The United States plans to impose sanctions on more than 500 targets on Friday as it responds to Russia over the death of opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, the largest package in a series of economic restrictions since the invasion of Ukraine two years ago. This is what a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Finance said.

The new measures, which will be introduced by the Treasury and State Departments on Friday morning, come after the White House signaled this week that it was preparing “major” punishments following Mr Navalny’s recent death in a Russian prison. It is not clear which sectors or individuals the Biden administration intends to target, a crucial variable in the ultimate scale and effectiveness of the sanctions.

As the war approaches its third year, the Biden administration has become increasingly dependent on using its financial tools to try to damage and isolate the Russian economy. It has worked with allies from the Group of Seven countries to limit the price at which Russian oil can be sold on global markets, frozen hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian central bank assets and introduced trade restrictions to try to block the flow of technology. and equipment Russia uses to supply its military.

The United States has worked closely with Europe in its efforts to cut Russia off from the global economy. This week, the European Union unveiled its 13th round of sanctions on Russia, banning nearly 200 people and entities that have helped Russia acquire weapons from traveling or doing business within the bloc. Britain this week also announced sanctions on companies linked to Russia’s munitions supply chain, and on six Russians accused of running the Arctic prison where Mr Navalny died.

Despite efforts to put economic pressure on Russia, the country has largely weathered the restrictions. China, India and Brazil have bought Russian oil in record quantities, and spending on the war effort has boosted the Russian economy, which grew faster than expected last month, according to the International Monetary Fund.

The Israeli government was locked in a debate on Monday over whether to increase restrictions on Muslim access to a key mosque complex in Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan, leading to predictions of unrest if the restrictions are maintained.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that a decision had already been made, without disclosing what it was. But two officials briefed on the deliberations, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said a final decision would only be made after the government received recommendations from the security services in the coming days.

On Sunday, Israeli ministers debated whether to ban certain members of Israel's Arab minority from attending prayers during Ramadan on the grounds of the Aqsa Mosque, a site sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

Israel has long restricted access to Al Aqsa for Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and since the start of the Gaza war it has imposed additional restrictions on Arab citizens and residents of Israel. Some had hoped that these limits would be largely lifted during Ramadan, which is expected to start around March 10 – but there is now talk of raising them.

Dan Harel, a former deputy chief of staff in the Israeli army, said in a radio interview that such a move would be “unnecessary, foolish and senseless” and could “set the entire Muslim world on fire.” An Arab-Israeli lawmaker, Waleed Alhwashla, said on social media that it would “likely add unnecessary fuel to the fire of violence.”

According to Islamic tradition, it is from the site of the Al Aqsa complex that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven, and tens of thousands of Muslims visit the mosque every day during Ramadan. For Jews, it is revered as the Temple Mount because in ancient times it was the site of two Jewish temples that remain central to Jewish identity.

It has also been a focal point of unrest.

Israeli police raids on the site, riots there by young Palestinians and visits by far-right Jewish activists have often been a catalyst for wider violence, including a brief war between Israel and Hamas in 2021.

The debate over new restrictions on the mosque complex for worshipers under a certain age took place as the effects of the war in Gaza continued to be felt across the region on Monday.

In the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, the crew of a cargo ship was forced to abandon ship after it was attacked by members of the Houthi militia, who have fired missiles at ships there and in the Gulf of Aden. solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. The attack on the British ship, the Rubymar, appeared to be one of the most damaging attacks by the Houthis to date.

Most missile and drone attacks on ships have not caused serious damage, but Monday night's attack, which involved two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen, was enough to drive the ship's crew off, according to the U.S. military . . A warship part of a US-led coalition responded to a distress call and its crew was taken by another merchant ship to a nearby port, Central Command said in a statement.

In retaliatory strikes, the US-led coalition has repeatedly struck missiles and launchers in Yemen and intercepted drones and missiles, but has so far failed to stop the attacks. The United States attacked five Houthi targets this weekend, including an underwater drone. And on Monday the European Union announced that it would launch its own operation to escort ships and protect them from attack.

In the southern Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces were about to expand their invasion, patients were evacuated from a hospital that Israel said was being used to hide Hamas military operations. Hamas has denied these accusations.

On Monday, the hospital, the Nasser Medical Center, was little more than a shelter for a small, terrified crew of staff and remaining patients. Dozens were evacuated from hospital on Sunday and Monday, and the United Nations said negotiations continued for the Israeli military to allow more people to leave.

The exodus was prompted by a raid last week by Israeli forces who entered the hospital and arrested hundreds of people. Thousands of displaced Palestinians were evacuated before and during the raid, leaving 15 health workers and more than 150 patients inside with little food, few medical supplies and no tap water or electricity, the World Health Organization said Monday.

The war began on October 7 after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israelis. The Israeli land and air strike on Hamas forces in Gaza that followed killed more than 29,000 residents of the enclave, Gaza health officials say.

The move to impose more restrictions on the mosque in Jerusalem was promoted in the Israeli cabinet by Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister, who has long pushed for more Jewish control over the site and less Muslim access to it. In recent days he has warned that Muslim worshipers could use the mosque to show support for Hamas.

Analysts say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wary of angering Mr Ben-Gvir because his ruling coalition depends on his support. But both Arab leaders and some Jewish Israelis have warned that by allowing Mr. Ben-Gvir to dictate policy at the mosque, Mr. Netanyahu could inflame an already volatile situation.

Ramadan has been a pivotal moment for tensions between Israelis and Palestinians over the years, and on Sunday a member of Israel's war cabinet, Benny Gantz, set the holy month as a deadline for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, warning that the fighting would continue. to Rafah, along the border with Egypt, if the prisoners were not released.

The looming fighting in Rafah has raised fears of further humanitarian catastrophes among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees huddled in the area.

Thomas Voller, Gabby Sobelman And Myra Noveck reporting contributed.

Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to veto a bill that would have banned the use of non-compete agreements in New York after a furious lobbying effort from Wall Street and other powerful industries that strongly opposed the measure, according to two people with knowledge of the negotiations on the measure. account. Ms Hochul was expected to veto the bill later on Friday.

Democrats who control the state Legislature passed the bill in June and want New York to join other states that are cracking down on the use of non-compete agreements, which companies use to ban workers from working for certain time to work for a competitor after their departure. a task.

The bill’s supporters argued that the agreements unfairly trapped a slew of workers, from hairstylists to engineers and doctors, who gave up their right to leave to a competitor.

But Ms. Hochul, a fellow Democrat, believed the ban went too far, and she sought to limit its scope so that it applied only to lower-wage workers. The ban was opposed by powerful banks and other major companies that rely heavily on non-compete agreements to prevent top employees — from high-level executives to bankers and brokers — from taking customers and intellectual property to a competitor.

As the year-end deadline for acting on the bill approached, Ms. Hochul tried this week to negotiate amendments that would appease both business groups and Democratic state lawmakers. Negotiations collapsed Friday, according to the two people, who were not authorized to publicly discuss the veto before the governor’s official announcement. Among other things, it appeared that the parties could not agree on how to calculate an income threshold that would have maintained the ban for low-paid workers but allowed the agreements to continue for high-paid workers such as those in the financial services. .

Mike Murphy, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, said Senate Democrats were “disappointed.”

Non-compete agreements have been on the rise across the economy in recent years: Between 18 percent Unpleasant 45 percent of private sector workers may be tied to it, according to studies. Critics argue that the restrictive clauses hinder the free movement of labor and place an unfair burden on a constellation of workers, especially those in low-paid, low-skilled jobs.

Governments have responded in kind. About half of US states have placed strict limits on non-compete agreements, and some states, such as Minnesota and California, have even banned them altogether. Under President Biden, the Federal Trade Commission is exploring a national ban on companies that require workers to sign the agreements.

The legislation to ban non-compete agreements in New York largely flew under the radar when Democratic lawmakers passed it at the end of the legislative session last summer, led by Senator Sean Ryan of Buffalo and Assemblyman Latoya Joyner of the Bronx.

But as its potential impact on New York City’s financial sector became clear, the state’s most powerful business groups moved quickly to oppose it. Among them were the Business Council and the Partnership for New York City, which represents major banks and investment firms such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The groups warned of the potentially serious impact the ban would have on a company’s ability to retain top employees in one of the world’s top financial capitals. They used their money and power to lobby the governor and push her to water down the bill. ensuring that this would not apply to the highest-earning workers.

Lawmakers met with the governor’s office several times this week to negotiate possible changes and exceptions. The governor’s team initially pushed to ban the deals for workers making less than $250,000 a year, while Senate Democrats first pushed for a $500,000 threshold before reducing it to $300,000, according to two people with knowledge of the negotiations.

The sides seemed unable to explain their disagreements over details such as how to count bonuses and stock options, both of which can make up a large portion of a Wall Street worker’s compensation.

Ms. Hochul has yet to take action on several other bills that lawmakers passed earlier this year.

It was still unclear whether the governor would sign a sweeping environmental measure aimed at reining in state spending on products that contribute to deforestation. Also in limbo was a transparency law that would have required limited liability companies to disclose their owners, information that would have become public in a searchable database.

Late Friday, Ms. Hochul signed a measure that will shift most provincial and municipal elections to even years, which she said would increase turnout and save taxpayer money. The legislation was celebrated by Democrats, who tend to do better in elections where voter turnout is higher. Republicans and some in the county government opposed the measure, saying it could lead to local issues being drowned out by national issues.