The International Criminal Court sought arrest warrants against Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas' Yehia Sinwar,as it ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafahamid Israeli advances in the southern Gaza city,and Israeli officials claimed that cease-fire talks would resume next week.This comes as the US inched closer to a historic defense pact with Saudi Arabia,as it said it would withdraw its troops from Niger by September,a Paris court convicted three Syrian officials of war crimes,China held drills near Taiwan,and Seoul and Tokyo unveiled new sanctions over North Korea and Russia's alleged arms exchange.Meanwhile, Russia made advances in Kharkiv,as it amassed troops in the region of Kursk near Ukraine's border,and as reports emerged that Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin is prepared to end the war in Ukraine,and the man accused of shooting Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he wanted a change of policy on Ukraine.

US Pres. Joe Biden hosted his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto,France signaled that it's open to UAE investments,William Lai was sworn in as Taiwan's new president,and the Dominican Republic reelected Pres. Luis Abinader.This comes as the UK's Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer began campaigning for the upcoming election,former South African Pres. Jacob Zuma was barred from the nation's general election,and the lead candidate for Germany's AfD party stepped down.Meanwhile, Colombian Pres. Gustavo Petro ordered the opening of an embassy in the West Bank city of Ramallah,at least 150 Yale graduates staged a walkout in support of Palestine,and Ireland, Spain, and Norway said they would recognize a Palestinian state.In other news, a top EU official denied accusations that he had threatened Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze,the US announced visa restrictions for Georgia,Norway tightened its entry rules for Russian tourists,and Spain recalled its ambassador to Argentina.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she would vote for Donald Trump in this year's election,a report claimed that Biden is planning a potential closure of the nation's southern border,and SCOTUS upheld South Carolina's Republican-drawn congressional district map.This comes as Trump's defense rested its case in the former president's "hush money" trial,court filings revealed that the FBI was permitted to use "deadly force" during its raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence,and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty in the Arizona election case.Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee's headquarters were evacuated after receiving a suspicious package,two flags previously seen outside Justice Samuel Alito's home sparked controversy,and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown suggested that Biden fire the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's chair.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was allowed to appeal his extradition to the US again,Louisiana classified abortion pills as controlled substances,Kosovo considered legalizing same-sex unions,and a UK court ruled against a policy to give police more power to curb protests.

Texas' Uvalde settled with the families of the victims of the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting for $2M,two US missionaries were killed by gang violence in Haiti,and a Russian missile scientist was sentenced to 14 years on treason charges.

The EU's landmark AI rules were approved,and OpenAI pulled a Scarlett Johansson-like voice from its chatbot ChatGPT.

The US Dept. of Justice sued entertainment company Live Nation over alleged antitrust violations,Trump Media reported a $327M net loss in the last quarter,and France's public broadcasters went on strike against plans to merge their services.

A study found that Americans' daily cannabis use exceeds their daily drinking,researchers found microplastics in human and canine testicles,and East Africa's Djibouti released genetically modified mosquitos in an attempt to combat malaria.

A landslide in Papua New Guinea left hundreds buried,and a group of small island states won a UN climate case.

Norfolk Southern Railway agreed to a $310M payout for last year's train crash in Ohio,turbulence on a Singapore-bound flight killed a passenger,and nine people died after a stage collapsed at a Mexican election rally.

Australia and New Zealand sent evacuation flights to riot-hit New Caledonia,and Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service was launched in Indonesia.

The US National Collegiate Athletic Association agreed to share revenue with players.