EUROPE

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Italian police have arrested nine people linked to three charitable organisations on suspicion of raising millions in funds for Hamas.

In a statement, anti-terrorism prosecutors said the suspects are accused of sending about 7 million euros (£6.1 million) to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas”.

Italian prosecutors, who collaborated with other EU countries, say the illegal funds were delivered through “triangulation operations” via bank transfers or through organisations based abroad to associations based in Gaza.

They say these associations have been declared illegal by Israel due to their ties to Hamas, which has been designated as a terror group by both the European Union and the UK.

Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, prosecutors said, describing him as the “head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organisation”.

Italian interior minister Matteo Piantedosi wrote on X that the operation “lifted the veil on behaviour and activities which, pretending to be initiatives in favour of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and participation in terrorist organisations”.

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A man was arrested after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with what was believed to be bleach at a tire factory in central Japan on Friday, officials said. There was no immediate explanation of his motive.

Eight people were taken to hospitals after being stabbed by the man with a knife at a factory of the tiremaker Yokohama Rubber Co. in the city of Mishima, in the Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo, according to the Fujisan Nanto Fire Department.

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A Russian general has been killed in a car bombing in Moscow, officials have said.

Russia's Investigative Committee said Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov died on Monday morning after an explosive device planted under a car detonated.

Sarvarov, 56, was the head of the armed forces' operational training department, the committee added.

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Britain's King Charles III used his annual Christmas broadcast to reflect on division, shared responsibility and the importance of compassion, urging people to draw strength from courage, reconciliation and community in a turbulent world. The address marked the King's fourth Christmas message since ascending the throne in 2022.

Speaking from Westminster Abbey, Charles framed life as a collective journey, describing "pilgrimage" as a concept with renewed relevance. "Pilgrimage is a word less used today, but it has particular significance for our modern world," he said, explaining that it involves moving forward while also remembering the past and learning from it.

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The French state's attempt to suspend Shein's website in France was rejected by a court on Friday, which ruled the request "disproportionate." This decision came after the Asian e-commerce giant had already removed illicit products found on its platform,

which had prompted French authorities to seek a three-month block following the discovery of items like weapons, banned medications, and childlike sex dolls.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed a 20-point peace framework that offers the creation of a demilitarized zone in the contested eastern territories.

The updated proposal, finalized with top US envoys, suggests establishing a "free economic zone" in the Donetsk region. Zelensky described the document as "the main framework for ending the war," noting that American officials are presenting the terms to Russia for a response by Wednesday. The plan hinges on a significant compromise regarding the land.

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European Union leaders have agreed to extend a €90bn loan to Ukraine, aiming to stabilize Kyiv's finances over the next two years, after marathon talks in Brussels exposed deep divisions over whether frozen Russian state assets should be used as collateral.