Ukraine's president says consensus reached on many points after peace talks with U.S., but territory is unresolved issue.

Three people, including two police officers, have been killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russian investigators said,  just days after a car bomb killed a high-ranking general not far away. The two traffic police officers were approaching a “suspicious individual” when an explosive device detonated, Investigate Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. The two officers, as well as another person standing nearby, died from their injuries. The incident took place in the same area of the Russian capital where Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov was killed by a car bomb on Monday morning.

Search teams have recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the jet that crashed and killed Libya’s military chief and seven others. The crash occurred in Turkey on Tuesday after the jet took off from Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said a technical malfunction caused the crash. The delegation was returning to Tripoli after defense talks in Ankara. Recovery efforts are complicated by wreckage scattered over three square kilometers. A Libyan delegation is assisting in the investigation. The crash is a significant loss for Libya, impacting efforts to unify its military.

A private jet carrying Libya’s military chief and four other military officers has crashed after takeoff from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, killing all on board. Three crew members also died. Turkey said the Libyan delegation was in Ankara on Tuesday for high-level defense talks aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and the others, saying in a statement on Facebook that the “tragic accident” took place as the delegation was returning home and called it a “great loss” for Libya. It wasn't immediately clear how many crew members were on board when the plane crashed.

Libya's prime minister confirms the death of the country's military chief and 4 others in a plane crash in Turkey.

Turkey's interior minister says wreckage has been found after plane carrying Libyan military chief crashed near Ankara.

Ukraine's own "Dancing with the Stars" show is back on, just for one special episode. This time, the stars are the country's wartime heroes, underscoring the nation's resilience in tough times. Before the war, the Ukrainian version of the international franchise was hugely popular. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — then an actor — won the dance competition in 2006, its debut year. Today, dancers in the show perform with prosthetic limbs, showcasing their strength in overcoming adversity. Like the whole country, the show has to deal with wartime challenges such as power outages or generators failing. Creative producer Volodymyr Zavadiuk says "Tantsi z zirkamy" — as the show is known in Ukrainian — is creating something special during tough times.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A former close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that immediately following the October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, the Israeli leader instructed him to figure out how the premier could evade responsibility for the security breach.

Workers are installing security bars on a window at the Louvre Museum. This is the same window used in a dramatic heist in October. On Tuesday, maintenance workers used a freight lift to reach the second-floor balcony of the Apollo Gallery. The museum is addressing security flaws exposed by the theft, while investigators search for $102 million worth of missing jewels. All four suspected thieves have been arrested and charged. The Louvre has not publicly commented on the security operation.

Yemen’s warring sides say they will release thousands of prisoners in largest exchange deal since the start of the war.

Officials say Russia fired more than 650 drones and three dozen missiles at Ukraine in a large-scale attack that began during the night and stretched into daylight hours Tuesday. At least three people were killed, including a 4-year-old child. The bombardment demonstrated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intention of pursuing the invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian and European officials have complained that Putin is not sincerely engaging with U.S.-led peace efforts. U.S. President Donald Trump has for months been pressing for a peace agreement, but the negotiations have become entangled in the very different demands from Moscow and Kyiv.

The U.S. military says it has conducted another strike against a boat it said was smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person. In a social media post Monday night, U.S. Southern Command said, “Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” A video appears to show a number of strikes landing near and on the boat before it catches fire. Southern Command provided no evidence that the vessel was engaged in drug smuggling. At least 105 people have been killed in 29 known strikes since early September.

Nigerians have welcomed back 130 children and teachers who were released after being seized in one of the largest mass abductions in the country’s history. Some of the children appeared to be malnourished or in shock on Monday as they arrived at a government ceremony. Police said they were freed Sunday, a month after gunmen stormed their Catholic school in Niger state’s Papiri community in a predawn attack. Authorities said plans were underway to reunite the children with their families before Christmas. Officials did not say whether a ransom — common in such abductions — had been paid.

U.S. proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv's demands, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Monday, he said that while the drafts look solid, neither side is likely to get everything it wants. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held what he called productive talks with Ukrainian and European representatives. President Donald Trump said talks were continuing and “going OK.” Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have struck deep inside Russia, targeting an oil terminal, pipeline, and military assets. These attacks aim to disrupt Russia's war effort. Russia continues targeting Ukraine's energy sector, trying to deprive civilians of heat and water during winter.

A suspected cyberattack has knocked France’s national postal service and its banking arm offline during the busy Christmas season. La Poste said Monday the attack disrupted package deliveries and online payments, but customer data was not impacted. Customers of La Banque Postale were blocked from using the application to approve payments or conduct other banking services. No one immediately claimed responsibility. Officials didn’t comment on the culprit. Paris prosecutors were examining the case. What La Poste called a ’’major network incident″ remained unresolved by Monday evening.

Australian police documents reveal that a man accused of killing 15 people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach conducted firearms training with his father. The documents, released Monday, followed Naveed Akram’s court appearance. Officers wounded Akram and killed his father during the December 14th shooting. The attack began with failed explosive devices at a Jewish event. Police described the devices as “viable” IEDs. Akram faces 59 charges, including murder and terrorism. The New South Wales government introduced draft laws to tighten gun restrictions. An impromptu memorial at Bondi Beach was removed Monday. The Sydney Jewish Museum will preserve part of the memorial.

A car bomb has killed a Russian general. It is the third such killing of a senior military officer in just over a year. Investigators said Ukraine may be behind the attack. A spokesperson for Russia's Investigative Committee says Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov died from his injuries. He was the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff. Since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine nearly four years ago, Russian authorities have blamed Ukraine for several assassinations of military officers and public figures in Russia. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of them. It has not yet commented on Monday’s death.

Pope Leo XIV has urged Vatican cardinals to put their ambitions of power and personal interests aside and work instead on building communion. Leo followed in Pope Francis’ footsteps and used a Christmas greeting on Monday to gently criticize his closest collaborators and the Vatican culture. He asked if it was even possible to have friends in the Vatican bureaucracy, suggesting that the American pope knows well that the Curia, as the Holy See bureaucracy is known, remains a difficult and sometimes toxic workplace. It's one that Francis would often eviscerate in his annual Christmas addresses.

A Russian general has been killed by an explosion in Moscow, investigators say.

A rescue official in Indonesia says a passenger bus crash has killed at least 16 people on Indonesia’s main island of Java. The official says a bus carrying 34 people lost control on a toll road just after midnight Monday and struck a concrete barrier before rolling onto its side. He says the inter-province bus was traveling from the capital Jakarta to the country’s ancient royal city of Yogyakarta when it overturned. The official says 18 victims being treated at two nearby hospitals include five people in critical condition and 13 in serious condition. Police have recovered the bodies of six passengers who died at the scene.

Passenger bus crash in Indonesia’s Central Java province kills at least 15 people, officials say.

Authorities report that nine people have died and at least 10 others are injured after a shooting at a South African pub. The incident occurred early Sunday in Bekkersdal, west of Johannesburg. Police say about 12 suspects in a white minibus and a silver sedan opened fire at the KwaNoxolo tavern and continued shooting as they fled. A manhunt for the suspects is underway. This is the second mass shooting in South Africa in three weeks. Earlier this month, a shooting at an unlicensed bar near the capital left at least 12 people dead and 13 wounded.