Iran Currency Protests, $8.6B Boeing-Pentagon Contract and Universe Expansion Challenge

Iran’s president calls for dialogue amid ongoing protests, Russia depl oys the Oreshnik Missile System to Belarus, A military-backed party claims victory in the first phase of Myanmar’s election, Boeing wins an $8.6 billion Pentagon contract to build F-15 jets for Israel, A judge temporarily blocks Trump from ending temporary protected status for South Sudanese nationals, The health of four pro-Palestine activists on hunger strike in the U.K. deteriorates, 75% of U.S. adults meet the criteria for obesity under a new waist-based definition, Several artists cancel their shows at the Trump-Kennedy Center following its name change, The U.S. pledges $2 billion in U.N. humanitarian aid, and a study suggests that the universe may have entered a phase of decelerated expansion.

Donald Trump hosts Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, U.S. President Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, President Trump claims a U.S. strike on a drug facility in Venezuela, China launches large-scale military drills around Taiwan, North Korea fires cruise missiles and pledges a nuclear buildup, Iran’s president says Tehran is in “full-fledged war” with the U.S., Israel and Europe, The U.K. curbs visas from the DRC, Australia orders a security agency review after the Bondi Beach attack, Kosovo conducts snap parliamentary elections, The FBI provides an update on its investigation into an alleged Minnesota fraud scheme, and OpenAI seeks a Head of Preparedness for AI security risks. Sources: Verity.News

The U.S. strikes Islamic State group militants in Nigeria, Nigeria’s Borno state suffers a deadly mosque bombing, Russian bombers fly near the U.K. on Christmas, Israel becomes the first nation to recognize Somaliland, Ex-Malaysian leader Najib Razak is found guilty in a fraud case, China sanctions 20 U.S. firms over an $11B Taiwan arms deal, The U.S. Dept. of Justice finds over 1M more Epstein documents, 19 states and Washington D.C. sue the federal government over its youth gender treatment declaration, A U.S. judge blocks the Trump admin. from deporting the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, and Jair Bolsonaro endorses his son, Flávio, for Brazil’s 2026 presidential election. Sources: Verity.News

The U.N. Security Council discusses U.S.-Venezuela tensions in an emergency meeting, President Trump unveils a new “Trump Class” fleet of naval battleships, Thailand and Cambodia prepare for Christmas Eve ceasefire talks, Sudan’s Prime Minister proposes a U.N.-monitored ceasefire to end its civil war, U.K. police plan to scrap the non-crime hate incident system, Canada names Mark Wiseman its U.S. Ambassador, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security triples its self-deportation payment to $3,000, Amazon reportedly has blocked over 1,800 North Korean job applicants since April, The Pentagon will deploy xAI's Grok to 3 million personnel, and a scientific study creates a replica womb lining. Sources: Verity.News

A Russian general is killed in a car bomb attack in Moscow, Chuck Schumer seeks legal action over the Epstein files release, The U.S. reportedly pursues a third tanker off Venezuela, France approves plans for a new nuclear aircraft carrier by 2038, Larry Ellison backs Paramount's $108B Warner Bros. takeover bid, Trump names Louisiana Governor Landry as Greenland envoy, A member of the MS-13 gang is sentenced to more than a thousand years in prison, The U.K. considers a social media ban for children under 16, CBS editor Bari Weiss comes under fire after pulling a “60 Minutes” segment, RFK Jr. cancels a press event on the Danish vaccine schedule, and a wheelchair user reaches space for the first time. Sources: Verity.News

ByteDance signs a deal for a TikTok U.S. joint venture, The second Russia–Africa Partnership Ministerial Conference kicks off in Egypt, The EU agrees on a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, While the EU delays a Mercosur trade deal signing amid farmer protests, Australia launches a gun buyback after the Bondi Beach attack, Pharma companies agree to cut U.S. drug prices in a Trump administration deal, The suspect in the Brown University mass shooting and MIT professor murder is found dead, Trump Media merges with TAE in $6 billion fusion energy deal, Facebook tests limiting external links for non-verified accounts and U.K. actors vote overwhelmingly against digital scanning to train AI. Sources: Verity.News

Trump delivers a prime-time address to the nation, Brazil's Lula vows to veto a bill reducing sentences for coup convicts, Putin says that the Oreshnik missile will enter Russia's arsenals by the year's end, The U.S. announces an $11.1 billion arms package to Taiwan, Dan Bongino resigns as deputy director of the FBI, A French doctor is jailed for life for poisoning 30 patients, Australia enacts new antisemitism reforms after the Bondi Beach terror attack, The U.S. House passes a GOP-backed health bill, England’s resident doctors begin a five-day strike amid record flu hospitalizations, and Jared Isaacman is confir med as NASA’s youngest-ever chief. Sources: Verity.News  

President Trump orders a total blockade of sanctioned oil tankers in and out of Venezuela, India’s Narendra Modi makes his first-ever visit to Ethiopia, a man is charged with 59 offenses in the Bondi Beach terror attack, a Slovakian court suspends a law abolishing a whistleblower office, linguists in Canada urge Mark Carney to drop British spellings, the son of  Rob Reiner is charged in the stabbing deaths of his parents, President Trump moves to dismantle a major U.S. weather and climate research center, Australia overturns a ban on a Charlie Kirk shooting video, Senator Bernie Sanders calls for a pause on AI data centers and the Marshall Islands lau nches the world's first blockchain Universal Basic Income (UBI). Sources: Verity.News

The U.K. launches a probe into foreign interference in its politics, Trump says a Russia-Ukraine peace deal is closer than it's ever been, The White House designates fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, A former British Marine is sentenced to over 21 years for driving his car into a Liverpool parade, 11 are killed and up to 20 are abducted in an attack on a Christian Church in Nigeria, Trump sues the BBC for $10 billion over its documentary featuring edited footage of his Jan. 6 speech, Musk's net worth surpasses $600B, making him the wealthiest individual in history, Trump’s chief of staff  is featured in a controversial Vanity Fair article, A study predicts that around 3,000 glaciers will vanish yearly by the 2040s, and thousands of dinosaur footprints are found on an Italian mountain. Sources: Verity.News

NATO’s chief warns that Russia could attack the alliance in 5 years, Russia’s Putin meets with Turkey’s Erdoğan and Iran’s Pezeshkian, Canada's Liberals are one seat shy of a majority after another Conservative defects to their ranks, Over 400 civilians are killed during fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nobel Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi is arrested in Iran, House Democrats release two more sets of photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate, Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson makes his first In-person court appearance, Trump signs an executive order to block state AI regulations, Disney and OpenAI strike a $1 billion deal for AI character videos, and Europol warns of AI-powered crime and 'bot bashing,'. Sources:  Verity.News