Ukraine's outgoing Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko — already under investigation by anti-corruption agencies in "Operation Carthage" — signed criminal charges against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos (the man investigating him) on his way out, then reportedly fled the country at 2:30am in an official car claiming a "business trip to Lithuania."

Charges include a sham adoption from 2009 allegedly used to dodge a voter bribery conviction.

Zelensky called for parliament to dismiss Kravchenko immediately.

NABU and SAPO say the charges were never formally served and call it a systematic attack on independent anti-corruption bodies.

France apologized to the US over a UN post that said "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore" — after Washington blocked France's new ambassador appointment in retaliation.

The spat started when the US voted alongside North Korea and Russia against extending the UN human rights chief's term, and the US walked out of a Security Council meeting when France's ambassador spoke.

France now says the disagreement was over "one vote" and doesn't threaten the alliance.

China's Foreign Ministry on AI:

The development of AI bears on the well-being of all humanity.

All parties should jointly promote the open and inclusive development of AI for good and for all.

Fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance, which serves no one’s interest.

WATCH: US Open camera panned from the Rolex clock hitting 0:07 to Pierce Brosnan — the actor who played James Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002 — sitting in the stands.

'We Can Kill Whoever We Want': Ex-IDF Drone Operator Describes Gaza

Ex-IDF drone operator admits collateral damage was meaningless to Israeli soldiers, as "they (fired) at anyone they see," with the army covering up civilian kills retroactively.

READ MORE

NEW: Saudi Crown Prince MbS met CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper in Jeddah today.

This comes days after MbS called Trump twice asking him to strike the Houthis (Trump said no) and after the Houthi capture of Mocha and Perim Island.

Cooper was already in Saudi Arabia last week for coordination meetings when the western coast collapsed.

Spanish NATO officer who tracked Russian subs and shadow fleet tankers at allied HQ in Northwood got kicked out after a Tinder relationship with a Soviet-born woman triggered security investigations.

She attended a Christmas party at the base, visited NATO's Portugal HQ, and they tried to re-enter Northwood after his pass was revoked.

She denies being a spy:

The last time I checked I wasn't.

But admits an FSB officer named Andrei questioned her over coffee in St. Petersburg about the whole thing.

She's suing the MoD for discrimination.

Source: Telegraph

Iran's FM Spox. Esmail Baghaei:

Ansar Allah (the Houthis) and Yemeni factions are completely independent actors and make all their decisions based on their national interests and legitimate rights.

Kremlin:

Russia is steadily improving its position in the "special military operation", and this trend will continue.

Wales’s First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has warned UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham that Wales is a nation, “not a region in England,” and urged him to support further devolution.

Ap Iorwerth said Wales should gain control over policing and justice, arguing that Burnham had more policing powers as Greater Manchester mayor than he currently has as Wales’s leader.

Source: The Guardian

Reporter: Yesterday, the Polish railway operator reported a drone strike which almost hit an EU delegation's train.

Kremlin: If I understand correctly, we are talking about the territory of Ukraine.

Our military carries out its tasks throughout the territory of Ukraine, and continues to do so, and will continue to do so.

Germany will order a fourth new signals intelligence ship, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, with funding included in a budget draft heading to parliament.

The vessels, built by Rheinmetall, are designed to intercept and analyze signals at sea.

Germany is expected to receive the new class from 2029.

NEW: Ammonia leak reported at Jordan's Aqaba industrial port complex during maintenance.

11 people with respiratory symptoms, port evacuated as a precaution.

Officials say the release was small and quickly contained.

Anthropic’s AI Slowdown Push a 'Cold War' Tactic: China State Newspaper

China’s Global Times said Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s call to slow frontier AI development masks an effort to constrain China by keeping it out of global AI governance.

READ MORE

Two UAE soldiers killed during a "training exercise" inside the country.

No details on what happened.

UAE Ministry of Defence identified them as Major Abdalla Shamis Almenhali and Candidate Saeed Abdalla Alshamsi.

Third training-related fatality incident this year after a June death and a March helicopter crash.

Former CIA Director David Petraeus:

Ukraine needs to be able to scale up its military industry. The innovations are impressive, but without scaling, they only get you so far.

We’ve spoken with intelligence officials who say Russia may be able to produce as many as 10 million drones.

Ukraine is somewhere around eight million.