CANADA-SYRIAN REFUGEES

TORONTO — The first Canadian government plane carrying Syrian refugees arrives in Toronto where they will be greeted by Prime Minister Justin Turdeau, who is pushing forward with his pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February. 

OBAMA-ISLAMIC STATE CZAR

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's new "ISIL czar," Robert Malley, has a long and sometimes controversial history at the center of U.S. policymaking in the Middle East. He's now taking on one of the toughest jobs in Washington: getting the struggling campaign against Islamic State militants on track while Obama refuses to entertain any wholesale strategy change. 

HAITI-VOTER APATHY

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Despite sometimes violent protests over the results of the presidential contest's first round, most Haitians don't seem to care much about the upcoming runoff, and analysts worry that apathy threatens the latest attempt to shore up a fragile democracy. 

ARGENTINA-PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Mauricio Macri is sworn in as president, inheriting myriad economic problems from the often-divisive outgoing leader Cristina Fernandez, who skips the inauguration in a sign of Argentina's deep polarization. 

VENEZUELA-CONGRESS

CARACAS, Venezuela — Socialist lawmakers vow to pass laws and make appointments until the last to protect their revolution before the opposition takes over Venezuela's congress next month promising to revive an institution they say has been subservient to the presidency. 

BRAZIL-PRISON CHRISTMAS

RIO DE JANEIRO — More than 500 inmates ring in the holidays at Rio de Janeiro's Nelson Hungria women's prison with religious plays and a cell-decorating contest.