Israel expanded its assault into Gazaas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out a ceasefire with Hamas,US Sec. of State Antony Blinken called for a "humanitarian pause" in Gaza,and Gaza's border crossing with Egypt opened for partial evacuations,which saw foreign nationals and injured Palestinians leave the enclave.Elsewhere, China pledged to renew military ties with the US,South Korea reportedly lined up loans to help finance a $22B arms sale to Poland,and the US Senate bypassed a block on military promotions.

On Monday, Ukraine claimed to have damaged Russia's air defense system on the western coast of Crimea in a strike Moscow admitted injured 17 soldiers and damaged several vehicles but denied caused any significant impairment of its system.These efforts continued on Thursday as Kyiv reportedly fired over 140 munitions into Russia's Belgorod region, with Moscow claiming to have thwarted several drone strikes.Russia launched its own strikes overnight on Friday, with Ukrainian authorities reporting a series of attacks across 10 of its 24 regions.As both sides of the conflict reportedly seek to build up their stockpiles ahead of the new year, the US approved a new $425M aid package to Kyiv.This came as reports circulated suggesting that Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy feels betrayed by the West amid apparent shrinking support.Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign minister announced that Zelenskyy is considering holding presidential elections next spring despite the nation's constitution prohibiting polls during a state of martial law.

A report warned that global democracy declined for the sixth consecutive year in 2022,US officials met with Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman,and the US removed four African countries from its trade programand sanctioned Myanmar's junta-controlled state oil and gas enterprise.Meanwhile, the EU urged Serbia and Kosovo to normalize their relations,Serbian Pres. Aleksandar Vučić dissolved parliament and called for a snap election,New Zealand's final election results showed that the National Party needs two other partners to govern,and Bangladesh's opposition party threatened to boycott January's election.In other news, North Korea closed multiple embassies across the world,India's opposition leaders accused the government of trying to hack their iPhones,and the US claimed that a Russian group was behind a cyberattack on the Pentagon earlier this year.Elsewhere, hundreds of thousands of Afghans left Pakistan following an immigration order,Kenya announced plans to abolish visa requirements for all African nationals,a former aid to ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave evidence in the UK's COVID inquiry,and British Conservative MP Paul Bristow was let go after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

A poll showed GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley tied with Florida Gov. Ron Desantis for second place,the US Senate confirmed Treasury Secretary Jack Lew as the ambassador to Israel,and GOP Rep. George Santos survived an expulsion vote.Meanwhile, Donald Trump's two sons testified in his New York civil fraud trial,a banking expert claimed that the Trump Organization cost banks over $168M by obtaining favorable loan terms,an appeals court paused a gag order imposed on the former president in the federal election case,and a trial considering Trump's eligibility to run for the presidency began.In other news, the Senate Judiciary readied three subpoenas in the SCOTUS ethics probe,the FBI raided the home of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' campaign fundraiser,Boston dismantled a homeless tent city,and Texas erected a barrier at the New Mexico border.

A Tennessee ban on transgender procedures for minors was brought before SCOTUS,French Pres. Emmanuel Macron moved to enshrine abortion rights into the nation's constitution,Myanmar sought to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh,The UN reported that executions in Iran are up 30% from last year,and Germany banned all activities deemed to be in support of Hamas and outlawed the pro-Palestine group Samidoun.

Fallen crypto tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted of fraud,and an Illinois landlord pleaded not guilty to the murder of a six-year-old Muslim boy.

The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady for the second consecutive time,Russia's central bank hiked its benchmark interest rate to 15%,the Bank of England kept its rates at a 15-year high,and British Petroleum's quarter-three profits fell short of forecasts.Meanwhile, Canada's economy appeared to enter a technical recession,and China's real estate developer Evergrande was granted a five-week reprieve to restructure its debt.

Meta announced an ad-free subscription tier in Europe,striking autoworkers in the US reached a tentative deal with General Motors,and the US Dept. of Education fined Grand Canyon University $37.7M for allegedly misleading students about its fees.

The White House unveiled new Artificial Intelligence (AI) safety guidelines,the UK's AI summit saw several Big Tech companies agree to government vetting of their AI products,and Elon Musk's AI startup launched its first product.

A powerful earthquake killed over 150 in Nepal,a Southern California wildfire forced thousands to evacuate,Storm Ciaran brought deadly flooding to Tuscany,an ongoing drought forced the Panama Canal to cut its shipping traffic,and toxic haze blanketed India.

Infant mortality rates in the US rose last year for the first time in 20 years,and the US Food and Drug Administration warned of tainted eyedrops circulating in the nation.

Saudi Arabia became the sole bidder to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Kentucky declared a state of emergency following the collapse of a coal plant,and a fire at an Iranian drug rehab center killed dozens..