The U.S. and Russia have become embroiled in a Cold-War-style diplomatic spat over alleged cyberattacks Washington believes were carried out by Moscow in an attempt to skew the U.S. election.

The decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict has returned to the spotlight after a U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements and a major speech by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Midnight means lights out in Syria's Aleppo: as the clock strikes 12, overworked power generators shut off across the city, plunging war-ravaged neighbourhoods and heritage sites into darkness.

After finding possible survivors and victim remains, the first priority of air crash investigators is to locate the black boxes, a duo of data recorders that can hold vital clues on why an aircraft went down.

Under different circumstances, Syrian President Bashar Assad's capture of Aleppo would project an aura of invincibility. He has survived nearly six years of revolt.

Instead, it has underscored his dependence on outside powers.

Nobody comes to Sesto San Giovanni by chance, say the residents of this dreary working-class Milan suburb where police caught up with Berlin market attack suspect Anis Amri.

So why, Italy wonders, did Europe's most wanted man end up here? 

On a rocky hill overlooking the Arabian Sea in the city of Aden sits the palace of Yemen's internationally recognized president. It's one of the few safe places in the country for him and his government, protected by troops at the gates, artillery and truck-mounted machine guns in the surrounding mountains and ships at sea.

The rest of the southern city remains unstable. Only a 10 minute drive from the palace, a suicide bomber struck days ago at the Sawlaban military base, killing 52 soldiers. It was the fourth time militants have hit the base in the past six months. The last strike was only about a week earlier. All told, the attacks have killed more than 180 people.

The Syrian army's recapture of Aleppo has dealt a setback to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, two supporters of rebel forces whose struggle to oust President Bashar Assad appears increasingly fruitless.

Should Germany's popular Christmas markets be ringed with concrete, patrolled by armed soldiers and screened with surveillance cameras?

From the Panama Papers to the impeachments of the presidents of Brazil and South Korea, 2016 was a year marked by corruption scandals, and by rising public outrage over graft.

The question is, will that translate into a lasting demand for cleaner politics?