The UN reported a "good" first day of the Gaza cease-fire,Hamas released four Israeli soldiers in exchange for 200 detained Palestinians,a Hamas commander previously declared dead by Israel seemingly reemerged in Gaza,and Israel launched a "significant" offensive in the West Bank.This comes as Yemen's Houthis released the crew of a seized cargo ship after 14 months,Israel sought a 30-day extension for its withdrawal from Lebanon,satellite imagery suggested that Israel is building military posts inside a Syrian buffer zone,and Israeli Military Chief Lt Gen Herzi Halevi resigned.Elsewhere, US Pres. Donald Trump warned Russia's Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine,Ukraine detained three former commanders over alleged negligence,Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would never recognize Russia's hold over occupied territories,and the EU called for an increase in defense spending.Meanwhile, the US halted nearly all foreign aid programs,the Sudanese Armed Forces claimed to have made major advances in Khartoum,and M23 rebels encircled Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Micheál Martin was elected as Ireland's prime minister,Germany's Saxony upheld the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's "far-right extremist" designation,and Canada prepared to publish a final report on alleged election interference.In other news, the UK rejected Northern Ireland unionists' request to use the "Stormont Brake" to block a chemical labeling law,a report claimed that one in 12 London residents is an illegal immigrant,France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Olaf Scholz met to discuss European unity in the face of Trump's tariff threats,as Canada also considered a response to the US president's tax proposals,and Pres. José Raúl Mulino reaffirmed his nation's sovereignty over the Panama Canal.

Polls placed Trump's approval rating at 47%,as he was sworn in as the 47th presidentand issued dozens of executive orders including to shut down federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, implement a "One Flag Policy" at US diplomatic facilities, declassify the remaining documents related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., ban the establishment of a central bank digital currency, freeze wind energy projects,and reverse former Pres. Joe Biden's Medicare drug cost reduction programs.This comes as Trump's order to end birthright citizenship was temporarily blockedamid a lawsuit filed by 18 states,the government prepared to send 1.5K troops to the Mexico border,Congress passed a bill allowing the detainment of unauthorized migrants,and some economists suggested that Trump's deportation plans are already impacting the agriculture sector.Meanwhile, Biden preemptively pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the Jan. 6 select committee,as he commuted the life sentence of an Indigenous activist convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents,and Trump granted clemency to over 1.5K Jan. 6 rioters, signed pardons for nearly two dozen anti-abortion activists, pardoned the founder of the dark web marketplace Silk Road,and absolved two DC officers of their convictions in the death of a suspect during a police chase.In other news, Brian Driscoll was named acting director of the FBI pending the Senate confirmation of Kash Patel,Vivek Ramaswamy exited Trump's government efficiency commission,Nancy Pelosi disclosed multiple stock trades,and Elon Musk was accused of giving the Nazi salute at Trump's inauguration.

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ Thais wedas Bangkok legalized same-sex marriage,Canada's Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to Quebec's ban on religious symbols in the public sector,and Iraq passed a law potentially allowing child marriage.

A UK teen was jailed for 52 yearsafter pleading guilty to murdering three girls in an attack that sparked mass protests across the UK,an Indian court sentenced a police volunteer to life in prison for murdering a junior doctor,and China executed two men convicted of committing separate mass killings,and sentenced a man to death for murdering a Japanese boy.Meanwhile, a school shooting in Nashville claimed two lives,Indonesia considered repatriating the accused Bali bomb mastermind from Guantanamo Bay,and a childcare center in Australia's Sydney was defaced in an alleged antisemitic attack.

The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma reached a $7.4B settlement to resolve lawsuits over their roles in the opioid crisis,Prince Harry settled a lawsuit with Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers over allegations of unlawful information gathering,Boeing projected a $4B Q4 loss,Netflix raised its subscription prices,and Nepal increased its fee to climb Mount Everest.

Trump spoke at the World Economic Forum,Oxfam International reported that the wealth of the world's billionaires surged in 2024,the UK's borrowing hit a four-year high in December,and Japan raised its interest rates to 0.5% — the highest level in 17 years.

At least nine people were killed amid a rare winter storm in the southern US,record winds left over 1M people across Ireland and the UK without power,and an oil spill in Russia's Kerch Strait spread.Meanwhile, a study found that 34% of the Arctic-boreal zone has transformed from a carbon sink to a carbon source,the world's largest iceberg moved in on a remote British island,and Taiwan prepared to cull up to 120K green iguanas.

The US moved to leave the World Health Organization,a study examined the broader benefits and risks of weight-loss drugs,and the UK launched a trial to test ultrasound brain chips for mental health.

Google DeepMind co-founder Shane Legg predicted a 50% chance of developing human-level AI by 2028,and Trump unveiled a $500B "Stargate" AI project with OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank.

Scientists released a new World Magnetic Model,and researchers revealed new details about two underground mountains.

Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame,and an injured Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Australian Open semifinal.

A fire at a Turkish ski resort killed at least 76.

A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing following a mid-air jolt,a leaked memo raised concerns about the conditions at France's Louvre Museum,and a German engineer set the world record for living underwater.