Around the World
Iran, Turkey, Russia seek deal on Syria constitutional body
Russia, Iran and Turkey are close to agreement on composition of a Syrian constitutional committee that could pave the way for drafting a new charter followed by elections, diplomats said on Monday.
Turkey sees 'positive' signals from US on northern Syria
Turkey's leader said Monday he received 'positive answers' from President Donald Trump on the situation in northeastern Syria, where Turkey has threatened to launch a new operation against American-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters.
Asia stocks slide as global growth worries deepen
Asian share markets slumped on Tuesday as heightened concerns about a slowing global economy sent Wall Street stocks skidding to their lowest levels in more than a year.
Iranian hackers go after nuclear workers, US officials and think tanks
As US President Donald Trump re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran last month, hackers scrambled to break into personal emails of American officials tasked with enforcing them, The Associated Press has found — another sign of how deeply cyberespionage is embedded into the fabric of US-Iranian relations.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu: Israel developing missiles ‘no other country has’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that Israel is developing missiles with 'special capabilities that no other country has,' during a visit to state-owned defense contractor Israel Aerospace Industries.
U.S. Navy may stop docking in Haifa after Chinese take over port
The US Navy has acknowledged that its longstanding operations in Haifa may change once a Chinese firm takes over the civilian port in 2021, prompting Israel’s national security cabinet to revisit the arrangement, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Rivlin warns Hezbollah will lead to destruction of Lebanon
President Reuven Rivlin told Israel Defense Forces soldiers Sunday that the Hezbollah terror group will drag Lebanon into war with Israel, 'ultimately leading to [Lebanon’s] destruction.'

Inside the United States
GOP waits on Trump as clock ticks toward partial shutdown
The fight over President Donald Trump’s $5 billion wall funds deepened Monday, threatening a partial government shutdown in a standoff that has become increasingly common in Washington.
DOJ asks appeals court to block look at Trump finances
The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court Monday to stop an attempt to get a look at the Trump Organization’s tax returns and other business data, saying the case is moving too fast and needs more arguments.

Christian News
2 Christian brothers sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan, charity warns
Two Christian brothers have reportedly been sentenced to death in Pakistan after one of them was accused of posting content deemed disrespectful of Islam on their website.
Egypt Approves 168 More Churches
Egyptian Christians now have an additional 168 legal church buildings.
China Closes Megachurches Before Christmas
A week after Chinese pastor in China released his viral letter on faithful disobedience amid a government raid on his church, Communist authorities once again shut down worshippers from Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu—one of the most prominent unregistered churches in the country—as well as Rongguili Church in Guangzhou—one of its first underground Christian communities.