added “tradwife,” a ship that glides like a pelican could have military applications and a Swedish church relocated in a highly choreographed spectacle.
Here are this week’s top photos, two giant panda cubs celebrating their birthday, and Pakistanis honoring a Sufi saint.
