Finland formally joined NATO,a report said that Saudi envoys are planning to negotiate a ceasefire in Yemen,the US National Security Council blamed the botched US withdrawal from Afghanistan on the Trump admin.,the US flew nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean peninsulaamid joint drills with South Korea that the North warned could push tensions to the "brink of nuclear war,"China launched military drills around Taiwan,and thousands fled to Thailand amid renewed fighting in Myanmar.Meanwhile, Israeli police raided Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque twice,Israel struck Gaza and South Lebanon following rockets fired from Lebanon,Syrian state media reported that an Israeli strike killed two civilians,the US military claimed it killed a top Islamic State (IS) leader in Syria,and the Taliban killed six IS members in Afghanistan.

On Monday, Russian officials arrested St. Petersburg resident, Darya Trepova, wanted in connection to a blast at a cafe that killed a prominent Russian military blogger,and charged her with terrorism on Tuesday.On Wednesday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Poland amid farmers' concerns that the lifting of tariffs on Ukrainian grain has flooded the market and driven down the prices of Polish grain.This coincided with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency traveling to Russia to negotiate the implementation of a safe zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.Meanwhile, classified documents detailing NATO and US plans to prepare Ukraine's military ahead of a spring counteroffensive were leaked online,followed by a second batch that surfaced on Friday, revealing confidential information on Ukraine and other regions of US interest, including China and the Middle East.This came as a Russian defector allegedly with extensive knowledge of Pres. Vladimir Putin's inner circle gave a series of interviews to the UK-based investigative group Dossier Center.

Pakistan's top court set the Punjab provincial election for May 14,Foxconn founder Terry Gou announced plans to run for Taiwan's presidency,US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Taiwanese Pres. Tsai Ing-wen,France’s Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with China's Xi Jinping,with the two striking multiple cooperation deals,and the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in China.Meanwhile, a US report claimed that the Chinese balloon shot down in February collected real-time intelligence,Australia banned Chinese-owned TikTok from government devices,and the US, South Korea, and Japan expressed concern over North Korea's cyber activities.In other news, Scotland's ex-PM Nicola Sturgeon's husband was arrested,reports revealed that UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman claimed £25K to pay household bills over five years,and Kosovo's ex-Pres. Hashim Thaci pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of war crimes.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced his presidential run for 2024,Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed plans to challenge Pres. Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic nomination,Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis picked a finance director for his prospective presidential campaign,Brandon Johnson won the Chicago mayor's race,Wisconsin voted to elect the newest members of the state Supreme Court,which saw Democrat-backed Janet Protasiewicz win,and North Carolina Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham switched parties, giving Republicans a supermajority in the state House.Meanwhile, former Pres. Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records,a ProPublica report claimed that SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose decades of luxury trips,the Tennessee GOP-led House expelled two Democratic members,Florida passed a bill to eliminate the requirement of a permit to carry a concealed gun,and NPR criticized Twitter for labeling it "state-affiliated media..

An attack on a kindergarten left four children dead in Brazil,Cash App founder Bob Lee was killed in a San Francisco stabbing,and a US panel voted to expand the conditions for compassionate release for prisoners.

Amnesty alleged that El Salvador is committing human rights abuses in its war against gangs,a UN-backed panel of investigators accused South Sudanese officials of human rights abuses,and Malaysia's parliament moved to end its mandatory death penalty.Meanwhile, the UK leased a barge to house around 500 asylum seekers,a UK regulator fined TikTok £12.7M over concerns about children's data privacy,a report alleged that Tesla staff distributed sensitive footage of customers recorded by their cars,and Twitter was accused of censoring critics of India's PM Narendra Modi.In the US, Kansas banned transgender athletes from women’s sports,SCOTUS allowed a 12-year-old transgender athlete in West Virginia to compete on a girl's sports team,a judge ruled that the Food and Drug Admin. must withdraw its approval of the abortion pill mifepristone,and Idaho passed a law restricting travel for out-of-state abortions.

The US market added 236K jobs in March,the US Internal Revenue Services announced plans to hire 30K new employees under a new $80B plan,the Asian Development Bank predicted that Asia is set for strong growth this year,and Germany's industrial production rose more than expected in February.Meanwhile, oil prices surged after OPEC+ announced a surprise round of output cuts,Iraq signed an internal deal to resume oil exports through Turkey,and demonstrators in France stormed Paris' BlackRock investment building amid ongoing protests over Macron's pension reforms.

The World Health Organization found that one in six people experience infertility,the US announced plans to roll out a new "National Cancer Plan,"and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory about the Marburg virus outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania.

Spain's Catalonia was plagued by wildfires amid its worst reported drought in decades.

Ultimate Fighting Championship owner Endeavor Group announced plans to merge with World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.,McDonald's temporarily closed its US offices ahead of its planned layoffs,Twitter removed its verification check mark for The New York Times,DeSantis requested an investigation into Disney's special district,and Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $8.9B to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming its baby powder caused cancer.

NASA named four new astronauts - including its first woman and Black man - for a mission to the Moon.

A massive fire at a clothing market in Bangladesh destroyed at least 3K shops..