The US Senate has approved a resolution that holds Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Associated Press reports. The resolution calls on the Saudi government to hold accountable all those involved in the murder. Senators passed the document unanimously.

Nail Fattakhov / TASS / Scanpix / LETA A scenic view of Chelyabinsk’s smog People living in Chelyabinsk have declared a boycott against the state television network Rossiya 1 , following a recent broadcast of the debate show “60 Minutes,” where the hosts denied evidence of a protest against the city’s smog. According to a local environmentalist community on Vkontakte, Chelyabinsk residents are complaining on social media that the channel reports lies, vowing not to tuned in any longer.

French police have shot and killed Sharif Shekat, suspected of shooting at a Christmas market in Strasbourg. This is reported by AFP and Reuters , citing police sources. The criminal was searched for two days. According to Le Figaro, it was found in a warehouse in Strasbourg. The man opened fire on the police who tried to detain him, and they killed him with return fire. Updated .

A resident of Bataysk armed with a knife wounded a bailiff and a policeman, the department of the RF Investigative Committee for the Rostov region reports. A 41-year-old man entered the Bataysk city court building and stabbed a bailiff. After that, he tried to escape and wounded a policeman who tried to detain him. The attacker has now been arrested. According to preliminary data, he is registered with a psychiatrist.

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has provisionally suspended five Russian bobsledders for violating anti-doping rules at the Sochi Olympics. Alexander Zubkov, Alexey Voevoda, Alexander Kasyanov, Alexey Pushkarev and Ilvir Khuzin were suspended. Zubkov currently heads the Russian Bobsleigh Federation, Voevoda has ended his career, Kasyanov, Khuzin and Pushkarev continue to compete for the Russian team.

Alexandria Sheriffʼs Office / Reuters / Scanpix / Leta Russian Maria Butina made a deal with the investigation and found herself guilty of one of the two points of the prosecution that she was brought in in the United States - in conspiracy to deceive or damage this country. On this point, she was facing up to five years in prison, but now, the American media believe, she will be released much earlier.

US President Donald Trump will not meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin until Moscow releases Ukrainian sailors and ships , Trump's national security adviser John Bolton told reporters. "I don't see a situation in the foreseeable future where a meeting could take place until the ships and sailors are released," Bolton said. Reuters Immediately after the conflict in the Kerch Strait in late November, Trump canceled a meeting with Putin planned for the G20 summit in Argentina.

The European Union has decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia, said the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk. He explained this decision by "zero progress" in the implementation of the Minsk agreements. We are talking about sanctions against certain sectors of the Russian economy, which expire in January 2019. TASS, citing a source , writes that restrictive measures, as usual, will be extended for six months.

Virgin Galactic / Reuters / Scanpix / Leta From the launch pad in the Mohava desert in California, on December 13, SpaceShiptwo, developed by Virgin Galactic, the billionaire Richard Branson, started. The Whiteknighttwo aircraft raised the ship to a height of about 13 kilometers, after which SpaceShiptwo separated from the carrier and turned on the jet engine, which brought it to a height of 82.7 kilometers.

Arrested in the United States, Russian woman Maria Butina pleaded guilty to one of two counts of conspiracy in the interests of Russia. According to the Associated Press, Butina said she sought to establish contacts with US politicians and leaders of the US National Rifle Association. The Russian woman admitted that she acted under the guidance of a Russian official, notes CNN .

Lawyer Shota Gorgadze , who recently became a member of the Human Rights Council (HRC), refused to confirm to the radio station “Moscow Speaks” that he has an academic degree. "Please confirm your identification that you are in fact calling from the radio station 'Moscow Speaks', and then we will talk to you," Gorgadze said. After another call, he blocked the radio station's number. Gorgadze joined the new composition of the Human Rights Council, formed in early December.

Take a close look at the cover of the January issue of GQ magazine with dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze and a mute swan. Doesn't it remind you of anything? This is very similar to the famous photograph of Leonardo DiCaprio that photographer Annie Leibovitz took for the January 1998 issue of Vanity Fair magazine. There, the American actor also posed with a mute swan wrapped around his neck.

The State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs launched a competition for rap artists. Within its framework, the musicians will have to record a composition “objectively telling” about any settlement in the country. Applications for participation in the competition are accepted until January 2019, and the results will be summed up in the spring.

The government of the Yaroslavl region In the Yaroslavl region, a chapel printed on a 3D printer will be installed, the portal of the regional authorities said on December 12. The local company Spetsavia is operating on the project, specializing in the creation of construction 3D printers and building buildings with their help. The chapel is made of “ordinary concrete”, said the general director of the company Alexander Maslov. According to him, the creation of details cost 15 thousand rubles.

The prosecutor's office asked the court to appoint 9 years and 10 months in prison for one of the teenagers who attacked students and a teacher at school No. 127 in Perm. The teenager is charged with attempted murder, assault on a school security guard by "demonstrating an object that looks like a gun" and destroying property by arson. It was proposed to send the accused to an educational colony.