Ukraine

• Ukraine's New Year's Day HIMARS strike on Makiivka in Russian-occupied Donetsk apparently killed quite a few Russian military recruits: Russia counted 63 dead; Ukraine claimed the figure was actually in the hundreds.
• The incident outraged Russian nationalists, who blamed Russia's military commanders for painting a target on the recruits by storing ammunition in the same building as their barracks.

• China has a new Foreign Minister, and he's much more pro-U.S. than his predecessor. The new Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, was previously China's Ambassador to the U.S., and he dedicated one of his first announcements in his new role to praising the U.S. and Americans. Analysts are reading that as a sign that he'll bring a softer approach to China-U.S. relations.

• A New Year's Day attack on a prison near the U.S. border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico killed at least 17 - including 10 prison guards - and freed 25 inmates. One of the inmates who escaped was a leader of the local Caborca Cartel, and authorities believe the main goal of the attack was to free him.

• Brazil's new (reelected) president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, walked back some of his predecessor's policies that he blamed for "national destruction:" Lula curbed gold mining in the Amazon and tightened gun laws.