The U.K. Ministry of Defence recently tested the DragonFire laser weapon at a facility in Scotland, destroying high-speed drones with its targeted energy technology.
Why it matters: Militaries have been working on directed energy for years, but it hasn't been widely adopted.
Xi Jinping is attempting to"construct an alternative world order" in which Beijing sits at the center and is propped up by fellow anti-democratic states, such as Russia and North Korea, according to the latest findings of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Why it matters: Such a friends-with-benefits network — as cutthroat as it may be — complicates the calculus of Washington and other capitals across the West.
Beijing's long-term plan transcends sectors, industries and borders.
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's impromptu role in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine thrusts into the mainstream what defense circles have been whispering about: He's a Trump 2.0 power player.
Why it matters: It was Driscoll who formally presented the 28-point peace plan to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky. Driscoll then held a flurry of meetings in Kyiv, joined the U.S. delegation in Geneva and jetted to Abu Dhabi to meet the Russians.
President Trump is flirting with one of the most toxic ideas in American politics — a new foreign military intervention — at one of the most precarious moments of his second term.
Why it matters: Trump's push toward regime change in Venezuela threatens to deepen a MAGA rift that detonated last week with the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
The Trump administration is increasing its icebreaking fleet in the Arctic, per a new report that warns other nations are expanding their "capabilities" in the resource-rich region — singling out China as a particular threat.
Why it matters: As the Arctic climate rapidly warms, China and Russia have been moving into the region — seeing the northern reaches as a resource-rich crossroads, and melting ice grants new travel and trade routes as well as opportunities for military basing, per Axios' Colin Demarest.
The Trump administration is raising national parks' prices and adding fees for international tourists from next year in an "America-first" initiative that'll see U.S. residents "continue to enjoy affordable pricing," the Interior Department announced Tuesday.
The big picture: The new fees that take effect from Jan. 1 follow a tumultuous year for the National Park Service after hundreds of workers were fired in the Trump administration's purge of federal employees, and Axios' Emily Peck reports international air travel has declined amid travelers saying they're put off by tariffs.
The ozone hole over the Antarctic in 2025 was the fifth smallest since 1992 — "the year a landmark international agreement to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals began to take effect," per a new NOAA-NASA report.
Why it matters: While the ozone hole varies in size from year to year, the report says this year's monitoring shows "controls on ozone-depleting chemical compounds established by the landmark Montreal Protocol and subsequent amendments are driving the gradual recovery of the ozone layer."
Brazil's Supreme Court ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving his 27-year prison sentence for plotting a military coup to overturn the country's 2022 election.
The big picture: Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes requested that his order be finalized, preventing Bolsonaro from filing any further appeals to overturn the ruling.
Why it matters: Trump initially set Thanksgiving as the deadline for getting Ukraine to sign on to his peace plan, but as the negotiations caught steam, he seems open to allowing more time for talks.
Chronic cannabis users suffering from cannabis hyperemesis syndrome can now be formally diagnosed.
Why it matters: The World Health Organization's recent move to formally name the condition — which includes symptoms such as nausea and vomiting — gives doctors the chance to track prevalence and get a better picture of adverse events.
The meeting between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) last week got heated when they discussed the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel, two U.S. officials and one source with knowledge of the situation told Axios.
Why it matters: With the war in Gaza over, Trump hoped his meeting with MBS would lead to a breakthrough toward Saudi-Israeli normalization.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to meet President Trump "as soon as possible" — possibly over Thanksgiving — to finalize a joint U.S.-Ukrainian agreement on the terms for ending the war, Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak told Axios.
Why it matters: U.S. and Ukrainian officials have agreed in principle on most aspects of the plan, which has been modified heavily from the initial 28-point U.S. proposal. But Zelensky wants to negotiate on the matter of territorial concessions with Trump himself, Yermak said.
Lukoil is Russia's second largest oil company, with global operations stretching from extraction fields in Iraq to gas stations in Pennsylvania.
It's also got a financial gun to its head, due to U.S. sanctions that are set to take effect in less than two weeks, prompting it to put its international operations up for sale.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is holding talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi after U.S. negotiators reached initial understandings with Ukraine on a draft peace plan, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge.
Why it matters: It's been a week of chaotic diplomacy since Axios revealed the plan last Tuesday, with Ukraine first alarmed by the U.S. plan and then optimistic about revisions secured during talks in Geneva.After reaching an "updated and refined peace framework" with Ukraine, the Trump administration is now pivoting to try to get Russia on board.
Zipline says it will receive up to $150 million from the U.S. State Department to expand drone deliveries of blood, vaccines and other medical supplies in five African countries.
Why it matters: The contract represents an early example of the Trump administration's new "America First" foreign assistance agenda, touted in July by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following its decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Russia launched a series of strikes on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, early Tuesday and killed at least two people, the city's mayor said.
The big picture: The bombardment on the 1,371th day of Putin's war on Ukraine comes as U.S. and Ukrainian officials report progress in Geneva talks on President Trump's plan for peace.
