The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said its forces had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian salt-mining town of Soledar — a claim Ukraine denied, saying the fighting was ongoing.
Why it matters: Military analysts say that capturing Soledar would not immediately change the course of the war in eastern Ukraine, but would represent a symbolic victory for Russia, which has suffered a series of setbacks over the last few months.
India is set to surpass China as the world's most populous country sometime this year, the UN projects.
Why it matters: The milestone could have major economic and societal implications for both countries — and may eventually influence trade flows and upend the global balance of power.
New announcements on deeper military cooperation between the U.S. and Japan — paired with Tokyo's drive to strengthen its own defense capabilities — confirm that the officially pacifist nation is a growing military power in East Asia. The moves could also give the U.S. new tools to defend against a potential invasion of Taiwan.
Why it matters: Japan was already arguably America's most powerful ally in Asia. Now spurred on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, unprecedented missile launches from North Korea, and Chinese aggression toward Taiwan, Japan is doubling down on the U.S. alliance and plans to double its own defense spending by 2027.
Tesla has made significant cuts to the prices of new electric vehicle models in the U.S., according to listings on its website.
Driving the news: Elon Musk's firm has cut the price of its bestselling Model Y and Model 3 vehicles, along with its Model X sport utility vehicles and Model S luxury sedans.
The United Arab Emirates announced Thursday that the CEO of one of the world's biggest oil firms will lead the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai later this year.
Why it matters: The appointment of UAE climate envoy Sultan al-Jaber, who leads the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil, as COP28 president was met with outrage from climate activists — many of whom were already concerned that the UAE, one of the world's largest oil and gas producers, was hosting the summit.
Israeli Supreme Court President Esther Hayut warned on Thursday that the Netanyahu government’s plan to overhaul Israel's judicial system is aimed at “crushing” the independent judiciary and, if implemented, will “deal a fatal blow” to the country's democracy.
Why it matters: Such a strongly-worded speech by Israel's top judge on government plans is unprecedented. It also echoes the worries of many that the heightened tensions over the plan could tear Israeli society apart.
All countries need new social and economic policies to prepare for the reality of an aging world now, the United Nations said in a new report on Thursday.
Why it matters: The world's population is aging but the effects haven't been felt equally — for example, some older people experience financial security while others live in poverty. To reduce the gaping disparities, countries need to invest in people throughout their life, the report said.
A bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation is traveling this week to the Middle East for a series of visits to the countries that were part of the peace and normalization agreements brokered by the Trump administration in 2020, according to Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) who are leading the delegation.
The big picture: The delegation is made up of lawmakers who are part of the Abraham Accords Caucus, which was formed to support the Abraham Accords and try to expand it to include more countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Supporters of teaching about race and diversity in schools appear to be better prepared this year to fight the expanding conservative broadside on critical race theory.
The big picture: The battle against critical race theory, often conflated with teachings on systemic racism, is not letting up in public schools across the country.
Taylor Dudley, a U.S. Navy veteran was released from Russian custody on Thursday after Russian border police arrested him in April 2022, according to former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Why it matters: Dudley was released through negotiations led by Richardson, who has worked to free Americans wrongfully held in Russia and around the world.
Former President Donald Trump in 2017 privately discussed the possibility conducting a nuclear strike on North Korea and diverting the blame to another country, according to a newly published afterword of a book on the Trump administration, NBC News reported.
Driving the news: The paperback version of "Donald Trump v. the United States," by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt, which will be published next Tuesday, offers more details about the period of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was expected to arrive in Kyiv Thursday to visit employees, drivers, and government and relief agency partners.
The big picture: During the war, the company doubled its service footprint from nine cities to 18. Uber has 25,000 drivers currently working in Ukraine.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it traced the mass system outage that temporarily grounded all domestic flight departures earlier that day to a "damaged database file."
Driving the news: The agency added that there was "no evidence of a cyber attack" and that it is "continuing a thorough review to determine the root cause," per a statement.
