North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Saturday was meant to showcase the country's efforts to strengthen its capacity for "fatal nuclear counterattack," Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency said in a statement Sunday.
Driving the news: The agency added that the launch was organized "suddenly" without prior notice and at the direct order North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The U.S.' declaration that it has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity during the war in Ukraine is an attempt to "demonize Russia," Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the United States, told reporters Saturday.
Driving the news: Vice President Kamala Harris made the announcement about the administration's formal determination at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, just days ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Palestinian Authority agreed to suspend its efforts to push for a UN Security Council vote on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank after U.S. pressure and mediation, Israeli and U.S. officials said.
Why it matters: It's a diplomatic achievement for the Biden administration, which was trying to avoid a situation in which it had to decide whether to use its veto to support Israel, which it has repeatedly done in the past.
The U.S. should designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism and begin training Ukrainian pilots on the use of F-16 fighter jets, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told ABC's "This Week" in an interview that aired Sunday.
Why it matters: Graham's view clashes with that of the Biden administration, which has consistently opposed naming Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, citing unintended drawbacks that would accompany the decision.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken is trying to broker a deal with Israel and the Palestinian Authority that would prevent a vote at the UN Security Council on a resolution against the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to two sources briefed on the issue.
Why it matters: If the resolution moves forward and passes, it will likely force the U.S. to decide whether to use its veto to support Israel, which it has repeatedly done in the past.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Saturday met with Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the State Department said on Saturday.
Why it matters: It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two diplomats since the U.S. shot down a Chinese government surveillance balloon flying in U.S. airspace earlier this month, heightening tensions between the two powers.
Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, said earlier this week that it is predicting that the prices of staple items will continue to rise this year.
The big picture: Following more than a year of price increases, consumer giants continue to warn about more hikes to come as households struggle to buy groceries.
The big picture: The intelligence community has had no indication that the three unidentified objects — which were shot down after the downing of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon — were tied to external espionage efforts.
Six people were fatally shot Friday in the rural Mississippi town of Arkabutla and a suspect has been taken into custody, according to local authorities.
Driving the news: Police have arrested and charged 52-year-old Richard Dale Crum of Arkabutla with first-degree murder "in connection with this case," the local sheriff's office said in a statement.
MUNICH, Germany — The Biden administration has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity during the war in Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said in her speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Driving the news: The Biden administration has already accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine. But it's the first time the U.S. has formally concluded that Russian forces are committing crimes against humanity. Secretary of State Tony Blinken said the U.S. reserves such "determinations for the most egregious crimes."
MUNICH, Germany — Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, called the U.S. reaction to the balloon incident "absurd and hysterical" in his remarks at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Why it matters: The incident, which involved the U.S. shooting down what officials described as a Chinese government surveillance balloon flying in U.S. airspace, heightened tensions between the two powers and forced Secretary of State Tony Blinken to postpone his planned trip to Beijing.
