Heavy rain storms in California leave three dead as of Christmas night
Heavy rain storms across large parts of California triggered floods and mudslides and left three dead as of Christmas night, according to local officials, BBC reported.
The storms - which were expected to continue through Friday - brought 11 inches (27 cms) of rainfall to some parts of Los Angeles County, prompted evacuations and shut down major roads.
Emergency responders have had to perform several rescues, including people stuck in vehicles as flood waters rise. California's Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in Los Angeles and other southern California counties, according to BBC.
Indonesians raise white flags as anger grows over slow flood aid
For weeks now, angry and distressed residents in Indonesia's westernmost province have been raising white flags over, the state's slow response to a series of deadly floods, BBC reported.
Triggered by a rare cyclone in November, the deluge killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across the island of Sumatra. In Aceh, the worst-hit province which accounted for nearly half of the deaths, many still do not have ready access to clean water, food, electricity and medical supplies.
In a sign of just how frustrating managing the crisis has become, the governor of North Aceh broke down publicly earlier this month, according to BBC.
Zelensky hails 'new ideas' on peace after talks with US envoys
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has given a positive assessment of a conversation he had with US envoys on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war, BBC reported.
Zelensky said Thursday's call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which lasted nearly an hour, had yielded "new ideas in terms of formats, meetings, and... timing on how to bring a real peace closer".
He spoke a day after giving details of an updated 20-point peace plan, agreed by US and Ukrainian envoys in Florida, according to BBC.
US launches 'powerful strikes' against Islamic State in Nigeria, says Trump
President Donald Trump has said the US launched a "powerful and deadly strike" against the Islamic State (IS) group in north-western Nigeria, BBC reported.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president described IS as " terrorist scum", accusing them of "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians".
He said the US military "executed numerous perfect strikes", without giving any further details. It is unclear what exactly targets were struck and when, according to BBC.
