A manhunt has been launched for a gunman who opened fire in a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year’s celebrations, leaving 39 people dead and 69 needing treatment in hospital. At least 15 foreigners were among the dead, including people from France, India, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, Isreal and Saudi Arabia. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu described the attack as a "massacre, a truly inhumane savagery" and confirmed a "manhunt for the terrorist is under way.” No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack and there are no clear motives. 

Over 300 flights have been canceled in north China's port city of Tianjin because of heavy smog that limited visibility on Sunday. Fifteen flights on route to Tianjin were also forced to land in other airports and one returned, according to the airport authorities. Elsewhere in China, a total of 24 cities are on red alert due to serious air pollution, with the smog putting a dampener on people's New Year holiday plans. The new round of air pollution is forecast to last until Thursday.

Israel has said it will end the practice of returning the bodies of dead Palestinian fighters to their families and will bury them instead. In 2016, Israel returned 102 bodies for burial, according to Israeli authorities. The move comes after the release of two videos by the armed wing of Hamas which showed a mock birthday of an Israeli sergeant who is thought to have been killed during the Gaza War in 2014. The new policy is aimed at pressuring the Hamas authorities to return the remains of Israeli soldiers and missing Israeli civilians.

Official statistics for manufacturing in China's factories grew for a fifth consecutive month in December but at a slower rate. Economists hope that this demonstrates that the world's second-largest economy is stabilizing. The official purchasing managers’ index slipped from 51.7 in November to 51.4 last month, contrasting with figures a year ago that showed the sector contracting. However, the number of manufacturing jobs declined, which is in line with the government’s policies to cut excess capacity in a range of industries.

A ferry carrying more than 200 people caught fire just after leaving the port of Muara Angke in Jakarta, claiming the lives of at least 23 people with another 17 still missing. Official reports said the Zahro Express ferry burst into flames about 1.5km from the port. "All passengers panicked and ran up to the deck to throw floats into the water. In a split second, the fire becomes bigger coming from where fuel is stored," Reuters news agency quoted one passenger as saying. The vessel’s captain is currently under police investigation over the disaster, according to Denny Wahyu Haryanto, head of the disaster mitigation agency.

Four to six armed men attacked a prison in Bahrain on Sunday, killing one policeman and freeing 10 inmates convicted of terror offences, the interior ministry said. A second policeman was also wounded in the raid. Since 2011, following protests over anti-Shia discrimination, thousands of Bahrainis have either been convicted of, or are currently facing, “terrorism” charges ranging from participating in anti-government protests to armed attacks on security forces. An investigation into the escape has been ordered, police said.   

Beijing white-collar workers were more satisfied with their work and life than their counterparts in other large Chinese cities in 2016, despite facing limited promotion opportunities, intense competition and choking smog, according to a new report published by recruitment website Zhaopin.com. White-collar workers with higher salaries were more satisfied, the report concluded. Beijing office workers are also paid more than those in other cities surveyed. The average monthly salary in Beijing is 9,835 yuan (1,415 US dollars) per month, followed by Shanghai, with 9,720 yuan, Zhaopin.com said.

Tyrus Wong, the artist whose style inspired the Disney classic “Bambi” has died aged 106. Wong emigrated from China to the US as a child and began working at Disney in 1938. The Walt Disney Family Museum issued a statement saying that "his influence on the artistic composition of the animated feature Bambi cannot be overstated" and “Tyrus' work still influences films today." Wong himself claimed to be influenced by the landscape paintings of China's Song dynasty(960-1279). He suffered discrimination throughout much of his career, only gaining recognition in the 1990s for his influential contribution to contemporary art and animation.