QUICK HITS

1 Typhoon death toll: Typhoon Phanfone, which barreled through the central Philippines on Christmas Day, left at least 20 people dead and forced thousands to flee their homes. Most of the deaths reported by national police and local officials were due to drowning, falling trees and accidental electrocution. The storm weakened slightly Thursday as it blew into the South China Sea with sustained winds of 74 mph and gusts of over 90 mph.

2 ‘Ring of fire’ eclipse in Asia: People along a swath of southern Asia gazed at the sky in marvel on Thursday at a “ring of fire” solar eclipse. The so-called annular eclipse, in which a thin outer ring of the sun is still visible, could be seen along a path stretching from Pakistan to Indonesia.

3 Turkish deployment: Turkey’s government will ask parliament in early January to authorize the deployment of troops to Libya after the internationally recognized administration in Tripoli requested help, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Turkey has said the troops would be sent to train fighters loyal to Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.

4 Redwood kills man: A 200-foottall redwood tree fell and killed a man visiting Muir Woods National Monument Park in California on Christmas Eve, authorities said Thursday. Subhradeep Dutta, 28, of Edina, Minnesota, was pronounced dead at the scene. The trunk of the tree was more than 4 feet in diameter.

5 Tsunami anniversary: Thousands of people in Indonesia and Thailand attended ceremonies Thursday marking the 15th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Triggered by a massive earthquake off Sumatra, the giant wave killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. More than 170,000 died in Indonesia and 8,000 in Thailand.