Here’s the biggest news you missed this weekend

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Hello 2023! Another new year sweeps into view

New Year’s celebrations swept across the globe, ushering in 2023 with countdowns and fireworks – and marking an end to a year that brought war in Europe, a new chapter in the British monarchy and global worries over inflation. The ball dropped on New York City’s iconic Times Square as crowds counted down the seconds into 2023, culminating in raucous cheers and a deluge of confetti glittering amid jumbo screens, neon, pulsing lights and soggy streets. Before the ball dropped, there were heavy thoughts about the past year and the new one to come. "2023 is about resurgence – resurgence of the world after COVID-19 and after the war in Ukraine. We want it to end," Arjun Singh said as he took in the scene at Times Square.

Onlookers cheer as confetti fills the air to mark the beginning of the new year, in Times Square, New York City, on January 1, 2023.
Onlookers cheer as confetti fills the air to mark the beginning of the new year, in Times Square, New York City, on January 1, 2023.

Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign as the head of the Catholic Church, died Saturday. Benedict, formerly known as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, was 95. A theologian known for his traditional interpretation of what the church should be, Benedict shocked many Catholics with his decision to step down in 2013, citing ailing health. Traditionally, the pope serves in the role until his death. He was also widely criticized for the church's handling of clergy sex abuse cases in Germany when he was the archbishop of Munich. His death triggered a period of mourning for the Vatican, and his funeral Thursday will be presided over by Pope Francis and is expected to be widely attended by leading and political figures.

Barbara Walters, trailblazing journalist, dies at 93

Barbara Walters, a broadcast legend and pioneer who became the first woman to co-host a morning and evening newscast, died at age 93, ABC News announced in a live special report Friday. "Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones," her representative Cindi Berger said in a statement. "She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women." The daughter of a nightclub owner, Walters got into television to support the family after her father went broke. She made her on-air debut in 1956 and went on to a career asking questions about the public and private lives of the powerful, rich, famous and infamous. And no other woman in television journalism had a longer career, with more hits and flops, scoops and controversies, praise and ridicule. Read more about her life.

Real quick

1 dead after California hit with landslides, flooding, snow

Crews worked to rescue stranded drivers and reopen flooded roadways as the new year began after an intense storm system caused power outages, landslides and flooding in portions of California. More than 38,000 people people were without power in the state on Monday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us. In Sacramento County, officials said one person was found dead inside a submerged vehicle, and dozens of people trapped in partially or completely submerged vehicles have been rescued. The storm wasn't the only natural phenomenon plaguing Northern California on Sunday. About 200 miles northwest of Sacramento, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake closed a bridge while crews conducted safety inspections.

Three vehicles are submerged on Dillard Road west of Highway 99 in south Sacramento County in Wilton, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, after heavy rains on New Year's Eve produced levee breaks. Saturday's system was warmer and wetter, while storms this week will be colder, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sacramento. The Sacramento region could receive a total of 4 to 5 inches of rain over the week, Chandler-Cooley said.

Georgia, TCU advance in wild College Football Playoff

In perhaps the most entertaining pair of semifinal games in the history of the College Football Playoff, Georgia and TCU advanced Saturday to berths in the national championship game. No. 3 TCU pulled off one of the biggest upsets in playoff history, stunning No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in a Fiesta Bowl that saw wild momentum swings and, at one point, 51 combined points scored in just over seven minutes of game time. No 1. Georgia survived against No. 4 Ohio State in the Peach Bowl, rallying from down two scores in the fourth quarter to escape with a 42-41 victory after the Buckeyes missed a long field goal attempt in the closing seconds. The Bulldogs will try to win their second straight title when they face the Horned Frogs on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Ukrainian missiles kill scores of Russian soldiers

Scores of Russian soldiers were killed when Ukrainian missiles struck a building in the occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine over the weekend, one of the deadliest days for the Russian military since the war began more than 10 months ago. The ministry said two rockets were shot down but four slammed into the building and surrounding area. The ministry said 63 service members died in the attack, although details remained sketchy. Dmitry Azarov, governor of Russia's Samara region, said an unspecified number of residents were among the killed and wounded. Ukrainian authorities did not claim responsibility but estimated the death toll at nearly 400, sarcastically blaming "careless handling of heating devices, neglect of security measures, smoking in an unspecified place." Keep reading: Monday's updates from Ukraine.

January 2, 2023: Serhii Kaharlytskyi, right, stands outside his home, destroyed after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. Kaharlytskyi's wife Iryna died in the attack on Dec. 31, 2022.
January 2, 2023: Serhii Kaharlytskyi, right, stands outside his home, destroyed after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. Kaharlytskyi's wife Iryna died in the attack on Dec. 31, 2022.

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Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: News you missed: Pope Benedict XVI, Barbara Walters dead, Ukraine missiles, California weather.