The past week saw continued intense shelling of several major Ukrainian cities, as the humanitarian crisis deepened across the country. The assault on Kyiv has remained largely stalled, though bombardment of the northeast resumed on Saturday after a short lull, and the 40-mile-long convoy outside the city has dispersed, possibly to secure supply lines. Russia on Fri was accused of a false flag operation targeting Belarusian villages, though Belarusia on Saturday said it has no plans to enter the war. Meanwhile, Putin has invited foreign nationals from the Middle East to join the fight, and warned the West that military aid shipments will be considered fair targets. On Monday, a third round of talks failed in Belarus, while on Thursday the first talks between high-level officials -- the Ukrainian and Russian Foreign Ministers -- failed in Turkey. Humanitarian corridors were agreed upon, but Ukraine accused Russia of shelling these, and a maternity hospital in Mariupol was reportedly bombed. Meanwhile, power has been out at Chernobyl for several days, raising concerns of a nuclear leak, and Ukraine says Russia is planning a terrorist attack on the plant, which Russia denies. The US has also warned that Russia might use chemical weapons in Ukraine, while the Kremlin accused Washington of funding biological and chemical weapons labs of their own. The UN has reported that at least 2.5M people have fled Ukraine since the crisis started, and at least 500 civilians have been killed, with another 900 injured.

In other parts of the world, India accidentally launched a missile into Pakistan, Taiwan warned that a war with the PRC would be disastrous for everyone, and North Korea seemed to be rebuilding its nuclear test site. Meanwhile, the US transferred a Guantanamo Bay detainee back to Saudi Arabia.

Biden banned oil, coal, and gas imports from Russia, the Kremlin made new demands for the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, and Russia's flagship airline suspended international flights. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the UAE refused a call from Biden, and the UK faced criticism over its handling of Ukrainian refugees. In other parts of the world, South Korea elected a conservative president, Tanzania freed its opposition leader, and Venezuela released two American prisoners after historic talks with the US. Meanwhile, in the US, the RNC sued the Jan. 6 Special Committee over a fundraising subpoena, while a Texas election official resigned over vote-counting issues, and an Office of Election Crimes was passed in Florida.

On the streets, one teen was killed and two wounded in a shooting outside an Iowa high school. In the courts, the first Jan. 6 rioter to stand trial was found guilty, and the former leader of the Proud Boys was charged with conspiracy. Meanwhile, Prince Andrew's sexual assault lawsuit was dismissed, Brett Hankison was found not guilty for wanton endangerment during the raid that killed Breonna Taylor, and the Supreme Court freed comedian Bill Cosby. In other news, the DOJ has been requested to investigate Amazon for obstructing an antitrust probe, a cop who committed suicide after Jan. 6 was ruled to have died in the line of duty, and the UNHRC approved an investigation into alleged Russian abuses in Ukraine.

Congress passed an anti-lynching bill, Florida's Senate passed a bill banning conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation in elementary schools, and Texas faced further backlash for their directive on investigating the parents of trans teens. Meanwhile, Missouri lawmakers proposed a bill to curb access to out-of-state abortions.

In Europe, the ECB announced plans to end their bond-buying stimulus sooner than expected, while the UK impounded a private jet linked to a Russia oligarch, and Italy seized yachts and villas. In America, Biden issued an executive order on cryptocurrencies, and the DOJ and SEC opened an investigation into billionaire media moguls Barry Diller and David Geffen for insider trading. Meanwhile, Congress passed a funding bill with 13.6B in Ukraine aid.

In pandemic news, the BA.2 Omicron subvariant is surging in Australia, the TSA extended their transportation mask mandate, Florida recommended against vaccinating healthy children, and the Biden administration asked SCOTUS to reimpose a Navy Seal vaccine mandate. Meanwhile, Pfizer announced it will begin trialing a COVID pill for high-risk children, while an Oxford study concluded that COVID can lead to brain damage. In non-COVID news, the first recipient of a pig-to-human heart transplant died, two months after the historic surgery.

German tennis star Alexander Zverev was suspended for an outburst in Acapulco, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for betting on NFL games, and the MLB lockout finally ended after 99 days. Meanwhile, Russian driver Nikita Mazepin's F1 contract was terminated, and Premier League and EFL suspended TV broadcasts in Russia.

A report found that the Amazon rainforest is nearing the tipping point of dieback, while a tornado raged through Iowa, and massive wildfires burned in Florida.