Zelenskiy urges world leaders to act over beheading videos | First Thing

Ukrainian president calls for action after videos circulated online appear to show soldiers beheaded by Russian forces. Plus, Nasa prepares for life on Mars

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Good morning.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has issued a strong statement urging international leaders to act after videos circulated on social media that appeared to show Ukrainian soldiers beheaded by Russian forces.

What is happening with the Pentagon leak? The US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, on Tuesday said the US would investigate the recent purported leak of classified documents until the source was found. We will continue to investigate and turn over every rock until we find the source of this and the extent of it," he said during a press conference at the state department.

What was revealed by the leaks? The materials assess Ukrainian war preparedness, Egypt's and the UK's involvement in the conflict, and other disclosures.

What did the CIA director, William Burns, say about Russia this week? He said Russia risked becoming an economic colony" of China as its isolation from the west deepens. Russia is becoming more and more dependent on China and, in some respects, runs the risk of becoming an economic colony of China over time, dependent for export of energy resources and raw materials."

What do the experts say? On one hand, you have a ruling that says to defer to the expertise of the FDA and keep the status quo while another says to second-guess the FDA with junk science," says David S Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University who focuses on reproductive rights. When you have different rulings from different federal courts it is more likely for the US supreme court to get involved."