The U.K.'s burgeoning political crisis took several unexpected turns on Wednesday as Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned and several senior Conservatives called on Prime Minister Liz Truss to step down after six disastrous weeks in office.
What they're saying: "This whole affair is inexcusable. It is a pitiful reflection on the Conservative parliamentary party on every level, and it reflects very badly obviously on the government of the day," senior Conservative MP Charles Walker told the BBC.
Five Russian nationals and two oil traders were charged Wednesday over an alleged money laundering and global sanctions evasion scheme, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Driving the news: A 12-count indictment was unsealed in a New York federal court, accusing the defendants of obtaining military technology from U.S. companies, smuggling millions of barrels of oil and laundering tens of millions of dollars for Russian oligarchs and other sanctioned entities, per the DOJ.
The World Health Organization will temporarily switch from a two-dose cholera vaccine regimen to a one-dose approach due to an "unprecedented rise in cholera outbreaks worldwide" and a shortage in vaccine supply, the global health body said Wednesday.
Driving the news: Twenty-nine countries including Haiti, Syria, Lebanon and Malawi have reported outbreaks so far this year. Fewer than 20 had outbreaks on average in the previous five years, the WHO said.
With less than two weeks before Israel's fifth election in four years, the polls show former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just shy of a majority — meaning his hopes of returning to power hinge on the final push to rally his base.
Why it matters: As opposition leader, Netanyahu is campaigning while on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. If his right-wing bloc gets 61 seats in the Knesset, he may proceed with legislative efforts to suspend his trial.
A senior Hamas official visited Syria today for the first time since the organization moved its political headquarters from Damascus in early 2012 due to the country's civil war.
Why it matters: The visit is part of an effort by the Palestinian militant and political organization, which controls the Gaza Strip, to mend its decade-old rift with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Saudi Arabia privately pressed several Arab countries to issue statements supporting the recent OPEC+ decision to cut oil production, according to a former U.S. official and an Arab official.
Why it matters: The goal of the Saudi push was likely to avoid being isolated by the U.S. and show that the decision, which angered the Biden administration, was a collective decision by all Arab nations in OPEC+.
The State Department privately apologized to Israel over the mention of a Palestinian trans woman who committed suicide in the preamble of a new report about human trafficking, according to Israeli officials and Israeli Foreign Ministry documents obtained by Axios.
Driving the news: The report, published in July, said Israel did not recognize the woman as a trafficking victim, which would have given her a work permit. But Israeli officials say she was in the process of gaining asylum at the time of her death.
The Ukrainian government sent Israel on Tuesday an official request for air defense systems that will allow it to counter any Iranian ballistic missiles and Iranian attack drones used by Russia in Ukraine, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios.
Driving the news: The letter says Russia has switched to a new method of attacks against Ukraine, including using Iranian-made drones against cities and civilian infrastructure.
Why it matters: The move gives Russia greater control over the territories — Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk. None of them are entirely controlled by Russian forces.
Driving the news: "The enemy continually attempts to attack the positions of Russian troops" in the areas of Kupiansk and Lyman in the east and Mykolaiv-Krivyi Rih in the south, Gen. Sergei Surovikin told the state-owned Rossiya 24 television news channel, per a Reuters translation.
Texas public school students are being sent home with DNA kits, collections from which would help identify their bodies in emergency situations, per NBC.
Driving the news: All K-6 students who are eligible will be provided with a kit that can record an ink-free fingerprint and a physical description, along with a saliva sample on a DNA identification card, but parents will not be mandated to use them.
The State Department confirmed Tuesday that American citizen Saad Ibrahim Almadi remains imprisoned in Saudi Arabia after he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for posting tweets critical of the Saudi government.
The big picture: The confirmation comes after Almadi's son publicly criticized the State Department for neglecting his 72-year-old father's case, as was first reported by the Washington Post.
