An airbase project sparked speculation that the US may hold nuclear weapons on UK soil,Washington turned to "autonomous systems" to counter Beijingand approved military aid to Taiwan,and the US, Japan, and South Korea held sea exercises.In other news, Gabon's military staged a coupand appointed the head of its Republican Guard as interim leader,an Israeli soldier was killed in a Palestinian car-ramming attack,Syria's Aleppo airport was shut down following an Israeli air attack,and Iraq executed three over a 2016 Islamic State bombing.Meanwhile, the Islamic State reportedly doubled its territory in Mali in less than a year,Russia put its advanced Sarmat intercontinental missile system on "combat duty,"a US cable suggested that the "replica" guns China sent to the Solomon Islands last year were likely real,and a study found that nuclear weapons tests from the mid-1900s caused radioactivity in Europe's wild boars.

On Monday, Ukraine announced advances in the nation's south, with Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar claiming that the Zaporizhzhia village of Robotyne was completely liberated.These efforts continued through the week, with Ukraine launching a wave of drone attacks across Russia on Wednesday.Kyiv's claims were echoed by the US, which noted on Friday that Ukraine had made "notable progress."Despite these claims of success, Ukraine's military continued to be marred by allegations of corruption, as reports said its defense minister was expected to step down.On Tuesday, the late Wagner paramilitary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was buried in St. Petersburg.Amid an ongoing probe into his death, Russian investigators revealed that the possibility that his plane was deliberately downed hasn't yet been ruled out.Meanwhile, according to an upcoming book by Franklin Foer, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy "bombed" his first meeting with US Pres. Joe Biden.

Officials reported that China's Xi Jinping might miss the upcoming G20 summit,US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited China,and Meta deleted over 7.7K accounts linked to an alleged PRC influence campaign.Meanwhile, Taiwan's Foxconn founder Terry Gou announced his presidential bid,Mexico's presidential hopeful Senator Xochitl Galvez was endorsed by the nation's former ruling party,and Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush was dismissed after meeting with her Israeli counterpart.In other news, Russia vetoed a UN resolution to extend sanctions on Mali,the Vatican clarified Pope Francis's recent remarks about Russia's imperialist past,and US detainee Paul Whelan was seen for the first time in three years in a Russian video.Elsewhere, former Pakistani PM Imran Khan's custody was extended by two weeks,protests in Syria continued into their second week,the US said it might mediate the Israel-Lebanon border dispute,and Australia set a date for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

Former Pres. Donald Trump's campaign claimed to have raised $7.1M in donations since he was arrested,New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged that Trump inflated his net worth,Trump pleaded not guilty in the Georgia election case,as his federal Jan. 6 trial was scheduled for March,and two Proud Boys members were sentenced for their roles in the riots.Meanwhile, the White House set up an impeachment war room amid a potential inquiry into Biden,SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed three donor-funded trips,Sen. Mitch McConnell appeared to suffer a health issue while speaking to reporters,and famous rapper Eminem told GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to stop rapping to his songs.

Alabama sought to prosecute those who aid out-of-state abortions,Tennesee's special legislative session ended without any new gun laws,Canada issued a US travel advisory for the LGBTQ+ community,and two men were charged with "aggravated homosexuality" in Uganda.Meanwhile, several rights groups called for a UN probe into the death of an Iranian-detained protester,an Iranian weightlifter was banned from the nation's sports facilities after taking a photo with an Israeli competitor,France barred students from wearing abayas in state schools,and GoFundMe froze donations for the independent journalist website The Grayzone.

CNN named former New York Times and BBC leader Mark Thompson as CEO,Tesla prepared for a lawsuit against its autopilot feature,and the US proposed mandatory overtime for certain workers.Meanwhile, Toyota halted production in Japan over a system failure,a "technical issue" grounded flights across the UK,Meta changed its "dangerous organizations" moderation policy,and X reversed a ban on political adsand announced plans to start collecting biometric data.

Ohio police released bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of a Black pregnant woman,a University of North Carolina faculty member was fatally shot,and a trial was set for the shooting of Black teen Ralph Yarl.Meanwhile, House Republicans called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to release information on the extent of COVID fraud,and the Biden admin. asked the Drug Enforcement Agency to reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk drug.

The US released its list of the first 10 prescription drugs set to enter price negotiations,pediatricians in the US called for a ban on the sale of energy drinks to minors,and a study warned that ultra-processed foods increase the risk of heart-related illnesses.Meanwhile, the UK rolled out the first-ever seven-minute cancer jab,a study discovered that stem cell therapy may improve Parkinson's disease symptoms,and research found that music may reduce pain in newborns.In other news, a live roundworm was found in an Australian woman's brain.

The US House Oversight Committee announced plans to investigate the federal and state response to Maui's wildfires,Hurricane Idalia bore down on Cubabefore it made landfall in Florida,and Typhoon Saola tore through China.

China's central bank cut rates in a series of new measures,and a PRC county announced cash rewards for brides under 25.

China’s search giant Baidu launched its AI-powered chatbot "ERNIE Bot,"OpenAI introduced a ChatGPT tier for businesses,and Google tested a new technology to identify AI-generated images.

The US Pentagon launched a website to share declassified UFO data.

Dozens were killed in a South African building fire,and an out-of-service train left at least five dead in Italy..