The US White House approved a potential $440M arms sale to Taiwan,two Russian warships were detected near the Taiwanese coast,and Australia and the Solomon Islands reviewed their security pact.Meanwhile, the UN called for an arms embargo on Haiti,as the UN's General Assembly voted to create a unit to probe the fate of 130K people who have gone missing during Syria's war,and its Mission to Afghanistan reported over 1K civilian deaths since the Taliban's takeover.In other news, a shooting outside the US consulate in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah left two dead,and clashes in Sudan erupted on the eve of Eid al-Adha despite a cease-fire.

On Monday, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin made his first comments on Wagner PMC's rebellion, saying its organizers "betrayed their country."This came amid speculation that the criminal case against the paramilitary group's leader is ongoing, despite an agreement to drop the charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin,whose exile to Belarus caused concern among NATO members, with the alliance saying it had increased its defense preparedness.This followed Russian fighter jet exercises conducted over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday.On Wednesday, Russian Gen. Sergei Surovich was reportedly arrested in connection to the rebellion.Meanwhile, as the US allegedly considered sending cluster munitions to Kyiv,Ukraine rebuked Western nations on Friday, claiming that a lack of aid is hindering its counteroffensive.

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro was banned from running for office until 2030,Guatemala's leftist congressman Bernardo Arévalo advanced to a presidential runoff,Sierra Leone's Pres. Julius Maada Bio was sworn in for a second term,and after Greece's PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis won a second four-year term,the nation's former PM Aléxis Tsípras resigned as leader of the Syriza party.Meanwhile, Ethiopia applied to join BRICS,Egypt and India bolstered ties,Pakistan summoned the US embassy's deputy chief over a joint statement by US Pres. Joe Biden and Indian PM Narendra Modi,and Iran filed a case at the International Criminal Court against Canada.In other news, Switzerland claimed it's a "hotbed" for Russian and Chinese spies,the US considered new curbs on AI chip exports to China,and the Pentagon concluded that the suspected Chinese spy balloon that crossed the US earlier this year didn't collect information.In the UK, an inquiry found the nation's disbanded Special Demonstration Squad's tactics were "unjustified,"a court ruled against a plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda,and the nation's Privileges Committee accused several current and former ministers of attempting to undermine its Partygate probe.

A Senate report claimed the FBI and Homeland Security "dropped the ball" ahead of Jan. 6,Rudy Giuliani was reportedly interviewed by investigators working on the 2020 election interference probe,and SCOTUS denied state legislatures' control over elections, struck down Biden's student loan forgiveness plan,and ruled against affirmative action in higher education.Meanwhile, former Pres. Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke at a Moms For Liberty summit,Trump filed a defamation suit against columnist E. Jean Carroll,CNN released a tape of Trump appearing to discuss classified documents,and former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a $60M bribery scheme.In other news, a Reuters report found that at least 100 sitting members of Congress are descendants of slave owners,a House panel accused the Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Agency of facilitating censorship,and Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride detailed plans to run for a 2024 House seat.

A building society in the UK admitted to closing customers' accounts if they engage in "discriminatory" behavior,Kentucky and Tennessee blocked bans on transgender procedures for minors,a federal judge temporarily blocked Florida's drag show law,SCOTUS ruled that a Colorado-based web designer isn't required to provide services to same-sex weddings,and ruled in favor of a Christian postal worker that requested Sundays off,and Japan approved over-the-counter emergency contraceptive pills.Meanwhile, Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada claimed that Afghan women have been "saved from oppression" by the regime,anti-Muslim violence broke out in India over allegations of two men selling cow meat,and multiple countries condemned the burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden.

A BBC report found that pedophiles are using AI tools to sell photorealistic images of abuse,an officer who responded to the 2018 Parkland shooting was found not guilty of neglect,the Club Q shooter who killed five in Colorado was sentenced to life in prison,the death penalty trial of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter began,and Paris was rocked by protests after a cop killed a teen during a traffic stop.Meanwhile, Peruvian authorities said the nation's coca leaf cultivation reached a record high last year,a drug kingpin was fatally shot in Australia's Sydney,and the Honduran military seized the nation's prisons in a gang crackdown.In other news, Italian authorities said that a UK tourist defaced Rome's Colosseum.

US media agency Fox News named Jesse Watters as Tucker Carlson's replacement,Apple stocks closed above $3T for the first time ever,and Google announced plans to pull news from its products in Canada.

Reuters reported that the World Health Organization is readying to label Aspartame "possibly carcinogenic,"the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of malaria cases found in Florida and Texas,Dr. Anthony Fauci announced plans to join Georgetown University as a professor,and anonymous sources claimed that Indian manufacturer Marion Biotech used a toxic ingredient in its cough syrup.

A world energy report found that fossil fuels account for the majority of energy consumption,a report found that deforestation jumped by 10% last year,Canada surpassed its record for the most severe wildfire season,and Japan began its final checks on a system to release radioactive water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

South Koreans became younger as the nation adopted the international method of calculating age,the World Bank approved $700M for crisis-hit Sri Lanka,and Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund reached a $3B bailout deal.

US gymnast Simone Biles announced plans to start competing again,the Women's Tennis Association revealed a "pathway" to equal prize money,and a report alleged that English cricket is rife with racism and sexism.

Astronomers theorized how the planet 8 Ursar Minoris b escaped death,Virgin Galactic launched its first commercial space flight,and a study found that flies confuse blue objects for food.

Presumed human remains were recovered from the Titanic-bound Titan submarine wreckage.

A painting by Gustav Klimt sold for a record $108M,and a record-breaking Hajj pilgrimage started in Saudi Arabia..