Senior Russian diplomat warns of Russia-Nato clash

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A four-year-old boy was among at least three people killed after Russia fired more than 650 drones and 30 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Thirteen regions came under attack in total, Mr Zelensky said, adding that those killed were in the Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions.

A 76-year-old woman was killed in the attack on Kyiv, in which three people were injured, including a 16-year-old girl.

The attack also targeted energy infrastructure, particularly in Ukraine’s western regions, prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

Mr Zelensky said the strike sends an “extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities”, noting that it took place “in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war”. He urged Ukraine’s Western partners to increase pressure on Moscow.

During the attack, Poland has scrambled aircraft in the early hours of this morning as a “preventive” measure aimed at “securing and protecting the airspace”.

Russia’s major air attack came just hours after Volodymyr Zelensky warned Putin could strike hard over the festive period. Most parts of the war-hit nation were reported to be under air raid alerts.

Zelensky says progress in US-led peace talks ‘quite solid’

Initial drafts of US proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv’s demands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

But he suggested that neither side in the almost four-year war is likely to get everything it wants in talks on reaching a settlement.

“Overall, it looks quite solid at this stage,” the Ukrainian leader said of recent talks with US officials who are trying to steer the neighbouring countries toward compromises.

“There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I’m sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either,” Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv.

Alex Croft23 December 2025 10:06

In pictures: Russian launches huge air attack on Kyiv

At least one person has died in the attack on Kyiv (REUTERS)Three people were injured, including a 16-year-old (REUTERS)Russia launched dozens of missiles and 600 drones overnight, the Ukrainian prime minister said (REUTERS)It comes after the Kremlin said weekend peace talks failed to produce a breakthrough (via REUTERS)

Alex Croft23 December 2025 09:42

Woman, 76, killed and three injured in Russian attack on Kyiv

A 76-year-old woman has been killed in Russia’s large-scale attack on Kyiv, according to the region’s military administration.

Three people were also injured, including a 16-year-old girl, military administration chief Mykola Kalashnyk said.

The attack caused a fire to break out in a two-storey house in the Vyshhorod district.

Two houses were also damaged in the Obukhiv district, where windows were blown out and roofs damaged, authorities added.

Alex Croft23 December 2025 09:17

Boy, 4, among three people dead after Russia fires 680 drones and missiles – Zelensky

A massive Russian strike on Ukraine on Tuesday killed at least three people, including a four-year-old child, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.

More than 650 drones and more than 30 missiles were launched at Ukraine, he said.

A woman was killed in the Kyiv region, one person was killed in the Khmelnytskyi region, and the four-year-old was killed in the Zhytomyr region after a Russian drone attacked a residential building, the Ukrainian president said in an update on social media.

“This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities. An attack was carried out essentially in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war,” he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Mr Zelensky urged Ukraine’s Western partners to increase pressure on Moscow.

The Kyiv region was one of the main targets of the attack (via REUTERS)

Alex Croft23 December 2025 08:52

Russia fires dozens of missiles and 600 drones in overnight attack, says Ukrainian PM

Russia launched dozens of missiles and more than 600 drones in its early morning air attack across Ukraine including on the capital Kyiv, prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

Earlier, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Timur Tkachenko, urged people to stay in their shelters until given the all-clear.

Ukraine’s energy sector was again one of the main targets of the attacks, prompting emergency power outages in a number of regions, including the capital Kyiv and its surrounding region, Ukraine’s energy ministry said on Tuesday.

It was infrastructure in Ukraine’s western regions which suffered the most damage, Ms Svyrydenko added.

Alex Croft23 December 2025 08:26

In photos: Major Russian attack on Kyiv region destroys houses and apartments

Aftermath of a Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv region (Reuters)A firefighter works at the site of a house heavily damaged during Russian early morning drone and missile strikes in Kyiv region (Reuters)Emergency responders work at the site of a Russian drone strike on an apartment building in Kyiv (Reuters)Firefighters work at the site of a house heavily damaged during Russian early morning drone and missile strikes in Kyiv region (Reuters)

Arpan Rai23 December 2025 08:01

Buildings in Kyiv attacked in overnight Russia attack

Russian forces have attacked Kyiv and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the early hours today, triggering emergency outages, just two days after US-led Miami peace talks ended.

As of 6.20am GMT, air raid alerts covered nearly all of Ukraine, according to the country’s air force.

Debris fell near a residential building in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district, damaging windows, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app.

Arpan Rai23 December 2025 07:52

Watch: Senior Russian diplomat warns of Russia-Nato clash

Senior Russian diplomat warns of Russia-Nato clash

Arpan Rai23 December 2025 07:32

Russia bombards Ukraine hours after Zelensky warns of Christmas strikes

Russia launched a major early morning air attack on Ukraine today, the Ukrainian military said, just hours after Volodymyr Zelensky warned Putin could strike hard over the festive period.

“Air defence forces are working to eliminate the threat in the sky over the capital,” the Kyiv military administration said on Telegram.

It urged residents to remain in shelters until the all-clear is given.

Officials did not immediately report casualties or damage. The full-scale of the attack was not immediately known.

Just hours earlier, Zelensky said Ukraine is amping up its intelligence and air defence work ahead of Christmas as Russian forces are expected to carry out massive air strikes.

“We understand that precisely on these days they may – this is in their nature – carry out massive strikes on Christmas. And today we had a Staff meeting on this, and the number one issue was air defence: the protection of our cities, villages, and communities, especially on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th. This needs to be paid attention to,” Zelensky had said.

A power genertor placed outside a house with a decorated Christmas tree during power outage in the southern city of Odesa (AFP via Getty Images)

Arpan Rai23 December 2025 06:47

Hundreds of Russian drones target Ukraine; emergency power outages imposed

Several Ukrainian cities are under a major air raid alert as Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack, including hitting energy sites in the war-hit country’s far western regions.

Ukrainian public broadcaster reported explosions in the western cities of Rivne, in the communities of Burshtyn and Rohatyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. Explosions were also heard on the outskirts of Cherkasy city.

Ukraine’s Air Force has warned of hundreds of Russian drones and dozens of missiles launched in Ukraine’s direction as air raid alerts were sounded in almost all parts of the country.

Emergency power outages have been imposed in several regions in view of Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.

“As soon as the security situation allows, rescue teams and energy specialists will begin addressing the consequences of the attack to restore electricity supply in the regions as quickly as possible,” the ministry said.

Cars drive on a street during a power outage in the southern city of Odesa following Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructures (AFP via Getty Images)

Arpan Rai23 December 2025 06:39

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NEED TO KNOW

• A 2-year-old boy is dead after a car crash on a highway near Peterborough, England, on Saturday, Dec. 20
• “Our thoughts are with the parents and family of this young child who has tragically lost his life in this collision,” said Sergeant David McIlwhan
• A 64-year-old driver has been granted bail after being arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving

A toddler is dead and five other people are seriously injured after their broken down vehicle was struck by another car. 

At around 6:20 p.m. local time on Saturday, Dec. 20, a Toyota Auris that had broken down in a live lane of the A1 northbound carriageway near Peterborough, England, was hit by a Volkswagen Touran, Cambridgeshire Police confirmed in a news release.

A 2-year-old boy from London, who had been traveling in the Toyota, was killed in the crash. 

The A1 highway in the U.K.

Google Maps

Five others who had been in the same vehicle were rushed to Peterborough City Hospital with serious injuries, police added.

The 64-year-old driver of the Volkswagen, who was from Peterborough, was “slightly injured” in the crash, police said. He was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, but has since been released on bail until March 20.

“Our thoughts are with the parents and family of this young child who has tragically lost his life in this collision,” said Sergeant David McIlwhan in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “The family is being supported by specialist family liaison officers.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 

Stock image of a police car in the U.K.

georgeclerk/Getty

Sgt McIlwhan added, “I would appeal for anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage but was unable to stop at the scene, to get in touch.”

Police have advised anyone with information regarding the incident to report it online, quoting incident 401 of December 20. Alternatively, reports can be made by calling 101.

Cambridgeshire Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment amid their ongoing investigation. 

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By KATHERINE LAWTON, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 09:09 GMT, 23 December 2025 | Updated: 09:16 GMT, 23 December 2025

A two-year-old boy has died and five people have been seriously injured after their car broke down and was hit on a major A-road. 

The toddler, from London, was inside a Toyota Auris that broke down on the A1 in Cambridgeshire at around 6.20pm on Saturday. 

The Toyota was sitting in a live lane on the northbound carriageway when it was hit by a Volkswagen Touran just past Stibbington Junction. 

Five other people who were in the Toyota were rushed to Peterborough City Hospital with serious injuries. 

Cambridgeshire Police has called for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward. 

Sgt David Mcllwhan said in a statement: ‘Our thoughts are with the parents and family of this young child who has tragically lost his life in this collision.

‘The family is being supported by specialist family liaison officers.

‘I would appeal for anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage but was unable to stop at the scene to get in touch.’ 

Anyone with information about the collision should report to the police online quoting incident 401 of December 20. 

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Two-year-old boy is killed and five people are seriously injured after their Toyota broke down on major A-road and was hit by another car

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At the start of 2020, Harry and Meghan dropped the bombshell that they were quitting their royal roles – and their decision was reportedly spurred on by an incident at Christmas, just weeks before

09:00, 23 Dec 2025Updated 09:05, 23 Dec 2025

Harry and Meghan will spend their seventh consecutive Christmas away from the royal family(Image: BACKGRID)

The Sussexes will be once again celebrating Christmas thousands of miles away from the Royal Family. Harry and Meghan – who remain largely estranged from members of The Firm – will instead likely remain at their home in Montecito, while the likes of King Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate gather for their celebrations in Sandringham.

The last time Harry spent Christmas with the royals was back in 2018, following his wedding in May earlier that year. The following December, they spent the festive season in Canada during an extended break from their royal duties. Mere weeks later, the Sussexes dropped the bombshell news they were quitting royal life. And according to one royal expert, it was an incident that took place in Christmas 2019 that tipped the couple over the edge.

READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan’s ‘rude’ rant about Royal Family that ‘included late Queen’READ MORE: Meghan Markle snubbed from life-changing royal meeting over ‘leak fears’READ MORE: ‘Awkward’ Prince Harry looks like ‘a fish out of water’ in Meghan’s new Christmas videoThe late Queen seen giving her Christmas address in 2019

Harry, Meghan, and their baby son Archie spent the festive season in Canada with her mum, Doria Ragland. Like so many, they watched the late Queen’s Christmas message – but were reportedly infuriated by one key detail.

The couple were said to be upset when they saw family portraits on display on the late Queen’s desk, but none featured the Sussexes. In the book Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed the couple believed the Royal Family were “conspiring against them” with the move. They said Harry and Meghan also felt they had “long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future”.

They wrote: “One didn’t have to look further than the family photos displayed during the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day. In the Green Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace , where the Queen delivered her address, viewers glimpsed photos of the [Waleses] and their children, Charles and Camilla, Prince Philip , and a black-and-white image of George VI. Noticeably absent was a photo of Harry, Meghan, and their new baby, Archie.”

Harry and Meghan were also said to have been upset by a photo of the Queen with her heirs(Image: PA)

The authors said palace sources insisted the photos were chosen to represent the “direct line of succession”. However, Omid and Carolyn said Harry and Meghan felt it was “yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path.”

It wasn’t the only ‘snub’ that reportedly pushed the Sussexes to cut ties. A sweet snapshot of Prince George proved to be a ‘wake up call’ for Harry and Meghan, and cemented their decision to leave the Firm, an expert has claimed.

The image in question showed the late Queen with her three heirs, the then-Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George, who was six at the time, in the throne room at Buckingham Palace. It was released at the beginning of 2020, days before Harry and Meghan confirmed they planned to step down as working royals.

On the face of it, the picture simply showcased the future of the monarchy and mirrored many historic portraits. But it is alleged to have caused upset behind the scenes.

In his book Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Andrew Morton wrote: “The royal couple suspected that the entire institution was conspiring against them. As they saw it, the evidence was all around them. The unspoken code was straightforward: the future of the monarchy was assured, with or without Meghan and Harry.”

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US President Donald Trump warned Nicolas Maduro to ‘not play tough’ and to step down on Monday, while the Venezuelan leader said Trump should focus on the issues in his own country. Trump told reporters the US will keep 1.9 million barrels of oil that were seized near Venezuela in December.

Published On 23 Dec 202523 Dec 2025

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Denise Coates, the billionaire boss of Bet365, a self-described “ultimate gambler” and Britain’s highest-paid woman, took home at least £280m in pay and dividends in 2025 despite a slump in pre-tax profits.

Coates’s Stoke-based gambling empire recorded turnover of £4bn in the year to March 2025, up from £3.7bn the year before. Pre-tax profits fell to £349m from £627m in the previous year.

Bet365 incurred a £325m increase in expenses as it reshaped its global footprint, expanding its presence in the US and South America, while giving up its sometimes controversial presence in China, where online betting is illegal.

Coates had already extracted more than £2.5bn in pay and dividends from a company that she began building in a car park in her home city.

Accounts posted on Tuesday show that she took a further £104m in salary, while her majority shareholding means she is entitled to at least 50% of a dividend of £353.6m, taking her total income from the group to at least £280m.

The deal is an increase on the £150m she claimed last year but falls some way short of her £469m record payout in 2021.

While Coates’s vast remuneration has sometimes drawn criticism for its sheer scale, some in the industry have pointed to the fact that she avoids structuring her deals in a way that dodges tax, making her one of the largest contributors to the exchequer in the UK.

The company also donated a further £130m to her charity, the Denise Coates Foundation.

The Guardian has previously reported that tax breaks available to Bet365 as a result of its donations to the foundation may have saved the company more than the charity has yet paid out to good causes.

During the year, Bet365 also waived loans to Stoke City football club, which was demerged from the group and is now under the control of Denise Coates’s brother, John.

The accounts made no mention of early-stage discussions about a possible £9bn sale of the group, which the Guardian revealed earlier this year had taken place.

However, the company did refer obliquely to its decision to leave the Chinese market, where betting is illegal. Bet365’s presence there has long been controversial, although it has always insisted that it was not breaking any Chinese laws.

The company incurred one-off restructuring and reorganisation costs of £59m after its exit from “certain markets”, it said.

However, it did not cease taking bets in China until the end of March, indicating that some of the cost of its exit could fall during the current financial year.

The departure has been seen by some pundits as a necessary step to ensure it does not fall foul of regulators or enforcement bodies in the US, where Bet365 is expanding fast.

It entered five new states during the year and now offers licensed betting in 16 of them. The US supreme court overturned a long-held ban on sports wagering in 2018, sparking a betting boom as individual states introduced their own regulatory regimes one by one.

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It was supposed to be just another Thursday in Laos, where Anthonin’s father was born.

Instead, the 30-year-old French citizen found himself among more than 140 people, mostly tourists, on a ferry that capsized in the Mekong River. All but three are thought to have made it to safety.

Videos online show a scene of chaos – people screaming for help, children crying and passengers scrambling to get their belongings.

Anthonin, who declined to give his full name, recalls seeing a mother and her two children on board the ferry – but they were nowhere to be seen on the rescue boat.

On Monday, Lao media reported that the body of a woman, named Pany Her, had been retrieved from the river. Rescuers then found the body of a one-year-old, who they believe was one of her children. Efforts to find a second child are continuing.

The boat was making its way last Thursday from the riverside town of Huay Xay to the historic city of Luang Prabang in northern Laos, a common route along the Mekong – and popular with visitors to the country.

There were 118 tourists and 29 locals, including four crew, on board the boat when it struck underwater rocks, according to an official report carried by the Laotian Times.

Within minutes, the ferry began to sink.

“The [crew] were just totally unprepared for that. There was a lot of confusion… it happened really, really fast,” Anthonin said.

“What was, you know, puzzling and alarming is that there were very few life jackets, around like, 15 life jackets maximum… [it] was really bad.”

As the boat continued to capsize, passengers shouted to a passing boat for help, but it did not stop – possibly because, according to him, it was relatively small.

The second one, however, did stop and take them in. However, according to British tourist Bradley Cook, another passenger on board, that briefly “made it worse”.

The 27-year-old told the BBC that as the rescue boat came closer to their ferry, people started to shift and put weight on one side of the ferry, causing water to fill up the hull even quicker.

Mr Cook went to the other side to climb up on the roof, from where he jumped onto the rescue ferry.

Some people managed to climb over to the ferry, while others swam for it, hung onto the rails and got pulled up by others. Both Anthonin and Mr Cook were among those rescued.

But others were less fortunate.

Anthonin says he was helping some other passengers retrieve their luggage at the back of the sinking ferry when he saw a Lao mother and her two children.

However, when he was on the rescue ferry, he realised they weren’t there.

“Some people were crying, panicking. It was a mess,” he said. “[But] I didn’t fear for my life… I was more affected by the three missing people.”

Lao media later reported that the body of the Lao woman Pany Her and a one-year-old child were found, separately, near Luang Prabang.

Another passenger, Gabrielius Baranovičius, 19, told the BBC that he and his friend, both of whom are from Lithuania, did not panic at first.

“We were just joking around,” Mr Baranovičius said, adding that his attitude quickly changed when he realised they were sinking.

After getting on the rescue boat, Mr Baranovičius said he starting filming what was happening on board “but then I heard other people screaming so [I] turned off the camera and went straight to help other people in the water get on the boat.”

Tens of thousands of tourists use slow boat and speedboat services every year along the 300km (185-mile) route connecting Huay Xay, Pak Beng and Luang Prabang, according to the Mekong River Commission.

For Mr Cook, the experience was “terrifying” and it made him want to get out of Luang Prabang, “although everyone’s really friendly here”, because it was a constant reminder of his narrow escape.

Speaking to the BBC from Vang Vieng, a town in northern Laos, Mr Cook said he planned to file for insurance claims for his electrical items that were broken and for cash that was lost, though he was not sure who would be held responsible.

“I’m assuming it’s just a freak accident,” he said, though he added he “was not sure how avoidable” the ferry capsizing was.

It’s not the first time such a sinking has occurred in Laos.

In September 2023, a passenger boat, which travelled on the same river corridor between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang, capsized in the Mekong in Pakbeng district, resulting in three deaths.

The boat reportedly became entangled in a fishing net, causing loss of control and the vessel overturning in strong currents.

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A Mexican navy plane carrying burn patients to a Texas hospital in the United States crashed Monday in the waters of Galveston Bay, killing at least five people, officials said.

Mexico’s Navy said eight people were on board the twin-turboprop aircraft, including four navy officers and four civilians, one of them a child.

The plane was transporting burn patients to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Galveston.

Cause of the crash under investigation

The aircraft, a King Air ANX-1209, departed from Merida in Mexico’s Yucatan state and was headed to Galveston Scholes International Airport.

The flight was part of a medical mission coordinated with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which arranges emergency transport for children with life-threatening burns to the hospital.

Authorities said the crash happened as the plane was approaching Galveston. The cause remains under investigation. Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been deployed to the scene.

The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol officers were also assisting at the site.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic

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At midnight on Christmas Eve, the words of the traditional hymn “The Night of Christmas” will ring out in the tiny grotto in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.

“On the night of Christmas, war is buried, On the night of Christmas, love is born,” a local choir sings each year during the midnight service. As they rehearsed ahead of this year’s service, many choir members said the words echoed with deeper meaning following the ceasefire in Gaza.

“It reminds us that no matter the difficulties, the darkness, there is always a light and that hope is always alive,” said Joseph Hazboun, the conductor of the lay choir made up of local Catholics.

For the past two years, as the war in Gaza dragged on, Christmas in Bethlehem has been a somber affair, without the traditional festivities and decorations and music. But this year, families are flocking again to Manger Square, signaling hope about the fragile ceasefire and providing a much-needed economic boost to Bethlehem.

On a recent visit, Manger Square was crowded and buzzing with festive lights, a Christmas market, and music shows for children.

open image in gallery

Palestinian vendors wait for clients in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

“You can see the town come alive again,” said Zoya Thalgia, a resident of Bethlehem. “Everyone’s happy, everyone’s coming out to celebrate, no matter religion, no matter their stance, everyone is here.”

Christmas and religious pilgrims have always been a prime economic engine for Bethlehem. Around 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s residents depend upon tourism-related businesses, according to the local government. During good times, their earnings ripple out to communities across the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967 that has long struggled with poverty.

But during the Gaza war, the unemployment rate in the city jumped from 14% to 65%, Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati said earlier this month. And in previous years, as an act of protest, some churches created Nativity scenes with Jesus as an infant surrounded by rubble and barbed wire.

Despite the ceasefire that began in October, tensions remain high across much of the West Bank.

Israel’s military has said it is cracking down on militants in the territory and carrying out frequent raids. Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank this year reached their highest level since the U.N. humanitarian office started collecting data in 2006.

Odette Al Sliby, a Bethlehem resident, has sung in choirs since she was seven years old, but she said few things compare to being able to sing in the grotto at the midnight Mass.

“It’s very holy, the place and the atmosphere and the songs and the words,” she said. Singing those songs is a message of hope, she said, and a reminder to Christians of the significance of endurance. “As Christians in the Holy Land, there is a big message of being here,” she said.

open image in gallery

Palestinians watch performances in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Christians account for less than 2% of the West Bank’s roughly 3 million residents, a presence that has been shrinking.

As poverty and unemployment have soared during the war, about 4,000 people have left Bethlehem in search of work, the mayor said. It’s part of a worrying trend for Christians, who are leaving the region in droves.

Across the Middle East, the Christian population has steadily declined as people have fled conflict and attacks.

Hazboun said he will pray this Christmas that the Christian population of Bethlehem and of other areas in the region important to Christianity don’t shrink any further.

The return of Christmas festivities across the West Bank, including a Christmas market in Ramallah thronged with visitors, is a much-needed break for local children, said Hazboun.

While Palestinians in the West Bank are still devastated by the images coming out of Gaza, lighting the community Christmas tree in Bethlehem’s Manger Square for the first time in two years earlier this month provided a boost of much-needed holiday joy.

“We continue to pray for peace. This is the land of peace, it’s the land where the Prince of Peace was born, and we continue to pray and hope that one day we all will enjoy peace,” Hazboun said.

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Mette Frederiksen of Denmark and Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Greenland have issued a joint statement to demand respect for their borders after America appointed a US envoy to Greenland.

06:31, 23 Dec 2025Updated 06:33, 23 Dec 2025

(L to R) Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen smile for the cameras back in April.(Image: Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima)

Leaders in Greenland and Denmark have issued a joint statement directed at Donald Trump, demanding respect for their borders, after the US president appointed a ‌special envoy to Greenland in his latest steps in his campaign to acquire the country.

The US President has long insisted the move would help boost international security and, in March, he suggested it would be a simple process for his nation to acquire the territory. However, Mr Trump has since faced a fierce attack from Greenland with its defiant Prime Minister blasting the world leader for his tactics.

Prime ministers Mette Frederiksen of Denmark and Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Greenland have demanded respect for their borders on Monday, December 22 after Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to the largely self-governing Danish territory, which he has said repeatedly should be under US control.

“We have said it very clearly before. Now we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law … You cannot annex other countries,” Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (centre) pays a visit to Greenland to “strengthen unity” with the Danish autonomous territory coveted by US President Donald Trump.(Image: Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima)

The two leaders added that “fundamental principles” were at stake. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the US should not take over Greenland,” they said. “We expect respect for our common territorial integrity.”

Trump, 79, appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry to serve as the US ‌special envoy to Greenland, a measure he believes will represent a huge advance in securing the island. Trump said on Monday: “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our national security, and will strongly advance our country’s Interests for the safety, security, and survival of our allies, and indeed, the world.”

Landry, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, thanked the US president for the appointment, saying: “It’s an honour to serve … in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!” Landry took office as governor in January 2024. His term ends in January 2028.

Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen told his nation in a TV broadcast on Monday he would summon US ambassador Kenneth Howery to the foreign ministry in the coming days “to get an explanation”.

Rasmussen said he was “deeply upset by this appointment of a special envoy”, and “particularly upset” by Landry’s statement, which he said Denmark had found “completely unacceptable”.

He added: “As long as we have a kingdom in Denmark that consists of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot accept that there are those who undermine our sovereignty.”

The US special envoy appointment has also ruffled feathers in the European Union, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa both said on Monday. “Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. These principles are essential not only for the European Union, but for nations around the world,” they posted on X.

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

They also said that the European Union stands “in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland”.

Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said that “Sweden stands wholeheartedly behind its neighbour” and “will always stand up for international law”.

Norwegian foreign affairs minister Espen Barth Eide added Norway’s support to the pile, commenting: “Respect for sovereignty, integrity and the inviolability of borders is the foundational principle of international law, and must be upheld by all states without exception.”

Trump, in the early months of his return to the White House, repeatedly called for US jurisdiction over Greenland, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island.

But Greenland, with less than 60,000 residents, is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark and holds strategic importance for the Kingdom of Denmark, NATO, and the EU. It is a socially progressive island, where like in Denmark, education and healthcare are free and the island is rich in minerals.

Days after becoming Prime Minister in the spring, former scientist Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said: “President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future.”

But then in August, Danish officials summoned the US ambassador following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.

(Image: Getty )

Earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote US military base on the island and accused Denmark of underinvesting there. Trump has said that Greenland is crucial for US security and hasn’t ruled out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally of the US.

Denmark and Greenland have said the island is not for sale and condemned reports of the US gathering intelligence there. The US push for Greenland is also opposed by Russia and much of Europe. The Denmark Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Landry’s appointment.

The Danish Defence Intelligence Service said in a report earlier this month that the United States is using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten military force against friend and foe alike.

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At least two people killed in clashes in northern city of Aleppo during Turkish FM Fidan’s visit to Syria.

By News Agencies and Reuters

Published On 23 Dec 202523 Dec 2025

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Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to stop fighting in the northern city of Aleppo, after a wave of attacks left at least two civilians dead.

Syria’s state news agency SANA cited the defence ministry as saying that the army’s general command issued an order to stop targeting the SDF’s fighters after the deadly clashes erupted during a visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

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Fidan, whose country views the SDF, which controls swathes of northeastern Syria, as a ‘terrorist’ organisation, said on Monday that the SDF appeared to have no intention of honouring its pledge to integrate into the state’s armed forces by an agreed year-end deadline.

Following the SANA report on Monday evening, the SDF said in a later statement that it had issued instructions to stop responding to attacks by Syrian government forces following de-escalation contacts.

More to follow.

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People from the poorest backgrounds in England with serious lung conditions are more likely to be admitted to hospital for emergency care than their more affluent counterparts, according to research.

Analysis of NHS admissions data for November by Asthma + Lung UK found people from the most deprived backgrounds in England were 56% more likely to be admitted for emergency care, while 62% were more likely to be readmitted within 39 days of an emergency admission, which is linked with an increased chance of dying.

The research also found that people in deprived areas were almost twice as likely to be admitted to hospital for a respiratory condition.

One expert said the findings should act as a wake-up call to end the “postcode lottery”.

The highest rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admissions per population are in deprived areas including Blackpool, Manchester, Hastings and Burnley.

COPD is a group of diseases that causes breathing difficulties and includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. More than 20,000 people a year in England die from COPD.

Dr Hugo Farne, a respiratory consultant at Imperial College London, said the figures “lay bare a stark and avoidable injustice in respiratory health”.

“The fact that nearly half a million respiratory admissions could be avoided each year if deprivation gaps were closed should be a wake-up call,” Farne said.

“We know what works: timely diagnosis, smoking cessation support, pulmonary rehabilitation, clean air and properly resourced community respiratory services. Yet these are least accessible in the places carrying the greatest burden.

“Tackling COPD outcomes means tackling inequality head-on – through sustained investment in deprived areas, joined-up health and social care and treating respiratory health as a national priority, not a postcode lottery.”

The NHS is anticipating its worst-ever winter crisis as flu cases continue to rise. NHS England data released on Thursday found an average of 3,140 people were in hospital with flu each day by the end of last week, an increase of 18% compared with the previous week. At the same time last year, an average of 2,629 patients were in hospital, while in 2023 the number was 648.

Sarah Sleet, the chief executive of Asthma + Lung UK, said: “Many patients now in hospital with flu complications will have underlying lung conditions like COPD and shockingly, those from the lowest income groups will be more likely to lose their lives this winter.

“Poor housing, smoking, and exposure to air pollution put someone at higher risk of developing COPD but deprivation determines the progression of the disease too.

“At the heart of the problem is delayed diagnosis and poor care. Vital diagnostic tests are not available in parts of the country, with poorer, more populated areas – where the pressure on health services is the greatest – tending to struggle the most to provide lung testing and basic levels of care.

“Lung health is in a critical state in this country, and we know what changes need to be made, they just need implementing – which is why we need a dedicated national strategy to improve respiratory outcomes.”

Previous analysis of NHS figures has found that serious breathing problems including COPD have led to more emergency admissions in hospitals than any other medical condition.

NHS England has been approached for comment.

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Jack Hibbert had been working as a police officer for just months before he was shot

A young police officer who was shot in the head during the Bondi Beach attack has been released from hospital.

Probationary Constable Jack Hibbert – who is just four months into the job – was patrolling a Hanukkah event when two gunmen opened fire, injuring over 40 people and killing 15.

The 22-year-old, who was also hit in the shoulder, has lost vision in one of his eyes but is now recovering at home, his family confirmed in a statement.

“As a family, we couldn’t ask for anything more – having our Jack home, especially for Christmas, truly feels like a miracle.”

They thanked the public for their “overwhelming support” and praised medical staff for their “exceptional” care and dedication.

“While he is home, he is still recovering and will need space, support, and continued positive thoughts during this time,” the statement added.

Even after he was shot during the attack, Constable Hibbert continued to help festival attendees until he physically couldn’t, his family previously said.

“Many of his colleagues who were present on the night of the incident have visited in hospital and given testaments to Jack’s bravery during the incident… They described how Jack acted, he moved toward people in need, not away from danger,” they said.

He was one of two police officers injured in the shooting, with the second officer Constable Scott Dyson, 25, still recovering from his injuries in hospital, according to the last police update.

Last week, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon visited Constable Hibbert in hospital, praising him as a “positive young man”.

Lanyon added that the force would rally around Constable Hibbert and find “appropriate duties for him” after his recovery.

Police have alleged the suspected gunmen were inspired by Islamic State ideology and targeted the Jewish festival in what has been declared a terror attack.

Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of terror. A second gunman – his father, Sajid Akram – was shot dead by police at the scene.

On Monday, new court documents alleged the pair “meticulously” planned the attack for months, and two days prior to the shooting, visited Bondi for reconnaissance.

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Key points

• Vince Zampella died after his Ferrari crashed and caught fire near Los Angeles
• He was a renowned video developer whose studios have created some of the world’s best-selling games
• One of his crowning achievements was the creation of the ‘Call of Duty’ franchise

Renowned game designer Vince Zampella has died, US video gaming company Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday. The gaming juggernaut did not mention the cause of death.

A separate report by the NBC Los Angeles, however, stated that the 55-year-old had been driving a Ferrari with another passenger on Sunday afternoon when the car slammed into a concrete barrier and caught fire.

Zampella died at the scene, while the passenger later died in hospital, the broadcaster said.

Police told the LA Times that the identities of the deceased were pending release by the county coroner.

Zampella’s role in the ‘Call of Duty’ saga

Zampella co-created Infinity Ward, the studio that published the wildly popular “Call of Duty” video games.

The first-person shooter game debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulation and has since spawned dozens of spin offs and sequels, the most recent being “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7” which was released in November 2025. The franchise has sold over 500 million copies globally and came to dominate the first-person-shooter genre, especially among the millennial generation of gamers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set in the near futureImage: Jimin Kim/SOPA Images/IMAGO

A feature film based on the game is also in production with Paramount Pictures.

But Zampella isn’t just known for “Call of Duty.”

In 2010, he cofounded Respawn Entertainment, an EA subsidiary. As head of the studio, he led the creation of successful games such as “Titanfall,” and “Apex Legends.”

The story-driven single-player games “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor” also received widespread acclaim, particularly among fans.

EA says Zampella was a ‘visionary creator’

In its statement, Electronic Arts said that Zampella’s influence on the video game industry was “profound and far-reaching.”

“A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world,” the statement said.

The ‘Call of Duty’ franchise has started as a WWII shooter but subsequent versions of the game were set in various points in time, including the futureImage: Paul Sakuma/AP Photo/picture alliance

Video game journalist Geoff Keighley, who is also founder of annual The Game Awards celebrating the industry, said he was shocked to hear of Zampella’s sudden death.

He called Zampella a “titan of the video game industry” in a post on X.

“Vince was an extraordinary person — a gamer at heart, but also a visionary executive with a rare ability to recognize talent and give people the freedom and confidence to create something truly great,” Keighley wrote on social media on Monday.

In a separate post, Keighley posted an old interview he did with Zampella about Call of Duty.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic

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The icy ground crackling under their feet, members of an elite Ukrainian drone-hunting team set up for a long night.

Antennas and sensors are clipped to a light stand. Monitors and controls are pulled from hard cases, and a game-changing new weapon is readied for deployment.

The Sting, shaped like a flying thermos, is one of Ukraine’s new homegrown interceptors.

The unit’s commander says the interceptors can effectively counter Russia’s fast-evolving suicide drones, which are now flying faster and at higher altitudes.

“Every destroyed target is something that did not hit our homes, our families, our power plants,” said the officer, known only by the call sign “Loi”, in line with Ukrainian military protocol.

“The enemy does not sleep, and neither do we.”

Nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities and power infrastructure have forced Kyiv to rewrite the air defence rule book and develop cut-price drone killers costing as little as $1,000.

Interceptors went from prototype to mass production in just a few months in 2025 and represent the latest shift in modern warfare.

Effective defence in Ukraine depends on mass production, rapid adaptation and layering low-cost systems into existing defenses instead of relying on a few expensive, slow-to-replace weapons.

Models like the Sting – made by the volunteer-driven startup Wild Hornets – and the newly appeared Bullet can surge in speed before crashing into enemy drones.

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An engineer assembles an FPV drone (AP)

They are flown by pilots watching monitors or wearing first-person-view goggles.

The economics are crucial. Andrii Lavrenovych, a member of the strategic council of the fast-growing startup General Cherry which develops the Bullet, says the drones they destroy cost anywhere from $10,000 to $300,000.

“We are inflicting serious economic damage,” he said.

Russia favours the Iranian-designed Shahed suicide drone and has produced multiple variants of the triangle-winged craft, armed with jammers, cameras and turbojet engines in a constant battle of innovation.

“In some areas they are one step ahead. In others, we invent an innovative solution, and they suffer from it,” Mr Lavrenovych said.

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An engineer working on FPV drones (AP)

Federico Borsari, a defence analyst at the Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis, says interceptors are a valuable addition to Ukraine’s — and Europe’s — anti-drone arsenal.

“Cheap interceptor drones have become so important, and so quickly, that we can consider them a cornerstone of modern counter-unmanned aerial systems,” he said. “They realign the cost and scale equation of air defense.”

Their mobility and low cost allow them to defend more targets, but Borsari added: “It would be a mistake to see them as a silver bullet.”

Their success, he said, depends on sensors, fast command and control as well as skilled operators. They can be used in a menu of options that starts with multimillion-dollar missiles and ends with nets and antiaircraft guns.

Defense planners in Ukraine and NATO expect the hyper-scaling of drone production on both sides of the conflict to continue in 2026, adding urgency to European plans to create a layered air-defense system known as the “drone wall.”

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FPV drones are seen in storage (AP)

The network along Europe’s eastern borders, to be rolled out over two years, is designed to detect, track and intercept drones, with Ukrainian-style interceptors playing a potentially central role in destroying threats.

Ukrainian drone makers are set next year to expand coproduction with U.S. and European firms. Merging battle-tested designs and valuable data with Western scale and funding, the collaboration would boost output and embed Ukraine in NATO-member supply chains.

Another inevitable trend, Mr Lavrenovych argues, is increased automation.

“Our mobile groups shouldn’t have to approach the front line, where they become targets,” he said.

“Drones must become fully autonomous robots with artificial intelligence — as scary as that may sound — to help our soldiers survive.”

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