Biden signs $100B government funding bill, avoiding shutdown

Saudi man arrested after deadly car attack on German Christmas market

US Congress passes bill to avert shutdown

Malaysia agrees to resume hunt for flight MH370

Early signs suggest Trump 2.0 will be bringing the chaos back

French PM hopes to name new government by Christmas

Russian missile barrage on Kiev kills one, cuts heating

Russian missiles targeted the Ukrainian capital Kiev at sunrise on Dec. 20, killing at least one person and cutting heating to hundreds of buildings in cold temperatures.

US diplomats visit Syria to meet new rulers

The first U.S. diplomats to visit Syria since President Bashar Assad’s ouster earlier this month were in Damascus on Dec. 20 to hold talks with the country’s new leaders and seek information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

UN members seek ICJ opinion on Israel aid obligations to Palestinians

The U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to assess Israel's obligations to assist Palestinians, amid accusations the Israeli government systematically hinders Gaza aid.

Sweden sees red over Germany's energy policy

As one of Europe's biggest suppliers of electricity, Sweden is seeing red over Germany's energy policy, which it says ends up punishing Swedish consumers.

Gisele Pelicot hailed as hero after ex-husband jailed in France mass rape trial

Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot, who survived a decade of sexual abuse by her husband and dozens of strangers, said she hoped her ordeal would help make the world a better place for "women and men alike" as her former spouse was jailed for 20 years.

Suspect in health CEO killing charged with murder in New York

The man accused of gunning down a U.S. insurance executive in Manhattan — a killing that tapped into widespread anger with the American health care system — appeared in a New York court Thursday to face federal charges including murder.

US lawmakers reject Republican bill to avert government shutdown

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected a Republican-led funding bill aimed at averting a government shutdown, with federal agencies due to run out of cash on Friday night and cease operations starting this weekend.

Sri Lanka navy to aid boat of Rohingya

Sri Lanka’s navy said on Dec. 19 it was heading to aid a group of around 100 Rohingya refugees from war-torn Myanmar adrift in a fishing trawler off the Indian Ocean island.

German health system grapples with potential returns of Syrian doctors

As thousands of Syrian doctors work in Germany, the fall of Bashar Assad is raising concern over the potential consequences for the health sector if many of them were to return home.

Aliyev reveals 2 unresolved clauses in peace talks with Armenia

Baku and Yerevan have failed to reach consensus on clauses prohibiting mutual international claims and barring the deployment of third-country representatives along the border, Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev has said.

Int’l rescuers join search for Vanuatu quake survivors

Overseas rescuers joined a hunt for survivors in the rubble of shattered buildings in earthquake-struck Vanuatu on Dec. 19, with officials saying the toll of nine dead is set to rise.

UN urges global unity for Syria's reconstruction

The time is now for the international community to support the “spirit created by Syrian people” to rebuild their country after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).