The Israeli military continued to strike Gaza today as the worst conflict with Palestinian militant groups there since 2014 entered its second week (NYT).

Nearly two hundred people in Gaza have been killed (Haaretz), according to the territory’s health ministry. Ten people in Israel have been killed. On Saturday, Israeli forces drew condemnation from press-freedom groups for destroying a building (AP) that housed the Associated Press (AP), Al Jazeera, and other media outlets. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strike “perfectly legitimate,” alleging that the building was a base of intelligence operations for the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The AP said there was no indication Hamas was “in the building or active in the building.” Diplomatic efforts toward a cease-fire have yielded little so far (AP), and the United States continues to block a statement by the UN Security Council, which met yesterday. Meanwhile, China offered to host (SCMP) Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and criticized what it called U.S. “obstruction.”

Taiwan, long praised for its pandemic response, raised its coronavirus alert (WaPo) to level three, the second-highest level, as it tries to contain a localized outbreak of COVID-19. Authorities placed restrictions on gatherings and ordered entertainment businesses to close.

South Korea: President Moon Jae-in said he will discuss a COVID-19 vaccine partnership (Yonhap) with the United States during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday.

Tens of thousands of homes were evacuated (NYT) ahead of Cyclone Tauktae’s expected landfall in the Indian state of Gujarat. Heavy rains caused at least six deaths in states along India’s west coast.

Myanmar: The UN General Assembly will consider a nonbinding resolution tomorrow calling for an arms embargo (AFP) on Myanmar’s military junta. Forty-eight countries have cosponsored the resolution.

Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line cleric who heads Iran’s judiciary and is close with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was among the final candidates to register (RFE/RL) for next month’s presidential election. Iran’s Guardian Council will vet the candidates and announce a final list next week.

This article explains who holds power in Iran.

The Ethiopian government said national elections scheduled for June 5 will be delayed (Al Jazeera), citing logistical issues. Several opposition parties had planned to boycott the vote, which would have been held amid the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region. The vote was first delayed last August due to the pandemic.

CFR’s Michelle Gavin argues that peace in Ethiopia requires domestic reconciliation.

Sudan: Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other top officials will discuss debt relief for, and investment in, Sudan (Dabanga) during a conference in Paris with representatives from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Paris Club. Sudan is emerging from diplomatic isolation after it was removed from a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism last year.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet with Danish leaders today as he kicks off a trip that will include a meeting of the Arctic Council (RFE/RL) and his first face-to-face meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov since joining the Biden administration. In addition to the United States and Russia, the Arctic Council comprises Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

This In Brief explains rising competition in the Arctic.

Russia: Russia designated the United States and the Czech Republic as “unfriendly states” (Politico) and placed restrictions on hiring local staff for both countries’ embassies. European Council President Charles Michel called Russia’s move an “escalatory step” that undermined diplomatic relations.

In elections held over the weekend, voters in Chile mostly chose independent delegates (MercoPress) to represent them in the body that will rewrite the country’s dictatorship-era constitution. The ruling center-right coalition failed to win at least one-third of the seats, making it unable to block proposals (Reuters), which require a two-thirds majority to be approved.

Colombia: The government is in talks with protesters (AFP) as demonstrations against inequality and police brutality continue across the country for the third week straight. At least forty-two people have been killed in violent confrontations with police.

A brush fire in southern California forced the evacuation (NYT) of more than five hundred homes, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The cause of the fire was deemed suspicious.