McDonald's is bringing back a sweet treat this holiday season. Here's how to get yours

CNN
Ex-US fighter pilot accused of training Chinese military to be extradited to the United States
A former US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots will be extradited to face charges in the United States, Australia’s Attorney General confirmed Monday, dealing a blow to supporters who have mounted a public campaign for his freedom.
Associated Press
Tens of thousands displaced by ethnic violence in northeast India suffer squalid conditions in camps
Phalneivah Khonsai ran for her life when violence struck her neighborhood in India's restive northeast, carrying just the bare essentials in the hope that she and her family could return soon. Khonsai, her husband and three children left behind their house, which was torched by a mob, and made for the hills, where thousands of people from their community headed for safety. The relief camp is in Kangpokpi, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Imphal, the capital of India's northeastern Manipur state, which has been wracked by ethnic violence since last year.
Reuters
South Korea finance minister sees political turmoil weighing on economic growth
South Korea's finance minister said on Monday some slowdown in economic growth would be unavoidable as the government prepares to revise forecasts for this year and next year due to the country's ongoing political turmoil. "There are concerns that the sentiment may be weakening due to the recent political situation," Choi Sang-mok told reporters. "Due to many downside risks it is inevitable that next year's growth forecast will be lowered, and it is highly likely that it will fall slightly below the potential growth rate," Choi said, without elaborating on the country's potential growth rate.
AFP
Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
The Philippine military said Monday it plans to acquire the US Typhon missile system to protect its maritime interests, some of which overlap with regional power China.As a rule, it takes at least two or more years for the Philippine military to acquire a new weapons system from the planning stage, Galido said, adding it was not yet budgeted for 2025.
CNN
North Korean soldiers given fake Russian military IDs, Ukraine says
North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were given fake military documents with Russian names and birthplaces, the Ukrainian military said, amid claims from Kyiv that Russia is trying to conceal the presence of foreign fighters on the battlefield.
Associated Press
Australia approves extradition of former US Marine over alleged training of Chinese military pilots
Former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan will be extradited from Australia to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese aviators. Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition on Monday, ending the Boston-born 55-year-old's nearly two-year attempt to avoid being returned to the U.S. Duggan, who served in the Marines for 12 years before immigrating to Australia and giving up his U.S. citizenship, has been in a maximum-security prison since he was arrested in 2022 at his family home in the state of New South Wales.
Associated Press
Luigi Mangione to appear in Manhattan court to face state charges in death of UnitedHealthcare CEO
The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare is expected to be arraigned in a Manhattan court Monday on murder and terror charges in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution. Luigi Mangione, 26, was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges are life in prison without parole.
Associated Press
Abortion opponents shift focus to pills with lawsuits, proposed laws and possible federal action
Opponents of abortion are increasingly focusing on restricting access to pills, which are the most common way to end a pregnancy in the U.S. This month, the Texas attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor, saying she violated Texas law by prescribing abortion pills to a patient there via telemedicine. The suit represents the first lawsuit of its kind and could lead to a legal test for the New York law designed to protect providers there who prescribe the drugs to patients in states with abortion bans.
Associated Press
The new right celebrates Trump at a conservative conference and sidesteps inconsistencies
As Washington heaved over the possibility of a partial government shutdown, leading far-right figures gathered with thousands of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters and, for the most part, gloried in splintering the president-elect’s party. Speakers and attendees at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2024 hailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for initially scuttling a bipartisan agreement to keep government open.
CBS News
Woman set on fire while sleeping on NYC subway, NYPD says
A person of interest was taken into custody after a woman died after being lit on fire while she was asleep on an F train in Brooklyn, police say.
Associated Press
Many Americans have come to rely on Chinese-made drones. Now lawmakers want to ban them
Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to spray fertilizers on his corn, soybean and wheat fields at a fraction of what it would cost him to use a conventional ground spreader. As a volunteer rescuer, Hedrick uses thermal drones to search for people trapped by mudslides and cargo drones to send water and baby formula to those who are stranded — something he did after Hurricane Helene. Most commercial drones sold in the United States, including those used by Hedrick, are made in China.
AFP
Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
Every day before dawn, Jamil Ghafori gets to work on the floor of a cramped Kabul bakery with five other men churning out thousands of traditional flatbreads -- the staple of every Afghan meal.Men, women and children, rich and poor, rain or shine, stop by multiple times daily at their closest bakery for fresh bread to accompany their meals.
Associated Press
Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza
The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. For the second straight year, Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations will be somber and muted, in deference to ongoing war in Gaza.
Reuters
Indonesian tsunami survivor holds on to hope for missing son after 20 years
In front of Saudah's house on Indonesia's Sumatra island lie two damaged coast guard ships, washed ashore by a tsunami 20 years ago and a daily reminder that her youngest son has yet to come home. Saudah, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, believes Muhammad Siddiq, who was six when the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami struck on Dec. 26, 2004, is still alive and has not given up hope that he might one day return. The deadly wave, triggered by a 9.1 magnitude quake, killed some 230,000 people along the coasts of more than a dozen countries, including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand making it one of the deadliest disasters in recorded history.
CNN
After years of war, 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees’ lives are still mired in uncertainty
Her home engulfed by war, Ukrainian mother Yana Felos found herself in Britain with no friends and no community. Now, she says she has nothing to return to in Ukraine.
CNN
Palestinian Authority unable to dislodge militants in sprawling West Bank camp
For more than a week, the sprawling Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank has echoed to the sound of heavy gunfire – with masked snipers on roof tops and muffled explosions within its warren of alleyways.
CNN
Trump bristles at Musk’s rocketing profile as Democrats play on the president-elect’s vanity
Whether Elon Musk is the real “president,” merely the “prime minister” or just Donald Trump’s multibillionaire enforcer, he’s carving out an unprecedented role that could raise conflicts of interest for the new administration.
CNN
Passenger detained at LAX for having 82 fireworks in carry-on
She also had three knives, two replica firearms and a canister of pepper spray.
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher after Wall Street rally caps a dismal week
Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Corp. were expected to hold a news conference later Monday as reports speculated on a possible merger between Japan’s second and third-largest automakers. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation, a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade.
Associated Press
It's the holidays in Zimbabwe. Time to celebrate by unveiling a family tombstone
Chipo Benhure started saving early for a holiday season to remember in Zimbabwe, but it wasn’t for a party or vacation. The highlight is a graveyard ceremony to unveil her late mother’s tombstone. “I didn’t want to be found wanting come Christmastime, so I was putting aside a few dollars each month,” Benhure said, standing at a crowded and dusty ground on the outskirts of the capital, Harare.

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