DOD is sending a contingent of Air Force personnel to Ecuador in support of “anti-drug trafficking” operations. US embassy in Quito announced the deployment on Dec. 17, saying that the American forces will operate out of the military base at Manta, with the Ecuadorian Air Force.

Heavy rains caused flash floods in Northern California, killing at least one person, officials said.

The initial Q3 GDP estimate, delayed by the government shutdown, will be released tomorrow.

Negotiations between the US and RU over Ukraine have reached stalemate, with no agreement on territorial issues or security guarantees.

As Myanmar approaches elections scheduled for 28 December, the UN’s top human rights official has said that civilians are being coerced from all sides – forced by the military to vote and threatened by armed opposition groups to boycott – in a climate of fear, violence and mass repression.