Subway Tragedy, 9/11 Plea Deals Reinstated, and South Korean Legal Struggles

Good Morning & Happy New Year,

The victim of an arson attack in New York’s subway system has been identified, a military appeals court has reinstated plea deals for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other 9/11 defendants, and a South Korean court approved a arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Top Stories

• Woman burned to death in New York subway is identified as 57-year-old from New Jersey (AP)

• Amid ceasefire push, Palestinians bear the scars of Israeli detention (RT)

• Maduro and Trump: Two inaugurations for two rivals on a collision course (AJ)

• S&P 500 posts 23% gain for 2024 as stocks close slightly lower in final session of year (CNBC)

• Pentagon chief loses bid to reject 9/11 plea deals (AP)

• Man Is Pushed in Front of Subway Train in Manhattan and Survives (NYT)

• Puerto Rico Outage Leaves More Than 1.2 Million Without Power on New Year’s Eve (WSJ)

• Panama commemorates canal handover despite Trump’s call for US control (AJ)

• Stocks just did something they haven’t done in nearly three decades (CNN)

• Washington mayor optimistic she and Trump can work together despite past differences (RT)

• US and Boeing investigators examine the site of a deadly South Korean plane crash (AP)

• Hawaiian Electric Agrees to Sell Bank Unit After Wildfire Settlement (WSJ)

• South Korea court approves arrest of President Yoon in martial law investigation (RT)

• Jimmy Carter funeral service to be held at Washington National Cathedral on Jan 9 (RT)

United States and Canada

• US imposes sanctions on entities in Iran, Russia over election interference (RT)

• Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts defends judicial independence, says it is under threat (AP)

• F.B.I. Says It Found Largest Cache of Homemade Explosives in Its History at Va. Farm (NYT)

• US soldier charged with selling stolen confidential phone records (RT)

• Pentagon Releases Detainee Held at Guantánamo Since Day 1 (NYT)

• Sister of American teacher jailed in Russia hopeful for his release after US declares him ‘wrongfully detained’ (CNN)

• Norovirus is spiking in the US: What do we need to know? (AJ)

• Senator’s son sentenced to 28 years for killing a North Dakota deputy during a car chase (CNN)

• 2 security guards shot in gunfight with shoplifting suspect outside a Los Angeles Target (AP)

Africa

• Burkina Faso approves amnesty for 2015 coup plotters (AN)

• Somalia security forces repulse suicide attack by Islamic State (RT)

• Zimbabwe’s new currency woes hit traditional stores while illegal night bazaars flourish (AP)

• At least 71 killed in Ethiopia road accident (RT)

• Mozambique: South Africa sends special envoy to help quell unrest (AN)

• Ivory Coast asks French troops to leave, the latest African country to do so (AP)

• 23 Congolese soldiers face the death penalty or prison for alleged desertion or other crimes (AP)

Middle East

• Syria's new rulers confirm appointment of Murhaf Abu Qasra as defence minister (RT)

• U.N. body accuses Israel of destroying Gaza healthcare (RT)

• Yemen’s Houthis defiant after new US strikes (AJ)

• Israeli leader Netanyahu takes a break from hospital to pass divisive bill (CNN)

• Syrian Refugees in Germany Are Glad They Can Visit Home. But Just Visit. (NYT)

• Gaza hospitals on ‘brink of total collapse’ from Israel attacks: UN (AJ)

• In Syrian military housing, former rebels take the homes of Assad's officers (RT)

Indo-Pacific

• Thousands march in Bangladesh calling for the ousted prime minister’s prosecution (AP)

• China’s Xi highlights ‘world peace’ in New Year’s message to Russia’s Putin (AJ)

• Chinese Companies Have Sidestepped Trump’s Tariffs. They Could Do It Again. (NYT)

• Xi says no one can stop China's 'reunification' with Taiwan (RT)

• Myanmar’s War Has Made It the Global Crime Capital (NYT)

• Initial results of imprecise census in Myanmar show a slight population drop (AP)

• North Korea's Kim vows to further solidify Russia ties in letter to Putin (RT)

Europe

• Berlin police say they have detained a man who attacked 2 people with a knife (AP)

• Macron acknowledges error on early elections in New Year's speech (RT)

• Germany, France and Poland condemn violence in Georgia, stress support for pro-democracy movement (AP)

• Spike in Russian flights from Syria to Libyan desert base as Moscow eyes new Mediterranean hub (CNN)

• ‘No heating, no light': Moldovans fear looming energy shortage as Russia halts gas supplies (AP)

• Montenegro says it extradites Terraform Lab co-founder Do Kwon to US (RT)

• Hundreds of soldiers freed in the latest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine (AP)

Latin America

• Ecuador AG confirms bodies are missing boys as judge orders military personnel held (RT)

• Cuba frees man who participated in 1997 attacks on hotels in Havana, orchestrated by Cuban exiles (AP)

• Clan del Golfo niega autoría en masacre de pastores en Aguachica; dicen que las víctimas eran “queridas” (SM)

• Mexico detains suspects in death of migration agent near U.S. border (RT)

• El Gobierno estableció el nuevo régimen de empleo del sector público (CA)

• Venezuela’s top court issues a $10 million fine for TikTok over allegedly deadly video challenges (AP)

• Con llamado a la calle para el 10 de enero, María Corina Machado y Edmundo González despiden el 2024 (LN)