The United States military says it has killed or captured about 25 ISIL (ISIS) fighters in a wave of attacks over nine days in Syria. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees the US military's Middle East operations, issued a statement on Tuesday marking the conclusion of the operations this month. The campaign followed the killing of two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter by an ISIL gunman in Syria on December 13 and widescale US strikes against the group six days later.
Israel on Tuesday said it had suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules. Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organizations. But the organizations say the rules are arbitrary and warned that the new ban would harm a civilian population desperately in need of humanitarian aid.
Beijing has carried out its biggest-ever military drills off the self-governed island. China has launched more rockets as it continues its huge live-fire exercises off Taiwan. The drills, which Beijing named Justice Mission 2025, are widely seen as a show of force as China seeks to assert its claim that Taiwan is part of its sovereign territory. list of 3 itemsend of list
A case of measles was confirmed on December 24th in Contra Costa County, and officials have now issued a warning that anyone who was shopping at multiple stores in Walnut Creek before Christmas Eve could have been exposed. The infected person was apparently shopping at Anthropologie on December 17 or 19, at Macy's or the Apple Store on December 18, and several other locations. [KTVU]
OPINION - Out with a "rules-based international order" and in with "U.S. core national interests", according to the U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) of 2025. The NSS was not well-received by many of the 32 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Indeed, saying good-bye to the U.S. as the guarantor of global order will be difficult for many of our allies and partners, who will be expected to contribute more to their own defense and security.
Two hours north of the capital, Manila, on the vast grounds of a former United States military base, the Philippine government is pushing ahead with plans for a multibillion-dollar smart city that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr hopes to turn into a future mecca for tourists and a magnet for investors. The New Clark City, which is being built on the former Clark Air Base, is central to the government's effort to attract foreign investment and ease congestion in Manila, where nearly 15 million people live.
What were these concessions? They were predominantly related to denying Turkiye any presence in the Gaza stabilisation force and to US approval for an Israeli strike on Iran. Netanyahu failed on both counts. Trump specifically referred to his good relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and spoke of Bibi's respect for him, too. With regard to Iran, Trump mentioned Iran's willingness to make a deal and provided clear guidelines for American involvement while saying nothing about authorising a solo Israeli operation.
From Jeff Bezos commandeering Venice for his lavish wedding at a time of a growing backlash over inequality, to the spectacle of Donald Trump returning to office for a second term, the material was endless for cartoonists, though often difficult to navigate. The less surreal included violence against Palestinians in Gaza by Israel, the entrenchment of the Russia-Ukraine war, the threat AI posed to human creativity and the return of the far right across Europe and the US.
He also suggests Trump's Republican base want a deal and not further unnecessary wars. Araghchi was writing a day after Netanyahu held talks with Trump in the US in which Israel's calls to consider fresh attacks on Iran were discussed alongside the Gaza peace plan. Netanyahu claims Iran may be seeking to rebuild its nuclear programme after joint Israeli-US assaults on Iran in June severely damaged its key nuclear sites.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have passed their condolences to the families of Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, the two friends who died in a car crash in Nigeria this week in which Anthony Joshua was also injured. Ayodele, also known as Latz, was a personal trainer of Joshua, while Ghami acted as strength and conditioning coach for the 36-year-old boxer. Joshua remains in hospital in Lagos where he was described by his management team as being in a stable condition.
With 250 people on board, the second locomotive derailed and dragged the rest of the train with it. One of the four passenger cars plunged into a six-meter-deep ravine, and another was left partially suspended. The accident resulted in the deaths of 13 people and left approximately 100 injured, 36 of whom are still receiving medical attention, according to a statement from the Mexican Navy.
The former Australian Test cricketer Damien Martyn has been admitted to hospital and placed in an induced coma after being diagnosed with meningitis. The 54-year-old is in for the fight of his life, according to the former AFL player Brad Hardie, who revealed Martyn's condition on Tuesday. Let's hope he can pull through because it's really serious, Hardie said on 6PR. Martyn remains in a serious condition after falling ill on Boxing Day and being taken to hospital in Queensland where he was diagnosed with meningitis, according to sources close to the family.
