Zelenskyy says he’s confident Ukraine will get more U.S. support

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he’s certain the United States will make good on its promise of further billions of dollars for Kyiv to continue its fight against Russia. In a year-end news conference Tuesday, he bluntly replied “No” to a question about whether his country might lose the war. U.S. President Joe Biden’s proposed package of aid for Ukraine is stalled in Washington, and the U.S. Defense Department says it is almost out of money to help Ukraine’s defense after almost 22 months of fighting. But Zelenskyy said: “I am confident that the U.S. will not let us down and that what we have agreed with the U.S. will be fulfilled.”

At least 100 elephants die in drought-stricken Zimbabwe park

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — At least 100 elephants have died in Zimbabwe’s largest national park in recent weeks because of drought. Their carcasses are a grisly sign of what wildlife authorities and conservation groups say is the impact of climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon. Authorities warn that more could die as forecasts suggest a scarcity of rains and rising heat in parts of the southern African nation including Hwange National Park. The International Fund for Animal Welfare has described it as a crisis for elephants and other animals.

Thousands rally in Slovakia to protest the government’s plan on the penal code

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Thousands have returned after a week to the streets in a dozen of major cities across Slovakia to keep protesting a plan by the new government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to amend the country’s penal code. The changes proposed by the coalition government include a proposal to abolish the special prosecutors’ office, which handles serious crimes such as graft, organized crime and extremism by mid-January. The cases involving politicians and businesspeople linked to Fico will be taken over by prosecutors in regional offices, which haven’t dealt with such crimes for 20 years. Protesters are also demanding Fico’s resignation.

Court in Germany convicts a man inspired by the Islamic State group

BERLIN (AP) — A Syrian man has been convicted of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm over two knife attacks in Germany this year. He was convicted of stabbing a 35-year-old man to death in the western city of Duisburg in April, and attacking four people at a gym nine days later. The court said the 27-year-old defendant was inspired by the Islamic State group and remains a danger to the public. He was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, but the Duesseldorf state court determined that he bears particularly severe guilt. That means he won’t be eligible for release after 15 years as is usually the case in Germany.