Sydney (AFP) – The coffin of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting, arrives at the Chabad of Bondi Synagogue in Sydney. Huge crowds are expected to pay their respects to Schlanger, the first of 15 victims to be laid to rest. IMAGES
Paris (France) (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered to pay former star striker Kylian Mbappe around 60 million euros ($70.60 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses by a labour court in Paris. The footballer’s lawyers hail the outcome a “long-awaited victory”.
The Hague (AFP) – Addressing the Dutch parliament ahead of a Council of Europe summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russian President Vladimir Putin “publicly lied” when claiming Moscow’s forces had captured the city of Kupiansk. Russia said it had captured Kupiansk in November but Ukraine later claimed it had retaken several areas of the city in a “breakthrough” operation, prompting Zelensky to publish a video of him visiting the city’s outskirts on Friday.
Yerevan (AFP) – The lights on Yerevan’s main Christmas tree are lit as the festive season begins in Armenia. The Christian South Caucasus nation celebrates both New Year, a secular tradition inherited from Soviet times, as well as Orthodox Christmas on January 6.
Sydney (AFP) – Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al Ahmed, who put his life on the line by wresting a gun from an attacker in Australia’s deadly mass shooting, has become a source of pride for his hometown in Syria. “He had no motivation for doing this other than heroism and bravery”, says his uncle, outside his nephew’s house destroyed during the civil war.
London (AFP) – Richard Knighton, the new head of Britain’s armed forces, warns that more Britons will need to be ready to fight for their country due to an increasingly dangerous world. “We should be under no illusions that Russia is a massive, increasingly technically sophisticated, and now highly combat experienced, military,” says Knighton, calling for policymakers to better explain the threat to prepare society to bear the costs of potential conflict.
Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Los Angeles police have charged the son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner with murder after the suspect’s parents were found stabbed in a brutal double killing. Their deaths have shocked movie fans around the world.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – EU talks on using Russian assets for Ukraine are getting “increasingly difficult” according to the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The European Commission has put forward a complex scheme to use some 200 billion of Russian central bank assets frozen in Belgium’s Euroclear deposit house, but the Belgian government fears it could be left facing crippling legal and financial reprisals from Moscow and has demanded watertight guarantees other EU countries will share the risk.
Santiago (Chile) (AFP) – Chile elects its most right-wing president in 35 years of democracy, with arch-conservative Jose Antonio Kast scoring a thumping victory over his leftist runoff rival Jeannette Jara. Kast’s supporters line the streets and wave Chilean flags, celebrating the left-wing government’s exit from power after a campaign that largely focused on electoral security and crime.
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Over 19,000 people march in Rio de Janeiro to voice opposition to a bill that would reduce the prison sentence of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted of plotting a coup. Under the bill, the far-right former president could be granted parole just over two years into his 27-year sentence. Brazilian celebrities including singer Caetano Veloso and Oscar-nominated actress Fernanda Torres take part in the demonstration, called for by left-wing groups and activists.
Berlin (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says “progress” has been made in Berlin talks with the US envoys on Washington’s security guarantees for Ukraine in its showdown with Russia. During his press conference after the talks, Zelensky adds that Kyiv and Washington still have divergent positions on the key question of ceding Ukrainian territory after two days of talks in Berlin aimed at ending the war with Russia.
Santiago (Chile) (AFP) – Chilean President Gabriel Boric hosts president-elect Jose Antonio Kast, following the arch-conservative’s victory over his leftist runoff rival. Kast won some 58 percent of the vote to beat Jeannette Jara, a communist who headed a broad leftist coalition. IMAGES
