Axios

The official death toll in Myanmar's Rahkine state from Cyclone Mocha climbed to at least 145 on Friday, state media reported, though aid groups fear it could continue to rise as they gain access to some of the most-affected areas.

The big picture: It's been difficult to assess the full extent of the devastation in Myanmar due to limited communication in the most-affected areas and the military government's tight control over movement and damage in the country. It's also taken days for much-needed aid to get to some hard-hit areas.

President Biden on Friday told his fellow leaders at the G7 summit that the U.S. will support a joint plan to train Ukrainian pilots on advanced fighter jets, including U.S.-made F-16s, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Axios.

Driving the news: After the training commences, the U.S. and its allies "will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them," the U.S. official said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday to attend the Arab League summit, before an expected appearance at the G7 summit in Japan this weekend.

The big picture: Zelensky's arrival in Jeddah is his latest foreign trip as he seeks to secure weapons and other aid to replenish his country's depleted stockpile. He had just finished a three-day European tour.

The Pentagon overcounted the value of weapons and other military aid it sent to Ukraine by "at least $3 billion," Defense Department officials said Thursday.

Why it matters: The accounting error may lead to "more weapons being sent to Kyiv for its defense against Russian forces," per Reuters, which first reported the news. The news comes as Ukrainian troops prepare to launch a major counteroffensive.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Saudi Arabia Thursday to attend an Arab League summit, 12 years after he was shunned for ordering a violent crackdown that left entire cities destroyed and tens of thousands of civilians dead.

The big picture: Assad didn't work his way back into the fold through meaningful concessions or reforms. He's still in power and back at the table due to a decade of determined brutality and shifting regional winds.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed into law Wednesday a bill banning TikTok statewide, effective Jan. 1, 2024.

Why it matters: A growing number of Republican-led states have issued TikTok bans on government-issued devices after the FBI warned of possible threats to national security posed by the Chinese-owned social media platform, but Montana is the first state to impose a total ban on the app.

China on Thursday kicked off a summit with five Central Asian countries in a move to deepen its engagement with one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the world.

Why it matters: Central Asia, which straddles China's northwestern frontier and Eastern Europe, has long been considered a strategically important place for centuries. A key component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it serves as a bridge between China and much of Eurasia.

The Senate this week confirmed Bradley N. Garcia to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, making him the first Latino nominee confirmed to that influential circuit.

The big picture: Garcia's appointment is part of a broad push by the Biden administration to appoint more Latinos to the courts. The D.C. court hears major national cases and is often a pipeline to the Supreme Court.

Experts say Ecuador could face deep political instability after conservative President Guillermo Lasso dissolved Congress yesterday as he faced the final phase of impeachment proceedings.

Driving the news: Lasso is accused of embezzlement, which he strongly denies.