China's National Health Commission announced it will no longer require travelers to quarantine upon entering the country in early January, Bloomberg reports.
The Russian military said it shot down a Ukrainian drone Monday on its way to one of its airbases deep inside Russia, per AP.
The big picture: It's the second time this month the Engels airbase, located more than 370 miles from Russia's eastern border with Ukraine, has been targeted, according to AP.
South Korea's military fired warning shots and launched fighter jets and helicopters Monday in response to five North Korean drones breaching the border, AP reports.
The big picture: It was the first time in five years that North Korean drones have violated South Korea's airspace.
Inflation, immigration and the Supreme Court consistently held Americans' interest over the course of a year in which most news cycles — from Will Smith's Oscars slap to monkeypox to the death of Queen Elizabeth — burned hot and fast.
Why it matters: Axios' annual analysis of Google Trends data shows the rise and fall of America's attention in a year of global upheaval.
China's military deployed to areas around Taiwan 71 planes and seven ships in 24 hours, according to the Taiwanese Defense Ministry.
Driving the news: The Chinese military's biggest incursion into Taiwan's air defense zone since Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-governing island in August occurred as Beijing denounced the U.S. over President Joe Biden signing into law Friday a defense spending bill that included provisions for Taiwan.
Some in Ukraine are celebrating Christmas Sunday, Dec. 25, in a break from their traditional Jan. 7 observance.
Why it matters: The date shift is a cultural and religious rebuke of Russia, whose Orthodox church continues to follow the Julian calendar, and a further hewing to Western societies that follow the Gregorian calendar.
Why it matters: In his first Christmas speech as a monarch, Charles invoked the “selfless dedication” of public service workers and shared empathy for those struggling to make ends meet.
The big picture: China is frustrated by what it believes are unfair Western trade practices, driven by U.S. policy and Yi's comments may be aimed more at Washington, D.C. than at Moscow.
Pope Francis in his annual Christmas message Sunday called for the end to conflicts and wars worldwide, saying the world was suffering from a "famine of peace"
What he's saying: "Indeed, we must acknowledge with sorrow that, even as the Prince of Peace is given to us, the icy winds of war continue to buffet humanity," Francis said during his annual “Urbi et Orbi” ("to the city and the world)" blessing and message at the Vatican.
