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Lviv (Ukraine) (AFP) – President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulates Ukrainians following the European Union’s decision to open accession talks with the country.

Kathmandu (AFP) – Nepali influencer Anjana Aryal went from homemaker to entrepreneur by sharing recipes on TikTok, but her lucrative business collapsed last month when the Himalayan republic banned TikTok.

Kingstown (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) (AFP) – Venezuela and Guyana pledge not to resort to force to settle a long-simmering territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region. The two nations have agreed “directly or indirectly will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two states,” according to the joint statement read out by Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where talks are taking place. SOUNDBITE

Kingstown (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) (AFP) – Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart Irfaan Ali begin talks in the Caribbean aimed at easing tensions over Caracas’s claims on Guyana’s oil-rich Essequibo region. IMAGES

Kingstown (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) (AFP) – Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart Irfaan Ali begin talks in the Caribbean aimed at easing tensions over Caracas’s claims on Guyana’s oil-rich Essequibo region. IMAGES

Kingstown (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) (AFP) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart Irfaan Ali shake hands after a two-hour meeting in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. There was no immediate news on the outcome of talks about Caracas’s claim on oil-rich Essequibo, which makes up more than two-thirds of neighboring Guyana. IMAGES

Mango Landing (Guyana) (AFP) – A mining village, Mango Landing, in a region close to Guyana’s border with Venezuela, is home to people of various nationalities including Venezuelans, Brazilians and Guyanese, who live off farming, fishing and artisanal mining. Essequibo has been administered by Guyana for more than a century and is the subject of border litigation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. In a controversial December 3 referendum, 95 percent of Venezuelan voters allegedly supported Venezuela being declared the rightful owner of Essequibo.

Stockholm (AFP) – People gather in Kungsholm Church, Stockholm, to watch the traditional Santa Lucia celebrations that mark the beginning of the Christmas holiday season. Participants in the ceremony carry candles and sing to celebrate Lucia, a mythical figure who bears light in the dark of Swedish winters.

Beijing (AFP) – Snow continues to fall in China’s capital amid forecasts of further cold weather.

Stockholm (AFP) – People gather in Kungsholm Church, Stockholm, to watch the traditional Santa Lucia celebrations that mark the beginning of the Christmas holiday season. Participants in the ceremony carry candles and sing to celebrate Lucia, a mythical figure who bears light in the dark of Swedish winters.

Moscow (AFP) – Speaking at his end-of-year press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin says “there will be peace when we achieve our goals,” adding that Russia sought “the de-nazification” and “de-militarisation” of Ukraine. His comments come as the conflict nears the two-year mark, with the fighting largely locked in place.

New York (AFP) – Some 19,000 lowlights illuminate a vacant lot in the heart of Manhattan, like colourful stems blooming into a field of lights. British artist Bruce Munro presents his large-scale art project “Field of Light” in New York, installed for one year.