The 10 most important things in the world right now
1. Russian airstrikes in Syria have escalated to new levels in recent days. "We've never been bombed like this," Issa Khaled, a resident of the Aleppo suburb of Ghouta, told The Guardian after Sunday's attack on a busy marketplace that killed at least 70 civilians.
2. A growing number of investors are betting that the crude price will continue to slide in the year ahead after hitting an 11-year low recently.
3. France said Tuesday that it foiled a terror attack that targeted "soldiers, police and representatives of the state." Two French citizens who are accused of being in contact with a French jihadi in Syria were arrested on December 19.
4. Over 1 million migrants have arrived in Europe in 2015, more than four times as many as last year.
5. The US military has obtained a pamphlet that officials say shows the terrorist group ISIS telling its fighters to pose as Iraqi military forces and to commit atrocities before fleeing the city of Fallujah. Some experts, however, cast doubt on the authenticity of the document.
6. Attacks by Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria and neighboring countries have forced more than 1 million children out of school, according to the United Nations.
7. The Brazil attorney general is alleging that bribes were used to help secure contracts for the construction of venues for next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
8. NASA is delaying the launch of its next Mars spacecraft, originally scheduled for March, due to a problem with one of its instruments. The next launch opportunity isn't until May 2018.
9. The Philippines has been given a $500 million World Bank credit line to deal with risks from natural disasters, such as typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
10. A New Zealand judge has ruled that German tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom can be extradited to the US to face criminal copyright charges. The ruling comes four years after US authorities shut down his Megaupload website, which allowed users to illegally download songs and movies.
And finally ...