Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Berlin for talks with Germany’s Friedrich Merz and other European allies. Meanwhile, Brussels continues a debate on reparations loans to Kyiv. Follow DW for more.



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Chile delivered its sharpest political shift in decades as José Antonio Kast, a hard-right former lawmaker who campaigned on restoring public order and tightening the country’s borders, won the presidency in a decisive vote Sunday. 

Kast, who captured 58% of the vote, enters office with a platform centered almost entirely on security and immigration, promising what he describes as the most aggressive public-order campaign in a generation.

The 59-year-old father of nine was born to a German immigrant family in Santiago. He spent years in Chile’s congress and previously ran for president in 2017 and 2021 before breaking through in 2025. His long political trajectory and established conservative identity made him a familiar figure to voters even as he framed this campaign as a mandate for sweeping security reform.

MADURO TRAPPED WITH FEW RETALIATION OPTIONS AFTER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SEIZES VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER

In a message that echoes that of U.S. President Donald Trump, Kast has pledged mass deportations of undocumented migrants, expanded policing and the deployment of the military to confront drug trafficking and organized crime. He argues that rising homicides and cartel activity demand extraordinary measures, including deadlines for irregular migrants to leave the country before facing enforced removal. 

His victory reflects a broader regional trend in which voters are turning to candidates who promise crime control rather than ideological transformation.

Chile elected rightwing leader José Kast as president.  (Juan Gonzalez/Reuters)

Kast defeated left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara, a former labor minister who campaigned on expanding social programs, strengthening workers’ rights and raising taxes on high earners to pay for new public benefits. Jara also backed a more lenient immigration policy and emphasized protections for women and LGBTQ Chileans — a clear contrast to Kast’s security-first agenda.

“Here, no individual won, no party won — Chile won, and hope won,” Kast said in a victory speech. “The hope of living without fear. That fear that torments families.” 

He added: “When we tell an irregular migrant that they are breaking the law and must leave our country if they ever want the chance to return, we mean it … We must show great firmness against crime, organised crime, impunity and disorder.”

Kast had predicted his own victory on Chilean radio after Trump won the U.S. election in 2024. 

“We are going to win, too,” he said at the time. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quick to praise Kast’s win. 

“Under his leadership, we are confident Chile will advance shared priorities to include strengthening public security, ending illegal immigration and revitalizing our commercial relationship,” he said. 

Chile, long considered one of Latin America’s safest countries, has seen a sharp rise in violent crime in the past several years, driven in part by the spread of transnational criminal groups and a surge in drug trafficking. Homicide rates have climbed to their highest levels in decades, and police say organizations such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua have expanded extortion, kidnapping and narcotics operations inside the country. 

The spike in violence has unsettled a population accustomed to relative stability and has turned public security into Chile’s top political issue. 

Although he has long held staunchly conservative positions on abortion, gender policy and same-sex marriage, Kast downplayed those issues during the campaign as he sought to broaden his appeal. Instead, he emphasized structural changes he says are necessary to confront the security crisis, including shrinking parts of the bureaucracy, tightening Chile’s asylum system and giving the presidency greater authority to respond to organized crime.

BOLIVIA PIVOTS TO US AS IT BREAKS FROM CHINA, MADURO AND YEARS OF LEFTIST RULE

Kast also intends to steer Chile toward a more market-oriented economic model, with tax cuts, deregulation and expanded mining development — particularly in lithium and copper, two of the country’s most important exports. He has signaled interest in strengthening ties with the United States and other Western partners, even as China remains Chile’s largest trading partner and a major buyer of its mineral output.

President-elect Kast has promised to crack down on crime and immigration.  (Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters)

Chile’s rightward turn follows a similar shift in neighboring Argentina, which elected libertarian firebrand Javier Milei, right, on a platform of radical economic reform and political disruption. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Chile’s rightward turn follows a similar shift in neighboring Argentina, which elected libertarian firebrand Javier Milei on a platform of radical economic reform and political disruption. 

But the two leaders represent distinct strains of the right: Milei is an anti-establishment libertarian who thrives on theatrical confrontation and sweeping proposals to remake Argentina’s economy, while Kast is a more traditional conservative focused on order, border enforcement and institutional authority. Their wins stem from similar voter frustrations, but they offer sharply different governing styles.

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Kast is also one of South America’s most outspoken critics of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, frequently citing Venezuela’s economic collapse and mass migration as warnings for Chile. He has accused Maduro of allowing criminal networks to flourish and has linked Venezuela’s crisis directly to Chile’s migration and security challenges.

His party’s lack of a congressional majority could slow or dilute parts of his agenda, but Kast’s decisive margin suggests Chilean voters are prepared to test his hard-edged security strategy after years of political gridlock and rising public anxiety.

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Russia would accept Ukraine’s ascension to the European Union as part of a U.S.-brokered agreement to end the bloody and protracted war it started nearly four years ago, U.S. officials said Monday following talks with Ukrainian representatives in Berlin.

The surprising revelation came as officials were briefing reporters after several days of negotiations between U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and a delegation from Kyiv that included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his National Security and Defense Council head, Rustem Umerov.

One of the U.S. officials involved in the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the proposed 20-point agreement would include “a very, very strong security package” that would provide Ukraine with “Article Five-like security guarantees” from the U.S. and other allies akin to those enjoyed by NATO members, without Kyiv becoming a part of the 32-member defensive alliance.

The official called the security guarantees “the biggest win” in the talks for Ukraine and Europe and said Moscow would accept those and other provisions that would provide for “a strong and free Ukraine” following implementation of the proposed agreement.

He also said Russia is “open to Ukraine joining the E.U.” and suggested that the development would be the largest expansion of the 27-member common market since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

A second U.S. official said the “right framework” in an agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war could create a “new path forward” under which “Europe and Russia can finally have an arrangement and understanding that can lead to a more peaceful and prosperous future for everyone.”

News of Moscow’s potential willingness to accept Ukraine joining the E.U. as part of a deal with strong security guarantees from the U.S. and others comes less than a day after Zelensky offered to drop Kyiv’s longstanding desire for NATO membership at the outset of the talks between himself, Witkoff and Kushner.

In a WhatsApp chat with reporters, Zelensky noted that “some partners from the U.S. and Europe did not support this direction” of NATO membership for his country.

“Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the U.S., Article 5-like guarantees for us from the U.S., and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries — Canada, Japan — are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” he added.

More follows…

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NEED TO KNOW

• Olivia Rodrigo reveals the one album she listens to when she needs to be reminded why she makes music
• PEOPLE can exclusively premiere a clip from the next episode of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s podcast Music Makes Us, which is hosted by Kathleen Hanna and features the pop singer
• The episode will premiere on Tuesday, Dec. 16

Olivia Rodrigo is opening up about the album that reminds her why she makes music.

In a clip from the next episode of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s podcast Music Makes Us, which PEOPLE can exclusively premiere, the “Vampire” artist opens up to host Kathleen Hanna about the one record she always returns to when she needs to feel inspired.

The Bikini Kill bandleader, 57, asks Rodrigo, 22, if there is a song or album she returns to when “you need to reconnect with yourself” in the snippet, which the pop star replies to with certainty.

RockHall/YouTube

“Honestly, I listen to [Alanis Morissette’s] Jagged Little Pill when I’m feeling, like, I don’t know what to say or like, who am I?” says Rodrigo. “For some reason that album, just like, every part of what makes a human being a human being, it feels like it’s encapsulated in that record.”

The “good 4 u” singer notes that “there’s so much anger and spite and jealousy but also so much joy and hope, all like intertwined into each other in such a beautiful way.”

“I f—ing love that album as everyone on the planet does but I just think, it reminds me what I’m trying to go after,” says Rodrigo.

Olivia Rodrigo; Kathleen Hanna.

Courtesy of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; Rachel Bright

What she admires about Morissette’s 1995 record is that it’s “her being herself and letting it all pour out.”

“As a writer that’s always like the most inspiring thing when you just feel like someone just needed to say something,” adds Rodrigo. “They’re not just writing a song to make it go big or make people like it.”

The “Jealousy, Jealousy” artist says that the album felt like the singer-songwriter’s “diary in the best way.”

Rodrigo has long-been a fan of Morissette, 51.

In 2021, the pair were featured in a joint Rolling Stone Musicians on Musicians cover story, and the following year, Rodrigo inducted Morissette into the 2022 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“I remember hearing Alanis for the first time when I was about 13. I was in the car with my parents when Jagged Little Pill came on,” the three-time Grammy winner said in a statement to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at the time.

She added, “I heard ‘Perfect,’ [and] I was like, ‘Oh, my God… You can write songs like that?’ I just looked at music and songwriting in a completely different way.”

Alanis Morissette and Olivia Rodrigo in September 2022 in Toronto.

Jeremy Chan/Getty

Rodrigo also surprised fans in May 2022 and brought out the “Ironic” hitmaker as a guest on stage, where they performed Morissette’s 1995 classic “You Oughta Know.”

The Music Makes Us podcast, which is produced in partnership with Radiotopia from PRX and Talkhouse, premiered on Nov. 18 and features Hanna having “unforgettable conversations with artists across generations and genres including Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Chaka Khan and Nancy Wilson of Heart and Laufey; Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers; Towa Bird; and Paramore’s Hayley Williams.

‘Music Makes Us’ podcast artwork.

Radiotopia

New episodes drop each week and are free across all major podcast platforms.

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By MARK DUELL, SENIOR REPORTER

Published: 03:31 EST, 15 December 2025 | Updated: 11:27 EST, 15 December 2025

Britain is back on flood watch today as a new amber warning for heavy downpours was imposed after half a month’s worth of rain fell over the weekend.

Rail operators issued ‘do not travel’ alerts after flooding blocked lines across the UK and a slow-moving weather front brings persistent rain throughout the day.

South Wales will be worst hit by the continuing wet weather today while the 18-hour ‘danger to life’ amber warning is in place until 9pm with up to 100mm (4in) set to fall.

Yellow rain warnings have also been activated by the Met Office for South West and North West England, areas of the North East and parts of South and West Wales.

Some 150 flood alerts or warnings were issued, including seven Environment Agency warnings and 78 alerts for England – mostly in western parts of the country.

Elsewhere, Natural Resources Wales activated eight warnings and 41 alerts and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency imposed six warnings and ten alerts.

The Met Office said there was a ‘good chance’ that some communities in South Wales within the amber warning area ‘will be cut off by flooded roads’.

Forecasters added that homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings; while disruption to train and bus services is expected.

Flood water on Hunter Street in Briton Ferry in Neath Port Talbot, Wales, this afternoon

Flood water on Hunter Street in Briton Ferry in Neath Port Talbot, Wales, this afternoon

Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, while ‘power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses likely’.

Fast flowing or deep floodwater was also ‘likely, causing danger to life’ – with the ‘likelihood of impacts’ increased given recent wet weather and saturated ground.

Northern told all rail passengers that it was ‘strongly advising customers not to travel in Cumbria today’ due to severe rainfall over the weekend, which had resulted in seven routes being blocked with no trains or replacement buses running.

The impacted routes were between Carlisle and Whitehaven; Carlisle and Skipton; Corkickle and Barrow-in-Furness; Barrow-in-Furness and Preston; Windermere and Oxenholme; Carnforth and Skipton’ and Lancaster and Morecambe.

Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express both said services north of Preston were likely to be disrupted – including to Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Haymarket, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The heavy rain also caused major rail disruption in Wales, with flooding blocking lines between North Llanrwst and Blaenau Ffestiniog, and between Bridgend and Pyle.

ScotRail said speed restrictions had been imposed due to heavy rain between Glasgow Central and Largs, Androssan Harbour, Carlisle, Kilmarnock, Ayr and Stranraer; between Glasgow Queen Street and Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness; and between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh.

The Environment Agency urged motorists not to drive through flood water, saying it is ‘often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.’

Floods minister Emma Hardy said she was ‘co-ordinating with local authorities and emergency services to keep communities safe’.

The Met Office said yesterday that parts of Cumbria had seen more than 200mm of rain since midday on Saturday, which was around half a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

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Flood and ‘do not travel’ alerts issued after half a month’s rain falls in just 24 hours – with more yellow and amber warnings in place

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An expert has shed some light on the twisted dynamic of Bondi Beach killers Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram – a father son duo who appear to have hidden their dark intentions behind a ‘normal’ facade

16:10, 15 Dec 2025Updated 16:15, 15 Dec 2025

Father and son crimes of this nature are understood to be rare

On the evening of December 14, hell came to Sydney’s Bondi Beach, in the form of a murderous father-son duo. Now an expert has shed some light on the twisted pair’s “lethal” dynamic, and potential “power imbalance”.

In a horrific attack on Australia’s Jewish community, Sajid Akram, 50, and unemployed bricklayer Naveed Akram, 24, opened fire on what should have been a joyful celebration held to mark the start of Hannukah. At least 16 people died in the antisemitic bloodbath, which has been declared a terrorist incident, while dozens more have required hospital treatment.

Police shot Sajid dead at the scene, while Naveed was arrested by New South Wales Police. At a press conference, police commissioner Mal Lanyon stated that the younger assailant, who reportedly remains hospitalised with critical injuries, is expected to live to face criminal charges.

Many questions remain in this case, which has shocked people of all faiths across the world. While little is known so far about the Akrams, the notion of two violent killers, parent and child, attacking together is a startling one. So how could such a terrible thing come to pass?

READ MORE: Bondi Beach shooting: Alleged gunman ‘likely to live’ after 16 killedThe Akrams slaughtered at least 16 people(Image: COURTESY OF TIMOTHY BRANT-COLES/)

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a woman who identified herself as the younger Akram’s mum said her son spoke to family just hours before the rampage, telling the paper: “He rings me up [on Sunday] and said, Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We’re going … to eat now, and then this morning, and we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot,”

She added: “He doesn’t have a firearm. He doesn’t even go out. He doesn’t mix around with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places … he goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise, and that’s it,” she said. “Anyone would wish to have a son like my son … he’s a good boy.”

The Mirror spoke with psychotherapist Shelly Dar from Therapy Health, who has extensive experience in recognising the psychological patterns behind criminal behaviour.

Ms Dar told the Mirror: “From a psychological perspective, it is quite rare to see a father and son carry out a violent attack together. Most serious violent acts are committed either by individuals acting alone or by peers of a similar age who fuel and reinforce each other’s views. A parent and child acting together is much less common and raises particular concerns about power, influence and identity.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has now confirmed that the younger Akram, who is an Australian-born citizen, had previously come to the attention of the Australian intelligence agency (ASIO) back in 2019. The PM revealed: “He was examined on the basis of being associated with others and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.”

Police shot Sajid dead at the scene, while injured Naveed was arrested (Image: @ConservativeeAu/X)

Mr Albanese asserted that, while the men had acted alone and not part of a wider group, they had “clearly” been driven by “extremist ideology”. At the time concerns were initially raised, the younger killer would have still been a teenager. So how was it that his worldview became so warped at such an early age? Furthermore, how was it that the elder Akram was apparently content with his own child being involved with such an atrocity?

Offering some insight into the potential dynamics within the Akram household, Ms Dar suggested: “In any family, parents play a central role in shaping a young person’s values and moral compass. When a parent is involved in planning or leading violence, the child is not a free and equal participant. There is a strong power imbalance, especially if the young person has grown up with rigid beliefs at home, emotional dependence, fear or a strong pressure to be loyal to the parent. This can make it very hard to step back and question what is happening.”

She continued: “In father and son cases, there can be a potent mix of admiration, fear and a wish to prove oneself. Younger people in these situations are often driven less by ideology and more by attachment, obedience and a deep need for approval. If the parent frames violence as justified, necessary or even protective, that message can cut through a young person’s natural hesitation and sense that something is not right.

While the pair had acted alone, it’s said they were ‘clearly’ driven by ‘extremist ideology’

“What stands out in a situation like this is the collapse of the usual protective boundary in parenting. Involving a child in lethal violence is a profound failure of care. It suggests that a parent’s beliefs, grievances or need for control have been placed far above their child’s wellbeing and future.”

Meanwhile, neighbours who thought they knew the “normal” Akrams have been left “shocked” by the recent harrowing events. Lemanatua Fatu, who lived on the same street as the 24-year-old n Bonnyrigg, Sydney, told ABC how she’d seen a large police presence out on the street and outside his home, right throughout the night.

According to Lemanatua: “That’s how we knew. We couldn’t sleep, watching everything – it was so scary.” She added: “They just come and go every day. And they never say hello or anything. They’re just … normal. We thought they were normal people.”

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

READ MORE: Bondi Beach hero gives four word explanation why he risked life to stop killer gunman



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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is prepared to abandon Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership in exchange for tighter Western security guarantees. His comments came as he has been holding talks with United States and European envoys aimed at ending Ukraine’s war with Russia.

US President Donald Trump, who has opposed NATO membership for Ukraine, has been pressuring Kyiv to sign a deal with Russia on terms that experts say favour Moscow.

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The move marks a big shift for Ukraine. Zelenskyy described the latest proposal as a concession by Kyiv, after years of pressing for NATO membership as the strongest deterrent against future Russian attacks.

So will Kyiv be able to get security guarantees from its Western allies? And what would be the parameter of the security deal?

What did Zelenskyy actually say?

In audio messages shared with journalists via a WhatsApp group ahead of the meeting, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv now expects alternative security guarantees comparable to those enjoyed by NATO alliance members.

“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO; these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” Zelenskyy said.

“Bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries – Canada, Japan – are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” he said.

“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long said that Ukraine’s NATO aspirations are a threat to Russian security.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine, the European Union and the US were reviewing a 28-point plan that could culminate in a ceasefire, though he reiterated that Kyiv was not holding direct talks with Russia.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said “a lot of progress was made” as he and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Zelenskyy in the German capital city of Berlin on Sunday.

The Ukrainian president also stressed that new security guarantees must be legally binding and endorsed by the US government. Looking ahead, he said he was expecting feedback following talks between Ukrainian and American officials in Germany.

For their part, however, many Ukrainians remain sceptical of this latest round of talks. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine said that “it’s been months and months of false hope when it comes to diplomatic discussions. Many of them have historically fizzled out. So … the reality of peace still seems far away.”

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “this [NATO] issue is one of the cornerstones and requires special discussion”, and that Moscow is now waiting for Washington “provide us with the concept that is being discussed in Berlin”.

What will be the likely contours of a new security guarantee?

The security guarantees now under discussion would fall short of NATO’s Article 5 – meaning an attack on one is an attack on all. Instead of joining NATO, Ukraine would receive bespoke guarantees from the US and key European powers – set out in bilateral or plurilateral treaties.

These guarantees would likely commit partners to swift and tangible support if Ukraine were attacked again, including military assistance, intelligence sharing, arms supplies, sanctions and financial aid.

Unlike in Article 5, however, the guarantees would not trigger automatic collective defence. Each guarantor’s obligations would be defined separately, potentially with conditions, and without NATO’s integrated command structures.

The final version of the deal, however, would only be known after Kyiv’s Western allies agree on it. It is still unclear how much progress has been made on the issue.

What obstacles still remain?

For months, Washington has tried to balance the competing demands of Russia and Ukraine. Trump has been pushing hard for a conclusion to the war, and is said to be growing increasingly frustrated with delays.

Efforts to find common ground have faced significant hurdles, including the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, much of which is under Russian occupation.

Putin has made it a central condition for peace that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the remaining areas of Donetsk under Kyiv’s control – a demand Ukraine has consistently rejected.

Zelenskyy said the US had proposed that Ukraine pull out of Donetsk and turn the area into a demilitarised free economic zone, an idea he dismissed as impractical. “I do not consider this fair, because who will manage this economic zone?” he said.

“If we are talking about some buffer zone along the line of contact … only a police mission should be there, and troops should withdraw, then the question is very simple. If Ukrainian troops withdraw 5-10 kilometres [3-6 miles], for example, then why do Russian troops not withdraw deeper into the occupied territories by the same distance?”

Calling the matter “very sensitive,” Zelenskyy said a freeze along the existing line of contact would be preferable, adding that “today a fair possible option is we stand where we stand”.

On the flip side, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told the business newspaper Kommersant that Russian police and national guard forces would remain in parts of Donetsk even if the region were designated a demilitarised zone under a future peace plan.

Ushakov cautioned that reaching a compromise could take considerable time, arguing that US proposals reflecting Russian demands had been “worsened” by revisions suggested by Ukraine and its European partners.

In remarks broadcast Sunday on Russian state television, Ushakov said that “the contribution of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is unlikely to be constructive”, warning that Moscow would have “very strong objections”.

He also said territorial issues were a major topic when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month. “The Americans know and understand our position,” Ushakov said.

Are other discussions also taking place?

On Sunday, Zelenskyy said he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron shortly before meeting Trump’s envoys, thanking him on X for his support and noting, “We are coordinating closely and working together for the sake of our shared security.”

Macron responded, noting that “France is, and will remain, at Ukraine’s side to build a robust and lasting peace – one that can guarantee Ukraine’s security and sovereignty, and that of Europe, over the long term.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has led European support efforts alongside Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said on Saturday that “the decades of the ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well.”

However, he warned that Putin’s objective is “a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders… If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop,” Merz said at a party conference in Munich on Saturday.

Putin has denied any intention to reestablish the Soviet Union, or to attack European allies.

However, for years, Putin has decried the expansion of NATO around Russia’s borders. On February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Putin said in a televised address: “Any further expansion of the North Atlantic alliance’s infrastructure or the ongoing efforts to gain a military foothold of the Ukrainian territory are unacceptable for us.”

What’s happening on the battlefront?

Over the weekend, Ukraine’s air force said that Russia had launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones overnight. Of those, 110 were intercepted or destroyed, though missile and drone strikes were recorded at six locations.

Zelenskyy said on Sunday that hundreds of thousands of families in the southern, eastern and northeastern regions of Ukraine remain without electricity, and that officials were working to restore power, heat and water after a large-scale attack the previous night.

He added that Russia had fired more than 1,500 strike drones, 900 guided aerial bombs and 46 missiles of various types at Ukraine over the past week. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday.

In the Krasnodar region, drones struck the town of Afipsky, which houses an oil refinery. Authorities said blasts shattered windows in residential buildings but reported no damage to the refinery.

Fighting has also intensified in the Black Sea. Russian forces recently struck Ukrainian ports, damaging Turkish-owned vessels, including a ship carrying food supplies. An attack on Odesa set grain silos ablaze, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba.

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The fight over California’s new congressional map designed to help Democrats flip congressional House seats will go to court Monday as a panel of federal judges considers whether the district boundaries approved by voters last month can be used in elections.

The hearing in Los Angeles sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Trump administration and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s been eyeing a 2028 presidential run. The lawsuit asks a three-judge panel to grant a temporary restraining order by Dec. 19 — the date candidates can take the first official steps to run in the 2026 election.

Voters approved California’s new U.S. House map in November through Proposition 50. It’s designed to help Democrats flip as many as five congressional House seats in the midterm elections next year. It was Newsom’s response to a Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump.

The redistricting showdown between the nation’s two most populous states has spread nationally, with efforts aiming to determine which party controls Congress for the second half of Trump’s term. Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have adopted new district lines that could provide a partisan advantage.

Some plans are facing legal challenges, but the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month to allow Texas to use its new map for the 2026 election. The Justice Department has only sued California.

open image in gallery

The Supreme Court ruled earlier this month to allow Texas to use its new map for the 2026 election. The Justice Department has only sued California (Getty Images)

The U.S. Justice Department, joining a case brought by the California Republican Party, has accused California of gerrymandering its map in violation of the Constitution by using race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters. Republicans want the court to prohibit California from using the new map. Voters approved the map for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. State Democrats said they’re confident the lawsuit will fail.

“In letting Texas use its gerrymandered maps, the Supreme Court noted that California’s maps, like Texas’s, were drawn for lawful reasons,” Newsom’s spokesperson Brandon Richards said in a statement. “That should be the beginning and the end of this Republican effort to silence the voters of California.”

New U.S. House maps are drawn across the country after the Census every 10 years. Some states like California rely on an independent commission to draw maps, while others like Texas let politicians draw them. The effort to create new maps in the middle of the decade is highly unusual.

Paul Mitchell, a redistricting consultant who drew the map for Democrats, is expected to offer testimony. The Justice Department alleges that Mitchell and state leaders admitted that they redrew some districts to have a Latino majority.

The lawsuit cites a news release from state Democrats that says the new map “retains and expands Voting Rights Act districts that empower Latino voters” while making no changes to Black majority districts in the Oakland and Los Angeles areas. The federal Voting Rights Act, passed in the 1960s, sets rules for drawing districts to ensure minority groups have adequate political power. The lawsuit also cites a Cal Poly Pomona and Caltech study that concludes the new map would increase Latino voting power.

“Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Proposition 50 — the recent ballot initiative that junked California’s pre-existing electoral map in favor of a rush-job rejiggering of California’s congressional district lines,” the lawsuit said.

House Democrats need to gain just a handful of seats next year to take control of the chamber, which would imperil Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his term and open the way for congressional investigations into his administration. Republicans hold 219 seats, to Democrats’ 214.

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Rob Reiner has died at the age of 78. He and his wife, Michele, were found dead by apparent homicide inside their Brentwood, Calif., home on Dec. 14, TMZ first reported. According to multiple sources, the couple were killed by their son Nick, and their bodies were discovered by their daughter Romy.

Around 3:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call to provide medical aid, the LAFD told PEOPLE. When they arrived, they found a man, 78, and a woman, 68. Both were dead at the scene. Sources confirm the deceased were Rob and Michele.

CBS via Getty; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

The Reiners had been married since 1989.

Reiner became famous for his role as Mike — a.k.a. Meathead — on the 1970s classic Norman Lear sitcom All in the Family. After leaving the series, he became a successful director, with iconic movies including This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally… and A Few Good Men.

Reiner was born in the Bronx, N.Y., in 1947. His father was legendary comedian Carl Reiner and his mother was actress and singer Estelle Lebost. 

Rob Reiner in 1977.

20th Century Fox/Archive Photos/Getty 

Reiner didn’t know at the time that his future wife, Penny Marshall, was living across the street. She told PEOPLE in 1976 that the one time they came close to meeting was when she got Carl’s autograph in a grocery store; she kept it. 

The Reiners moved to Beverly Hills when Rob was 12. “Rob was independent very early, maybe too early,” Carl told PEOPLE in 1976. “He was racing to be me, I guess. I rocked him and I diapered him, but I didn’t give him enough of myself. He has a strong sense of making it on his own.”

He attended Beverly Hills High School, where his classmates included Richard Dreyfuss and Albert Brooks. Then he attended film school at UCLA.

The cast of ‘All in the Family’: (from left) Rob Reiner, Jean Stapleton, Carroll O’Connor and Sally Struthers.

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By the late ‘60s, Reiner was making appearances on TV, with guest spots on That Girl, Batman, The Andy Griffith Show and The Partridge Family. He was hired as a writer for The Smothers Brothers show; one of his coworkers in the writers’ room was a young Steve Martin. 

In Los Angeles, he met Marshall, whose brother was director Garry Marshall. They fell in love and married in 1971. PEOPLE called the couple “Hollywood’s Hapsburgs” because of how many of their family members were in the business. Reiner also adopted Marshall’s daughter Tracy from a previous marriage.

Julie Kavner and Rob Reiner with their Emmys in 1978.

AP Photo

Marshall and Reiner both auditioned for All in the Family, though only Reiner booked a role. The sitcom, which ran for nine seasons, became an enormous hit; for seasons 2 through 6, it was the No. 1 show on television. Reiner received five Emmy nominations for his role as Meathead, winning twice.

“The show was a total collaborative effort,” Reiner told PEOPLE about the series, whose ensemble cast included Carroll O’Connor as Archie, Jean Stapleton as Edith and Sally Struthers as Gloria.

Just as All in the Family fell from its perch, a new show rose: Laverne and Shirley, starring Marshall as Laverne. “I love it!” Reiner told PEOPLE in 1976. “I’d like my family to be in control of the airwaves as long as possible.”

Rob Reiner in 1987.

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Reiner and Struthers left the show in 1978 after its penultimate season. Reiner was focused on developing his own projects as a writer and director.

He and Marshall also ended their marriage. She told PEOPLE in 1980 that it wasn’t a dramatic end. “We just asked each other, ‘Is this it? Are we happy? I don’t think so.’ So we decided to try a separation.” Their divorce was finalized in 1981. They remained on good terms until Marshall’s death in 2018.

Rob Reiner on the set of ‘The American President’ in 1995.

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Reiner made his directorial debut with 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap, the mockumentary about a fictional rock band. The film was critically acclaimed, though it was not a box-office success. Once it was released on VHS, it became immensely popular. It was chosen for the National Film Registry in 2002.

Reiner’s next films were 1985’s The Sure Thing and 1986’s Stand By Me. The latter became one of the most iconic of the ’80s and featured future stars like Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland. Richard Dreyfuss also appeared in a small role.

“That’s the one that means the most to me, that has the most emotional connection for me of all the films I’ve made,” Reiner told Slash Film in 2023. “I don’t know if it’s my best, but it’s the one that means the most to me.” 

Carl, Estelle and Rob Reiner in 2002.

Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock 

In 1987, Reiner directed The Princess Bride, another modern classic. It included Reiner’s good friend Billy Crystal in a supporting role. Reflecting on the tongue-in-cheek fairytale and its legacy, Reiner told PEOPLE in 2007, “At the end of the day, The Princess Bride is about true love conquering all, and that’s timeless.” The movie joined the National Film Registry in 2016.

Then, in 1989, came When Harry Met Sally…. “I wanted to make a movie about what men and women go through,” he told PEOPLE in 2019. “I had been single for 10 years and was making an utter mess of my personal life. I always figured I would have to have a female voice for it, and what better than the most brilliant, incisive, observant female voice in America?”

Rob Reiner.

 Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty

Nora Ephron signed on to write the script. “Sally became an extension of Nora, and Harry was like an extension of me,” Reiner explained. For Sally, they cast relatively unknown actress Meg Ryan. Rob had a harder time casting Harry.

He did not want to cast Crystal at first. “Whenever you do something this personal and you’re best friends, if it doesn’t work, it’s like, ‘Oy!’” Reiner told PEOPLE in 2019. “Finally, I said, ‘Aw, f— it; he’s perfect!’”

Reiner loved putting his family members in his films. His mother utters one of When Harry Met Sally…’s most famous lines: “I’ll have what she’s having.” His daughter Tracy plays one of Harry’s girlfriends, Emily the baker.

Rob Reiner in 2017.

Neilson Barnard/Getty

When Harry Met Sally… initially ended with Harry and Sally parting ways; Reiner changed the ending, in part, because he had met and fallen for Michele Singer during filming, changing his own attitude about romance. They married in 1989. 

When Harry Met Sally… was added to the National Film Registry in 2022. Ephron would go on to direct her own movies, and Reiner had a role in Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle as Tom Hanks’ friend. 

His next films included 1990’s Misery, 1992’s A Few Good Men, 1995’s The American President, 1999’s The Story of Us, 2005’s Rumor Has It… and 2007’s The Bucket List. In 2024, he began filming Spinal Tap II. Reiner also appeared in films as an actor, including 1990’s Postcards From the Edge, 1996’s The First Wives Club and 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street. On TV, he cameoed as himself on It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Simpsons, Hannah Montana and 30 Rock. On New Girl, he played the father of Zooey Deschanel’s character.

Reiner and Singer welcomed three children together, Jake, Nick and Romy.

Rob and Michele Reiner in 2014.

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

His mother Estelle died in 2008, and his father Carl died in 2020. “He was my guiding light,” Reiner wrote in a tribute for his dad at the time. 

“I was lucky to have a man in my life who conducted his career in a way that was very honorable and decent,” he told The New York Times in 2024. “I saw how he treated other people, and I saw how he handled his fame. People have always asked me, ‘Did he sit down and give you advice?’ And I said, ‘No, he never gave me any advice. He just lived a certain way, and that was the best advice I could have gotten.’”

Reiner was an active voice for liberal causes. He co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which initiated the court challenge against California’s Prop 8, campaigned for higher taxes on cigarettes and was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump.

Talking about his philosophy as a director, he told The Guardian in 2018, “I want everyone around me to feel comfortable and happy. And then I can come into work and be like: ‘Hey, I get to spend today with these people today! Isn’t that great? Aren’t I lucky?’”

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By NOOR QURASHI, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 09:17 EST, 15 December 2025 | Updated: 09:28 EST, 15 December 2025

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has suffered a fractured vertebra after escaping the country via fishing boat.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was said to have sustained the injury last Monday during a high-risk sea crossing to Norway.

It comes a day after Ms Machado voice support for Washington’s pressure campaign against president Nicolas Maduro.

She had said in an interview she ‘absolutely supports President Trump’s strategy’ adding Venezuelan people are ‘very grateful to him’ as he is a ‘champion of freedom in this hemisphere’.

The injury to Ms Machado reportedly occurred due to severe weather onboard the vessel, including strong winds and large waves.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado (pictured) has suffered a fractured vertebra after escaping from Venezuela via fishing boat

This is a breaking news story. More to come 

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Nobel Peace Prize winner is treated in Norway after suffering fractured vertebra during her escape from Venezuela in small fishing boat

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