Finland formally announced intentions to apply for NATO membership while Sweden's governing party publicly backed their country's bid despite threats from Russia andTurkey indicating they may block the nations from joining.Meanwhile, the president of the UAE passed away,Qatar's leader visited Iran,and the US denied supporting Taiwan independence.In other news, Marcos Jr. won the Philippines presidential election,Sri Lanka's PM resigned amidst violent protests,Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn in as South Korea's new president,andBeijing loyalist John Lee was elected as Hong Kong's next leader.In the UK, Queen Elizabeth II missed the opening of Parliament,Sinn Fin won Northern Ireland's assembly election,and the British foreign minister is reportedly considering scrapping parts of the Brexit Northern Ireland border deal.Meanwhile, dozens of new fines were issued over Partygate,and opposition leader Keir Starmer vowed to resign if fined.

Ukrainian forces have reportedly conducted successful counteroffensives around Kharkiv this week, and have recaptured a number of small villages, including six on Saturday. Russia, however, has reportedly made some gains in the Donbas region. Ukraine says Russian troops are retreating from the north, but intensifying attacks on the east. This comes as Moscow accused Ukraine of carrying out further attacks on Russian territory on Thursday, leading to one death and seven wounded. Meanwhile, Ukrainian gas provider GTSOU halted a key Russian gas transit to Europe on Wednesday, and the bodies of 44 civilians were reportedly found on Tuesday in the rubble of a building in Izyum that collapsed in March. On Monday, Russia celebrated Victory Day marking the defeat of the Nazis without the further escalation many Western analysts had predicted. Meanwhile, Western nations pledged further aid to Ukraine this week, with the EU on Friday committing another $521M, while the US is discussing a fresh package worth $40B.

Sen. Rand Paul blocked a $40B Ukraine aid package from quick passage,a Florida Judge blocked Gov. DeSantis' congressional map,and DeSantis was allegedly barred from speaking at a NYC museum.Meanwhile, the Jan. 6 committee subpoenaed five House Republicans,Biden approved the release of 23K Trump documents,and the former president received mixed results in the GOP primaries in West Virginia and Nebraska.In other news, the US House passed a resolution allowing staffers to unionize,Biden announced plans to slash internet prices for low-income Americans,and former Sec. of Defense Esper said Trump wanted to fire missiles at Mexican drug cartels.

In the US, Louisiana withdrew a bill to classify abortion as homicide,a bill to codify abortion into federal law failed in the Senate,and an anti-abortion nonprofit was set on fire.Meanwhile, a Roman Catholic Cardinal was arrested in Hong Kong,Lufthansa faced backlash after reportedly banning Jews from a flight,and, in Afghanistan, the Taliban ordered head-to-toe covering of women.

Former Honduran Pres. Hernndez pleaded not guilty to US drugs and firearms charges,a Haitian gang leader was indicted over alleged kidnapping,Ukraine announced its first Russian war crimes trial,and a public inquiry was launched into the death of a Black man in Scottish police custody.Meanwhile,10 people were killed in a mass shooting in Buffalo, NY,21 were injured in Milwaukee shootings,and 20 people were shot in Chicago.Elsewhere, a Palestinian-American journalist was killed in the West Bank,and more that 40 inmates were killed in an Ecuador prison riot.In other news, an Alabama manhunt ended in a missing prison guard's death and escaped prisoner's capture,Arizona executed its first prisoner in eight years,and a new report uncovered at least 500 deaths at residential schools for Native American children.

In the US, the stock market continued to slide,but a CPI report found inflation may show signs of easing.Meanwhile, a Hollywood lawyer was revealed to have paid off Hunter Biden's taxes,Trump Org. sold a $375M lease on the Trump International Hotel in DC,Nvidia settled a SEC case,and Peloton shares plunged after a $757M loss in Q1.Elsewhere, El Salvador's President unveiled the layout of his Bitcoin City,as the cryptocurrency crashed.

Elon Musk announced that his Twitter purchase is 'temporarily on hold,'just after saying he would lift the platform's Trump ban,while the SEC reportedly opened an investigation into the billionaire for delaying disclosure of a Twitter stock purchase.Meanwhile, a federal court reinstated Texas' social media censorship law.

North Korea declared COVID a national emergency,while Taiwan abandoned its 'zero-COVID' policy.Elsewhere, the US is facing a baby formula supply crisis,while the UK's NHS is facing a backlog crisis.

FIFA opened an investigation into an Ecuadorian player,while a Boehly-Led Group struck a deal to buy Chelsea FC.

A new report said the Earth has a 50% chance of breaching the 1.5C threshold of warming by 2026, while wildfires continued to smoulder across the southwest US.

Tesla halted production at its Shanghai plant because of COVID lockdown repercussions..