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The US military prepares to declare its $400 billion F-35 fighter jet ready for initial combat use. CNN's Thom Patterson reports.

Amid the twists and turns of a tumultuous year, readers came to CNN Opinion for context, insight and fresh perspectives on politics and social issues worldwide. The presidential election was clearly a dominant topic of interest, but stories on culture, climate change, and how to be a family in a divisive and sometimes dangerous time in the world also drew avid readership.

China and Mexico have been put on notice once again: President-elect Donald Trump's new trade team doesn't like how they deal with America.

Some movies rely on a single character to make a compelling experience. "Hidden Figures" has three key characters who could make any other movie on their own. So despite an overly calculated feel, the numbers add up in favor of this uplifting film, which celebrates America's pioneer spirit during the space race while delving into that era's shameful aspects vis-à-vis race and gender.

An Italian woman working in Berlin. An Israeli visiting with her husband. A truck driver making a delivery. An attacker would leave them all dead.

In this season of festive eating -- and festive provisioning -- we often have a tricky time planning meals, juggling all the things in our fridge and making sure everyone has a good time and enjoys the food we cook. I know that even in my house, all the date labels on food can cause confusion. What's the difference between them all? Is the food still safe to eat if it's getting close to one of the dates? Can I use it to feed my friends and family?

Putin took questions for almost four hours in a room with 1,400 journalists and the whole world was paying attention to see what Putin would say about a year that saw his global influence grow to a new scale.

An upbeat Petra Kvitova said she will "use all my energy to focus on my recovery" after an attack by an intruder three days ago left her needing surgery on her hand.

Russian President Vladimir Putin downplayed suggestions Friday there was a risk of a new nuclear arms race between Russia and the United States, shrugging off comments by US President-elect Donald Trump on Twitter as "nothing new."

A dashcam video showing the final moments of the Berlin Christmas market truck attack has been released.

Five percent. Those are your chances of getting into Harvard.

Who were the big winners and losers in Asia in 2016? Curtis S. Chin and Jose B. Collazo offer their take.

Two Italian police officers are being hailed as heroes for killing Europe's most wanted man.

Babies born. Peace treaties signed. And the number of people who ran for president in 2016 (Hint: It's a lot). Here's a look back at the year in numbers.

The world seemed to tilt toward Vladimir Putin's Russia in 2016. Donald Trump was voted in; Britain voted out.

Two European countries tried to deport him. He served jail time in one of them.

Anis Amri, a suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack which killed 12 people, has died in a shootout with police in Milan.

So used to rewriting the record books and piling up tennis grand slams, 2016 brought Roger Federer back to the days, in some respects, when he was a young pro in search of a maiden major.

Take a look at 30 photos of the week from December 16 through December 22.

Anis Amri is likely the most wanted man in Europe right now.