Israeli tanks encircle eastern half of Rafah

The UN General Assembly is set to back a Palestinian bid for membership.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Israel presses ahead with its operation in Rafah, the Philippines calls for expelling Chinese diplomats, and Britain exits recession. Plus, OpenAI plans to announce a Google search competitor. By Linda Noakes Today's Top News Israeli military vehicles are seen near the Israel-Gaza Border. REUTERS/Amir Cohen WAR IN GAZA Israeli tanks captured the main road dividing the eastern and western halves of Rafah, effectively encircling the entire eastern side of the city in the southern Gaza Strip. Washington has suspended a shipment of heavy, bunker-busting bombs to Israel. We look at Israel's main weapons suppliers. The United Nations General Assembly is set to back a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognizing it as qualified to join and sending the application back to the UN Security Council to "reconsider the matter favorably." Israel's Eden Golan has qualified for the Eurovision song contest final, despite large protests against the country's participation. Reuters bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian Territories, James Mackenzie, joins the Reuters World News podcast with the view from Israel. IN OTHER NEWS The Philippines' national security adviser called for Chinese diplomats to be expelled over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a Filipino admiral in a significant escalation of a bitter row over the South China Sea. Donald Trump is set to return to court after porn star Stormy Daniels' lurid testimony about her alleged sexual encounter with him, as prosecutors prepare to call their final witnesses. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the reappointment of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, a technocrat who has helped him through the war in Ukraine and the economic challenges wrought by Western sanctions over Moscow's invasion. India's top court gave temporary bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a graft case, allowing him to campaign in the ongoing general elections, boosting the opposition alliance of which he is a key leader. Governments have to implement "serious and effective" policies in favor of families to tackle the issues of falling birth rates and aging populations, Pope Francis said, urging young people to have confidence in the future. Business & Markets Britain's economy grew by the most in nearly three years in the first quarter of 2024, ending the shallow recession it entered in the second half of last year. OpenAI plans to announce its artificial intelligence-powered search product on Monday, according to two sources familiar with the matter, raising the stakes in its competition with search king Google. Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr Intelligent Technology priced its US initial public offering at the top of its indicated range, raising $441 million. Novavax erased doubts about its ability to remain in business and struck a licensing deal worth up to $1.2 billion with Sanofi for COVID-19 vaccines in exchange for a stake that doubles the US drugmaker's market value. British Airways owner IAG reported a surge in first-quarter earnings, helped by rising demand over the Easter holiday, and said it was seeing strong summer bookings. Erratic rainfall in China's southwest is frustrating a multibillion-dollar push to green an aluminum industry that accounts for almost 60% of global output and, by some estimates, emits more carbon dioxide than Australia. The Week Ahead Global central banks are starting to break away from the pack as rate cuts roll out across Europe while borrowing costs in the US may stay higher for longer, which is lifting the dollar. A key test of US inflation is at the heart of the data calendar and could be the deciding factor in the near-term direction for markets. Here is your look at what's happening in markets this coming week. Catalans vote on Sunday in a regional election that could determine the stability of Spain's Socialist-led government and also gauge the strength of a pro-independence movement that has roiled the country for a decade. Why German politicians are facing growing violence People attend a protest for democracy and against the attack on Matthias Ecke, a member of the European Parliament, in Berlin. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen  The black-clad attackers beat up Matthias Ecke so badly as he put up posters in Dresden that he needed surgery. In Nordhorn, a man threw eggs at a lawmaker then punched him in the face. In Berlin, a pensioner hit a senator on the head with a bag.   Just three of the assaults that German politicians have suffered over the past week as campaigns get underway for European Parliament and district council elections. The Week in Pictures See a selection of our top photography from around the world this week. 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