In the Ukrainian city of Lviv, time literally stops as three fallen warriors are laid to rest. Holly Williams reports on how the city mourns its heroes – praising their sons' courage, while channeling their grief into Ukraine's ongoing defense against Vladimir Putin's invaders.

Lviv

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaching its fourth year, the city of Lviv recently held funerals for three soldiers—Vladimir, Oleh, and Ruslan—who were killed on the eastern front. The ceremonies, attended by hundreds, underscored the profound loss experienced by communities across Ukraine, even those far from active combat.

Lviv's military cemetery is nearing capacity as the country continues to lose both men and women in the conflict. Daily moments of remembrance and tributes from comrades reflect the enduring grief and resilience of Ukrainians, who remain determined to defend their nation despite ongoing threats and uncertainty.

Eulogies speak to the heroism of Ukraine's war dead

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine nearing the four-year mark, Holly Williams assesses the human toll in towns and villages far from the fighting. Three Ukrainian soldiers came home this month, Vladimir, Oleh and Ruslan. They were killed on the front line in eastern Ukraine. But they were sons of the city of Lviv, around 600 miles from the battlefield. Inside the church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the priests blessed them with holy water. They became like saints, said Father Nestor, because they gave their lives for truth, freedom and the dignity of our Ukraine. Then hundreds of mourners recited the Lord's Prayer together, asking to be delivered from evil. But so far nothing can deliver Ukraine from Vladimir Putin. The three coffins were driven through the centre of Lviv, a city that survived Nazi occupation and was swallowed up by the Soviet Union. Now it's being tested yet again. At Lviv's military cemetery, Vladimir's mother kissed her son goodbye for one last time. Ruslan's father received the Ukrainian flag. Like cemeteries across this country, Lviv's burial ground is close to overflowing with freshly dug graves. Ukraine has sent its men to fight off Russia's invasion. It's sent its women. Its best and its bravest have been cut down in muddy fields, tens of thousands of them. Vladimir's mother Lesya told us that her son was kind and cheerful and wanted to be a hero. He was 25 years old when he was killed. His life was like some kind of fire, a flash, she told us. He lived so brightly and died brightly too. In Lviv, as in many other Ukrainian towns and cities, they remember the fallen every morning at nine o'clock, stopping still for a minute of remembrance. Even the traffic. Ukrainians have won praise for their courage, but they're paying for it with their grief. As the soldiers were laid to rest, their comrades paid tribute. Glory, glory, glory, they shouted. Vladimir and Ruslan served in Ukraine's 80th Air Assault Brigade, along with Sergeant Artur Shadrin. I feel very, very sad. I don't know what to say more. Do you think that people outside of Ukraine understand what you're going through? I'm not sure. I hope, yeah. I hope that they understand. If you could talk to Americans, what would you like them to know about Ukraine? We stand here in Eastern Europe and try to defend the whole world from these bad people. That's all. He told us he was heading back to the front lines soon. Ukrainians are determined to keep fighting, but their fate is in the hands of Vladimir Putin.

Two alleged gunmen who killed 15 people at a Jewish celebration in Sydney's Bondi Beach were a father and son, police said on Monday, as Australia mourned victims of its worst gun violence in almost 30 years. This video contains graphic images.

Bondi Beach

Father and son behind Bondi mass shooting, Australian police say

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prepared to renounce NATO membership if there are Western security guarantees. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are also present at the major Berlin meeting on the war in Ukraine.

Berlin

Zelenskyy ready to drop NATO bid in exchange for security guarantees

Israel has described a deadly mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach as an attack on Jews, after gunmen opened fire during a Jewish holiday event, killing at least 11 people.

Council of the City of Sydney

Israel calls Bondi shooting attack on Jews, urges action on antisemitism

Two gunmen attacked a Hannukah celebration on a Sydney beach Sunday, killing at least 11 people in what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitism and terrorism.

Gunmen kill several at Jewish gathering in Sydney's Bondi Beach

Providence police have detained a "person of interest" in connection with the Brown University shooting that left two students dead and another nine people wounded, as the Ivy League school said it had lifted a shelter-in-place order for its campus in Rhode Island.

Providence

Police hold person of interest after Brown University shooting

Belarus has freed more than 120 political prisoners in a major thaw in relations with the United States. The releases came in return for Washington lifting sanctions on potash, a key source of revenue for Belarus.

Minsk

Belarus releases 123 prisoners as U.S. lifts sanctions

Washington was still under a state of emergency on Saturday after torrential rains swamped communities. Plus, snow and dangerous cold are falling on some in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Nicole Valdes has more from Washington state.

Deming

Washington under state emergency as rains ease

China's plans for a massive new embassy in the British capital were delayed until January. Construction plans have proven controversial, with some raising espionage concerns. Ramy Inocencio has more from London.

London

Controversial Chinese embassy construction in London delayed

A United Airlines jetliner lost one of its engines during liftoff from Washington's Dulles Airport bound for Tokyo.

Tokyo

United Airlines flight loses engine during liftoff, sparks brush fire

Thailand says there is no ceasefire with Cambodia, and its military will continue fighting until it faces no further threat. That's despite the US president's earlier announcement that both sides had agreed to stop their attacks. Villages along the border are largely empty, except for a handful of volunteer security guards.

Phnom Penh

Fighting continues along Thai-Cambodia border

U.S President Donald Trump has threatened potential land strikes on Venezuela to target an illegal narcotics trade. Trump says the drugs are arriving on U.S shores and that President Nicolas Maduro is behind it. Maduro has denied the claim.

Caracas

Washington considers Venezuela land assault

King Charles III, who shared his cancer diagnosis with the world in February 2024, announced Friday that he would be scaling back his treatment after his doctors have seen success. The monarch also pushed for people to get early screenings, saying, "Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives."

King Charles to reduce cancer treatments

Belarus has freed more than 100 political prisoners, including a Nobel Peace Prize winner, in exchange for sanction relief on Belarusian potash, a U.S. statement said on Saturday.

Belarus releases political prisoners as U.S. lifts some sanctions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he visited troops fending off Russian advances near the embattled city of Kupiansk that Moscow claimed to have captured last month, which Kyiv denies.

Kup'yans'k

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskyy visits troops as Ukraine claims gained ground near key city

In an audacious move, the EU has decided to indefinitely immobilize the Russian sovereign assets, pushing back against external pressure to release the funds before Moscow agrees to pay war reparations to Ukraine.

Brussels

EU locking in Russian assets for good

U.S. House Democrats released new images from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that feature U.S. President Donald Trump and other high-profile people previously linked to Epstein.

Washington

House Democrats release more Epstein estate photos

For the first time, Amnesty International has accused Hamas and its allies of committing crimes against humanity, following an investigation into the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel. The organization found that 1,221 people were killed and said the mass killing of civilians amounted to extermination.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Amnesty accuses Hamas of 'crimes against humanity' for Oct. 7 attack

The “Architects of AI” were named Time's person of the year Thursday, with the magazine citing 2025 as when the potential of artificial intelligence “roared into view” with no turning back.

Rise of AI

Time magazine names 'Architects of AI' as person of the year for 2025

Message board website Reddit filed a lawsuit on Friday (December 12) asking Australia's High Court to overturn the country's social media ban for people under 16 as well as its inclusion in it, calling the law an infringement of free political expression.

Reddit sues to overturn Australian social media ban

As tensions rise with Venezuela, U.S. President Donald Trump said land operations could start "pretty soon." Sources tell CBS News the administration is also planning more tanker seizures.

Trump says Venezuela land operations could begin 'pretty soon'

One day after capturing an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, the U.S. has sanctioned three of Nicolas Maduro's nephews, along with six other oil tankers.

Trump ramps up pressure on Maduro with new sanctions

The EU has decided to keep the assets of the Russian Central Bank immobilised for the foreseeable future. The ban, which is based on a provision for economic emergencies, pushes back against external attempts to release the €210 billion in assets before Ukraine is compensated.

Moscow

EU triggers emergency clause to indefinitely immobilise Russian assets

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she planned to take her award back to Venezuela, but declined to say when she would return to her home country after leaving in great secrecy to receive the honor.

Nobel peace laureate Machado vows to take award home to Venezuela

Japanese authorities are assessing damage after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, followed by multiple aftershocks. In response, officials have issued a warning about the possibility of a megaquake, defined as a magnitude 8.0 or higher event.

Japan alerts citizens about possible megaquake

A Maryland judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from ICE custody. Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador and was later detained for potential deportation to another country.

Judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia's immediate release from ICE custody

About 500,000 people are fleeing renewed clashes on the Thailand-Cambodia border. Over a dozen were killed as fighting shatters a US-Malaysia-brokered peace deal amid a decades-old temple land dispute.

Samraong

Half a million flee as Thailand-Cambodia border clashes escalate

The U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, ratcheting up tensions with Caracas.

Trump confirms seizing of Venezuelan oil tanker

The U.S. House has approved a bill to end all Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, sparking cautious optimism in Damascus as the measure moves closer to becoming law.

U.S. House votes to lift Caesar Act sanctions on Syria

Myanmar's military bombs a hospital in western Rakhine state, at least 31 people are killed and dozens injured.

Rakhine

Air strike in Myanmar killed at least 31 people, dozens injured

The U.S. military seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the ship had been used to violate sanctions on oil from Venezuela and Iran.

Breakdown