China’s top diplomat has slammed a record U.S. military sale to Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday also blasted what he called pro-independence forces in Taiwan and the leaders of Japan. The military package announced earlier this month by the U.S. State Department amounts to the largest U.S. arms sale to Taiwan and is valued at more than $11 billion. China has responded to the arms sale by launching two days of military drills around Taiwan. The exercises also are seen as a rebuke to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after she inflamed Beijing last month by implying Japan could militarily intervene over Taiwan.

Boston College forward James Hagens scored in a 1:03 span late in the second period and early in the third and the United States overcame a two-goal deficit to beat Slovakia 6-5 on Monday night in the world junior hockey championship. Hagens tied it at 4 with 45 seconds left in the second, then gave the Americans the lead 18 seconds into the third. The United States matched Sweden at 3-0 in Group A play ahead of their New Year’s Eve showdown. In the early game, Sweden had four power-play goals in an 8-1 romp over Germany.

Tiger Woods turned 50 on Tuesday, Dec. 30, a milestone for the golf great who has left a trail of brilliance on the course and struggles off the course. He's the only player to hold all four majors at the…

Police say an investigation that extended to the Philippines of two men accused of killing 15 people at a Sydney Jewish festival has found no evidence they were part of a “broader terrorist cell.” Police alleged on Tuesday that Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram acted alone in their attack at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14 . They spent most of November in the Philippines but rarely left their hotel. Police allege they were inspired by the Islamic State group. Naveed Akram has yet to enter pleas to dozens of charges. Police shot him in the abdomen and killed his father during a gunfight at Bondi.

Saudi Arabia says it bombed the port city of Mukalla in Yemen over a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It also further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides in Yemen’s decadelong war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. A military statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced the strikes, which it said came after ships arrived there from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE’s eastern coast.

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has died at 80, her political party has announced Tuesday. Her rivalry with Sheikh Hasina defined Bangladeshi politics for a generation. In January 2025, the Supreme Court acquitted Zia in her last corruption case, which she claimed was politically motivated. This would have allowed her to run in February's election. She returned to Bangladesh in May after medical treatment in the U.K. Zia was the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh.

Anthony Joshua, the two-time former world heavyweight champion from Britain, is in a stable condition in the hospital after being involved in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two people who were close friends and team members. Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing said on X that Joshua “sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to hospital for checks and treatment” and he will “remain there for observation.” It named Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele as the two passengers who had died. The crash occurred Monday on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at about 11 a.m. local time. Nigeria is the homeland of Joshua’s parents. Joshua recently beat YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami. Paul says he's “praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted" by the accident.

President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a dock facility along a shore as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela. But the U.S. offered few details. Trump initially seemed to confirm a strike in what appeared to be an impromptu radio interview Friday. When questioned Monday by reporters about “an explosion in Venezuela,” the president said the U.S. struck a facility where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up.” Trump declined to say if the military or CIA was involved or where it occurred. He didn't confirm it happened in Venezuela. The White House and Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for more details or comment.

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — Voters in Myanmar cast ballots in the first phase of the country’s general election Sunday. The polls are being held under military rule during a civil war. Critics argue the election is a facade to legitimize…

A Utah judge has ordered the release of a transcript from a closed-door hearing in October over whether the man charged with killing Charlie Kirk must be shackled during court proceedings. State District Judge Tony Graf said Monday the transcript must be posted on the court docket by the end of the day. Graf had earlier rejected a request by the defense that Robinson not be shackled. Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. They plan to seek the death penalty.

U.S. President Donald Trump continues to claim he has ended eight wars this year, but that is exaggerated. His meeting this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlights that far more work remains before any declaration of an end to the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, fresh fighting has broken out in recent weeks between Thailand and Cambodia, and between Congolese forces and Rwanda-backed rebels. And one conflict that Trump has claimed to end has never been a war at all.

Meteorologists sometimes warn of a winter storm that could “bomb out” or become a bomb cyclone. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this happens when a storm's central pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. The lower the pressure, the stronger the storm. These rapidly strengthening storms can produce heavy rain and intense winds, creating dangerous conditions. Bomb cyclones mainly occur in fall and winter when Arctic air clashes with warmer air masses. Regions prone to these storms include Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and the Great Lakes.

The Trump administration made work requirements for low-income people receiving government assistance a priority in 2025. The departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development have worked to usher in stricter employment conditions to receive health care, food aid and rental assistance benefits funded by the federal government. The idea is that public assistance discourages optimal participation in the labor market and that imposing work requirements not only leads to self-sufficiency, but also benefits the broader economy. Yet many economists say there is no clear evidence such mandates have that effect.

More House seats are opening up as more members announce their upcoming departures. Republican Harriet Hageman says she's running for Senate, winning President Donald Trump's endorsement swiftly after making her intentions public. Republican Elise Stefanik had already said she was running for governor of New York, but now she's ended that bid — and also says she won't return to the House. Midterm elections are historically tough on the party of the sitting president. And Republicans only have a razor-thin margin in the House.

Iran's Central Bank head has resigned as protests erupted in Tehran and other cities after the currency hit a record low against the U.S. dollar. State TV reported Mohammad Reza Farzin's resignation as hundreds rallied in Tehran's Saadi Street and the Shush neighborhood. The official IRNA news agency confirmed gatherings. Similar rallies were reported in Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad. Witnesses said police used tear gas in Tehran. Traders closed shops, urging others to join. Iran's rial fell to 1.38 million to the dollar Monday, worsening inflation and straining budgets. Reports of Farzin's possible resignation circulated last week.