Mohammed al-Bashir became Syria's interim prime minister,as Moscow confirmed that it had granted asylum to ousted Pres. Bashar al-Assad,rescue organizations searched for prisoners inside Syria's Sednaya prison after it fell to anti-government forces,and a US-brokered cease-fire was announced in Syria's Manbij.Meanwhile, the UN warned European nations against rushing to repatriate Syrian refugees,as several European countries suspended Syrian asylum applications,top US officials visited the Middle East to discuss the ongoing conflicts,with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reporting that Israel is "ready" for a Gaza cease-fire,and Hamas and Israel reportedly exchanged the names of hostages to be released in a potential deal.This comes as Israel ordered its military to stay atop the Syrian side of Mount Hermon,Russia reportedly neared a deal with Syria's new leadership over its two military bases in the country,UK-based non-profit Airwars claimed the first month of the Gaza war saw "unprecedented" harm inflicted on civilians,and a suicide bomb killed Taliban Refugee Minister Khalil Haqqani in Kabul.In other news, the US sent Ukraine a $20B loan financed by frozen Russian assets,Russia attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructureafter vowing to respond to a Ukrainian attack using US-supplied ATACMS missiles,and Taiwan placed its military on high alert,as China held maritime drills near the island nation.Elsewhere, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on the alliance's members to increase their defense spending,and Australia signed a security deal with Nauru.

US Pres.-elect Donald Trump invited China's Xi Jinping to his inauguration,François Bayrou was appointed France's fourth prime minister this year,Mikheil Kavelashvili was elected president of the Republic of Georgia,and Tonga's Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni resigned.This comes as Canada’s Justin Trudeau survived his third no-confidence vote,former Brazilian Pres. Jair Bolsonaro's running mate was arrested in connection to an alleged coup,current Brazilian Pres. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva underwent emergency brain surgery,and Italy granted citizenship to Argentine Pres. Javier Milei.Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand in a historic corruption trial,and South Korean police raided Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol's office,as the president faced a travel banand was impeached following his failed martial law decree.In other news, Romania and Bulgaria were granted full membership to the Schengen Area,UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves addressed the Eurogroup,a poll indicated that 54% of Brexit voters would accept free movement of people in exchange for access to the EU single market,and Canada reportedly considered investing $1B in its border security.

Trump was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for the second time, Metaand Amazon each donated $1M to the incoming president's inaugural fund,and FBI Director Christopher Wray announced his resignation.Meanwhile, Trump tapped Andrew Ferguson to lead the Federal Trade Commissionand chose Kari Lake to lead Voice of America,as he considered fast-tracking permits for $1B investments,and the Department of Justice's inspector general reported that the FBI had 26 informants at the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.This comes as Pres. Joe Biden issued the largest single-day clemency in modern US history,immigration was reported to have hit an all-time high under the Biden administration,Trump's appeal of his $454M civil fraud case was rejected,and New Jersey sought federal aid following mysterious drone sightings.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law prohibiting book bans in public and school libraries,and the UK extended a ban on puberty blockers for minors indefinitely.

A suspect was detainedand charged with murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York City,Daniel Perry was acquitted in the New York City subway chokehold death case,and a man who was exonerated after serving 24 years in prison admitted to committing murder over a $1.2K debt.Meanwhile, Paraguay's anti-drug agency halted its cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Agency,Indian police linked a Starlink device to a group of smugglers,a Haitian gang was accused of killing 184 people over witchcraft allegations,and an arson attack on an Australian Synagogue was officially designated an act of terrorism.

General Motors terminated its Cruise robotaxi unit,Rupert Murdoch's bid to amend his family trust was rejected,and Australia decided to tax tech firms that don't pay local news organizations for their content.Meanwhile, a US House committee instructed Apple and Google to prepare for a TikTok ban,Shell and Greenpeace settled a climate protest lawsuit,and consulting firm McKinsey & Company agreed to pay $650M to settle an opioid case.

The Bank of Canada cut interest rates by half a point,the UK's economy contracted for the second consecutive month,and global coffee prices surged to a 47-year high.

Several UK hospitals reinstated mask mandates amid a surge in winter illnesses,global bowel cancer rates were found to be rising among 25 to 49-year-olds,over 300 deadly virus samples were reported missing from an Australian lab,and scientists warned of the potential risks from creating "mirror bacteria..

The UN reported that nearly 78% of Earth's land is now permanently drier,2024 was predicted to surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record,and a wildfire in Malibu forced thousands of evacuations.

Google unveiled a new quantum computing chip,as it launched its latest AI model Gemini 2.0,and OpenAI released its text-to-video generator Sora.

A study pinpointed the precise time that humans and Neanderthals interbred.

Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed as the 2034 FIFA World Cup host,New Zealand announced a ban on greyhound racing,and India's Gukesh Dommaraju became the world's youngest chess champion at 18.

Nepal's Gadhimai Festival sparked controversy over its animal sacrifices.