The Biden administration has announced that it’s sending another military aid package to Ukraine worth $250 million. In Kyiv, Ukrainian officials are looking ahead to the new year and making plans for what the war effort may look like in 2024. Also, as the death toll reaches 21,000, many people in Gaza have left all kinds of final messages – both publicly, and to loved ones — to tell them what they would want to be known for in the event of their death. And, Spain's recent amnesty deal for Catalan separatists has led to political upheaval, with conservatives taking to the streets by the tens of thousands. But the protests ignore the country's long history of amnesty measures and pardons. Plus, Mexico says it wants to see progress in US relations with Cuba and Venezuela.Show us you’re with The World and make a gift today! Your support ensures we can continue bringing you the empathetic and human-centered journalism you expect. Hurry to make your gift before our fundraiser ends Dec 31. https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

Christians make up about 1,000 of the roughly 2 million people in Gaza, but they have deep connections to the land. So far, 2% of the Christian population has been killed during the current Israel-Hamas war, and members of the community worry this could be the end of the Christian presence in Gaza. Also, an English Premier League game was officiated by a Black referee this week for the first time in 15 years and only the second time in the league's history. Plus, during the 20-year US-led war in Afghanistan, there were a number of Afghan female soldiers who fought alongside American troops, with many of them being able to flee after US troops left the country in 2021. And, if you missed it the first time, a conversation with New York Times food writer Yewande Komolafe about her book, "My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora."Show us you’re with The World and make a gift today! Your support ensures we can continue bringing you the empathetic and human-centered journalism you expect. Hurry to make your gift before our fundraiser ends Dec 31. https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

Israel is suspected of being behind the assassination of an Iranian revolutionary guard general in Syria over the weekend. The US also attacked pro-Iran groups in Iraq following an attack on US positions by these same groups. We take a look at Israel's hints at its willingness to regionalize the war between itself and Hamas. Also, after missing for three weeks, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has resurfaced in an Arctic penal colony in Siberia. And, the same wall preventing people from migrating across the US-Mexico border is also impacting wildlife. Plus, musician Zach Condon leads the band, Beirut, but his latest album is a solo project, recorded at an isolated cabin in Hadsel, Norway, near the Arctic Circle.Show us you’re with The World and make a gift today! Your support ensures we can continue bringing you the empathetic and human-centered journalism you expect. Hurry to make your gift before our fundraiser ends Dec 31. https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

Today, we're bringing you a special Christmas edition, with stories from ordinary people about extraordinary experiences. Like one Muslim father's creative Christmas stories, with a Persian touch. Hear personal tales from people all over the world in these pieces from Stories From The Stage on The World.Time is running out to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. We need your help to make our goal. Donate today to power The World for another year! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution today calling for more aid to be distributed to residents in Gaza. The US abstained from the vote, after a week of wrangling during which the US Ambassador to the UN crafted language to ensure that the US wouldn't veto the resolution. And, US President Joe Biden spoke on the phone with his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, to discuss the number of migrants at the border. More than 10,000 people have been crossing into the US every day this week. Also, after an outstanding victory this past summer, Bernardo Arévalo is scheduled to be sworn in as the President of Guatemala on Jan. 14. But the country's ruling class is preventing him from taking office. Plus, a look at the writer who published a satirical magazine while hiding in a Dutch home during WWII.Time is running out to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. We need your help to make our goal. Donate today to power The World for another year! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

The Egyptian government is working to broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Also, young people in Britain have been drifting away from organized religion. But one group that's not part of that trend is Muslims. In Part 4 of our weeklong series about youth and faith in the United Kingdom, we'll visit one part of east London where young Muslims make up a huge portion of the community. Plus, Thailand just changed the legal definition of marriage, which will allow same-sex couples there to officially tie the knot. This change has been many years in the making. And, a federal judge in Australia just slapped Airbnb with a $20 million fine for tricking customers into paying higher prices.

The Sudanese state of Al-Jazirah has fallen to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in a matter of days. Some experts are concerned that a destabilizing military force like the RSF might overrun the whole country, with potentially huge effects on regional security. Also, a new documentary highlights the role Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has played from the Oslo Accords all the way up to today's war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. And, after years of debate, the EU has reached an agreement on reforms designed to share the cost of hosting migrants and refugees, and limit the numbers of people coming in to the bloc. Separately, the French Parliament passed a strict immigration reform law. Plus, election candidates in Taiwan are converging on temples to demonstrate their piety to the public.Time is running out to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. We need your help to make our goal. Donate today to power The World for another year! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

In Hong Kong, a high-profile trial will decide the fate of Jimmy Lai. The media mogul is on trial for charges of colluding with foreign forces to endanger Chinese national security, and conspiring with others to put out seditious publications. And, on Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that allows Texas police to arrest migrants suspected of entering the state illegally. The law, known as SB-4, takes effect in March. Also, there's been renewed efforts at establishing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. A number of countries are working with the two sides to find common ground toward a potential ceasefire and release of hostages. Plus, penguin rescue in South Africa. Time is running out to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. We need your help to make our goal. Donate today to power The World for another year! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

After three hostages were killed by the Israeli army last week, the families of those still in captivity are putting more pressure on the Netanyahu government to get them released. Palestinians say the killings highlight that the Israeli army doesn't follow its own stated rules of engagement. Also, US Steel, once the largest steel company in the world, announced that it's being sold to the Japanese firm Nippon Steel for just over $14 billion. And, the Church of England is adopting a new strategy of evangelicalism to reverse the trends of low church attendance and a growing number of youth saying they don’t identify with any particular religion. Plus, Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in Russia on a 19-year sentence, could not be reached for court hearings recently. His lawyers have not heard from him since Dec. 6.___Time is running out to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. We need your help to make our goal. Donate today to power The World for another year! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

It’s been a bittersweet 24 hours for Ukraine. First, the unexpected news that EU leaders have agreed to start talks to allow Ukraine join the bloc. But hours later came the blow: A funding package for Ukraine worth more than $55 billion had been vetoed by Hungary. And, ever since the brutal attack by Hamas in Israel, the group has been charged with committing acts of sexual violence. But it was just last week, two months after the event, that the UN's Special Representative on Sexual Violence expressed "grave concern" over these reports. Also, a rusting oil tanker with a million barrels of oil was in danger of breaking up when a rescue mission was launched this year by the UN. Veteran diplomat David Gressly is credited with averting a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea by brokering a deal to replace the endangered vessel. Plus, the sounds of late Malian guitarist Zani Diabaté live on.___We are able to bring you human-centered journalism because listeners like you financially support our independent newsroom. Will you make a donation today to keep The World going strong? Give now.