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MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Israeli military officials say their forces have carried out more than 450 strikes in Syria this week as part of preemptive measures to prevent strategic weapons stockpiles from falling into the hands of extremists following the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government. [more]
• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that the United States will support a new Syrian government that fulfills several requirements: renouncing terrorism, destroying chemical weapons stockpiles, and protecting the rights of minorities and women. Blinken also said he would not rule out holding talks with the main Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, even though the group has been designated a terrorist organization. [more]
• Reports say at least 29 people were killed in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza, including in the northern town of Beit Lahiya and central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1021 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say at least six people were killed, and 22 others were injured, in an overnight Russian missile attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia that struck a private medical clinic. [more]
• As Poland prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union on January 1, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told his cabinet yesterday that the period of Poland’s leadership could well see the start of peace negotiations in neighboring Ukraine as early as this winter. [more]

U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY | President Joe Biden has reportedly approved a new national security memorandum meant to serve as a roadmap for the incoming Trump administration on dealing with U.S. adversaries China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Emergency officials in Southern California’s Los Angeles County say the so-called Franklin Fire, which broke out Monday, has grown to more than 3,000 acres and forced the evacuation of some 20,000 residents, mostly in and around the city of Malibu. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | A ruling by North Dakota-based U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor yesterday has blocked a Biden administration plan to allow some 147,000 young adult immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to enroll for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The ruling is intended to stay in effect while court challenges to the policy play out. [more]

U.S. BUTTERFLIES | Following related research and a period of public comment, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced plans to add monarch butterflies to its list of threatened species by the end of next year, extending federal protections to the species following years of warnings of shrinking populations. [more]

NEW JERSEY | Gov. Phil Murphy signed a measure into law this week that prohibits public and school libraries in New Jersey from banning books and provides protections against civil and criminal charges for librarians who comply with the law. Reports note that the law does allow restrictions on “developmentally inappropriate material” for certain age groups. [more]

U.S. SUPERMARKETS | In separate rulings yesterday, a federal judge and a Washington state judge each issued injunctions blocking the proposed merger of supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons, citing risks to competition and consumer-protection laws. [more]

DENGUE FEVER | Officials with the World Health Organization’s regional office for the Americas say suspected cases of dengue fever surged in the Caribbean and the Americas in 2024 to a record 12.4 million – nearly triple the number of cases in 2023. Regional deaths attributed to the mosquito-borne disease rose to more than 7,700 for the year – a more than 200% increase compared to 2023. [press release and link to further info] [more]

CHINA AND TAIWAN | Amidst the ongoing presence of large-scale Chinese naval deployments in regional waters, Taiwanese officials today demanded that Beijing end its heightened presence, saying the deployments undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupt international shipping and trade. [more]

RUSSIA | Citing downturns in U.S.-Russia relations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged Russian citizens today to not travel to the U.S., Canada, and some European Union countries due to a risk of being detained by U.S. authorities. [more]

SUDAN | Amidst the country’s ongoing civil war, human rights activists in Sudan say at least 127 people, mostly civilians, have been killed this week in bombings and artillery shelling by Sudan’s army and the opposing paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. [more]

HAITI | In coordination with increased security measures, Haiti’s main international airport is set to re-open today – a month after it was closed due to planes being targeted by suspected gang gunfire. Reports note that a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ban on flights to the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince is scheduled to expire tomorrow. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Correctional service officials say former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun unsuccessfully attempted suicide overnight following his arrest for supporting last week’s short-lived imposition of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol. [more]

AIRLINE INDUSTRY | International Air Transport Association director general Willie Walsh said yesterday that annual global airline industry revenue is set to surpass $1 trillion for the first time in 2025. [more]

GOLF | Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler has been named the winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year for the third straight year. [more]

FILM | The Directors Guild of America announced yesterday that Ang Lee, the maker of films such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Brokeback Mountain,” will receive the organization’s lifetime achievement award at the 77th DGA Awards next February. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1946, UNICEF – the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund – was established with the aim of improving the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children around the world. [more history]