UNITED NATIONS - Conflicts today are longer — more than 20 years on average — and often involve multiple armed groups competing for control of government institutions, natural resources and territory, the UN chief said Wednesday. Secretary General Antonio Guterres told a Security Council meeting on the growing complexity of challenges to international peace and security that “we are seeing not only a quantitative but also a qualitative change.” “The perils of nuclear weapons are again front and center, with tensions higher than they have been since the end of the Cold War,” he said. Guterres didn’t name any countries but he has repeatedly urged North Korea to halt its escalating nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

GERMANY - In January, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) will begin official soundings with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) on the formation of a new federal government. This was agreed unanimously by the party presidium and executive, SPD chairman Martin Schulz announced at a press conference in Berlin on Friday. The talks about forming a coalition are to proceed quickly and, if possible, be completed by the second week of January.

EUROPE - It’s open season for political obituaries of Angela Merkel. But it’s too soon to count out the veteran chancellor, the EU’s longest-serving leader, who’s been in office since 2005. Merkel is likely to bounce back in 2018 with a new government committed to moving European integration forward in partnership with Emmanuel Macron. After all, hugging the charismatic, youthful French president close looks like the German chancellor’s best survival strategy. “Macron may be more of a visionary, but Angela Merkel is the best plumber in the world,” says one German industrialist, adding that partnering with the centrist French leader would give the former East German quantum chemist a new lease on power.

PHILIPPINES - At last 133 people have been killed and dozens are missing in the Philippines after severe tropical storm Vinta (Tembin) unleashed mudslides and flooding, officials told media. A whole village of 2,000 was reportedly wiped out. Casualties were reported in the towns of Tubod, El Salvador, and Munai, and Lanao del Norte province, all located on the main southern island of Mindanao.

ISRAEL - Following in the footsteps of the US, Israel announced its exit from UNESCO, citing its “attacks” on the Jewish state. The move comes after 128 UN members voted to reject the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The decision was based on the UN-run agency’s “attempts to disconnect Jewish history from the land of Israel,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said. He added that the official letter of withdrawal will be submitted by the end of the year and that Israel will effectively leave the organization by the end of 2018.

USA - More and more people around the world are choosing to "marry" themselves in symbolic ceremonies, and businesses are catering to the trend. But what motivates someone to say "yes" to themselves? In the summer of 2000, New York-based performance artist Gabrielle Penabaz decided to throw a wedding party for herself while nursing a broken heart.

ITALY - After 15 days straight of fires, more than 1600 hectares [approx 4000 acres] have been reduced to ashes. Police are hunting down arsonists. But weather forecasts are even more frightening. Rescue assistance has therefore been stepped up with shifts involving more than 400 men including volunteers, firefighters, new helicopters and Canadair airplanes to combat flames from above. Even the Italian army has been alerted to defend housing, residents and infrastructure.  

USA - The Thomas Fire, which charred 273,400 acres, is now the largest wildfire in modern California history, according to Cal Fire. The Cedar Fire that erupted in San Diego in October 2003 was the largest wildfire in state history after it burned through 273,246 acres and destroyed 2,820 structures. Since December 4, the stubborn Thomas Fire destroyed hundreds of homes and structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. It started near Thomas Aquinas College in the Steckel Park area of Santa Paula, quickly spreading into Ventura and prompting hundreds of evacuations.

SYRIA - In war-torn Syria, there’s little doubt that the conflict has taken a toll on health. Now, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that their attempt at using vaccines to “protect” children against polio has backfired — infecting more children with the devastating disease rather than saving them.

USA - Attorney General Jeff Sessions created a new “senior position” at the Department of Justice Wednesday, director of opioid enforcement and prevention efforts, to help combat what is now far and away the deadliest drug epidemic in American history. “With one American dying of a drug overdose every nine minutes, we need all hands on deck,” Attorney General Sessions said of the decision.

USA - The US ambassador to the UN has warned member states that Donald Trump will take a vote on his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “personally,” and she will report back to him on nay-sayers at the UN General Assembly. The warning was contained in an apparently threatening letter ahead of the General Assembly’s emergency session on the status of Jerusalem, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations general assembly has voted overwhelmingly to condemn Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in a rare emergency session of the global body. The 193-nation general assembly approved the resolution by a massive margin, with 128 nations in favour, and nine against. There were 35 abstentions. Mr Trump threatened on Wednesday to withhold aid to any country which defied the threats.

GERMANY - The chairman of the Social Democrats (SPD) has said a comprehensive approach to the migrant crisis has to involve the return of refugees to North Africa. His words echoed sentiments made by Germany's interior minister. Marking a shift in his party's rhetoric, the chairman of the SPD-Parliamentary Group, Thomas Oppermann, spoke out in favor of sending refugees arriving on boats back to North Africa. In an editorial he penned in the Sunday edition of the German daily newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", Oppermann justified his view arguing that this would be an important step to curb human trafficking. "In order to fight human trafficking gangs more successfully we have to deprive them of the grounds on which they conduct their business, by returning refugees saved in the Mediterranean to North Africa and attending to their needs there," Oppermann wrote.

UK - A former UK ambassador to the UN has warned that British territorial claims around the world could come under increasing challenge as the country loses the diplomatic support of the European Union. The UK currently has several territorial disputes around the world which could be complicated by the process of Brexit. Lord David Hannay posited in reported comments December 19 in The Independent that the European Union may withdraw its support for the United Kingdom in its long-running dispute with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, among other places.

INDIA - The Indian armed forces are conducting a major exercise along the border with Pakistan, exhibiting their preparedness to respond to any "provocation" by its neighbor. The massive show of military strength comes two days after Pakistan warned of a possible nuclear war. The exercise is "unique in scope and scale" and being conducted in battle-like conditions, says the Indian Army. Besides conventional warfare, Indian troops are rehearsing responses to chemical and nuclear threats. The drills are aiming to evaluate the capability of the armed forces to strike deep into enemy territory in the event of an integrated air-land battle.