Iran declared a "full-fledged war" with the U.S., Israel and Europe, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to back Israeli strikes on Iran if it continues its nuclear and missile programs,and Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Yemen's Mukalla port over an alleged weapons shipment from the United Arab Emirates.Meanwhile, Israel banned dozens of aid groups from Gaza for failing to comply with new registration rules, the U.N. criticized an Israeli law that blocks electricity and water to UNRWA facilities, Boeing won an $8.6 billion Pentagon contract to supply Israel with F-15 jets,and Israel's Supreme Court approved demolition orders for around 25 residential buildings in the Nur Shams Refugee Camp.Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the expansion of the "buffer zone" in Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions for 2026, Russia deployed the Oreshnik missile system to Belarus, with 10 more such systems to be stationed there,and Trump said he was "very angry" about an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on Putin's residence,which the CIA later determined actually targeted a military site elsewhere in the region.In other news, the U.S. launched further strikes on suspected drug boats, killing at least 8, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that the reunification of China and Taiwan is "unstoppable," saying the people share "a bond of blood and kinship,"as Beijing launched military drills around Taiwan, and Thailand freed 18 Cambodian soldiers to meet the conditions of a ceasefire.This comes as the Somali Army killed 29 Al-Shabaab militants in airstrikes in the Middle Shabelle region,and the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Rwanda of killing over 1,500 since the beginning of December.

The U.S. seized Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a large-scale strike on Venezuela,with Trump stating that Washington would "run" the country until a "safe, proper and judicious transition" can occur, Honduras' attorney general vowed to pursue legal action over the country's recent election amid allegations of corruption and vote rigging,and El Salvador's Nayib Bukele expressed his desire to stay in power for another decade if it aligns with the will of the people.This comes as Guinea's transitional President Mamady Doumbouya secured victory in the presidential election, with 86.72% of the vote, Iraq's parliament elected Haibat Al-Halbousi as speaker, with support from 208 legislators,and Bangladesh's first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, died following years of declining health.Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with his Somali counterpart in Istanbul, U.N. ambassadors condemned Israel's recognition of Somaliland as a violation of sovereignty and international law,and the U.S. pledged $2 billion in U.N. humanitarian aid — a decline from a peak of $17 billion annually in recent years.In other news, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed to listen to protesters’ "legitimate demands" amid widespread demonstrations over the nation's economythat have left at least 10 people dead,with Trump warning that the U.S. would intervene if Tehran kills protesters.Elsewhere, Mali and Burkina Faso imposed travel bans on U.S. nationals following Washington's implementation of travel restrictions on 20 countries last month,and a U.S. judge blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status for South Sudanese nationals, following a lawsuit arguing that the policy is unlawful.

Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City's mayor, becoming the city's first Muslim leader,with his first day in office seeing him revoke all prior mayoral directives issued by his predecessor Eric Adams since his indictment,and Trump issued the first vetoes of his second term.Meanwhile, Trump withdrew the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland following legal setbacks, the White House began auditing Somali Americans to identify potential fraud that could result in their denaturalization,and California delayed the revocation of 17,000 immigrant trucker licenses following a lawsuit filed by immigration advocacy groups.In other developments, Trump addressed speculation about his health in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the House Judiciary Committee released a transcript of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's recent testimony, in which he defended his decision to lead two probes into Trump,and several artists canceled their shows at the Trump-Kennedy Center amid controversy over its renaming.

France announced a bill to ban social media for children under 15, which will be debated in Parliament on Jan. 19, joining several other nations considering such measures,and Venezuela reportedly released dozens of people arrested in connection with last year's post-election protests.Meanwhile, four U.S. workers challenged a policy to eliminate gender-transition treatment in federal health insurance programs, a U.S. court allowed the Trump administration to strip Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood centers performing abortions in 22 states and Washington, D.C.,and a California court struck down the state's ban on openly carrying firearms in counties with more than 200,000 people.Elsewhere, the European Court of Human Rights questioned the U.K.'s decision to revoke Shamima Begum's citizenship after she traveled to Syria as a teenager to join the Islamic State group,and Israeli cybersecurity CEO Shlomo Kramer suggested that the U.S. should "limit the First Amendment" as he warned of AI cyberwarfare.

Thieves stole 30 million from safety deposit boxes at a German bank,and Australia announced an independent review of the nation's security agencies following the Bondi Beach terror attack.Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services froze child care payments to Minnesota amid allegations of fraud involving the state's day care centers,and Indonesia enforced a new penal code, replacing a Dutch-era criminal law that had governed the country for more than 80 years.

China's BYD overtook Tesla as the world's top electric vehicle seller following a nearly 28% jump in sales last year, Disney agreed to pay $10 million to settle child privacy violation claims,and Warren Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway after six decades of leading the conglomerate.Meanwhile, Beyoncé officially became a billionaire, making her the fifth musician to do so,and former BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore received an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to public service broadcasting.

Syria launched a new currency, dropping two zeros from its pound,and Bulgaria officially adopted the euro, becoming the 21st country to do so.In other news, China began taxing contraceptives, reversing a three-decade-old exemption.

The U.S. and the Ivory Coast signed a health cooperation agreement valued at $480 million,and 75% of U.S. adults qualified as obese under new waist-based criteria.

A "bomb cyclone" struck the northern U.S., bringing blizzard conditions and heavy snow across the region,and Nepal ended its 11-year-old Mount Everest waste deposit scheme, with officials determining the program failed to reduce waste accumulation.

Musk's xAI acquired a third building to expand its data center infrastructure,and X's AI platform Grok was accused of complying with prompts to create deepfakes that manipulate photos of women and children in sexually exploitative ways.Meanwhile, Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio warned against granting legal rights to AI systems, stating that frontier models have shown signs of self-preservation,and a report alleged that Google's AI Overviews provide dangerous health misinformation.

A U.K. firm launched a 1,000°C furnace into orbit to manufacture semiconductor materials, a study suggested that dark energy may be weakening, with the universe entering a phase of decelerated expansion,and astronomers detected a rogue planet with a mass approximately 22% that of Jupiter.

Dozens were killed in a fire at a Swiss alpine resort barthat officials said was likely caused by champagne sparklers,and a train derailment in Mexico left 13 dead and nearly 100 injured.Meanwhile, Ocean Infinity began a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which has been missing since 2014,and British boxer Anthony Joshua was hospitalized following a fatal car crash in Nigeria that left two others dead.

Former President John F. Kennedy's granddaughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, died of acute myeloid leukemia.