Ukraine peace talks continue with Zelenskyy meeting European leaders in London, while Syria navigates its post-Assad future and faces ongoing instability, Thailand and Cambodia engage in new border fighting, and Japan protests Chinese fighter jet actions amid escalating regional tensions.

• Zelensky Met With European Leaders as Ukraine Peace Talks Drag On — New York Times World -
• Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy in Downing Street for peace plan talks as Merz says Germany ‘sceptical’ about some US proposals — The Guardian -
• Hunt under way for Benin coup plotters as two hostages reportedly freed — BBC World -

• Starmer meets Zelenskyy: is a new peace plan possible? – podcast — The Guardian -
• Can Syria’s president turn wave of global goodwill into tangible results at home? — The Guardian -
• Thai Jets Bomb Cambodia as at Least 5 Die in New Wave of Fighting — New York Times World -
• Syrians Celebrate Anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s Fall — New York Times World -
• Thailand launches airstrikes along disputed border with Cambodia as tensions flare — The Guardian -
• US attack on Venezuela risks ‘Vietnam-style’ regional conflict, warns Lula adviser — The Guardian -
• Zelenskyy to meet European leaders in London for talks on ending Ukraine war — The Guardian -
• Thousands flee Thai-Cambodia border after deadly clashes — BBC World -
• A Weakened Hamas Still Dominates Gaza, Building Day by Day — New York Times World -
• A year after fall of Assad, a divided Syria struggles to escape cycle of violence — The Guardian -
• Syrians share their thoughts one year on from the fall of Assad — BBC World -
• Israeli surveillance targets US and allies at joint base planning Gaza aid and security, say sources — The Guardian -
• Japan protests after Chinese fighter jets lock radar on Japanese planes — BBC World -
• Japan protests after Chinese fighter jets lock radar on Japanese planes — BBC World -
• Seizure of South Yemen by UAE-backed forces could lead to independence claim — The Guardian -
• Jeremy Bowen: Syria feels lighter without the Assads' crushing weight - but now there are new problems — BBC World -
• The New Syria — New York Times World -
• He Was a Russian Activist in Exile. His Own Wife Accused Him of Spying. — New York Times World -
• ‘I’d defend our nation’: Poles prepare for growing threat of war — The Guardian -
• Japan PM vows ‘resolute’ response after Chinese aircraft accused of locking radar on to Japanese fighter jets — The Guardian -
• Zelensky due at Downing Street for high-level Ukraine talks — BBC World -

The Washington DC police chief resigns amid political battles, immigration crackdowns in New Orleans face monitoring, and a former Honduran president is pardoned by Trump, who also voices concerns over a major media merger and hosts the Kennedy Center Honors.

• Washington DC police chief resigns after less than two years — The Guardian -
• Washington DC police chief Pamela Smith to step down, mayor announces – US politics live — The Guardian -
• Authorities monitor online criticism of New Orleans immigration crackdown — The Guardian -

• Ex-Honduran president thanks God – and Trump – for drug-trafficking pardon — The Guardian -
• Trump warns Netflix’s $83bn deal for Warner Bros poses competition concerns — The Guardian -
• Trump claims rave reviews for hosting Kennedy Center Honors – before ceremony even ends — The Guardian -
• White South Africans divided on US refugee offer — BBC World -
• U.S. Deports Second Planeload of Iranians, Officials Say — New York Times World -
• Republicans in Congress mocked Trump privately, Marjorie Taylor Greene says — The Guardian -

Devastating bushfires claim a firefighter's life and homes in NSW and Tasmania, political figures face scrutiny over travel expenses, a social media ban for under-16s is implemented, and Barnaby Joyce's defection to One Nation reshapes the political landscape.

• ‘It came from everywhere’: NSW town counts the cost after bushfire hits — The Guardian -
• Australia’s bushfires were held at bay by five wet years — but experts warn the country is ‘ready to burn’ — The Guardian -
• Sydney’s home of greyhound racing to become shared green space as Minns unveils Wentworth Park plan — The Guardian -

• Liberals must not become ‘One Nation lite’, NSW senator says, as Joyce defection tightens upper house race — The Guardian -
• How is Australia’s social media ban affecting you and your family? — The Guardian -
• Labor minister Don Farrell claimed $9,000 for family travel during sports events and theatre showings — The Guardian -
• Prison watchdog urges closure of ‘unsafe’ parts of Long Bay prison — The Guardian -
• ‘Pure political pork’: government ends energy bill rebate as treasurer flags ‘difficult’ budget decisions — The Guardian -
• Anika Wells claimed more than $8,500 for family travel to Melbourne during AFL grand final weekends over three years — The Guardian -
• Man found guilty of Australian beach murder after hiding in India for years — BBC World -
• Man found guilty of Australian beach murder after hiding in India for years — BBC World -
• Australians’ credit card debt at four-year high – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Firefighter Is Killed as Multiple Wildfires Burn in Australia — New York Times World -
• Barnaby Joyce joins One Nation as sitting MP with promise of future Senate ticket — The Guardian -
• Troubled youth prison unit should be closed urgently after Indigenous teenager Cleveland Dodd’s death: coroner — The Guardian -
• Three NSW men convicted of gang raping teenagers during bucks party successfully overturn convictions — The Guardian -
• Notorious childcare paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith ‘could have been stopped’ five times during decades of offending — The Guardian -

An inquiry into grooming gangs sparks debate on its scope, Reform UK faces electoral law allegations, local authorities warn of financial breaking points, and legal cases against Joey Barton and Tim Westwood make headlines, alongside new rules for single-sex spaces.

• No 10 declines to comment on White House claim that Europe facing ‘civilisational erasure’ – UK politics live — The Guardian -
• Police assess claims Reform UK breached electoral law during Farage campaign — The Guardian -
• White storks to make historic return to London in 2026 — The Guardian -

• Marooned off the English Coast: Lots of Bananas — New York Times World -
• Storm Bram to bring strong winds and heavy rain to UK — The Guardian -
• People on lowest incomes being denied access to social housing, research finds — The Guardian -
• Grooming gangs inquiry ‘must consider ethnicity and religion’, Badenoch says — The Guardian -
• Joey Barton gets suspended prison sentence for offensive social media posts — The Guardian -
• Tim Westwood pleads not guilty to rape, sexual assault and indecent assault charges — The Guardian -
• Prince Harry’s UK security under government review, reports say — The Guardian -
• Local authorities in England and Wales warn finances at ‘breaking point’ — The Guardian -
• ‘Zombie’ electricity projects in Britain face axe to ease quicker grid connections — The Guardian -
• Rights groups warn against UK plans to weaken torture protections in ECHR — The Guardian -
• Linguists start compiling first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic — The Guardian -
• Rules on single-sex spaces pose risk to trans people’s mental health, UK charities say — The Guardian -
• Scores of UK parliamentarians join call to regulate most powerful AI systems — The Guardian -
• UK asylum policy causes more violence and deaths, say rights groups — The Guardian -

Paramount launches a hostile bid for Warner Bros Discovery, the Federal Reserve considers an interest rate cut amid market expectations, Anglo American drops executive bonus plans after investor backlash over its Teck merger, and the United Nations halves its 2026 emergency aid budget due to funding cuts.

• Paramount launches $108.4bn hostile bid for Warner Bros Discovery — The Guardian -
• Divided Fed ponders US interest-rate cut at end of tumultuous year — The Guardian -
• Anglo American drops plan to pay bosses millions in bonuses after $50bn Teck merger backlash — The Guardian -

• United Nations Cuts Its 2026 Emergency Aid Budget in Half — New York Times World -

Japan faces a tsunami warning after a major earthquake, Matisse artworks are stolen in Brazil, Golden Globe nominations are announced, and 100 abducted schoolchildren are released in Nigeria, with ongoing concerns over energy-hungry US datacenters.

• Japan Issues Tsunami Warning After 7.6-Magnitude Earthquake — New York Times World -
• Thieves snatch eight Matisse artworks from library in Brazil — BBC World -
• Golden Globe nominations: One Battle After Another leads the charge — The Guardian -

• Weather tracker: Atmospheric rivers to bring heavy rain and snow to Pacific north-west — The Guardian -
• More than 200 environmental groups demand halt to new US datacenters — The Guardian -
• Woman handed four-year sentence for blackmailing footballer Son Heung-min — The Guardian -
• One hundred abducted schoolchildren released in Nigeria — BBC World -
• One hundred abducted schoolchildren released in Nigeria — BBC World -
• 8 Matisse Works Stolen From Library in Brazil — New York Times World -
• Ancient Egyptian pleasure boat found by archaeologists off Alexandria coast — The Guardian -
• Woman who blackmailed Son Heung-min gets four years in jail — BBC World -
• Love Letters From a Chinese Jail — New York Times World -
• Near-record low election turnout in Hong Kong amid discontent over apartment fire — The Guardian -
• Four members of same family killed in Goa nightclub fire that left 25 dead — The Guardian -
• Dogs in Kimonos: Japan Reinvents a Children’s Holiday With Pets in Mind — New York Times World -
• Dogs in Kimonos: Japan Reinvents a Children’s Holiday With Pets in Mind — New York Times World -
• ‘Portrait of a man’, who was 18th-century Corsican independence leader, goes on sale — The Guardian -
• Hong Kong Holds Vote as Officials Move Against ‘Anti-China’ Elements — New York Times World -
• Water leak in Louvre damages hundreds of books — BBC World -
• Water leak in Louvre damages hundreds of books — BBC World -
• Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau make their relationship Instagram official — The Guardian -
• UN report sounds alarm over Māori rights in New Zealand — The Guardian -
• Japan is facing a dementia crisis – can technology help? — BBC World -