Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal,which was approved by Israel's cabinet,Israel deported dozens of activists from a previously intercepted flotilla,as it intercepted another Gaza-bound aid flotilla,and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni was reported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged complicity in genocide related to the Gaza war.This comes as Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces reached a ceasefire in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods following deadly clashes,the U.S. announced a strike on Syria that allegedly killed a senior Al-Qaeda-affiliated attack planner,and the ICC convicted a Sudanese militia leader in its first Darfur war crimes verdict.In other news, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of waging a "gray zone campaign" against the continent,Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to have captured nearly 2,000 square miles of Ukrainian territory this year,Russian attacks caused power outages across Ukraine,and France, Germany and the U.K. said they're "ready to progress" on using Russian assets for Ukraine.Elsewhere, the U.N. cut its peacekeeping forces by 25%,the U.S. Senate passed a $925 billion defense bill,and Myanmar's military reportedly killed dozens in a bombing at a Buddhist festival.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced an additional 100% tariff on Chinaafter it tightened its export rules for rare earth materials,as he spoke with Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvaand met with Canada's Mark Carney to discuss trade,and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer led a 125-member trade mission to India.Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron reappointed Sébastien Lecornu as prime ministerfour days after he resigned,von der Leyen survived dual no-confidence votes,Japan's ruling coalition split after 26 years,and Army General Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo was appointed Madagascar's new prime minister.This comes as Belgium reportedly foiled a drone terror plot,five people were detained in connection to an alleged assassination attempt on Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa,a German mayor was stabbed,and Burkina Faso arrested eight European NGO staff members on espionage charges.In other news, the U.N.'s refugee chief claimed that some of Washington's deportations violate international law,Germany abolished a fast-track citizenship program for skilled workers,Ecuador extended a state of emergency amid organized crime violence,and Venezuela's María Corina Machado won this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

As the government shutdown continued,the Internal Revenue Service furloughed nearly half of its staff,Trump questioned the back pay for some furloughed workers,and airports saw disruptions across the country.Meanwhile, former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to lying to Congress,New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on bank fraud charges,the FBI fired multiple agents followingrevelations that GOP lawmakers' phone records were monitored during the Jan. 6 investigation,and Attorney General Pam Bondi faced a Senate hearing.In other news, Trump considered using the Insurrection Act for his National Guard deployment plans,as Illinois and Chicago sued to block his effort,and judges temporarily blocked the deployment of troops to Oregonand Illinois.This comes as Trump called for jailing Illinois officials for allegedly failing to protect immigration officers,a court blocked Trump's birthright citizenship order,and illegal U.S.-Mexico border crossings hit their lowest level in over 50 years.

A Texas court halted the execution of a man in an alleged shaken baby syndrome case,the Supreme Court heard a challenge to Colorado's conversion therapy ban,and two leaders of Canada's 2022 Freedom Convoy received 18-month conditional sentences.Meanwhile, the Taliban restricted access to social media in Afghanistan,encrypted messaging app Signal threatened to exit the EU over a potential chat control regulation,and Denmark moved to ban social media platforms for children under 15.

A U.S. House Democrat sought convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's financial records from four top banks,the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking conviction appeal,and a suspect was arrested in connection with the Palisades Fire.Meanwhile, a man who appealed his conviction in France's Pelicot rape case received a harsher sentence,England and Wales reported a rise in religious hate crimes,and U.K. police busted an international phone-smuggling ring.This comes as a fugitive from a jailbreak in New Orleans was captured,and a Sydney man was charged with 25 offenses after going on a shooting spree.

Paramount bought The Free Press for $150 million,a report found that 60% of top U.K. news sites dropped in Google rankings this year,and Fifth Third Bancorp acquired Comerica.Meanwhile, Elon Musk settled a $128 million severance dispute with former Twitter executives,Tesla introduced new standard editions of the Model Y and Model 3,and Chinese carmaker BYD's U.K. sales jumped 880%.This comes as the U.K.'s Rishi Sunak joined Microsoft and Anthropic in senior adviser roles,AMD and OpenAI reached an Instinct Graphics Processing Units deal,and dozens of Bob Ross paintings were prepared to be auctioned to fund public U.S. TV stations.

The price of gold reached an all-time high,JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned of a potential recession next year,the U.S. Treasury bought Argentine pesos and finalized a $20 billion currency swap framework,and New Zealand cut interest rates to 2.5%.

The White House decided to use tariff revenue to fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children,the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopted individual-based decision-making for COVID-19 vaccination,and a pharma owner was arrested in India in connection with a cough syrup linked to the deaths of over a dozen children.In other news, surgeons in China performed the world's first pig-to-human liver transplant,scientists developed the first blood test to detect chronic fatigue,and researchers created nanoparticles that reverse Alzheimer's progression in mice.

A report warned that New Zealand's oceans are warming 34% faster than the global average,renewable energy sources surpassed coal in global electricity production for the first time,and a study found that asthma inhalers emit carbon dioxide equivalent to 530,000 cars annually.In other news, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines,and a 6.6-magnitude quake hit Papua New Guinea.

A report warned that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level jobs within five years.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded this year's Nobel Prizes in chemistry, physics, physiology or medicineand literature.

Trump announced a UFC fight at the White House for his 80th birthday,Turning Point USA unveiled plans to host an alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show,and Cristiano Ronaldo became soccer's first billionaire player.

Sixteen people were presumed dead in a blast at a Tennessee explosives facility,and Indonesia ended its search operation at a collapsed school that left dozens dead.

A study found that Mars dust devils can reach speeds of up to 99 miles per hour.