US Offers Ukraine 15-Year Security Guarantee as Part of Peace Plan

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbor’s land by force.

US military carries out 30th strike on alleged drug boat

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. military said Monday that it had conducted another strike against a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people. The strike has brought the total number of known boat strikes to 30 and the number of people killed at least 107 since early September, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News Stories

HONG KONG (AP) – China’s military on Monday dispatched air, navy and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around the island of Taiwan, which Beijing called a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces. Taiwan said it was placing forces on alert and called the Chinese government “the biggest destroyer of peace.”  n.

Editorials from Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Why China is Holding Military Drills Around Taiwan

BEIJING (AP) – China’s decision to bring serious firepower to bear for military drills in the waters off Taiwan this week has deep roots – both in the past several weeks and the past several decades. The island is the most sensitive political subject for China. It has been ever since Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949 after a civil war.

National Guard to patrol New Orleans for New Year's

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) – A National Guard deployment in New Orleans authorized by President Donald Trump will begin Tuesday as part of a heavy security presence for New Year’s celebrations a year after an attack on revelers on Bourbon Street killed 14 people, officials said Monday.

North Korea says it tested long-range cruise missiles

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea said Monday it fired long-range strategic cruise missiles into the sea to test the country’s nuclear deterrence, days after it showed apparent progress in the construction of its first nuclear-powered submarine.

FACT FOCUS: Trump says he's ended eight wars. His numbers are off

U.S. President Donald Trump continues to claim he has ended eight wars this year, but that is exaggerated. His meeting this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlights that far more work remains before any declaration of an end to the war in Gaza.

Pakistan police detain teen girl radicalized online in bombing plot

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) – Police in Pakistan detained a teenage girl who was radicalized and recruited online by an outlawed separatist group to carry out a “major suicide attack,” authorities said Monday.