The true mark of “making it” in Hollywood isn’t an Oscar or a billboard with your face on it — it’s getting a coconut cake from Tom Cruise. It’s become so famous that it received a shout-out on the TV show Hacks and made PEOPLE’s list of food faves in 2023.

Assuming you don’t get added to Cruise’s list by Christmas, the Woodland Hills, Calif.-based bakery that makes the cake, Doan’s, will ship you one in dry ice via their Goldbelly page. See which A-listers have bragged about receiving one of the coveted coconut cakes (and which ones have mourned falling off the gift list).

Alec Baldwin

Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Alec Baldwin/Instagram

Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise have worked together several times (on the Mission: Impossible franchise and on the musical Rock of Ages) and their camaraderie continues in the form of the coconut cake, which Baldwin Instagrammed ahead of opening it, with the very appropriate caption, “Ooooooooooooooo.”

Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling.

Emma McIntyre/WireImage; Mindy Kaling/Instagram

It seems Mindy Kaling found herself on the coveted gift list for 2024. The Sex Lives of College Girls creator posted a photo of the scrumptious cake to her Instagram Stories on Dec. 19. “IYKYK,” she simply wrote.

Kirsten Dunst & Jesse Plemons

Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons attend the 96th Annual Academy Awards on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Dunst has been on the list of recipients since working with Cruise in 1994’s Interview with the Vampire.

“He gives me a cake every Christmas,” Dunst told Graham Norton during a 2016 appearance on his show. “We call it the Cruise cake at my house. It’s the best coconut cake I’ve ever had in my life.”

In a 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight, she shared that her household never has to worry about running out of the coveted cake, because husband Jesse Plemons has also costarred with Cruise (in 2017’s American Made) and gets his own every Christmas now too.

“We double up on our cakes,” she shared, confirming that she’s still on the list.

Glen Powell

John Salangsang/Variety via Getty Images

Someone who really celebrated his ascension to the Coconut Cake list was Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell, who hosts a party at his house when it arrives for grateful friends.

“It is the most delicious cake you’ve ever had,” Powell told Jennifer Hudson on her talk show. “My friends who have tried it, they love it so much that they hit me up right around December 1. ‘Hey, has it arrived yet?’ So now I have a party at my house where I’ll have the Cruise cake. It’s my ‘Cruise Cake Party.’ And I’ll invite people over to try a bite or two … [they] can’t get greedy. I really have to limit people. I can’t let them come back for seconds.” 

Glen Powell/Instagram

In 2024, Powell revealed he remains on the list, posting a glimpse of it to his Instagram stories.

Angela Bassett

Amy Sussman/Getty

In a discussion with Raymond Lee and Kelly Clarkson on the latter’s talk show, Angela Bassett and Lee agreed it’s one of the best cakes they’ve ever had (he even joked that he had it dipped in resin to preserve it forever).

Bassett is such a fan that, she said, “at our 25th anniversary, [husband Courtney B. Vance and I] had a three-tiered TCCC [Tom Cruise Coconut Cake].”

Hayley Atwell

Christian Black

It was hardly a Mission: Impossible for Hayley Atwell to be added to Cruise’s cake list. In 2023 she shared a shot of the beautifully wrapped cake with a card reading “warmest wishes to you this holiday season, Tom Cruise,” which she declared “delicious” on her Instagram Stories.

Rosie O’Donnell

Vera Anderson/WireImage

Rosie O’Donnell and Tom Cruise have been friends for 25 years now (she famously used to gush about him on her talk show) and the actress doesn’t feel the holiday spirit until the delicious dessert shows up on her doorstep each year.

This past Christmas, O’Donnell proudly showed off the sweet delivery writing on Instagram, “My Tommy sent me a coconut cake!! I love that guy.”

Jay Ellis

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Cruise’s cake is so renowned that his Top Gun costar, Jay Ellis flew it to Mexico last year.

“This year, my family, we all met in Mexico to spend Christmas together,” Ellis said while on The Jennifer Hudson Show. “And I was away filming a movie, and I was like, ‘Mom, can you freeze the cake and take it to Mexico?’ My whole family was like, ‘Yes, freeze the cake.'”

He continued, “Whatever it is — dry ice, ice cubes, whatever it is — we froze the cake,” he said. “We took it to Mexico, thawed it out and we had it on Christmas Day.”

Cary Elwes

Cary Elwes.
Brad Barket/Getty

You want a Tom Cruise coconut cake? As you wish! … is what we imagine Tom Cruise said to his Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning costar Elwes, who told PEOPLE the treat was his latest guilty pleasure. “We got sent a cake at Christmas from Tom Cruise. It was coconut from his favorite bakery,” he recalled. “Normally I don’t eat cake, but when it comes from Tom, it’s mission impossible not to.”

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty for The Recording Academy

Also on the gift list? Tom Hanks, who described the cake as being “so great you can really only have it once a year.”

Apparently, the cake is a huge hit at his production company, Playtone, where his colleagues wait with bated breath, for it to be delivered each year.

“They start eyeing: What mail has come in? Is the big box coming in? Are we getting, what has essentially been called the Tom Cruise cake?” he said while on Mythical Kitchen’s YouTube series Last Meals.

And because the cake is such a treat, the company begins to savor each slice as the days go on. “Everybody starts slicing thinner and thinner slices,” Hanks joked.

“It’s a mathematical proof that if you just keep cutting everything in half, you will never run out of Tom Cruise cake.”

Elle & Dakota Fanning

Tom Cruise and Elle Fanning.
Lester Cohen/WireImage

After getting a special shout out from the Mission Impossible actor during last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Elle Fanning revealed Cruise has shown her and sister Dakota so much love over the years.

Cruise and Dakota starred in War of the Worlds together back in 2005.

Elle told PEOPLE that Cruise “made it a point to kind of stay in [Dakota’s] life … which was so kind.”

She continued, “And he sends her a birthday gift every single year still. We get the coconut cake that he sends.”

Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Paramount Worldwide

Though Jon Hamm starred in Top Gun: Maverick with Cruise, he was a receiver of the coconut bundt cake long before then.

“I’m on the list. I’m very proud to be on the list,” Hamm told Dish Nation. “I was on the list pre-Maverick so I’m very happy. I predate the movie, so somehow I got on that list.”

Miles Teller

Tom Cruise and Miles Teller.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Much like the team at Tom Hanks’ production company, Miles Teller couldn’t fathom the thought of finishing the cake in its entirety when he got it for his birthday.

“The coconut cake is very good,” he admitted to Dish Nation during the Hollywood premiere of the Top Gun last year.

“I have one in my fridge right now he sent for my birthday in February. So what month are we in? May? I still have it, so that that let’s you know how good it is.”

Cobie Smulders

Sean Gallagher/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Also on the preservation train is Cobie Smulders, who freezes her holiday gift so it lasts for months.

“It’s so good. I leave it in my freezer and it lasts until like March,” she told Jimmy Fallon (who also bragged about being on “the list”). “I just slowly chip away at this thing. It’s so good, I don’t know why. I’m not even a big sweets person, but it’s so good.”

Graham Norton

This famous cake is so much of a hot item, sometimes it doesn’t even get to its intended recipient, as Graham Norton found out.

While prepping for an episode in which Renée Zellweger appeared, Norton found out Cruise had sent the cake to his office for years — he just never received it.

“I didn’t know we were on the Tom Cruise Cake List ’til today!” he told the Jerry Maguire actress, while asking her about her own receipt of the treat.

“I was talking about you being on the cake list and somebody said ‘Oh, yeah, we get a cake from Tom every year,’ and I went, ‘Do we? I’ve never seen the bloody cake.'”

Turns out, it was “the nicest cake” someone in Norton’s crew had ever had…and didn’t last long enough to make it to the host himself!

Brooke Shields

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Someone who received the cake for a while — and would like to again — is Brooke Shields.

“I was on the list for a while. I had a good 10-year run, and I got the coconut cake every year, which I was very happy [about],” she told PEOPLE recently, adding with a laugh, “I want to get back on that cake list. It’s the best cake. Tom, I need to be back on the cake list!”

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BAFTA-winning actor and comedian Stanley Baxter has died aged 99.

The star was known for his impressions of famous people, including Queen Elizabeth II, and his BBC series The Stanley Baxter Show garnered large audiences in the 1960s.

The Scot featured in a string of films in the same decade, notably Very Important Person, The Fast Lady and Father Came Too!

He bravely came out as gay in 2020 after 46 years of marriage to his wife Moira, who died in 1997.

Baxter was born in a Glasgow tenement in 1926 and was trained up for the stage by his mother.

He starred as a child actor in BBC Scotland productions before honing his skills during national service with the Army’s Combined Services Unit where he brushed shoulders with fellow comedic actor Kenneth Williams and other future stars.

From 1959-1960, he co-hosted sketch show On the Bright Side with Betty Marsden, for which he was awarded a BAFTA for Light Entertainment Performance.

After a breakthrough decade in the 60s, which also saw him host his own BBC Radio Scotland show, he became a nationwide star in the 70s and 80s, competing with the likes of Morecambe and Wise for primetime ratings.

Legendary actor and comedian Stanley Baxter, pictured in 1971, has died aged 99

The BAFTA-winning star pictured as the Pantomime Dame in 1975

He bravely came out as gay in 2020 after 46 years of marriage to his wife Moira, who died in 1997

His outrageous, and often grotesque, outfits and accurate impressions, which also saw him mimic the Pope, made ITV’s The Stanley Baxter Picture Show – following on from his BBC series – a roaring success from 1972 to 1975. 

Baxter was also a popular figure on the Scottish pantomime circuit until his retirement in 1991, leading some of the most lavishly produced pantos in British history. 

Although he did emerge occasionally and briefly from retirement, he largely disappeared from show business and from the public eye. 

He hid his homosexuality throughout a career which hit its peak during a time when gay sex remained illegal in Scotland – it was only decriminalised in 1981. 

The comedian revealed his secret in 2020 when he lifted the embargo on a biography he had written 15 years prior and never intended to publish in his lifetime. 

That year, he said: ‘There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality. I’m not. I never wanted to be gay. I still don’t. 

‘Anyone would be insane to choose to live such a very difficult life. The truth is, I don’t really want to be me.’  

The comedian’s sexuality will be explored in an upcoming documentary, titled Being Stanley Baxter, which will be aired on New Year’s Eve.

The comedian pictured filming On the Brighter Side with Betty Marsden in 1961, a follow up to On The Bright Side which won him a BAFTA

Baxter pictured filming a scene for the comedy Crooks Anonymous in Hyde Park in 1962 during a breakout decade for the Scot

In 1969, he played in Joe Orton’s controversial farce, What the Butler Saw, in the West End alongside Sir Ralph Richardson (pictured: Baxter, right, with Julia Foster in the play)

Baxter pictured in his show Phil The Fluter in 1969. He became famous for his outrageous, and often grotesque, outfits and accurate impressions

The comedian died in Denville Hall, a care home for retired entertainment stars in Highgate, on Friday, having moved to the North London neighbourhood in 1972.

After diving into acting during his early years, Baxter returned to Glasgow and later to London where he embarked on his highly successful TV career. 

He also starred in Geordie in 1955, a film about a Scotsman taking part in the following year’s Melbourne Olympics. 

He made his debut in the BBC’s Shop Window in 1952, followed by numerous guest appearances in variety shows.

After his career took off, Baxter starred in a number of TV spectaculars, including Stanley Baxter’s Christmas Box. 

But the cost of these productions, in terms of sets, effects and extras was enormous, and led to his contracts being terminated early both by the BBC and by London Weekend Television.

He was undaunted by these setbacks and among his most successful routines was Parliamo Glasgow, written by a fictitious scholar visiting Glasgow. 

The sketch took the city’s patois and developed it to marvellous comic effect, including ‘sanoffy cold day’ for ‘It’s an awfully cold day’.

His versatility went beyond simply being a comedian, a drag artiste and impressionist. In 1969, he played in Joe Orton’s controversial farce, What the Butler Saw, in the West End alongside Sir Ralph Richardson.

He also guest-starred in an episode of The Goodies and later appeared in the lead role of Mr Majeika, a children’s show about a magic teacher, expelled from Walpurgis, the wizard land, for failing his wizarding exams.

After his retirement, he appeared in 2004 in a series of three half-hour radio sitcoms for BBC Radio 4, entitled Stanley Baxter and Friends. 

He also lent his voice to the animated children’s film Arabian Knight and the TV series Meeow.

Channel 4 later screened two specials combining old highlights with new material.

From 2006 he also went on to record a number of plays, under the name The Stanley Baxter Playhouse, for Radio 4.

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During the festive season, many people drink Prosecco, and there are some supermarkets that offer cheaper options that still taste really good. Award winning wine influencer Andy Pincott has shared his best picks

10:20, 12 Dec 2025Updated 10:27, 12 Dec 2025

You can bag great Prosecco at UK supermarkets (stock image)(Image: Tero Vesalainen via Getty Images)

It’s no secret that many people enjoy a glass of Prosecco, with it being the go-to option for hundreds at bars and restaurants. However, if you’re hoping to stock up on some bottles ahead of the festive season, you may need to pay attention to certain supermarkets, as there are some great options and deals around.

Award winning wine influencer Andy Pincott shared some of the cheapest buys on offer when it comes to looking for a bottle of Prosecco for £10 or less, while also ensuring it still tastes good too. After all, budget booze can be amazing when you know where to look, and he recently shared his top alcohol picks ahead of Christmas.

It’s advice well worth knowing before you head out to do your festive shop. After all, it’s always lovely to have a glass or two of fizz at this time of year, even if it’s not quite the same as Champagne.

He explained all in an Instagram post, where he wrote: “Best Prosecco for under £10. Prosecco is the affordable option when it comes to sparkling.

“It doesn’t have the same complexity as Champagne and Crémant and other traditional method bottles, but it has its place as a light, refreshing and affordable option. Many of you have asked for this post, so I’ve been back through all my notes and here it is.

“Note: Conegliano Valdobbiadene is an area where the better Prosecco is deemed to come from, but you can’t go wrong with any of these.”

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According to Andy, these are good options for those who enjoy a glass of Prosecco:

• Aldi Organic Prosecco at £6.99
• M&S Conte Priuli at £8, according to Ocado
• Lidl Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, around £8
• Tesco Finest Valdobbiadene Prosecco at £10
• La Gioiosa at Majestic, Waitrose or Tesco, and the price varies depending where you buy, but expect to pay around £9
• Morrisons Belvino at £8.50

After he shared the post, one person said: “Wow, can’t believe they’re rated well.” Another added: “For me, Prosecco beats Champagne. The Italian way is the best way.”

A third replied: “I just got back from Conegliano and had epic Prosecco. I’m so glad you didn’t recommend the cheap stuff!”

How to tell if a bottle of Prosecco is good

If you’re hoping to sample a bottle of Prosecco that tastes really good this Christmas, fear not, as some simple advice will help to ensure you buy the correct one. Following a simple rule will change the way you select your fizz forever.

To tell if Prosecco is considered good, look for DOCG or Superiore on the label for quality. You can also check for fresh aromas (pear, apple, citrus) and a lively, balanced taste with clean bubbles and crisp acidity.

The key is to avoid chemical or flat notes, and remember fresher is usually better. It needs to be consumed within one to two years of bottling to maintain its flavour.

A good Prosecco will leave a pleasant, clean feeling and flavour. In contrast, anything that tastes short, bitter or ends with a chemical finish means it’s likely not the best quality, or out of date.

Not to mention, you can tell a lot from the bubbles. Once poured, you should see fine, persistent bubbles (spumante) that feel lively and caress the palate. Big, fast bubbles imply it’s not as great and the drink should never be flat.

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who became a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to El Salvador, has been freed from an immigration detention facility in Pennsylvania.

Abrego Garcia, who was taken into custody in August, was released from detention on a judge’s orders.

He returned to his home in Beltsville, Maryland, a few hours later.

The 30-year-old was scheduled to check-in with officials at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Baltimore on Friday.

The agency freed him just before 5pm on Thursday following a court ruling by US District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland. She wrote federal authorities detained him after he returned to the US without any legal basis.

Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported and then returned to the US, is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years.

He entered the country illegally as a teenager to join his brother who had become a US citizen.

In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to El Salvador, where he said he faced danger from a gang that targeted his family.

Though he was permitted to live and work in the US under ICE supervision, he was not handed residency status.

Image:
Abrego Garcia has applied for asylum in the US. Pic: Reuters

Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported and detained in a Salvadoran prison, despite having no criminal record.

Facing growing public pressure and a court order, the Trump administration brought him back to the US in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee.

Abrego Garcia, who has applied for asylum in the US, has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked a federal judge there to dismiss them.

He was released from jail in Tennessee, but taken into custody again.

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0:57

August: Crowd chants ‘shame’ as man wrongly deported detained again

The 2019 settlement found he had a “well-founded fear” of danger in El Salvador if he was deported. Instead, ICE has been looking to deport him to a series of African countries.

Abrego Garcia has sued, claiming the Trump administration is illegally using the removal process to punish him for the public humiliation caused by his deportation.

Read more from Sky News:
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In her order releasing Abrego Garcia, the judge wrote that federal authorities “did not just stonewall” the court, “they affirmatively misled the tribunal”.

The Department of Homeland Security strongly criticised the court order and vowed to lodge an appeal, calling the ruling “naked judicial activism” by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters the Trump administration would be appealing against the decision.

Abrego Garcia’s lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said he was prepared to defend his client against further attempts to deport him.

He said the judge made it clear the government cannot detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client “has endured more than anyone should ever have to”.

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Staff at the International Criminal Court have described the sweeping effect of US sanctions on their daily lives.

Judges and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have been cut off by banks, credit card companies and tech giants like Amazon as a result of sanctions brought by the United States President Donald Trump administration over war crimes investigations into Israeli and US officials.

The Associated Press news agency reported on Friday on the sweeping and punitive effect of the US sanctions on nine staff members – including six judges and the chief prosecutor – of The Hague court.

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The measures, introduced in an executive order by Trump earlier this year, block their access to basic financial services and everyday activities like online shopping and email, and prevent them from entering the US, subjecting them to the same restrictions as those brought against figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin, who nevertheless was allowed to visit the US state of Alaska for a summit with Trump in August.

“Your whole world is restricted,” Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, one of the ICC officials targeted by the sanctions, told AP.

The ICC, the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal with 125 member states, was targeted with the restrictions in February, with the White House saying the move was in response to the “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.

The order followed the ICC’s move to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed during its genocidal war on Gaza.

Neither Israel nor the US is a member of the ICC.

‘Now I’m on a list with those implicated in terrorism’

Prost, who was named in the latest round of sanctions in August, told AP that she had lost access to her credit cards, had purchased e-books vanish from her device, and Amazon’s Alexa stopped responding to her.

“It’s the uncertainty,” she said. “They are small annoyances, but they accumulate.”

Prost had been sanctioned for voting to allow the court’s investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan, including by US soldiers and intelligence operatives.

“I’ve worked all my life in criminal justice, and now I’m on a list with those implicated in terrorism and organised crime,” she said.

Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza, a sanctioned Peruvian judge, said the US travel sanctions, which also extended to family members, meant her daughters could no longer attend conferences in the US.

The sanctions threaten businesses and individuals with substantial US fines and prison time if they provide sanctioned people with “financial, material, or technological support”, driving them to withdraw services to the targeted individuals.

“You’re never quite sure when your card is not working somewhere, whether this is just a glitch or whether this is the sanction,” deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told the AP.

Reports of threats over warrants

The sanctions are reportedly only one of the measures that have been levelled against the court in an attempt to exert pressure over the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

In July, the Middle East Eye (MEE) website reported that the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was warned that he and the ICC would be “destroyed” if the warrants were not withdrawn.

The threat reportedly came from Nicholas Kaufman, a British-Israeli defence lawyer at the court linked to a Netanyahu adviser. Khan said the Israeli leader’s legal adviser told him he was “authorised” to make Khan a proposal that would allow the prosecutor to “climb down the tree”, the news website reported.

The site reported in August that Khan had also been privately warned by then-British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in April the previous year that the UK would defund and withdraw from the ICC if it issued the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, while in May 2024, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also “threatened” Khan with sanctions if he applied for the warrants.

In May, Khan’s office announced he had taken a leave of absence pending the conclusion of a UN-led investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against him, with two deputy prosecutors assuming his responsibilities.

His lawyers said he rejected all claims of wrongdoing and had only stepped aside temporarily due to intense media scrutiny.

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‘Whole of Donbas belongs to Russia,’ Kremlin says

And in a further sign why these concerns may be valid, the Kremlin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov has just asserted (falsely) that “the whole of Donbas belongs to Russia,” when asked about Zelenskyy’s idea of a referendum on any territorial changes.

Reuters noted that the status of Donbas, comprising Donetsk and Luhansk regions, has emerged as a key sticking point in talks on peaceful settlement in Ukraine.

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Ukrainians ‘right to be very wary’ of US proposal on Donbas, former UK national security adviser says

Peter Ricketts, a former chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee and UK national security adviser, shared some of Zelenskyy’s concern about the US proposal to form a “free economic zone” in Donbas (10:20).

In a series of posts on X, he said:

“The Ukrainians are right to be very wary of a plan that would mean them pulling back to create a ‘free zone’ in the part of the Donbas Russia has failed to occupy. The US might pledge to ensure that this w’d be demilitarised. But what would any ‘guarantee’ be worth in reality?

Very little in my view. Once the issue was out of the headlines, US attention would move elsewhere. Putin would infiltrate his forces (remember Crimea?), create incidents as pretexts to move in to ‘protect Russian speakers’. Before long they would have occupied the whole area and the US would not lift a finger.

This would leave the rest of Ukraine vulnerable to the next Russian advance. So this is not just a technical point but a fundamental issue – for Ukraine and for European security. I’m sure the UK, French and German teams know this very well.”

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Updated at 11.11 CET

Kremlin has not seen new proposals, but may not like them, it says

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Friday that Moscow has not seen revised US proposals made after talks with Ukraine, but that it may not like parts of them, Reuters reported via Russian news agency Interfax.

State news agency RIA also cited Ushakov as saying that Russia will, sooner or later, discuss with the US the outcome of the talks with Ukraine.

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Updated at 10.58 CET

Slovakian government pushes ahead with controversial law on whistleblower protection

Meanwhile over in Slovakia, the ruling leftist-nationalist coalition has overturned the president’s veto to a law abolishing the existing Whistleblower Protection Office and replacing it with a new body, which critics say will be weaker.

Peter Pellegrini, the president of Slovakia, in Esztergom, Hungary earlier this month. Photograph: Leszek Szymański/EPA

The controversial law, approved by parliament on Tuesday, was vetoed yesterday by president Peter Pellegrini. But this morning, the main government parties pushed ahead with the reform, rejecting the veto with 77 votes in favour of the new law.

Reuters noted that it was “a rare clash with the government he is normally aligned with,” with Pellegrini saying “there were no reasons to rush the legislation through and that concerns voiced by the European Commission were not addressed.” He warned that the law could threaten Slovakia’s rule of law and ability to benefit from EU subsidies.

The leader of the main opposition party, Michal Šimečka, has called for a protest against the government on Tuesday.

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Updated at 10.42 CET

US wants Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas and create ‘free economic zone’, says Zelenskyy

Shaun Walker

in Kyiv

The US wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donbas region, and Washington would then create a “free economic zone” in the parts Kyiv currently controls, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Previously, the US had suggested Kyiv should hand over the parts of Donbas it still controlled to Russia, but the Ukrainian president said on Thursday that Washington had now suggested a compromise version in which Ukrainian troops would withdraw, but Russian troops would not advance into the territory.

“Who will govern this territory, which they are calling a ‘free economic zone’ or a ‘demilitarised zone’ – they don’t know,” said the Ukrainian president, speaking with journalists in Kyiv on Thursday.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine did not believe the plan was fair without guarantees that Russian troops would not simply take over the zone after a Ukrainian withdrawal.

Zelenskyy said: “If one side’s troops have to retreat and the other side stays where they are, then what will hold back these other troops, the Russians? Or what will stop them disguising themselves as civilians and taking over this free economic zone? This is all very serious. It’s not a fact that Ukraine would agree to it, but if you are talking about a compromise then it has to be a fair compromise.”

He said if Ukraine did agree to such a scheme, there would need to be elections or a referendum to ratify it, saying that only “the Ukrainian people” could make decisions on territorial concessions.

Under the US plans, said Zelenskyy, Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas, where Russia is advancing, while the frontlines would be frozen in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia would give up a few small pockets of land it controls in other regions.

Map of Ukraine

Zelenskyy has been under immense pressure from Donald Trump to sign up to the US peace plan. In recent days Trump has attacked Zelenskyy, claiming he “has not even read” the draft peace plan and suggesting he lacks legitimacy and Ukraine should hold an election.

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian negotiating team had sent their revised plan back to Washington on Wednesday, and that questions over territory and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant were two of the remaining sticking points. “It’s not the final plan; it’s a reaction to what we received … the plan is constantly being worked on and edited, and this is a continuous process that is still going on,” he said.

If Washington and Kyiv do agree, the much bigger question remains of whether Vladimir Putin is really ready to sign a deal or is merely buying time with fake negotiations and hoping to continue his military advance over the winter.

ShareJakub Krupa

Let’s quickly remind ourselves on what is in the latest US proposal, as disclosed by Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday.

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Morning opening: The softest of pushbacks

Jakub Krupa

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has delivered the softest of pushbacks to US president Donald Trump last night, telling him off in abstract terms for the suggestion that the US could try to influence elections in various EU countries.

Von der Leyen and Trump at the US president’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland earlier this year. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

“It is not on us, when it comes to elections, to decide who the leader of the country will be, but on the people of this country … That’s the sovereignty of the voters, and this must be protected,” she told Politico.

I’m sure Trump is quaking in his boots.

As the talks on a potential peace deal on Ukraine continue today and into the weekend, the focus is on what involvement we will see from the US. Trump – and later his spokesperson Karoline Leavitt – insisted that the US would only join the Europeans for talks if they did not deem it a waste of time.

Let’s see what can be achieved before the Berlin summit, expected on Monday.

In the meantime, Europe continues discussing the contentious issue of frozen Russian assets, facing some opposition on both the idea of a permanent freeze (opposed by Hungary) and on using them for a reparations loan for Ukraine (opposed by Belgium).

The permanent freeze – meaning no more drama over rollovers every few months – is set to come into force today at 5pm, but Viktor Orbán is not happy. More on that shortly.

Meanwhile, after speaking with Germany’s Merz and von der Leyen last week, Belgium’s Bart de Wever is in London today for talks on security, migration, and – yes – frozen assets.

As co-chair of the Coalition of the Willing, Keir Starmer will no doubt try to convince him of the value of leveraging the frozen assets, likely with a promise that the UK could follow suit.

Lots for us to cover.

I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day.

It’s Friday, 12 December 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.

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Some 200 West African soldiers, mainly from Nigeria and Ivory Coast, are in Benin to support the government following Sunday’s failed coup, Benin’s foreign minister says.

The attempt was foiled after Nigeria deployed fighter jets to drive the mutineers out of a military base and state TV headquarters, where they had declared a takeover.

This is the first time that officials have said how many foreign soldiers were deployed to the country, although it is not clear if some have been withdrawn since Sunday.

Benin’s Foreign Affairs Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari on Thursday said some of the regional troops sent to help had remained in the country “as part of the sweep and clean-up operation”.

A manhunt for those involved in the plot is under way, with the leader of the failed coup said to be taking refuge in neighbouring Togo.

The rebel soldiers justified their actions by criticising President Patrice Talon’s management of the country, complaining first about his handling of the “continuing deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin”.

The West African regional bloc, Ecowas, deployed troops from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast to secure key installations and prevent any resurgence of the violence.

Nigeria, Benin’s large neighbour to the east, said its soldiers had reached there on Sunday, describing the coup attempt as a “direct assault on democracy”.

An Ivory Coast security source told AFP news agency that 50 soldiers from the country had been sent as part of the regional deployment.

“There are currently around 200 soldiers present, who came to lend a hand at the end of the day to the Beninese defence and security forces as part of the sweep and clean-up operation,” said Bakari, while addressing journalists in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Thursday.

Bakari, who was speaking alongside Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, said that by the time the Beninese forces called for help, the coup “was already a failure”.

“When we started discussions for the intervention of Nigeria and the others, under Ecowas protocol, our military had already pushed them back,” he added.

According to Bakari, what was required was “precise aerial back-up to carry out a surgical operation that targeted the enemy’s key positions without risking civilian casualties”.

Tuggar said that fast diplomatic, military, and intelligence actions between Nigeria and Benin had helped to foil the coup.

Discussions are continuing over how long the regional forces would remain, but Bakari said any decision “will be taken in close collaboration with Benin’s defence and security forces, who have demonstrated their bravery”.

It is not clear if the French special forces who also reportedly helped loyalist troops thwart the coup are still in Benin.

Under intense pressure after a string of successful coups in the region, Ecowas is signalling that it is no longer willing to watch democratically elected governments be toppled by the military.

Bakari praised Ecowas as “an important tool that allows us to defend democracy and the values of democracy in our regional space”.

Benin’s army has suffered losses near its northern border with insurgency-hit Niger and Burkina Faso in recent years, as jihadist militants linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda spread southwards.

Talon, who is regarded as a close ally of the West, is due to step down next year after completing his second term in office, with elections scheduled for April.

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Global online forum Reddit on Friday launched a court challenge to an Australian law that bans children under 16 from having accounts on social media platforms.

The ban, the first of its kind in the world, came into effect on December 10.

Reddit is calling for a review by Australia’s High Court, arguing that as a discussion forum it should be exempt from the government’s list of banned platforms.

Australia’s under-16s forced offline by social media ban

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What is Reddit’s case?

In the court filing, Reddit is challenging the validity of the law that it said “infringes the implied freedom of political communication.”

The company pointed to its platform’s age rating of “17+” on the Apple App Store, saying verifying age at the app store level is better than requiring each platform to carry out checks.

Reddit said it agreed that children under the age of 16 should be protected. The US-based company argued that the law’s “intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes” could isolate older teens and young adults “from the ability to engage in age-appropriate community experiences (including political discussions).”

“Unlike other platforms included under this law, the vast majority of Redditors are adults, we don’t market or target advertising to children under 18,” the platform said in a statement.

“Simply put, users under 16 are not a substantial market segment for Reddit and we don’t intend them to be.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government declined to directly comment, but said it stood “on the side of Australian parents and kids, not platforms.”

What is Australia’s social media ban?

Australia asked Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Twitch to remove the accounts of Australian children under 16. If the platforms fail to comply, they face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32.9 million, €28.1 million). 

YouTube attacks Australia’s underage social media ban

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The authority enforcing the law, the eSafety Commission, sent notices to the 10 platforms on Thursday to ask how many  accounts of young children they had deactivated.

The commission had been expecting that some platforms might have been waiting to receive their first notice or fine before launching a legal challenge.

Since the law came into effect on Wednesday, other lesser-known platforms have seen a sharp spike in downloads as children search for alternatives.

Edited by: Karl Sexton

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President Donald Trump has announced a pardon for former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, currently serving a nine-year jail sentence for her part in the plot to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.

However, Trump’s clemency gesture carries no weight, as Peters, 70, was convicted on state charges, not federal charges.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday evening, the president attacked Democrats for ignoring “Violent and Vicious Crime” and encouraging immigration from “the worst countries so they could rip off American Taxpayers” while failing to address perceived injustices at home.

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Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters is one year into her nine-year jail sentence for her part in the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election (AP)

Turning to Peters, he wrote: “Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest. Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections. Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!”

The commander-in-chief has the authority to issue pardons under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. Still, the wording of Clause 1, which outlines those powers, makes clear that clemency can only be granted for “Offenses against the United States,” meaning that state criminal offenses and federal or state civil offenses are exempt.

His announcement was met with derision by Colorado officials, with Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, saying in a statement: “Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican district attorney and in a Republican county of Colorado and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws including criminal impersonation.

“No president has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions. This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders.”

Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in her own statement: “Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers for state crimes in a state court. Trump has no constitutional authority to pardon her. His assault is not just on our democracy, but on states’ rights and the American constitution.”

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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reminded President Donald Trump he has ‘no jurisdiction’ over state law (AP)

State Attorney General Phil Weiser added: “One of the most basic principles of our constitution is that states have independent sovereignty and manage our own criminal justice systems without interference from the federal government.

“The idea that a president could pardon someone tried and convicted in state court has no precedent in American law, would be an outrageous departure from what our constitution requires, and will not hold up.”

Peters was convicted in August 2024 of seven out of 10 charges, four of which were felonies, for allowing an associate of MyPillow salesman Mike Lindell to access a secure room to make a copy of a hard drive containing data from the state’s 2020 presidential election results in support of Trump’s false claims of fraud.

Despite repeatedly protesting her innocence, including while guesting on Steve Bannon’s War Room show, Peters was told by District Court Judge Matthew Barrett at her sentencing hearing in October 2024: “You are no hero. You’re a charlatan who used, and is still using, your prior position in office to peddle a snake oil that’s been proven to be junk time and time again.”

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Trump’s federal pardon carries no weight given that Peters was convicted of offenses against the state of Colorado, not the United States (AP)

Barrett’s reprimand has not stopped her from becoming a MAGA cause celebre, with Trump himself directing the Department of Justice in May to take action to secure her release, subsequently threatening Colorado with “harsh measures” if Peters was not freed.

The administration requested in November that she be transferred to federal custody, citing concerns for her health, which was not granted.

Peters’ sentence has attracted some alarming rhetoric from her allies, including podcaster Joe Oltmann, who called for the execution of Polis and other state officials over their handling of her case, saying they should “hang by their neck until dead,” and from her own lawyer Peter Ticktin, who said the 101st Airborne should be deployed to bust her out of jail.

On Tuesday, a federal judge rejected Peters’ request that she be released while she continues her appeal against her conviction.

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Thanks to Meghan Markle, I just found my new winter uniform.

In a recent Instagram Reel for her brand As ever, the Duchess of Sussex gave some hosting tips for holiday morning get-togethers. I must admit, though, my attention was mainly piqued by her matching sweater set. Markle wore a white cable-knit crewneck sweater with coordinating wide-leg lounge pants.

This is actually the second time Markle donned a full knit outfit, and she’s not alone in wearing cozy sweater sets. Both of my style gurus have donned similar looks recently, too — Oprah Winfrey wore a cream ribbed-knit ensemble, and Martha Stewart styled a beige crewneck with matching jogger pants. 

One thing’s for certain: All three women definitely made me want to wear comfy knits from head to toe. I rounded up nine similar matching sets on Amazon, starting at $26.

Knit Lounge Sets Inspired by Meghan Markle

AnotherChill Cable-Knit Sweater Lounge Set

Amazon

If you love the cable-knit matching set that Markle wore, try this one with a similar creamy hue, crewneck sweater, and wide-leg pants. Happy shoppers said it’s “very comfortable and soft” and “feels so expensive.”

Anrabess Ribbed-Knit Matching Set

Amazon

Cozy up in this beige set that looks similar to Winfrey’s ensemble, thanks to its ribbed-knit material. It comes in 11 additional colors like espresso brown, black, pink, and light gray, plus sizes S–XXL.

Gkbk Fuzzy Fleece Matching Set

Amazon

I love curling up in fuzzy fleece, so this matching set definitely caught my eye — and, since it’s pretty similar to the one Stewart wore, I’m adding it to my cart ASAP. The crewneck sweater has contrast ribbed trim, and the wide-leg pants have an adjustable drawstring waist for a comfortable fit. 

Lucuna Cable-Knit Crewneck Sweater and Jogger Pants Set

Amazon

I’m a firm believer in the practice of buying in multiples, and I basically want all 13 colors of this cozy cable-knit set. It includes an oversized sweater that can be worn on-or-off-the-shoulder and pull-on jogger pants with ribbed-knit cuffs.

Merokeety Fuzzy V-Neck Sweater and Wide-Leg Pants Set

Amazon

This fuzzy knit set with an oversized V-neck sweater and matching wide-leg pants comes in a creamy white hue that’s similar to the style Markle wore. “[It] can be worn at home or for errands,” said one shopper, adding that it’s “super soft and very warm.”

Chartou Chunky Cable-Knit Sweater and Maxi Skirt Set

Amazon

Want to look pulled-together and feel cozy when you leave the house in freezing winter temps? This cable-knit set, which includes an oversized crewneck sweater and a maxi skirt with a side patch pocket, is just the thing. It comes in 10 colors, including white like Markle’s set, and sizes XS–XXL.

Fixmatti Seamed Turtleneck and Wide-Leg Pants Sweater Set

Amazon

An exposed front-seam detail gives the turtleneck sweater in this matching set extra stylish flair. One reviewer who owns the outfit in two colors said it’s “very soft and comfortable,” and a second shopper said it’s “stylish enough to wear at a function as well as snuggling up on the couch.”

Prettygarden V-Neck Cardigan and Straight-Leg Pants Set

Amazon

This knit matching set includes a chunky cardigan with contrast whipstitching and matching straight-leg pants. Wear the cardigan separately with jeans or trousers for an elevated look, or dress it down with the corresponding knit pants for a laid-back day at home.

Eurivicy Waffle-Knit Lounge Set

Amazon

In addition to the snuggly waffle-knit fabric, I truly love that this lounge set comes with three pieces: a long cardigan, loose scoop-neck tank, and drawstring jogger pants. There are eight colors to choose from, including a creamy beige like Winfrey’s and Markle’s, plus sizes S–XL.

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