There are concerns of a potential surge in COVID-19 cases in China as people prepare to travel for the Lunar New Year. And, Ukrainska Pravda, Ukraine’s first online newspaper, continues to operate despite frequent air raids and intermittent electricity amid war. Also, around 70 people have died in a plane crash in the mountains of Nepal. Plus, we bring you a new version of a song written in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appears to be consolidating support, almost a week after a mob of supporters of the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro, rampaged the seat of power in Brasília. And, human rights groups are raising alarms about the high number of recent death sentences and imprisonment of protesters in Iran. The United Nations has accused Tehran of “weaponizing” the criminal justice system. Also, Kenya's LGBTQ community is seeking answers about the death of gay fashion designer and model Edwin Chiloba. Last week, Chiloba's body was found shoved in a metal trunk in western Kenya. Plus, Sweden lifts a law requiring a permit for public dancing.

Scientists have confirmed that 2022 was among the hottest years on record. The world is closing in on the limit of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Is it still within reach? And, violence continues in southern Peru this week, spreading to the tourist city of Cusco on Wednesday, and prompting curfews in some parts of the country. At least 48 people have died during clashes between police and protesters. Also, Ukrainian Cpl. Andrii Shadrin, 27, serves in a military unit that repairs and replaces equipment damaged on the war’s front lines. From his makeshift base in Donetsk, Shadrin talks about what he’s seen in the besieged towns of Bakhmut and Soledar. Plus, Noma, Copenhagen’s fine-dining star, closes its doors. 

Brazilian authorities detained more than 1,000 demonstrators after they invaded and vandalized Brazil’s Congress, Presidential Palace and Supreme Court on Sunday. Many may be charged under the country’s anti-terrorism legislation with attempting to carry out a coup. And, in Haiti, there are no longer any democratically elected representatives working in the federal government. The last 10 senators in Haiti's parliament left office on Monday night. Also, fresh on the heels of the North American Leaders Summit comes news that Canada has finalized a deal to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets from the US. The F-35s will replace Canada's aging fleet of fighter aircraft. Plus, move over rice — China says to eat more potatoes.

US President Joe Biden is in Mexico City for the last day of the North American Leaders Summit. While trade and environmental issues are part of the agenda, the big issue for Biden at this summit is what’s happening at the southern border. And, at a UN meeting in Geneva on Monday, Pakistan received more than $9 billion in pledges from international donors to help it recover and rebuild from last year's devastating floods. Also, the trial of 24 aid workers accused of espionage and fraud opened on the Greek island of Lesbos on Tuesday. Among them is Syrian aid worker Sarah Mardini, who was the inspiration for a recent Netflix film “The Swimmers.” Plus, Indonesia’s marginalized groups say the criminal code is more than just a ban on premarital sex.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had harsh words for those who stormed his country’s parliament, its Supreme Court and presidential palace this past weekend. We hear about the role Brazilian authorities and security services may have played in the rioting. And Sweden's prime minister said Sunday that Turkey has made demands on Sweden that his country "cannot — and does not — want to meet" to gain Ankara's approval for a bid to join NATO. Demands include Sweden and Finland joining Turkey's fight against banned Kurdish militants. Also, Ana Montes was a senior analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency when she was arrested by the FBI at her office in 2001. She had been spying for Cuba for decades. Now, she's been released from prison having served a 25-year sentence. Plus, a historic Christmas in Kyiv.

Mexican authorities in the city of Culiacan arrested Ovidio Guzman, the son of the notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, on Thursday. In response, gunmen rampaged in the city streets, killing at least 29 people. And, rats are especially plentiful in the hills of Laos where they can eat 20% of the harvest. But rice farmers there take part in rat-killing tournaments that reward amateur hunters with cold, hard cash. Also, Belarusian opposition spymaster Aleksander Azarov discusses his work and ambitions for Belarus. Azarov is part of a cabinet of ministers organized by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who declared herself the winner of presidential elections in Belarus, but  later had to flee the country. Plus, negotiations over the return of Parthenon (Elgin) marbles show signs of progress.

Pope Benedict XVI, who died at age 95, was laid to rest on Thursday following his funeral at the Vatican. We hear about Pope Benedict's legacy and where the Catholic Church goes from here. And Ukrainian officials say they have struck several barracks housing Russian soldiers in recent days. Russia now says it will impose a temporary ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas, beginning Jan. 6. Also, the Biden administration is expanding its use of Title 42 to begin rapidly expelling migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. The new policies also offer legal entry into the US under humanitarian parole for a limited number of migrants. Also, Karim Younis, a Palestinian Israeli imprisoned for 40 years for killing an Israeli soldier, has been released.

A top Chinese epidemiologist says that China is now experiencing the first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases in the coming months. International health experts predict there will be at least 1 million deaths from COVID-19 in China this year. And, the Philippine government is urging hundreds of top police officials to resign after a probe found a handful of officers were involved in the narcotics trade. Also, the Kremlin has long denied that many of its soldiers are dying in its war in Ukraine. That changed this week when Russian officials admitted that a single Ukrainian strike killed at least 89 troops in a New Year’s Day attack in Makiivka, in the occupied Donetsk region. Plus, the war in Ukraine prompts a shift in the global fertilizer market.

Several nongovernmental organizations have suspended their operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban banned women working for them. The ban comes at a time when over 28 million people in the country require aid to survive, according to the United Nations. And, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wept on Sunday as he vowed to reduce poverty and inequality as Brazil's returning president. Lula is moving fast to reverse four years of Jair Bolsonaro's right-leaning policies, but he'll be facing some stiff opposition. Also, former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday at age 95, now lies in state in St. Peter's Basilica. We remember the conservative icon who struggled against church reformers. Plus, Canadian entrepreneur Craig Cohon has vowed to walk from London to Istanbul to capture the environmental cost of his own life.