Today we'll be discussing some of the biggest news stories, including Biden's statement about the Second Amendment and Imran Khan's ultimatum, but first let's start with the news from Ukraine.

Today, Ukraine's president Zelensky has hit back at former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for saying that Ukraine should be prepared to cede territory like Crimea and parts of Donbass in order to secure a peace deal. Kissinger, an architect of America's foreign policy in the late 60s and 70s, made the comments while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. However, Zelenskiy said that the now 98-year-old Kissinger had emerged from the deep past and his calendar must be set to 1938 instead of 2022. Zelenskiy went on to say "that by the way in the real 1938 when Mr Kissinger's family were fleeing Nazi Germany he was 15 years old, and he understood everything perfectly and nobody heard from him that it was necessary to adapt to the Nazis instead of fleeing them or fighting them".

Next up following the tragic Texas school shooting at Robb elementary school, the deadliest attack of this kind since Sandy Hook many are outraged by the lack of action from political leaders in the US but today president Biden has said that the Second Amendment is not absolute and that enough is enough on gun violence across the US. Biden went on to say when in god's name will we do what needs to be done he also argued that there have always been limitations on the amendment, for example people aren't allowed to own a cannon under Second Amendment protection. It seems then that Biden is alluding to the fact that the Second Amendment could simply have more limitations imposed on it rather than outright scrapping it altogether. As yet, though, there are a few details on what Biden's exact gun control plans are.

Moving across the world, the ousted prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has given an ultimatum to the new government, demanding that they call an early election within six days. He issued this ultimatum after mobilizing his supporters to march on the capital Islamabad, where he planned to stage a mass sit-in near parliament until the government resigned. This march ended up seeing violence breakout between police who deployed tear gas and baton charges and some of khan's supporters, who in some cases set fire to bushes and vehicles. In response, rather than stage the mass sit-in, khan told his followers to step back but warned the government that if they didn't call an election within six days he and his supporters would once again march on the capital.

Staying with Asia, China's foreign minister Wang Yi has begun an eight-nation tour of the pacific, beginning with the Solomon Islands, with whom china has recently signed a security pact. With that pact heightening concerns in Australia and the US about China's influence in the region. A draft document seen by the associated press suggests that China is hoping to secure support from a number of pacific island countries for an agreement covering everything from fisheries to communication to security. Australia's new government has moved quickly to respond to the Chinese foreign minister's tour by dispatching his own foreign minister penny Wong to Fiji, where the Chinese delegation is also set to make a stop. The Australian prime minister said that this was necessary because China is seeking to increase its influence in the region of the world, where Australia has been the security partner of choice since the second world war.

Finally, today, there's been a lot of speculation this week that British chancellor right sunk might introduce some sort of windfall tax on energy companies in light of their huge profits and the recent cost of living crisis. While the government seemed initially reluctant to impose such attacks on the basis that it could scare away investors, it seems that the opposition Labour Party might have convinced them, and they've accepted that this might be necessary. As such, right sunk is today expected to announce that households are going to get extra money from the government to help with the cost of living crisis. In addition to this, it's being speculated that the 200 pounds the government has already given individuals may not need to be repaid as was originally intended. However, while many will welcome this additional money, others have speculated that this plan is simply a distraction from the Sue Gray report which was published yesterday and another attempt from the government to divert attention.