Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on Wednesday in the largest prisoner swap between the two countries since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion nearly two years ago, according to officials.
Driving the news: Kyiv said 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war were returned to Ukraine, while Moscow said more than 240 Russian military personnel were released in an exchange that was mediated in part by the United Arab Emirates.
A flurry of balloons from China have crossed the Taiwan Strait in the past week, passing over the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own, according to Taiwan's defense ministry.
Why it matters: The crossings have come just days before Taiwan is set to hold its presidential and parliamentary elections and amid near-daily violations of Taiwan's airspace by Chinese air forces.
More than 80 people were killed on Wednesday in two explosions near a ceremony honoring a top Iranian commander killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, Iranian state media reported, citing an emergency services official.
The big picture: No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosions, but Iranian officials said they were investigating the blasts as a terrorist attack. The attack comes as tensions grow in the region.
The Biden administration on Tuesday issued a strong condemnation of statements made by two senior Israeli ministers who called for pushing Palestinian civilians out of the Gaza Strip. "This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible," State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said.
Why it matters: It's the strongest public condemnation the Biden administration has voiced against Israeli government officials since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
Investigators probing Tuesday's fatal crash on a Tokyo runway between a Japan Airlines plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft are focusing on communications between air traffic control and the two planes, AP reports.
The big picture: All 379 passengers and crew of Japan Airlines flight 516 were able to escape the plane before it became engulfed in flames. The pilot of the coast guard aircraft, which exploded after the collision, sustained injuries but was rescued, while the five remaining crew members were killed.
Biotechnology company Thermo Fisher Scientific has halted sales of DNA collection kits to Tibet after criticism from rights groups and pressure from Congress, the company tells Axios.
Why it matters: Chinese police are reportedly building a massive DNA database of Tibetans, who live under the Chinese government's repressive policies.
Decisions made by foreign investors and byvoters in both Taiwan and the U.S. this year could affect Beijing's own calculus and regional stability.
Why it matters: China is starting 2024 with a weaker economy and facing geopolitical wild cards that have the world on edge. Both could jeopardize Chinese President Xi Jinping's expansive vision for the country.
Beijing has reportedly removed a Chinese official involved in overseeing the country's gaming sector a week after proposed rules sent gaming stocks plummeting.
Why it matters: The turmoil demonstrates the difficult balancing act regulators in China face as they seek to reform key sectors without further damaging an already weak economy.
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit western Japan on Monday, killing at least 84 people and triggering fires, power outages, demolishing buildings and forcing evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents along the coast.
The big picture: Rescue crews were still rushing to find additional survivors on Thursday as the three-day survival window following quakes closed earlier that day.
The Biden administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to permit Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire at the U.S. border with Mexico that Texas officials constructed to prevent migrant crossings.
The big picture: The Justice Department's filing of an emergency motion is the latest turn in a legal stoush between the Biden administration and officials in the Republican-led state, which follows an appeals court last month temporarily blocking the removal of the wire.
A senior White House official said Tuesday that several border crossings that were shut down so authorities could deal with an influx of migrants are reopening this week.
Why it matters: The closures, which caused headaches for locals who travel between both countries regularly, were expected to cost a significant amount of money in trade and sparked backlash against the Biden administration.
