The US alleged that Iran is helping Russia build a drone plant,as Iran reportedly presented its first hypersonic ballistic missile,South Korea and Japan scrambled their fighter jets amid a joint Chinese-Russian air patrol operation,and Colombia and the National Liberation Army signed a six-month ceasefire.Meanwhile, as heavy fighting continued in Khartoum,Sudan declared its UN envoy a "persona non grata,"and an Israel raid into Ramallah injured 35.

Amid an escalation in fighting throughout the week - including a Ukrainian assault on five areas in southern Donetsk on Mondayand neighboring Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday -multiple reports confirmed that Kyiv's long-awaited counteroffensive is firmly underway.Meanwhile, the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine collapsed on Tuesday,leaving tens of thousands of people faced with flooding,which killed at least eight.On Thursday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the flood-hit areas of Kherson and rebuked the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross over their lack of aid.On Friday, Ukraine claimed evidence that a "Russian sabotage group" blew up the dam, while Moscow maintains that Kyiv is at fault.

China's Defense Minister General Li Shangfu warned that a US-PRC conflict would be an "unbearable disaster,"senior American and Chinese officials held "candid and productive" talks,China's foreign ministry announced that Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas would visit China,Honduran Pres. Xiomara Castro visited Shanghai,and US Sec. of State Antony Blinken made a trip to Saudi Arabia.Meanwhile, US Pres. Joe Biden and British PM Rishi Sunak signed an economic partnership,the UK proposed new procurement laws,former UK PM Boris Johnson resigned as a Member of Parliament,and the EU agreed to reforms of its migration and asylum laws.In other news, a report alleged that Cuba has agreed to host a secret Chinese spy baseand, former FBI agent and convicted Soviet spy Robert Hanssen died in prison.

Amid growing speculation that former Pres. Donald Trump is the target of a criminal investigation into his handling of classified documents,his lawyers met with the Dept. of Justice on Monday,after which he was indicted on 37 federal counts on Friday.Meanwhile, chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer reversed plans to hold the FBI in contempt,and a businessman linked to the impeachment of Texas AG Ken Paxton was arrested.In other news, former VP Mike Pence announced his 2024 GOP presidential campaign,as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum entered the race,voting in the House was postponed amid GOP tension,SCOTUS ordered Alabama to redraw its congressional districts,and funding was approved for Atlanta's controversial cop training center.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a constitutional amendment to implement four gun control measures,Oklahoma approved the US' first publicly funded religious school,a US advocacy group declared a state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community in the nation,and a Japanese court ruled that the nation's same-sex union ban is at odds with the nation's constitution.Meanwhile, US whistleblower Edward Snowden warned of mass surveillance,a UK court rejected WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition appeal,the health of the detained son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi deteriorated amid his hunger strike,and China proposed new rules to regulate wireless file-sharing functions,while a former ByteDance executive claimed China spied on Hong Kong activists using TikTok.

A knifeman injured several people in France,a shooting in Virginia killed two and injured five,a panel ruled that the judge who oversaw the sentencing of the 2018 Parkland shooter should be reprimanded,the mother of a child who shot his teacher faced federal gun charges,an Australian mother convicted of killing her children was pardoned,and Canada ruled that a 2020 attack inspired by the online "incel" movement was an act of terrorism.Meanwhile, a report alleged that the New York Police Dept. is still making illegal stops,and an investigation claimed that Instagram's algorithm promotes pedophile networks.

CNN's CEO Chris Licht was let go,Joe Benarroch joined Twitter's business operations,Apple launched its first augmented reality headset,Microsoft agreed to pay $20M for illegally storing children's data,and New York City sued Kia and Hyundai over claims that their cars are too easy to steal.

The World Bank said its new head Ajay Banga would start a global tour next week,US weekly jobless claims hit their highest level since October 2021,the Reserve Bank of Australia raised interest rates by 0.25%,and Turkey named ex-Goldman Sachs banker Hafize Erkan as chief of its central bank.Meanwhile, the US Securities and Exchange Commission sued Coinbaseand Binance,which then halted its US dollar deposits.

A study found that an mRNA vaccine reduces the spread of melanoma by 65%,an FDA panel backed Biogen's Alzheimer's drug Leqembi,the UK announced plans to launch a pilot project to give Britons access to the weight loss drug Wegovy,and research showed that the common energy drink ingredient taurine may slow aging.Meanwhile, drugmaker Merck & Co. sued the US government for allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices,and a study claimed that the UK's COVID lockdown costs far outweighed their benefits.In other news, Pope Francis successfully underwent abdominal surgery.

The US National Oceanic and Atmosphere Admin. confirmed that El Niño is back,Amnesty International called for global action to address Pakistan's heatwaves,and Canada's wildfires placed tens of millions under air quality alerts.Meanwhile, Nepal recorded one of its deadliest Mount Everest climbing seasons.

Britain confirmed plans to host the first global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) safety,and the EU urged tech companies to fight against AI-generated content.Meanwhile, a Costa Rican zoo recorded a crocodile "virgin birth" for the first time.

Saudi-backed LIV Golf agreed to merge with PGA Tour.

A whistleblower alleged that the US has a secret UFO retrieval program..