Israel launched a counterstrike on Iran,after saying it had no choice but to retaliate for last Saturday's attack,Joe Biden suggested US military support for Israel will prevent Iranian escalation,and Germany's foreign minister urged prudence to avoid escalation in the Middle East.Meanwhile, Antony Blinken said the US cannot support a major military operation in Rafah,Qatar said it's re-evaluating its role as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas negotiations,two Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank,and the UN accused Israel of continuing to impose unlawful restrictions on humanitarian aid.Elsewhere, Russia's foreign minister signaled Moscow's intent to capture Kharkiv,a Polish man was arrested over an alleged plot to assassinate Volodomyr Zelenskyy,Zelenskyy decried Ukraine's lack of missile defenses,Russia claimed that Ukraine would use an Olympic truce to regroup militarily, and a Ukrainian commander said the eastern front has deteriorated significantly.This comes as Europe committed to increasing aid for Sudan,protesters demanded US troops withdraw from Niger,and Azerbaijan asked the UN's top court to throw out Armenia's ethnic cleansing case.

Voting began in India's electionas Narendra Modi's party released its election manifesto,the ruling HDZ party won the most seats in Croatia's election,the Solomon Islands held elections,and Trudeau's government pitched young voters on a tax hike for the wealthy.This comes as the US vetoed a UN vote on granting full membership to Palestine,the Philippines said deepening ties with the US and Japan is a sovereign choice,Washington imposed sanctions on Iran's drone program,and the US said it would reimpose oil sanctions on Venezuela.Meanwhile, Ecuador held a referendum on several security measures,Mexico thanked Venezuela and Honduras for protesting an Ecuador embassy police raid,German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping in Beijing,and the defense chiefs of China and the US held their first talks in 18 months.In other news, Peter Murrell was charged with embezzlement in an SNP finance probe,and a UK Tory MP was suspended over alleged misuse of campaign funds.

The US House approved a $61B Ukraine aid package- part of a $95B foreign aid bill proposed by House Speaker Mike Johnson -the US resumed deportation of Haitian migrants,Biden suggested cannibals ate his uncle,the Biden admin was sued for allegedly destroying public records,and the US Senate ended Alejandro Mayorkas impeachment.Meanwhile, US news organizations urged Biden and Trump to debate,documents showed Biden used donor funds for legal fees,SCOTUS heard arguments in the Jan. 6 case,the full jury for Trump's hush money trial was seated,and a man died after setting himself on fire outside the courthouse.

Over 100 Columbia University students were arrested over a Gaza protest,the university's president testified about on-campus antisemitism,as ADL reported a 140% increase in antisemitic incidents in 2023,Katherine Maher faced criticism for left-wing tweets,and an NPR editor resigned after going public with allegations of left-leaning bias.Meanwhile, SCOTUS allowed a ban on gender transitions for minors in Idaho,it rejected a BLM activist's First Amendment appeal,and a federal court overturned West Virginia's transgender sports ban.Elsewhere, Belgium's top court reinstated a Conservative conference after it was shut down,a Muslim pupil lost a UK court bid to overturn a school's prayer ban,a commission recommended that Germany legalize abortions in the first 12 weeks,and protesters demonstrated against Georgia's foreign influence law..

Nine people were charged in Canada's largest gold heist,Hugh Grant settled a privacy case against the Sun,a former Australian government staffer was found liable for rape,police identified the Sydney mall stabbing attacker,and the city experienced another stabbing at a church.

Meta released its latest AI model,and a report found that a quarter of UK children under seven own a smartphone.

China's GDP reportedly grew 5.3% in Q1 2024.

Tesla pushed for a $56B pay deal for Elon Musk,the company announced plans to lay off over 10% of its staff,Google fired 28 workers for protesting a contract with Israel,a Boeing whistleblower testified before the US Senate,and Chinese ChatGPT rival Ernie Bot claimed to have over 200M users.

Copenhagen's old stock exchange caught fire,and the FBI reportedly opened a criminal probe into the Baltimore bridge collapse.

A study claimed climate change could cost the world $38T every year,Dubai was flooded by torrential rainfall,and a report claimed that a fourth global mass coral bleaching event is underway.

The NBA banned Jontay Porter for life over a gambling scandal.