U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was accused of trying to sideline Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Russia-Ukraine negotiations, Pope Leo XIV appealed for "courage" to end the Ukraine war during his first Christmas address, a Moscow car bombing left a Russian general dead, marking the third killing of a senior Russian officer within a year,and NATO scrambled jets to intercept Russian bombers flying over neutral waters near the U.K.Elsewhere, the U.N. Security Council convened an emergency meeting in response to Washington's recent military actions in the Caribbean, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a new class of battleships set to be the largest surface combatants since World War II,and Washington conducted strikes against Islamic State militants in Nigeria's Sokoto State, citing attacks on Christians in the region.Meanwhile, Thailand and Cambodia signed a 72-hour ceasefire following renewed border conflict, Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris proposed a U.N.-monitored ceasefire to end his country's civil war,and Pakistan finalized an arms deal with Libya worth over $4 billion.This comes as the U.N. reported that over 80,000 people have fled the Democratic Republic of Congo since early December amid escalating violence in South Kivu province, a mosque bombing in Nigeria claimed at least five lives and injured 35,and North Korea's Kim Jong Un inspected the country's first nuclear-powered submarine — one of five major defense priorities outlined in 2021.In other news, Libya's army chief died in a plane crash near Ankara, along with four senior military officials, two people were killed in an alleged Palestinian car-ramming and knife attack in Israel — occurring a day after an Israeli reservist struck a Palestinian man with a quad,and Israel reported killing an Iranian Quds Force operative during airstrikes on Lebanon.

The U.S. announced visa restrictions against five individuals it accused of censoring Americans,with a judge later blocking the deportation of one of those affected — British anti-disinformation campaigner Imran Ahmed.In related developments, the Trump administration moved to recall nearly 30 ambassadors appointed by former President Joe Biden,while Mark Wiseman was named Canada's ambassador to the U.S., replacing Kirsten Hillman, who served in the role for six years.Meanwhile, China sanctioned 20 U.S. firms over Washington's $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, Trump advised Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro to step down amid U.S. efforts to interdict Venezuelan oil tankers,with the White House reportedly instructing the U.S. military to "quarantine" Venezuelan oil for at least two months,and the Alliance of Sahel States held its second annual summit, with leaders agreeing to strengthen security and economic cooperation.This comes as Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state," becoming the first nation to do so, India and New Zealand reached a free trade deal after nine months of negotiations,and Brazilian presidential hopeful Flávio Bolsonaro confirmed plans to visit Jerusalem to speak at an Israeli government conference on combating antisemitism.Elsewhere, Nasry Asfura was declared the winner of Honduras's contested presidential election with 40.27% of the vote,and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro formally endorsed his eldest son's 2026 presidential bid in a handwritten letter.In other news, former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty in a fraud case and sentenced to 15 years in prison, a Russian court sentenced Vladimir Putin critic Sergei Udaltsov to six years in prison after being convicted of "justifying terrorism,"and acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Tarique Rahman, returned to the country after 17 years in exile.

The Justice Department released another 30,000 pages of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents following last week's initial disclosure,as it revealed that it had discovered over 1 million additional documents that require review before their release,and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sought legal action over the Justice Department's handling of the files in an effort to compel compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court rejected Trump's bid to deploy National Guard troops to Illinois, citing a lack of legal authority, a judge ruled that due process must be afforded to Venezuelans deported to El Salvador in March, giving the government a Jan. 5 deadline to submit a compliance plan,and the Department of Homeland Security increased its self-deportation payment to $3,000, marking a 300% increase.In other news, Karoline Leavitt announced that she is expecting her second child, making her the first person to serve as White House press secretary while pregnant, Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman announced her bid for the Wyoming Senate seat after Sen. Cynthia Lummis said she wouldn't seek reelection, Vice President J.D. Vance defended his wife against criticism, specifically responding to remarks made by political commentator Nick Fuentes and former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki,and a Democratic lawmaker sued to remove Trump's name from the Kennedy Center, alleging the name change was illegal.

The U.S. Justice Department sued the District of Columbia over its semi-automatic gun restrictions, alleging they violate the Constitution,and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services faced a lawsuit after declaring gender treatments ineffective for minors.

The U.S. murder rate plunged 20% in 2025, with mass murders falling to their lowest level since tracking began in 2006, U.K. police considered replacing non-crime hate incidents with a new system that would record only the most serious incidents as anti-social behavior,and Venezuela approved harsher sentences for people supporting "piracy and blockades" against entities operating with the country.Meanwhile, Amazon Chief Security Officer Stephen Schmidt reported that the company blocked over 1,800 suspected North Korean operatives from joining since April 2024, with North Korea-affiliated cybercriminals accused of stealing over $3 billion over the past three years, 11 Ecuadorian soldiers were sentenced to 34 years in prison for the forced disappearance of four minors,and a Rabbi's Hanukkah-decorated car was firebombed in Melbourne, with no casualties reported.

Oracle founder Larry Ellison backed Paramount's $108 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, providing a personal guarantee of $40.4 billion.

France passed a stopgap law to keep public services funded through January amid an ongoing budget impasse,and Japan approved a record $785 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning in April 2026.

The U.S. signed health deals with nine African nations under a new framework that conditions aid on bilateral negotiations,and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral medication to treat obesity — a pill version of the weight-loss drug Wegovy.

Trump suspended leases for five East Coast wind farms over national security concerns, over 1,500 flights were canceled in the U.S. amid Storm Devin,and a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea, with no casualties reported.

The U.S. Pentagon announced an agreement with xAI to integrate Grok-based AI models into its GenAI.mil platform, which will serve around 3 million military and civilian personnel,and China issued draft rules to regulate AI, requiring providers to disclose to users when they're interacting with artificial intelligence.

Scientists created a model that replicates the womb lining, and tested the system with donated early-stage human embryos from IVF procedures.