Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the West Bank,a suicide bomb in Afghanistan killed at least 14,two children died in a blast in Kashmir,and, in Somalia, twin car bombs claimed by Al-Shabab killed dozens,at least seven were left dead in a separate Al-Shabab attack,and 20 were killed in clashes in the country's breakaway region of Somaliland.Meanwhile, Colombia's National Liberation Army denied agreeing to a ceasefire with the government,the UK's Prince Harry was criticized over claims that he killed 25 Afghan fighters,Pakistan accused Afghanistan of sheltering militants,South Korea and the US reportedly discussed joint nuclear exercises,and Kim Jong Un vowed an "exponential" increase to North Korea's nuclear arsenal.

The new year began with widespread attacks from both sides,with blasts in the Donetsk city of Makiivka reportedly killing 89 Russian soldiers.Moscow alleged the strikes were carried out with US-supplied equipment and launched a series of retaliatory attacks on Tuesday.Officials predicted that the ongoing fighting would persist for the foreseeable future, as France and the US sent armored vehicles to Ukraine on Wednesday.Meanwhile, as Eastern Orthodox Russians and Ukrainians celebrated Christmas Eve on Friday, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin called for a 36-hour ceasefire.The declaration, however, was overwhelmingly rejected by Ukrainian officials, with shelling reported along the frontlines on Saturdayand Sunday.

Pope Francis led Benedict XVI's funeral,Luiz In.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was sworn in for a second term,Sen. Mitch McConnell broke the US Senate leadership record,Kevin McCarthy offered concessions to help his bid for House speaker,and after he lost severalrounds of voting,he won during the 15th round on Saturday.Meanwhile, Twitter announced plans to allow political advertising in the US,Pres. Joe Biden announced new border security rules,a national park in Florida closed after the arrival of several hundred migrants,Biden held a ceremony to commemorate the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 riots,and Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger said he "fears for the future" if Trump isn't charged.

A six-year-old shot a teacher in Virginia,a suspect in a New York City attack on three officers reportedly wanted to join the Taliban,the suspect in the University of Idaho students murder waived his right to extradition,and the mastermind of a college admissions scam in the US was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.Elsewhere, Israeli police arrested two for allegedly desecrating a Jerusalem cemetery,Israel's longest-serving Palestinian prisoner was released,Interpol arrested the "world's most wanted" human smuggler in Sudan,the Mexican army captured the son of drug lord "El Chapo,"and a security expert claimed that hackers stole and leaked data on 200M users.

A South Carolina court struck down the state's six-week abortion ban,the US FDA announced plans to allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion pills,multiple US states implemented homelessness restrictions,a property given to a Black couple was sold back to Los Angeles for $20M,and Missouri executed a trans woman for the first time in the US.Meanwhile, Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson challenged an order requiring him to attend "remedial" training,a US court ruled that a teachers decision to wear a MAGA hat is protected under the First Amendment,a former human rights watch head was denied a Harvard fellowship,and India's Supreme Court halted the demolition of 4K homes.

The US National Institute of Health found that poor hydration is linked to early aging and disease,a US study found an increase in kids sickened by marijuana edibles,the UK's health chief called on the government to declare a major incident within the National Health Service,and pharmaceutical company BioNTech and the UK agreed to conduct mRNA cancer vaccine trials.Meanwhile, the CDC said it's investigating a new COVID strain called XBB.1.5,and Australia and Canada joined several other nations in imposing restrictions on travelers from China,as Sydney's health chief reportedly urged against COVID checks on PRC flights.In other news, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul legalized human composting after death.

A study claimed that the Earth is at risk of losing a significant portion of its glaciers by 2100,2022 was the UK's hottest year ever recorded,and massive floods led to a state of emergency in northern California.

The International Monetary Fund's chief warned that the global economy is heading for a recession in 2023,a report found the US labor market is strong despite high interest rates,and Afghanistan and a Chinese company signed an oil extraction deal.In the UK, a report found that disabled people are unable to afford heating and food,rail workers resumed strikes as negotiations for increased pay stalled,and the government announced cash support for low-income households.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined a Saudi Arabian soccer club,and NFL's Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed during a game.

Tesla announced a record number of sales in 2022 but still failed to hit its targets,New York City Uber drivers held a strike over a delayed raise,Amazon announced plans to cut 8K jobs,Salesforce said it would lay off 10% of its staff,and Microsoft announced plans to integrate ChatGPT into its Bing search engine.

A study showed a recent decrease in "disruptive" science,NASA's last Apollo 7 astronaut died at 90,and Elon Musk's SpaceX kicked off 2023 by launching 114 satellites..