Malaysia’s MM2H visa changes draw cautious welcome, questions from ex-pats (www.aljazeera.com)
US launches strikes on Iraq over drone attack blamed on Iran-backed forces (www.aljazeera.com)
Younger Americans are friendlier to China (www.economist.com)
Ukraine says it shot down Russian fighter jets and drones as the country officially marks Christmas (apnews.com)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday hailed the shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve and said “this Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead.”...
Biden orders strike on Iranian-aligned group after 3 US troops injured in drone attack in Iraq (apnews.com)
President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military to carry out retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. servicemembers were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq....
Doctors accuse Israeli troops of desecrating bodies and shooting civilians at hospital Israel says was Hamas ‘command center’ (www.cnn.com)
Israeli soldiers raiding a hospital in northern Gaza desecrated the bodies of dead patients with bulldozers, let a military dog maul a man in a wheelchair, and shot multiple doctors even after vetting them for terror links, according to allegations by staff and patients....
Maersk says it will resume shipping in the Red Sea (www.cnn.com)
Global shipping giant Maersk will restart operations in the Red Sea after suspending activity there following attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on commercial vessels....
Israeli strike in Syria kills Iranian commander, Iran says (www.bbc.com)
A senior Iranian commander was killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Syria. Iranian media say....
‘Entire family gone’: Israel kills 250 Palestinians in 24 hours (www.aljazeera.com)
A Palestinian student deleted her social media. Israel revoked her permit (www.972mag.com)
276 Indians stuck in a French airport for days for a human trafficking probe have left for India (www.nbcnews.com)
A charter plane grounded in France for a human trafficking investigation departed Monday for India with 276 Indians aboard, authorities said. The passengers had been heading to Nicaragua but were instead blocked inside a rural French airport for four days in an exceptional holiday ordeal....
Hamas, Islamic Jihad reject Gaza gov. overhaul for permanent ceasefire, Egyptian sources say (www.reuters.com)
Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Monday.
Alexei Navalny discovered in remote Arctic penal colony (www.theguardian.com)
Jailed Russian opposition leader ‘doing well’, according to aides, nearly three weeks after going missing...