Israel reportedly sought to extend the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire deal,a report alleged that Gazan doctors had been tortured in Israeli detention,Hamas claimed that six babies had died of hypothermia in Gaza,and Israel said it would not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor,as it launched airstrikes in southern Syria.Elsewhere, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the "heroism" of his country on the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war,as he traveled to the US to hold talks with US Pres. Donald Trumpin a meeting that resulted in a public confrontationand reports that the US may cut its aid to Kyiv.Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to raise the nation's defense spending to 2.5% by reducing its overseas assistance —a move that prompted the minister for international development to resign.This comes as Japan and the Philippines agreed to form a defense pact,the Kurdistan Workers' Party announced a cease-fire after 40 years of conflict with Turkeyafter its jailed founder called for the group to disarm,gangs temporarily seized Haiti's Delmas 30 neighborhood,and the Democratic Republic of Congo reported over 7K casualties in fighting this year.

Trump confirmed that his planned tariffs would "go forward on schedule,"as he revealed plans to impose 25% tariffs on EU imports,a high-level meeting between Brussels and Washington was canceled,Starmer held talks with Trump in Washington,and France's Emmanuel Macron made a state visit to Portugal,as he met with Germany's Friedrich Merz.This comes as Merz confirmed coalition talks between Germany's Christian Democratic Union and Social Democrats,Austria formed a coalition that excluded the right-wing Freedom Party,Canada's Liberal leaders held their final debate in the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,as Doug Ford secured a third consecutive majority in Ontario's snap election,and 250K Canadians petitioned to revoke Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship.In other news, the EU lifted select sanctions on Syria,Luxembourg blocked EU sanctions on Rwanda,the UK gave Trump veto power on the Chagos Islands deal,and Nauru began selling passports to fund the relocation of its residents amid rising sea levels.Meanwhile, Trump moved to terminate Chevron's oil license with Venezuela,France moved to allow police to intercept migrant boats,and Saudi Arabia was accused of killing migrants.

Trump held the first Cabinet meeting of his second term,as he unveiled a $5M "gold card" visa program to provide a path to US citizenship,and reportedly prepared to sign an order making English the US' official language,and a judge blocked immigration raids at certain religious sites.This comes as federal workers challenged a Department of Government Efficiency email directing them to list their accomplishments,a judge blocked the large-scale firing of federal workers,as the Trump administration terminated hundreds of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees,and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard ordered the termination of over 100 intelligence officers over alleged explicit chats.Meanwhile, the White House decided to take control of vetting media outlets for the presidential press pool,House Republicans passed Trump's budget blueprint,and Rep. Dan Crenshaw appeared to threaten Tucker Carlson.

The US Supreme Court heard a case of alleged "straight discrimination,"as it declined to hear challenges to laws restricting protests near abortion clinics,a US judge blocked the transfer of transgender inmates to male prisons,Thailand deported 40 Uyghurs to China,and Vietnam jailed a journalist for "abusing democratic freedoms..

The first phase of new documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released,social media personalities Andrew and Tristan Tate left Romania after a years-long travel ban,an Australian nurse was charged for allegedly threatening to harm Israeli patients,a French surgeon admitted to sexually assaulting hundreds of children,and North Korean hackers allegedly stole a record $1.5B in cryptocurrency.

Apple committed $500B to invest in the US,Instagram reportedly decided to launch Reels as a separate application,Microsoft announced plans to shut down Skype,The Washington Post refocused the attention of its opinion section to free markets and liberties,and US drugmaker Eli Lilly announced a $27B manufacturing expansion plan.

South Korea's birth rate rose for the first time in nine years,Japan's birth rate fell to its lowest level in 125 years,and Chile declared an emergency after a nationwide power outage.

Texas reported the first death due to its ongoing measles outbreak,a mystery illness killed dozens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,and the US Department of Agriculture pledged $1B to address a bird flu outbreak.Meanwhile, the World Health Organization predicted that global breast cancer deaths would climb by 68% by 2050,tardigrade protein showed promise in helping cancer patients tolerate radiation therapy,and a senior African health authority warned that the continent's health system is facing collapse.

British energy giant BP decided to abandon its green energy goals,the UK launched a pilot scheme to paint wind turbines black to prevent bird strikes,and an avalanche trapped dozens of workers in India.

Over 1K British artists released a silent album in protest of AI copyright changes,and Singapore's DBS Bank planned 4K job cuts in anticipation of AI taking on more tasks.

Scientists created a device that allows users to taste remotely, and global internet shut downs were found to have hit a record high in 2024.

An inquiry found that Greece's worst rail disaster was due to chronic safety gaps.

Spanish soccer club Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey semi-final.

SpaceX launched a water-hunting fleet to the moon,China's Zhurong rover found that Mars may have once hosted "vacation-style" beaches,as a study found that the planet's red hue indicates it may have sustained water billions of years ago,and a rare "planetary parade" was visible across the globe.

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead at their home,and Mexico's Supreme Court ordered a zoo to take better care of its African elephant.