Thailand and Cambodia declare ceasefire

Myanmar junta stages election after five years of civil war

Israel faces global fury over Somaliland move

Chilly Gaza braces for more winter rain and word of any progress in ceasefire talks

Trump says Zelensky and Putin 'serious' in war talks sprint

Thailand and Cambodia agree to 'immediate' ceasefire: joint statement

Russia lashes out at Zelensky ahead of new Trump talks on Ukraine plan

Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet President Donald Trump in Florida this weekend, but Russia accused the Ukrainian president and his EU backers Friday of seeking to "torpedo" a U.S.-brokered plan to stop the fighting.

Deadly blast hits mosque in Alawite area of Syria's Homs

An explosion killed at least eight worshippers at a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Syria's Homs on Friday, state media said, with an extremist group claiming responsibility.

Japan mulls coastal defense collaboration with Türkiye

The Japanese government has indicated that it could collaborate with Türkiye to utilize the $640 million allocated for coastal defense from its newly approved $58 billion defense budget.

Damascus halts talks with SDF, denies progress on integration deal

The Syrian government has denied reports claiming progress in talks on integrating the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into state institutions in Damascus, announcing that the negotiations have in fact been suspended.

Venezuela releases 99 post-election prisoners

Venezuela released 99 prisoners on Christmas, with the government calling it a goodwill gesture as it assesses arrests made after President Nicolas Maduro's reelection.

Kosovo snap poll unlikely to end damaging deadlock

Before the first vote is even cast in Kosovo's snap election on Dec. 28, experts predict it is unlikely to end the political crisis that has been gripping Europe's youngest country for almost a year.

Pope Leo hopes for peace in Gaza and Ukraine

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.

US launches strikes on ISIL targets in Nigeria

President Donald Trump said U.S. forces conducted "powerful and deadly" strikes on Dec. 15 against ISIL militants in northwestern Nigeria, weeks after he warned against any systemic assault on Christians in the country.

Pashinyan urges ‘more concrete’ steps in Türkiye normalization

Ankara and Yerevan should move their normalization process into a new phase, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said, urging the sides to take more tangible steps.

US pushes second phase of Gaza plan set for January

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff informed Israel and mediators that the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan is expected to begin in early January, Israeli media has reported.

Prime minister hopeful Rahman arrives in Bangladesh

Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh Thursday by huge crowds of joyous supporters after 17 years in self-imposed exile.

DOJ says it needs more time to finish releasing Epstein files

The United States Justice Department said on Dec. 23 that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with Dec. 19’s congressionally mandated deadline.