The Supreme Court of Slovakia has temporarily suspended controversial legislation that abolishes the national whistleblower protection office. This decision is an important step in ensuring the rule of law in Slovakia, as the new law was deemed too controversial.
A fire broke out at a shipyard in Nizhny Novgorod, likely due to a crane catching fire during work. 15 units of equipment and 48 rescuers are working at the scene.
The occupation authorities of Crimea have restricted mobile internet until the end of the full-scale war in Ukraine. This decision, according to the occupation head of the peninsula, Aksyonov, is necessary to ensure the security of the peninsula.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed to prepare proposals for new approaches to holidays. He noted that the war has brought changes, and some dates need to be streamlined.
A cyberattack crippled France's national postal service, La Poste, three days before Christmas, blocking parcel deliveries and online payments. This caused significant difficulties for millions of people in the midst of the holiday season and dealt a blow to the company, which delivered 2.6 billion parcels last year.
Loud explosions were heard in Sevastopol, likely in the area of Shturmove village, near the Balaklava TPP. Air defense activity was also reported in Feodosia and shooting at the Belbek airfield.
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to grant the citizenship service the right to operational-search measures, including the collection of biometric samples, against the backdrop of growing labor migration. This is happening while the personnel deficit in the Ministry of Internal Affairs has doubled since 2022 and interest in Russian citizenship has decreased.
The elusive street artist Banksy unveiled a new mural depicting two children. Instagram users called the work cute and tender, rejoicing at the new creation for Christmas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that there are about 1,100 Russians in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, and about 100 in Kupyansk, Kharkiv region. He noted that Ukrainian troops are holding their positions despite significant pressure from Russia.
Russia has sent weapons to Madagascar's military government, which came to power in an October coup. On December 20, a Russian Air Force plane delivered 40 servicemen and 43 crates of weapons to an international airport near Antananarivo.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the US campaign, including strikes on drug-trafficking vessels and interception of oil tankers, aims to deter illicit activities and demand the departure of Nicolás Maduro from power. Since early September, approximately 100 people have died as a result of the strikes.
Ukraine has launched the official 112 application, which allows users to call the police, rescuers, medics, and gas service via the internet. This is a single window for calling all emergency services, which is critically important during blackouts or lack of mobile communication.
A measles outbreak occurred in a Dnipro gymnasium, with three children from one class falling ill. In total, over 380 cases of infectious diseases, including ARVI and COVID-19, have been recorded in the region.
On December 23, hourly shutdown schedules and power limitation schedules will be applied in most regions of Ukraine. This is a consequence of Russian missile and drone attacks on energy facilities.
British singer Chris Rea, known for his hits, has died at the age of 74 in hospital after a short illness. His debut album was released in 1978, and his hit Driving Home For Christmas is still popular.
The atmosphere for Ukrainians in Poland is deteriorating, as reflected in incidents and surveys. Support for Ukrainian refugees has fallen from 94% to 48%, and support for Ukraine's accession to the EU has dropped to 35%.
In Kyiv, during the 51st week of 2025, 10,744 new cases of influenza and ARVI, including COVID-19, were registered. 6,673 children and 4,071 adults fell ill, and 143 people with flu/ARVI and 15 with COVID-19 were hospitalized.
In Rivne on December 18, a Chevrolet driver on Myru Avenue hit a 51-year-old woman and her 15-year-old son at a pedestrian crossing, and then fled the scene of the accident. The victims were hospitalized, and the driver was detained and taken into custody for 30 days without bail.
In Lviv, a driver drove into Znesinnia Park, ignoring prohibitory signs, and hit a Municipal Guard employee. The injured person was hospitalized, and the driver was detained and a criminal case was opened.
Gold and silver prices soared to all-time highs, surpassing previous records. This surge is driven by escalating geopolitical tensions and expectations of interest rate cuts in the US.
Over 2000 veterans have already applied for car insurance compensation in Diia for a total of over UAH 4 million. The service is available to combatants and persons with disabilities due to war who concluded a contract after January 1, 2025.
The pirate activist group Anna's Archive has extracted and published metadata from Spotify, including 256 million lines of track metadata and 86 million audio files. Spotify is investigating the incident, confirming unauthorized access to public metadata and DRM circumvention to access some audio files.
Russians have massively encountered problems using the WhatsApp messenger, with reports of a 70-80% slowdown in its operation by Roskomnadzor. In less than a full day on December 22, over 2,100 complaints about the app's performance were received from 20 regions of Russia.
As a result of a special operation at a military airfield near Lipetsk on the night of December 20-21, 2025, two enemy Su-30s were successfully hit. Earlier, it was reported that an Su-30 and an Su-27 were hit.
Ukraine received 2. 3 billion euros from the EU under the Ukraine Facility, of which 2.1 billion euros are loan funds and 200 million euros are a grant. This is the sixth regular tranche intended to finance the state's priority social and humanitarian expenditures.
On the eve of the holidays, there is a significant increase in passenger and transport traffic at the border with Ukraine. In one day, 15,000 more people entered Ukraine than left.
Portugal will allocate 25 million euros annually for five years to purchase Ukrainian defense products as part of the SAFE initiative. The Ministers of Defense of Ukraine and Portugal discussed further cooperation and Ukraine's critical needs.
The Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center forecasts wet snow, fogs, and a drop in temperature in Ukraine for the new week. Precipitation and black ice are expected in some regions.
Fighting continues in the village of Hrabovske, Sumy region. Ukrainian troops are pushing the occupiers back into Russian territory, while there are no Russians in the neighboring village of Riasne. Russian troops forcibly removed 50 Ukrainians from Sumy region, the Human Rights Commissioner demands information about their whereabouts.
Thousands gathered on Sydney's Bondi Beach a week after an attack on a Jewish festival that killed 15 people. The event was attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other high-ranking officials, as authorities step up the fight against antisemitism.
