Israel Launches Gaza Airstrike After Attack Wounds Five Soldiers, Tests Fragile Ceasefire
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1.🇮🇱 Israel Launches Gaza Airstrike After Attack Wounds Five Soldiers, Tests Fragile Ceasefire
Israel conducted an airstrike on a Hamas militant in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis late Wednesday, marking the latest test of the fragile ceasefire that has largely held since early October. The strike came hours after militants emerged from an underground tunnel and attacked Israeli soldiers, wounding five in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized as a ceasefire violation. Hamas condemned the retaliatory strike, while Israel warned that the incident followed a pattern of previous violations that triggered airstrikes killing 104 people in late October and 33 in late November.
The escalation coincides with critical developments in hostage negotiations and border access. Israeli authorities received remains of what could be one of the last two hostages in Gaza—Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak—while announcing plans to reopen the Rafah crossing for Palestinian medical evacuations. However, complications persist as Egypt insists on two-way movement through the crossing, while Israel maintains Palestinians cannot return until all hostage remains are recovered. More than 16,500 sick and wounded Gazans require medical evacuation, according to the World Health Organization, as the Palestinian death toll surpasses 70,100 since the October 2023 conflict began.
2. 🇲🇾 Ocean Infinity Resumes Deep-Sea Hunt for Missing MH370 Flight After Decade-Long Mystery
Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity will resume the deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on December 30, more than ten years after the Boeing 777 vanished with 239 people aboard. The company signed a “no-find, no-fee” contract with Malaysia’s government in March, committing to a 55-day intermittent search operation targeting areas with the highest likelihood of locating the aircraft. Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only if wreckage is discovered, mirroring the terms of their unsuccessful 2018 search attempt.
The renewed effort follows advances in underwater search technology and refined data analysis that have narrowed the search zone to a 15,000-square-kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean. Flight MH370 disappeared from radar on March 8, 2014, while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying mostly Chinese nationals. Despite an expensive multinational search operation and debris washing ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean🇺🇦 islands, no bodies or substantial wreckage have been recovered. Malaysia’s transport ministry emphasized the government’s commitment to providing closure to families affected by the tragedy, while Chinese officials expressed appreciation for the continued search efforts.
3.🇺🇦 Zelensky Confirms Ukraine-US Meeting After Putin Talks Fail to Yield Breakthrough
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Wednesday that Ukrainian officials will meet with US negotiators “in the coming days” following inconclusive five-hour talks between American envoys and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner spent Tuesday in Moscow discussions that Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov characterized as finding “no compromise” on ending the war. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Putin of “wasting the world’s time,” while Zelensky emphasized that negotiations must be “backed by pressure on Russia” despite acknowledging “a real opportunity to end the war.”
Major obstacles remain between Moscow and Kyiv, including Ukrainian territory seized by Russian forces and security guarantees for Ukraine, particularly regarding NATO membership that Russia vehemently opposes. Russian forces have made incremental advances, seizing approximately 701 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in November and now controlling 19.3% of Ukraine. As Russian-American relations appear more cordial, tensions between Moscow and Europe widened, with EU member states reaching an agreement to end Russian gas imports by 2027 and proposing a €90 billion loan for Ukraine’s military and basic services. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated Ukraine must be positioned in “the strongest position to keep the fight going” while peace talks continue.
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4.🇺🇸 Trump Administration Halts Immigration Applications From 19 Non-European Countries Citing Security
The Trump administration announced Tuesday it has paused all immigration applications, including green card and citizenship processing, for immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns. The freeze affects nations already subjected to partial travel restrictions in June—including Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen—and requires all pending applications undergo “thorough re-review” with potential interviews. The American Immigration Lawyers Association reported cancelled oath ceremonies, naturalization interviews, and adjustment of status interviews for individuals from the affected countries.
The policy escalation follows last week’s attack on U.S. National Guard members in Washington where an Afghan man was arrested as a suspect, killing one service member and critically wounding another. Since returning to office in January, President Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement through federal agent deployments to major cities and asylum seeker rejections at the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration has intensified rhetoric against certain immigrant groups, with Trump calling Somalis “garbage” and stating “we don’t want them in our country.” The new restrictions represent an expanded focus on legal immigration pathways beyond the deportation campaigns that have dominated headlines, framing the measures as necessary protection against security threats attributed to former President Biden’s policies.
5. 🇹🇼 Taiwan Unveils $40 Billion Defense Plan to Counter China Military Threat Over Next Decade
Taiwan President William Lai unveiled a $40 billion supplemental defense procurement proposal last week, positioning the initiative as proof the independently ruled democratic island takes seriously the escalating military pressure from the People’s Republic of China. The massive spending plan, which would run from 2026 to 2033, received immediate support from the U.S. State Department and the American Institute in Taiwan, with Washington welcoming Taipei’s commitment to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2026 and 5% by 2030. Defense Minister Wellington Koo confirmed preliminary talks have already begun with the United States about weapons acquisitions, though formal Congressional notification remains pending.
The proposal faces significant domestic political hurdles as Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party lacks a legislative majority in Taiwan’s single-chamber parliament. Opposition Kuomintang chair Cheng Li-wun has campaigned against boosting defense spending to 5% of GDP, arguing Taiwan is “not an ATM” for unreasonable military budgets. The plan extends beyond U.S. weapons purchases to include major investments in domestic defense manufacturing, including a “dome” anti-missile system. Regional tensions escalated further when Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan, prompting Beijing to issue threats and warnings that Japanese officials “sticking their heads in” would face consequences.
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The 20 cheapest places in the Northern Hemisphere to ski this winter
As snowflakes start to settle on mountain peaks, ski enthusiasts eagerly anticipate another season of powdery trails, cozy lodges, and the thrill of the descent. Yet, in recent years, the allure of skiing has been shadowed by an undeniable reality: The rising cost of hitting the slopes in the United States and Canada. Looking at the top three ski resorts in the U.S. and Canada, you can expect to spend an average of $155 for a single-day lift ticket in the winter season in Canada and $260 in the United States.
And it’s not just lift tickets — prices for lodging, rentals, lessons, and even après-ski have soared, leaving many would-be adventurers calculating if the experience is still within reach. [ Read more]
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Across parts of Africa, a long-held belief endures that using human body parts in magic ritual practices can grant power, wealth, or protection. This belief fuels a hidden criminal trade that leaves fear and grief in its wake.
The true scale of the practice remains difficult to quantify. Few African countries have laws that directly address ritual killings, and although hundreds of suspected cases were reported across local and social media in 2025, reliable statistics on its prevalence is scarce.
Having witnessed the aftermath of a killing in 2021, Africa Eye reporter Tyson Conteh investigates the problem of ritual murders in his own country of Sierra Leone. Going undercover, he sets out to expose the networks and individuals who claim they can provide human body parts for use in magic rituals.
Pick of the Day
6 red wines that pair well with Christmas dinner
The holiday season transforms dinner tables into festive gatherings where every detail makes a difference—wine selection included. Christmas dinner demands a variety of wines that not only complement the rich flavors on the table, but also promise to satisfy a variety of preferences. When it comes to red wines, factoring in traditional holiday dishes, as well as the innate characteristics of classic grape varieties, is the first step to success.
Not sure where to begin? Sommsation put together a list of six go-to wines to open at Christmas dinner—bottle-specific recommendations included.
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