* Zelensky, in visit to Washington, urges US to help it defeat Russia
* US unveils new $1.8 billion of new military aid for Ukraine
* Kremlin warns that more US arms in Ukraine will aggravate war
* China’s Xi bets on economic growth as distraction from Covid outbreak
* Netanyahu on brink of returning to power as Israel prime minister
* US life expectancy in 2021 fell to lowest level since 1996
* Will AI chat bots become the next big disrupter in tech?
* Existing home sales in US continued falling in November–10th straight decline
* US consumer confidence rebounds in December after two months of declines:

US real (inflation-adjusted) Treasury yields continue to trade near highest levels since 2009: