Russian President Vladimir Putin is "convinced" that his forces "doubling down" in their assault on Ukraine will enable them to progress, CIA director Bill Burns said Saturday, per AFP.
Between the lines: "He's in a frame of mind in which he doesn't believe he can afford to lose," said Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, at the FT Weekend Festival in D.C. ahead of Russia's annual Victory Day on Monday, which analysts warn could mark a pivotal moment in the invasion of Ukraine.
Sinn Féin is set to become the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time after a historic vote.
Why it matters: It's the first time that a party whose goal is to see a reunified Ireland has seen the largest number of seats at the Stormont assembly since Northern Ireland came into existence 101 years ago, the BBC notes.
The Taliban on Saturday issued new rules that require women to cover their faces in public, saying the ideal covering is the head-to-toe burqa, Reuters reports.
The big picture: The decree is the latest in a growing list of harsh restrictions the Taliban have placed on women in recent months amid fears the group is returning to the brutal grip it ruled with in the 1990s, when women's freedoms were severely restricted.
North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to AP.
Why it matters: The launch marks North Korea's 14th missile launch of 2022, coming just days after it tested another ballistic missile earlier this week.
Ukraine will only reenter peace talks with Russia if the Kremlin guarantees the restoration of preinvasion borders and returns thousands of Ukrainians who were forcefully evacuated to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday.
Why it matters: Zelensky left open the possibility of a peace settlement and said "not all the bridges are destroyed" between Russia and Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously promised to continue Russia's unprovoked invasion "until its full completion."
A new book offers a survey of what authors in China are writing, and it urges readers outside China to read this work and take it seriously.
Why it matters: "There is much to learn from Chinese writers who understand and illuminate the complex relationship between art and politics — one that is increasingly shaping Western artistic discourse," writes Megan Walsh, author of "The Subplot: What China is Reading and Why It Matters," published in February.
The big picture: Chelsea FC is owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, but he turned over "stewardship and care" of the club to its charitable foundation in February in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
President Joe Biden authorized an additional $150 million in military assistance to Ukraine on Friday, pulling from his dwindling drawdown authority, the State Department confirmed.
Driving the news: As Biden has nearly exhausted these funds, he also called on Congress to pass his $33 billion request for humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.
Displaced by war, separated from family and far from home, six students from Ukraine are competing in the world's largest science fair.
Details: This week, the students will participate virtually alongside more than 1,750 other finalists in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
Israel next week will approve the planning and building of 4,000 new housing units in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Ministry of Defense said on Friday.
Why it matters: The announcement comes as preparations are underway for President Biden’s visit to Israel, which is expected to take place in the last two weeks of June.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz should visit Kyiv on May 9 — the date of Russia's highly symbolic Victory Day holiday — as a show of solidarity with Ukraine.
Why it matters: Tensions between Ukraine and Europe's most powerful country are beginning to ease after a weeks-long diplomatic standoff, which was triggered by Zelensky's refusal to host German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Kyiv over his past support for rapprochement with Russia.
The 2022 Asian Games that were set to be held in Hangzhou, China, in September have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, the Olympic Council of Asia announced Friday.
Driving the news: China is currently experiencing its worst outbreak to date, largely driven by the omicron variant of COVID-19.
Ukraine's U.S. ambassador, Oksana Markarova, is setting a high bar for victory in her country's war: pushing all Russian troops from Ukrainian territory — including the Crimean Peninsula and Donbas regions claimed as their territory since 2014.
Why it matters: As the war drags into its 10th week, it’s a sign Ukraine is increasingly looking ahead and gaining confidence — which seemed absurd at the start of the war.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday doubled down on calls for an end to Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, calling it "senseless in its scope, ruthless in its dimensions and limitless in its potential for global harm."
Driving the news: The devastation has already had far-reaching consequences for global food security, said Guterres in remarks to the UN Security Council.
