While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 30, 2025
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Moscow accused Ukraine on Dec 29 of firing dozens of drones at one of President Vladimir Putin’s homes - a claim that Kyiv said was a "lie".
PHOTO: EPA
Ukraine says Russia lying about Putin home attack
Russia accused Ukraine on Dec 29 of having fired dozens of drones at one of President Vladimir Putin’s homes, an accusation that Ukraine called a “lie” aimed at undermining US-led efforts to end the war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who does not typically announce drone strikes, said Ukraine had fired “91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles” at the Russian leader’s residence in the Novgorod region between late on Dec 28 and early on Dec 29, all of which were shot down.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with US President Donald Trump on Dec 28 for talks on ending the war, called Russia’s claim “a complete fabrication” designed to derail the peace process and suggested Moscow was preparing to intensify its bombardment of Ukraine.
“Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X.
Malaysian linked to Cambodia-based scam ring nabbed
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
A 24-year-old Malaysian man linked to a Cambodia-based organised criminal group that scammed victims in Singapore was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint on Dec 28.
The police, in a statement on Dec 29, said Eugene Goh is believed to be a member of a group linked to scams in which conmen impersonated government officials and targeted Singapore victims.
The group is believed to be responsible for nearly 440 reported cases involving losses of at least $41 million.
US hit drug boat loading facility in Venezuela, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said on Dec 29 that the United States had “hit” an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, which would mark the first known time the US has carried out operations on land in Venezuela since a pressure campaign began against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Mr Trump said. “We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area... it’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement, and that is no longer around.”
It was not immediately clear what target was hit, nor which part of the US government acted.
FIFA received 150 million World Cup ticket requests
PHOTO: AFP
FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the ticket prices for 2026’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, citing heavy demand for them and the revenue generated for the sport around the world.
This month, fan groups criticised the cost of tickets, which were several times more expensive than those for similar matches at the 2022 tournament. FIFA then launched a US$60 (S$77) ticket tier to make the games more affordable for fans of qualified teams.
“We have six-seven million tickets on sale... in 15 days, we received 150 million ticket requests. So, 10 million ticket requests every single day. It shows how powerful the World Cup is,” Infantino said on Dec 29 at the World Sports Summit in Dubai.
Clooney, wife Amal and children become French
PHOTO: AFP
Hollywood star George Clooney has become French, along with his wife Amal Alamuddin Clooney and their two children, an official decree seen by AFP on Dec 29 showed.
The publication, in France’s government gazette, confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to early in December when he hailed French privacy laws that keep his family shielded from paparazzi.
The now-dual US-French citizen has a long attachment to Europe, which even pre-dates his 2014 marriage to Amal, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer who speaks fluent French.
