A US soldier was detained after crossing North Korea's demilitarized zone,an Israeli air strike injured two Syrian soldiers,and Israeli forces killed a Palestinian in the West Bank.

The Kerch Bridge connecting Russia to Crimea was attacked on Monday, with Ukraine's Security Service appearing to claim responsibility.This saw Russia launch a series of retaliatory missiles on Ukraine's port city of Odesa from Tuesdaythrough Thursday.The combat continued on Saturday as Ukraine reportedly launched drones in central Crimea, prompting authorities to evacuate residents.On Wednesday, BRICS summit host South Africa confirmed that Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin won't attend next month's meeting.Meanwhile, both Ukraine and Russia took steps to punish dissenters this week, with Kyiv firing its ambassador to Britain and Moscow arresting a former member of its security service.

China criticized Taiwanese VP William Lai's planned trip to the US,former US Sec. of State Henry Kissinger met with China's Xi Jinping,Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan kicked off his Gulf tour,Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad held talks in Damascus,and Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu finalized plans to visit Turkey just days apart.Meanwhile, the UK's parliament passed its Illegal Migration Bill,British PM Rishi Sunak narrowly avoided a wipeout in the nation's by-elections,Thai election winner Pita Limjaroenrat was blocked from the prime ministerial race,Bangladesh's opposition protested the death of an activist,and Panama's former Pres. Ricardo Martinelli was sentenced to 10 years for money laundering.Elsewhere, Israel eased travel restrictions for Palestinian-Americans,and recognized Western Sahara as part of Morocco,and as protesters in Iraq set fire to the Swedish embassy and expelled its ambassador,Sweden relocated its embassy operations from Baghdad to Stockholm.

Recent polling gave Pres. Joe Biden a slight lead in the 2024 presidential race,Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's campaign reportedly fired around 10 staffers,Sen. Joe Manchin sparked speculation of a presidential bid,and Senate Democrats pushed for an ethics code for SCOTUS.Meanwhile, former Pres. Donald Trump said he expects an indictment in the Jan. 6 probe,as a date was scheduled for his classified documents trial,the Georgia Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attempt to block the 2020 election probe,a judge denied the former president's bid to move the New York hush money case to federal court,and 16 people were charged in Michigan over an alleged Trump electors scheme.In other news, two IRS whistleblowers testified about alleged meddling in the Hunter Biden probe,presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was criticized for suggesting COVID is "ethnically targeted,"as he testified before a House committee over allegations of antisemitism,and Biden named CIA Director William Burns as a member of his cabinet.

Alabama resumed the use of the death penalty,Country Music Television pulled a controversial Jason Aldean music video.the UN accused Tunisia of abandoning Black refugees,the nonprofit Reframing Race initiative recommended avoiding phrases that link negativity with blackness,and Swiss watchmaker Swatch sued Malaysia for seizing 172 "Pride collection" watches.Elsewhere, Apple warned against the UK's Investigatory Powers Act update,the BBC amended its story on Nigel Farage's Coutt's account closure,a British mother who was jailed over an illegal abortion was freed,and a British man in Cyprus was convicted of manslaughter for killing his terminally ill wife.

A gunman in New Zealand's Aukland killed two,a video depicting the mistreatment of two women in India's Manipur sparked outrage,former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was accused of leaking personal writings and witness tampering,and Honduras revealed plans to build an island prison colony.

Tesla's directors agreed to settle an overcompensation suit,Elon Musk revealed that Twitter's ad revenue is down 50% since his takeover,estimates showed that Threads has experienced a 70% drop in users,Netflix gained 5.9M subscribers after its password crackdown,and chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor delayed production at its Arizona plant.Meanwhile, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson landed his first ad deal,Stanford Pres. Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced plans to resign,McDonald's staff in the UK accused the chain of harassment,Hollywood strikers accused NBCUniversal of blocking a picket area,and a top US college ended its legacy admissions.

Global debt talks dominated the G20 meeting in India,China's economy grew more slowly than expected in Q2,and the International Monetary Fund warned that Pakistan's economic challenges pose "exceptionally high" risks.

As global heatwaves sparked record temperatures,NASA warned that July is likely to be the world's hottest month on record,US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pitched planting 1T trees to fight climate change,US climate envoy John Kerry met with his Chinese counterpart,and a tornado damaged Pfizer's plant in North Carolina.Meanwhile, floods in South Korea killed at least 40,Amsterdam banned cruise ships,and a UK study found that eating less meat reduces greenhouse emissions.

The US Food and Drug Admin. approved an antibody to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus,Johnson & Johnson agreed to allow global access to its tuberculosis drug,and a trial showed Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's drug significantly slows cognitive decline.

The UN Security Council held its first meeting on the risks of artificial intelligence (AI),over 1.3K experts signed an open letter saying AI is "not a threat to humanity,"and seven leading tech firms voluntarily agreed to a set of AI safeguards brokered by the White House.Meanwhile, Google reportedly tested a new AI tool for journalists,thousands of authors urged AI companies not to use their work without permission,and Amazon said it would offer its new "pay-by-palm" at Whole Foods.In other news, NASA spotted 37 space boulders from a deflected asteroid.

Australia's Victoria pulled out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.