Russia-Ukraine “On Verge” of Diplomatic Deal Amid Power Outages; US Backs New Ceasefire Talks – 12/16/2025, 8:29:19 AM

Here are some of the major world news stories in the last day or so:

• Russia–Ukraine war and peace talks
  • Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov told ABC News that Russia and Ukraine are “on the verge” of a diplomatic deal to end the war, though Moscow says it cannot compromise on key territories.[1]
  • Senior U.S. officials met with President Zelenskyy for a new round of peace talks aimed at a ceasefire.[1]
  • Despite diplomacy, Russian strikes have left hundreds of thousands without power in Ukraine, according to President Zelenskyy.[1]
• Thailand–Cambodia border conflict
  • Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has entered a second week, with Cambodia claiming Thai bombing is hitting deeper into its territory, near shelters for displaced people.[1]
  • Separate commentary reports the fighting is reaching further into Cambodia and that China is urging a peaceful resolution, while Russia denies its citizens are acting as mercenaries with Cambodian forces.[3]
• Middle East and wider conflicts
  • In Syria, a gunman identified by U.S. Central Command as an IS member attacked a joint Syrian–U.S. convoy near Palmyra, killing two U.S. soldiers and one American interpreter and injuring three others, before being killed.[2][4]
  • In the Israel–Hezbollah confrontation, Israel has issued evacuation orders for villages in southern Lebanon ahead of planned airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, and separate Israeli strikes on vehicles in southern Lebanon have killed several people.[2]
  • In Gaza, at least 14 people have died in a severe storm, including three children from hypothermia; multiple previously damaged homes also collapsed, worsening the humanitarian crisis.[2]
• Political shifts and human rights
  • In the Czech Republic, President Petr Pavel has sworn in a new coalition government led by populist billionaire Andrej Babiš.[1]
  • In South Korea, investigators say ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol spent over a year plotting to impose martial law to eliminate rivals and monopolize power.[1]
  • Belarus has released 123 political prisoners, including Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava, following the lifting of U.S. sanctions.[2]
  • Vietnam has passed amendments expanding government powers over the press, including broader authority to force journalists to reveal sources and to classify information as state secrets.[2]
  • Nigeria has granted asylum to Guinea‑Bissau opposition leader Fernando Dias da Costa in its embassy in Bissau, protecting him from detention by the military junta.[2]
• Security, crime, and terrorism
  • In Ecuador, thirteen suspected members of the Los Lobos gang were killed in a prison riot following two explosions in Machala.[2]
  • Spanish authorities have dismantled a helicopter-based drug‑trafficking network moving hashish from Morocco to southern Spain, arresting six people in a multi‑country operation.[2]
  • Canada has newly designated several extremist organizations, including Islamic State – Mozambique Province, as terrorist entities.[2]
• Migration, violence, and emergencies
  • Near the Morocco–Algeria border, nine African migrants died from exposure to freezing temperatures.[1]
  • Guatemala has declared a state of emergency in two western municipalities after armed attacks on a military post and a police station killed at least five people.[1]
  • In Nigeria, authorities have secured the release of 100 of 315 abducted students and staff in the Papiri kidnapping, with more than 160 still missing.[2]
• Asia–Pacific developments
  • Myanmar has called on foreign governments to repatriate their citizens detained in a crackdown on cross‑border scam centers in Kayin State near the Thai border.[1]
  • Myanmar’s civil war continues: at least 34 people were killed and 80 injured in a Tatmadaw airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk U, Rakhine State.[2]
  • Myanmar is also requesting that countries take back nationals involved in scam hubs as part of ongoing law‑enforcement operations.[1]
  • In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro is urging people to celebrate the Christmas season despite a forced strike declared by ELN rebels.[1]
• Europe and transatlantic relations
  • Canada has agreed to join the EU’s Security Action for Europe initiative, opening more EU defense market access for Canadian firms and encouraging European defense investment in Canada.[2]
  • Iceland will join Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia in boycotting the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Austria over Israel’s participation.[2]
• Other notable stories
  • Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández has been released from U.S. prison after President Trump pardoned him for a cocaine‑trafficking conviction.[2]
  • The Vatican has unveiled its Nativity scene and lit the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square, and Pope Leo XIV has condemned the antisemitic violence behind the Sydney Hanukkah massacre while thanking Christmas donors.[1]
  • ABC and other outlets report ongoing U.S. air and maritime operations, including recent U.S. military strikes on alleged narco‑trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific.[6]

If you want, I can narrow this down to a specific region or topic (e.g., Russia‑Ukraine, Middle East, Asia‑Pacific, or human rights).