1. 34 states form anti-terror alliance

    Saudi Arabia on December 15 announced the formation* of a 34-state Islamic military coalition* to combat terrorism, according to a joint statement published on state news agency SPA.

    “The countries here mentioned have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations center based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations,” the statement said.

    A long list of Arab countries such as Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, together with Islamic countries Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and Gulf Arab and African states were mentioned.

    2. New Zealanders pick possible new flag

    New Zealand voters have chosen a design with a silver fern* on a black and blue background with four red stars representing the Southern Cross as a possible new national flag, according to the final results of a recent referendum* released on December 15 by the New Zealand Government.

    The chosen design will compete against the current flag in the second of two national referenda* on changing the country’s national flag, scheduled for next March.

    In the first referendum held for three weeks from November 10, voters picked their choice from five designs that had been selected from about 10,000 entries submitted from the public.

    3. Canadian pastor sentenced in N. Korea

    North Korea’s Supreme Court sentenced a Canadian pastor to life in prison with hard labor on December 16 for what it called crimes against the state.

    Hyeon Soo Lim, who pastors the Light Korean Presbyterian Church in Toronto, was given the sentence after a 90-minute trial. He had been in detention* since February. Lim entered and left the court in handcuffs* flanked* by two public security officers in uniform. The handcuffs were removed in court during the trial.

    4. US, Cuba restoring flights

    The United States and Cuba have reached an understanding on restoring commercial flights, officials from Washington and Havana announced on December 16.

    The diplomatic announcement could allow U.S. airliners to begin flying to Cuba within months, as relations between the Cold War foes* continue to thaw*. American and Cuban travelers can travel between the two countries, but they must do it on charter flights that are difficult to book and have strict baggage limits and security issues.

    5. U.S. rate hike clarifies challenges

    The U.S. Federal Reserve’s increase in its key borrowing rate — which had been kept at near zero for seven years — narrows the scope for China to balance currency stability with economic growth, and will likely mean more capital outflows from China and a depreciating* yuan, according to analysts.

    The U.S. Federal Reserve raised the range of its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to between 0.25 percent and 0.50 percent on December 16, the first increase since 2006, signaling the end of the era of monetary easing. “The key question for China in 2016 could be whether the country can reconcile potentially conflicting imperatives on domestic and external financial stability,” said Andrew Colquhoun, head of Asia-Pacific sovereigns at Fitch Ratings.

    6. Strong showing in Spain vote by parties

    A strong showing by a pair of upstart* parties in Spain’s general election Sunday is threatening to upend* the country’s traditional two-party system, with exit polls* projecting* that the ruling Popular Party won the most votes but fell far short of a parliamentary majority and risks being booted* from power.

    Days or weeks of negotiations may be needed to determine who will govern Spain, with the new far left Podemos and business-friendly Ciudadanos parties producing shockwaves*.(SD-Agencies)