Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the conflict in Ukraine had characteristics of a "global" war and did not rule out strikes on Western countries. The Kremlin strongman spoke out after a day of frayed nerves, with Russia test-firing a new generation intermediate-range missile at embattled Ukraine, which Putin hinted was capable of unleashing a nuclear payload. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky branded the strike a major ramping up of the "scale and brutality" of the war by a "crazy neighbour", while Kyiv's main backer the United States said that Russia was to blame for escalating the conflict "at every turn".

SEE HOW THE WEST IS RESPONDING TO PUTIN'S WARNINGS

Two of the world's wealthiest men have again taken their beef to social media but this time with a refreshing twist. Elon Musk corrected himself after accusing Jeff Bezos of pre-election day conduct that Bezos took to Musk's X (formerly Twitter) to deny. Posting from the Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Musk stated that he had learned that Bezos predicted Vice President Kamala Harris would win the election. He also said that Bezos had further discouraged peers from investing in other businesses owned by Musk, prompting an odd exchange.

SEE BEZOS SET MUSK STRAIGHT -- AND IT ACTUALLY WORKED

As it celebrates its 20th birthday, online video game "World of Warcraft" enjoys rare longevity thanks to a loyal following and constant evolutions in the game. Although it was not the first multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) when it was released in 2004, "WoW" was an instant success, quickly attracting millions of players worldwide. "WoW" also benefited from the popularity of the brand, a saga of real-time strategy games launched by Blizzard, which was bought by Microsoft in 2023.

SEE HOW GEN Z IS KEEPING THIS ROLE-PLAY GAME TIMELESS

Name the first MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-play game).

Thursday's answer: Vermont and Montana are the only zoo-free states.