Israel's defense minister said it's fighting a "multi-front" war,an Egyptian-proposed Gaza ceasefire reportedly made headway,as tens of thousands of Palestinians fled the enclave's center amid ongoing Israeli strikes,and South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.Meanwhile, Iran vowed to take revenge on Israel following the death of one of its top commanders in Syria,Houthi forces in Yemen claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Israel's port city of Eliat,US airstrikes hit three Kataib Hezbollah sites in Iraq,and the US, UK, France, and Germany expressed concern over Iran's uranium production.Meanwhile, Turkey's parliamentary foreign affairs commission approved Sweden's NATO bid,North Korea's Kim Jong Un vowed to accelerate the nation's war preparations,South Korea sanctioned eight North Koreans allegedly connected to illegal weapons and cyber activities,Japan objected to South Korean military drills,as it lifted its operational ban on the world's biggest nuclear plant,and Venezuela launched military drills after the UK sent a warship to Guyana.

On Monday, Ukraine proposed a draft law to help meet Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's stated goal of mobilizing a further 450-500K troops in 2024.This came as Moscow reportedly continued to make gains on the frontline and as Kyiv struck a Russian warship in Crimea on Tuesday.Following the attack, Russia ” which conducted a series of assaults across Ukraine throughout the week ” launched what local officials described as its biggest airstrike of the war on Friday, which saw it fire 122 drones into Ukraine.On Wednesday, the US released its last authorized weapons package for Ukraine as negotiations to approve further aid have stalled in Congress.Meanwhile, an Egyptian journalist who accused Zelenskyy of misusing Western aid funds was found dead.

Former European Commission Pres. Jacques Delors died at 98,an anti-war activist appealed a ruling to reject her candidacy in Russia's presidential election,Reuters claimed that China is attempting to influence Taiwan's elections,and Nvidia launched a modified gaming chip to meet US export controls aimed at China.Meanwhile, Argentina scrapped plans to join the BRICS alliance,and US officials traveled to Mexico,where they met with Pres. Andrés Manuel López Obrador to discuss migration.

Donald Trump was removed from Maine's primary ballot,as Michigan rejected an attempt to ban the former president from its ballot,Colorado Republicans appealed the state's ruling that found Trump ineligible for the presidency,Vivek Ramaswamy's presidential campaign halted its spending on TV ads,and a report found that a super PAC supporting GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis received the largest individual donation this year of $20M.Meanwhile, the House GOP suggested Pres. Joe Biden may have obstructed justice in its impeachment inquiry,GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley faced backlash for making controversial comments about the Civil War,Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert announced plans to switch congressional districts,and the GOP House Freedom Caucus cautioned against bipartisan spending deals ahead of a potential government shutdown.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a ban on transgender treatment for minors,a report found that 382 British children under seven were sent to the Tavistock transgender clinic from 2012-2018,and Poland's culture minister liquidated all state media outlets.Meanwhile, China sanctioned a US firm researching alleged Uyghur abuses,a student activist fled Hong Kong to seek asylum in the UK,Moscow jailed two protesters for reciting anti-war poetry,and Putin critic Alexei Navalny was located at a Siberian penal colony after having been missing for weeks.

The infamous Gypsy Rose Blanchard ” who conspired to murder her abusive mother ” was released from prison,Dublin police ramped up their security following a deadly Christmas Eve shooting,a plane that was held in France over human trafficking concerns landed in India,and dozens of actors defended France's Gérard Depardieu amid allegations of sexual harassment.

The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement,Google settled a $5B privacy lawsuit,X lost a court bid to block California's content moderation law,a ban on Apple's two latest watches was temporarily lifted,and General Motors sued San Francisco for $121M in back taxes for the last seven years.

Oil prices stabilized as transport disruption in the Red Sea eased,the global population rose at a slower rate in 2023,and Italian Sen. Lavinia Mennuni urged women to have more children.

Thunderstorms in Australia killed at least 10,flooding in Thailand displaced tens of thousands,and toxic smog blanketed Southeast Asia.

Reuters reported that US drugmakers are planning to increase the prices of 500 drugs in 2024,AstraZeneca announced plans to purchase China's cancer therapy company Gracell Biotechnologies for $1.2B,and at least 700 Airbus Atlantic staff members fell ill after a company Christmas dinner.

British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a 25% stake in Manchester United.

A US military robot spaceplane was launched atop a SpaceX rocket,and Japan's "moon sniper" lander entered lunar orbit.

Greece offered to lend the UK several antiquities for the return of the Parthenon sculptures.