Women wearing white clothing formed human chains in the Belarusian capital of Minsk in solidarity with almost 7,000 protesters police have detained. Anti-government demonstrations in the country grew on Thursday, denouncing the government’s use of tear gas and rubber bullets after Sunday’s disputed presidential election. Thousands of factory workers rallied in several cities while dozens of military and police veterans posted videos of themselves trashing their uniforms and insignia.

Israel said it would halt annexation in the Jordan Valley and other parts of the occupied West Bank as part of a deal with the United Arab Emirates. President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that the two countries will establish full diplomatic ties after a surprise agreement mediated by the United States. The UAE is the first Gulf Arab state to open ties with Israel and the third Arab state after Egypt and Jordan.

As shutdowns and social distancing debates dragged through the summer and COVID-19 flared in the South and West, politicians and educators in Washington, D.C., wrangled over a big question: How should they direct a mighty army of 57 million schoolchildren? Meanwhile, parents across the country wondered how they could provide for their little platoons, children used to the routine of school and likely to be on their own for part or all of the fall.

On Thursday, March 12, junior Grace Ingram was eating dinner with friends in the cafeteria at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., a small city between Nashville and Memphis. Partway through her meal, the background chatter shifted. The zoology student looked up to see students checking their phones. Some cheered and danced. Others looked upset. A few walked out. 

If someone confronts a Marion County, Fla., sheriff’s deputy about not wearing a mask, the deputy is supposed to respond politely and walk away. Sheriff Billy Woods emailed his staff on Tuesday with instructions saying that, with a few exceptions, deputies may not wear masks, and neither can visitors to the sheriff’s office, WFTV-TV in Orlando reported.

Georgia’s largest school district launched online learning on Wednesday, but only about half of its 180,000 students made it to class. Parents of students in Gwinnett County Public Schools complained that their students repeatedly tried and failed to log in. The district located northeast of Atlanta hopes to begin in-person classes later this month.

Despite raising millions of dollars, Antone Melton-Meaux fell short in his bid to oust Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s Democratic primary. The lawyer and mediator had tried to convince voters that the congresswoman seeking her second term focused more on celebrity than the needs of her district.