Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said the Gaza city of Rafah will be evacuated ahead of an expected Israeli offensive,after the country rejected a Hamas cease-fire proposal earlier in the week.This comes as Hamas reportedly gave a "positive response" to a potential hostage deal,US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Saudi Arabia for truce talks- leaving the Middle East on Thursday with no resolution -and the UN appointed an independent panel to review Israel's UNRWA allegations.Meanwhile, as the Russia-Ukraine war approaches the two-year mark, Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced the Ukraine's military chief on Thursdayamidst reports he'd been considering the move - which the US declared a "sovereign choice" - with the new military chief outlining his priorities on Friday.This comes as Russia reportedly made advances in Ukraine,Ukraine struck a Russian bakery,and Tucker Carlson interviewed Putin.Elsewhere, Venezuela reportedly deployed its military near the Guyana border,a US drone strike killed an Iran-backed militia leader in Baghdad,Thailand and Muslim separatists agreed to end their ongoing conflict,M23 rebels advanced near Goma in the Congo,Papua rebels agreed to release a kidnapped New Zealand pilot,and a drone attack in Syria killed six US-backed Kurdish fighters.Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthis claimed fresh attacks on Red Sea shipping,despite the US launching additional strikes against them.

Malaysia's top court ruled some Islamic laws in Kelantan unconstitutional,a former Thai prime minister hopeful received a suspended sentence,and Imran Khan's party won the lead in Pakistan's election,which was held under an Internet blackoutone day after explosions near candidates' offices killed dozens.Meanwhile, the EU began legal action against Hungary's "sovereignty" law,an anti-war candidate was disqualified from Russia's presidential election,a report claimed Russian oil is entering the UK and EU through a "loophole,"and King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer. Elsewhere, police seized former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's passport,El Salvador's Nayib Bukele claimed election victory,Argentina's lower house approved Pres. Javier Milei's reform bill,Senegal postponed its presidential election,and Yemen appointed a new prime minister.

A Special Counsel report said Biden won't be charged in the top secret documents case,the DNC filed a complaint against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s super PAC,former Maryland Gov. Hogan announced plans to run for Senate,and RNC Chairwoman McDaniel reportedly plans to step down.Meanwhile, Trump overwhelmingly won the Nevada caucus,the Supreme Court heard a case seeking to kick the former president off the election ballot,an appeals court rejected his immunity claim,and Trump revealed his potential picks for vice president.This comes as the Senate advanced a standalone foreign aid package after a border deal failed,the US House voted against impeaching Alejandro Mayorkas,and a South Dakota tribe banned the governor from its reservation.

Hearings on Canada's ArriveCan COVID measures were suspended,a judge ordered Starbucks to reinstate a fired union organizer,and CNN faced staff backlash over alleged pro-Israel bias. Elsewhere, Prince Harry settled his Mirror hacking case,a Japanese court allowed a gender change without sterilization,Spanish farmers joined the EU protests,and China suspended an Australian writer's death sentence.

A climate scientist was awarded $1M in a defamation suit,the mother of a Michigan school shooter was found guilty of manslaughter,and rapper Killer Mike was arrested at the Grammy Awards.

Sam Altman is reportedly seeking trillions for a computer chips endeavor,the US' Federal Communications Commission outlawed robocalls,and Microsoft vowed to train 2M Indian workers in AI.Meanwhile, the UK announced a £100m investment in AI regulation,Meta's board criticized the company over a fake Biden video,and AI was used to decode an ancient Roman scroll.In other news, Cern submitted plans for a new atom collider.

German chemical firm BASF quit its joint ventures in Xinjiang,ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. announced plans to launch a new sports streaming platform,Mcdonald's and Starbucks were impacted by Israel-Gaza related boycotts,and Joe Rogan and Spotify reached a new $250M deal.

Brazil is facing a dengue emergency,and a study found that quitting smoking at any age limits cancer risk.

A report found that missing bolts caused Alaska Airlines' mid-air door blowout,after Boeing flagged further faults in its 737 Max 9 planes,and five Marines and former Chilean Pres. Sebastián Piñera died in unrelated helicopter crashes.

Iceland declared a state of emergency following a volcanic eruption,the EPA strengthened standards for soot emissions,a report claimed temperatures may have exceeded +1.5°C a decade ago,Southern California was hit by a second consecutive atmospheric river,and Chile faced deadly wildfires.

Dartmouth men's basketball were given the greenlight to unionize.

The UN requested $4.1B in aid for Sudan,while a report claimed a child dies every two hours in a Sudan camp.