As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth week, Russian advances have largely stalled, according to the British MoD on Thursday, and Ukraine has launched several successful counterattacks. Heavy shelling of major cities continued throughout the week, however, with Russia bombing an aircraft repair plant in Lviv and barracks in Mykolaiv on Friday, and a theatre in Mariupol on Wednesday. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Russia claimed to have used its latest hypersonic missiles for the first time in Ukraine. Several leaders visited Kiyv on Tuesday in a show of support, and peace talks--which entered a fourth round on Monday--had made some progress by Wednesday. On Sunday, Russian forces pushed further into Mariupol, with Moscow calling on the city to surrender by 5am Monday. Meanwhile, the UNHCR said the conflict has becomes Europe's largest refugee crisis since WWII.

With the Ukraine crisis heightening tensions around the globe, the US last week warned China not to support Russia, Israel wrestled with the fate of Russian-Israeli oligarchs, Belarusian President Lukashenko was sanctioned, and China deepened its ties with Saudi Arabia, while the UK failed to. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency suspended cooperation with Russia, even though Russia said it will bring back a US astronaut from the ISS as scheduled, and the UK announced a sponsorship scheme for those fleeing Ukraine. In other news, the US accused China of spying on American residents, Iran claimed responsibility for a missile barrage near a US consulate in Iraq, and two British-Iranian prisoners were released and returned home to the UK. Meanwhile, the US is reportedly considering removing Iran's IRGC from their terror blacklist. Elsewhere, the son of Turkmenistan's current leader won the presidential election, the US announced Afghan refugees will receive temporary protected status, and a UN appeal for Yemen fell $3B short.

A WSJ poll found Democrats may face midterm losses, the wife of SCOTUS Justice Thomas admitted to attending a Jan. 6 rally, and the Democratic candidate for governor of Texas called incumbent Gov. Abbott authoritarian. Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul's rift with Fauci continued, as he introduced an amendment to eliminate the doctor's position as head of the NIAID. In Trump news, a Democratic fundraising PAC filed a FEC complaint against the former president, while Trump said he was "surprised" Putin invaded Ukraine, and cut ties with Pence, hinting at a new VP for 2024 if he runs. In other news, the NYT appeared to confirm the authenticity of Hunter Biden's infamous emails recovered from his laptop.

On the streets, a suspect in the shooting of homeless people was arrested in DC, while a journalist was murdered in Mexico. In the courts, Chris Cuomo filed a $125M arbitration against CNN, Ghislaine Maxwell Lawyers said Scotty David shouldn't have been on her jury, and a Russian mogul was charged in a campaign finance scheme. Meanwhile, Jussie Smollett was released on bond after being sentenced to jail for faking a hate crime, and former Honduran President Hernndez was approved to be extradited to the US.

In the US, Tennessee proposed a bill to limit all abortions, while Idaho's House of Representatives passed legislation to limit them after 6 weeks. Meanwhile, in the UK, the Supreme Court denied Julian Assange permission to appeal his extradition to the US.

The Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2018--just after US inflation was predicted to reach double digits this summer--and oil prices plummeted, though supply fears remain. Meanwhile, Russia made its foreign debt payments, amidst speculation it might default, the foreign assets of alleged Russian oligarchs fell under further scrutiny, and Amazon acquired Hollywood studio MGM for $8.5B.

Pfizer's CEO said a fourth shot will be necessary to protect against COVID, while several countries loosened the reigns, with New Zealand saying it will open its borders sooner than expected, and South Korea easing restrictions despite battling an Omicron surge. Finally, China is reconsidering their COVID strategy as Omicron hits supply chains, and the White House announced a replacement for the current COVID response coordinator.

The Nets were fined $50k for letting unvaccinated Irving into their locker room, Lia Thomas participated in the NCAA, and Hoops Star Brittney Griner's detention in Russia for alleged marihuana smuggling was extended.

An Australian court ruled that the Environment Minister wasn't responsible for protecting children from climate change, while Peru was hit by a lethal landslide and Japan struck by a devastating earthquake.