AnewZ Morning Brief - 17 December, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of December, covering the latest developments you need to...
Europe launched an International Claims Commission for Ukraine on Tuesday in an effort to ensure Kyiv is compensated for hundreds of billions of dollars in damage from Russian attacks and alleged war crimes.
The gathering in The Hague of dozens of leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy coincided with a U.S.-orchestrated diplomatic push to end the war in Ukraine that was triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Speaking to AnewZ, Dr. Nelson Dordelly Rosales, political analyst, said the renewed focus on compensation signals Europe’s long-term commitment to Ukraine. He noted that European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recently announced €1 million to kick-start the compensation mechanism.
“These signatures show that Europe is not just here for the short term but for the long haul,” Rosales said, adding that the process demonstrates Europe’s intention to support Ukraine’s reconstruction.
He added that European leaders are sending two parallel messages: reassurance to Ukrainians that support extends beyond military aid, and pressure on Russia by signalling that frozen assets could be redirected to Ukraine’s recovery. “This serves as leverage to encourage negotiation and compromise,” Rosales noted.
He also pointed to internal divisions within Europe, citing differing views among member states on compensation and accountability mechanisms. However, he said recent discussions suggest the EU is moving closer to consensus.
Meanwhile, Rosales said Europe is preparing for both prolonged conflict and a post-war settlement.
“Europe is planning for continued Russian aggression while also preparing Ukraine economically and politically for reconstruction and eventual EU membership,” Rosales said.
At least 37 people have been killed in flash floods triggered by torrential rain in Morocco's Atlantic coastal province of Safi, Moroccan authorities said on Monday (15 December).
Fighting along the Thailand–Cambodia border has entered a fifth consecutive day, despite U.S. President Donald Trump claiming he had brokered a ceasefire between the two sides.
Authorities discovered the lifeless bodies of renowned filmmaker Rob Reiner, aged 78, and his wife, Michele Reiner, 68, in their upscale Brentwood home in Los Angeles on Sunday. The police investigation has labeled the incident an apparent homicide.
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday (15 December) as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reaching at least 40 and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, according to officials and local media.
Cambodia must be the first to declare a ceasefire in the ongoing border conflict, Thailand said on Tuesday (16 December), as fighting continued despite earlier claims that hostilities would stop and at least 52 people have been killed on both sides.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Plans for a $500 million Trump Tower in Belgrade have been cancelled after protests and a legal investigation. The project, backed by Jared Kushner, former White House adviser, was halted after Serbian prosecutors indicted officials over removing the site's cultural heritage status.
The younger son of Hollywood filmmaker and political activist Rob Reiner was formally charged on Tuesday (16 December) with first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, who were found slain in their Los Angeles home over the weekend.
Police in Australia said on Wednesday (17 December) they had charged a man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish event on Sydney's Bondi Beach with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act. It was Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in 29 years.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela on Tuesday (16 December), in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income.
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