China announced a 7.2% rise in its military spending,Taiwan warned that Beijing's military may make a "sudden entry,"North Korea warned the US against shooting down its missiles,US Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Iraq and said US troops will remain in the country,US officials said that Australia will buy nuclear submarines from Washington,and US veterans testified about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.Meanwhile, Israel allegedly struck Syria’s Aleppo airport,an Israeli raid into Jenin killed six Palestinian fighters,a possible drone strike in eastern Syria killed seven,nine security officers died in a suicide attack in Pakistan,the Taliban governor of Afghanistan's Balkh province was killed in a blast,and at least 40 were killed in two alleged rebel attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As fighting for control of the Donetsk city of Bakhmut continues, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to reinforce the city with additional troops on Monday.Similar efforts were reported in Zaporizhzhia, as a pro-Russia official claimed that Ukraine has assembled around 30k soldiers in the area in preparation for a spring counter-offensive.Despite Zenlenskyy's efforts in Bakhmut, the Russian mercenary group Wagner announced that it had captured the eastern part of the city on Wednesday.This was confirmed by the US think tank Institute of War, which also said that Wagner appeared to be taking an "operational pause" after the gains.This came as Russia launched missiles across Ukraine on Thursday, striking energy infrastructure in 10 regions.Meanwhile, on Friday, Ukraine's culture minister ordered all monks and priests from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to vacate the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra - the Monastery of the Caves - by the end of March over its alleged ties to Moscow.

China's Xi Jinping won a record third term,Nepal elected Ram Chandra Poudel as its new president,South African Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet,Turkey named opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as a presidential candidate,and Estonia's pro-Ukraine PM Kaja Kallas won a second term.Meanwhile, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations,US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed a planned meeting with Taiwan's Pres. Tsai Ing-wen,China FM Qin Gang warned that China and the US are on the path towards conflict,Canadian PM Justin Trudeau ordered a probe into alleged Chinese meddling during the last two elections,and China criticized Germany over its reported plan to ban tech giants Huawei and ZTE.In the UK, the government unveiled a bill to deter illegal immigration,and new releases from the Telegraph's "Lockdown Files" showed that government texts mocked people in hotel quarantine,and that former Health Minister Matt Hancock was censored over concerns that COVID originated from a Wuhan lab leak, wanted to "frighten" Britons into compliance,and threatened to block disability funding.Elsewhere, Malaysia's former PM Muhyiddin Yassin was charged with corruption,Belarus's exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was sentenced to 15 years in prison,a New York Times report - citing US intelligence - said that a pro-Ukraine group was behind the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline last year,and Georgia's parliament dropped its "foreign agents" law after several days of violent protests.

Pres. Joe Biden revealed a $6.8T budget proposal for 2024,the Senate approved a measure to block Washington, DC, from overhauling its criminal code,a study found that illegal immigration costs taxpayers $151B annually,and Biden reportedly considered resuming the detention of migrant families that illegally cross the border.Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Iowa ahead of a potential presidential bid,a court filing revealed text messages from Fox host Tucker Carlson stating he "passionately hated" former Pres. Donald Trump,Carlson defended his commentary on newly released Jan. 6 footage,and "Twitter Files" reporters Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger testified before Congress.

A deadly shooting at a German Jehovah's Witness hall killed at least seven people,Japan arrested three people after a wave of unhygienic "sushi terrorism" pranks,Mexico found 343 migrants - including 103 unaccompanied minors - in an abandoned trailer,and a suspect in the kidnapping of four US citizens - two of whom were killed - in Mexico was arrested,after which the Mexican cartel apologized for the crime.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres projected that gender equality is 300 years away,a report found that global freedoms are declining,South Korea announced a deal to compensate victims of forced labor under Japan's colonial rule,Human Rights Watch said the Lebanese government is failing to uphold citizens' "right to electricity,"Iran's supreme leader said those responsible for the alleged poisoning of schoolgirls must face the death penalty,and Italy's coastguard rescued over 1K refugees stranded in rough seas.Meanwhile, Meta's oversight board announced a review into the moderation of the Arabic word "shaheed,"a court ruled that USA Powerlifting must allow transgender athletes to compete in the women's division,Florida Republicans proposed an abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy,and a Virginia judge ruled that frozen embryos can legally be considered property.

US regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank,Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said US interest rates may increase more than expected,and a massive strike over pension reforms was held in France.

The US House voted unanimously to declassify intelligence related to the origin of COVID,and the Chinese city Xi'an faced backlash after publishing an emergency response plan that included the return of lockdowns when deemed necessary.

A study estimated that climate change will cost Germany $960B by 2050,California faced another atmospheric river,and an oil spill in the Philippines began impacting marine life and human health.

The US Federal Trade Commission intensified its investigation into Twitter's privacy practices.

Japan was forced to destroy its flagship H3 rocket in a failed launch,and a new carbon capture technique reportedly showed promise..