Following the recent Bondi terror attack, Australia faces intense political debate regarding proposed gun and protest law reforms, criticism of media coverage, and allegations of partisan point-scoring while police investigations reveal meticulous planning by the gunmen who also used pipe bombs and a video manifesto.

• Australia news live: Ley defends ‘expressing my anger and disappointment’ as Bowen decries Coalition’s ‘disgusting’ partisan ‘pile-on’ after Bondi attack — The Guardian -
• ABC defends Laura Tingle and Sarah Ferguson amid ‘unfounded’ criticism of Bondi shooting coverage — The Guardian -
• Sussan Ley makes ‘no apology for my passion’ as Labor denounces ‘disgusting’ ‘partisan pile-on’ over Bondi attack — The Guardian -

• Sydney Shooting Suspects Met Muslim Leaders in Philippines, Officials Say — New York Times World -
• Wanting action after the Bondi attack is understandable - but kneejerk responses that curtail freedoms have their own perils — The Guardian -
• Bondi gunmen 'meticulously' planned attack for months, police allege — BBC World -
• ‘Dan taught me to live for every moment’: French Bondi shooting victim, 27, honoured at Sydney memorial — The Guardian -
• Bondi Beach Gunmen Also Used Pipe Bombs in Attack, Police Say — New York Times World -
• Hundreds rally in Sydney against proposed changes to protest laws — The Guardian -
• Protesters outside Sydney’s town hall chant phrase that NSW premier wants to ban – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Australian move to fast-track new gun and protest laws after Bondi shooting draws criticism — BBC World -
• Coalition attacks Penny Wong for not shedding ‘a single tear’ after Bondi shooting, says ‘multicultural nirvana’ has failed — The Guardian -
• Victoria to follow NSW in giving police new powers to stop protests in wake of Bondi terror attack — The Guardian -
• At Bondi Beach, Australians Mourn Shooting Victims — New York Times World -
• Gun crackdown and controversial protest laws to be passed in NSW despite Coalition split over firearms — The Guardian -
• Man arrested after allegedly inciting racist violence at Cronulla beach following Bondi terror attack — The Guardian -

President Trump's administration faces legal challenges over defunding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and partial release of Epstein files, while foreign policy initiatives include appointing a special envoy to Greenland despite Danish and Greenlandic objections, seizing oil tankers linked to Venezuela, and halting offshore wind-farm projects due to national security risks.

• Trump says US needs Greenland after naming special envoy — BBC World -
• Epstein survivors call out Trump’s justice department for ‘extreme redactions’ in latest file release – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Trump Administration Oil Tanker Seizures Are Meant to Force Maduro Out, Officials Say — New York Times World -

• Democratic states sue to block Trump’s defunding of US consumer watchdog — The Guardian -
• Schumer to ask Senate to back legal action over partial Epstein files release — The Guardian -
• Trump's appointment of Greenland envoy sparks fresh row with Denmark — BBC World -
• What We Know About U.S. Interceptions of Oil Tankers in Venezuela — New York Times World -
• US lawmakers threaten legal action against Attorney General over Epstein files — BBC World -
• Angering Denmark, Trump Appoints Special Envoy to Greenland — New York Times World -
• US pursuing third oil tanker linked to Venezuela, official says — BBC World -
• Trump administration recalls nearly 30 career diplomats around world — The Guardian -
• You cannot annex other countries, Danish and Greenlandic leaders tell Trump — The Guardian -
• Trump officials halt offshore wind-farm projects over ‘national security risks’ — The Guardian -
• US lawmakers threaten legal action against Attorney General over Epstein files — BBC World -
• US farmers say Trump’s $12bn package not enough to undo damage from tariffs — The Guardian -
• Image in Epstein files that features Trump reinstated after backlash — BBC World -
• U.S. Coast Guard Pursues Oil Tanker Linked to Venezuela — New York Times World -
• US Coast Guard pursuing another oil tanker off coast of Venezuela — The Guardian -

Ongoing hostilities in Ukraine see Russia escalating attacks on Odesa and a Russian general killed in Moscow, while Israel's approval of new West Bank settlements draws concern and NGOs fear new registration rules could jeopardize Gaza aid operations, even as Bethlehem struggles for holiday joy.

• Russia escalates attacks on key Ukrainian region of Odesa — BBC World -
• Baby followed by BBC back in Gaza hospital after treatment abroad — BBC World -
• Assad, Ousted Syrian Ruler, Leads Life of Luxury in Russia — New York Times World -

• Russian general killed by car bomb in Moscow, say investigators — The Guardian -
• Russian General Is Killed in Car Bombing in Moscow — New York Times World -
• NGOs fear Israel registration rules risk collapse of Gaza aid operations — BBC World -
• After the Assad Regime’s Fall, His Enforcers Are Lying Low and Living Large — New York Times World -
• Christmas Is Back in Bethlehem, but Peace and Joy Have Yet to Arrive — New York Times World -
• Russia ‘ready to legally confirm it has no intention of attacking EU or Nato’ – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Russia Dismisses Reports of Progress in Ukraine Peace Talks — New York Times World -
• US and Ukraine call Miami talks productive despite no breakthrough — BBC World -
• Thailand and Cambodia to hold ceasefire talks, says foreign minister — BBC World -
• Israel approves 19 new settlements in occupied West Bank — BBC World -

The UK grapples with Brexit's economic damage as calls for closer EU trade ties intensify, while domestic issues include a Post Office scandal revelation, proposed animal welfare laws, debates over planning reforms affecting playing fields, and the NHS facing doctor strike talks.

• Two New Banksy Murals Appear in London — New York Times World -
• Stars urge UK government not to scrap Sport England brake on playing field selloff — The Guardian -
• Keir Starmer told closer EU trade ties ‘strategic necessity’ for UK firms — The Guardian -

• Post Office and Fujitsu had deal 19 years ago to fix Horizon errors, paper shows — The Guardian -
• Man describes narrow escape after boats pulled into giant hole on Shropshire canal — The Guardian -
• Who are the Palestine Action hunger strikers and what are the health risks? — The Guardian -
• Families of Palestine Action hunger strikers seek urgent meeting with Lammy — The Guardian -
• Boiling lobsters alive to be banned in UK animal cruelty crackdown — The Guardian -
• Labour calls to rejoin EU customs union will become harder for Starmer to resist — The Guardian -
• London gets at least one new Banksy mural for Christmas — The Guardian -
• More than 75% of Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters think PM should open talks on joining EU customs union – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Rachel Reeves sets early March date for spring statement as OBR prepares forecast — The Guardian -
• Fatberg weighing 100 tonnes discovered in east London sewer — The Guardian -
• UK drivers being overcharged as fuel prices fail to track oil market, watchdog finds — The Guardian -
• Chance of ‘odd wintry flurry’ of snow in UK for a white Christmas – Met Office — The Guardian -
• Britain’s economy has been damaged by Brexit. But what should ministers do about it? — The Guardian -
• Britons reported to be drinking less, as data shows consumption at record low — The Guardian -
• MPs question UK Palantir contracts after investigation reveals security concerns — The Guardian -
• ‘Unashamedly capitalist’ rewilders claim ‘Moneyball’ approach could make millions – but experts sceptical — The Guardian -
• UK leaving European convention on human rights would be a mistake, equalities chief warns — The Guardian -
• Resident doctors say they will resume talks to avoid further strikes with ‘can-do spirit’ — The Guardian -
• First asylum seekers expected to arrive in East Sussex barracks in new year — The Guardian -
• Regulator ‘asleep at the wheel’ over University of Greater Manchester investigation, MP says — The Guardian -
• Hen cages and pig farrowing crates to be outlawed in England — The Guardian -
• UK economy entering 2026 amid sharp private sector downturn, says CBI — The Guardian -
• Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune tops 2025 UK bestsellers list — The Guardian -

Concerns about human rights are highlighted by a Hindu lynching in Bangladesh, record high ICE detentions in the US, and Ecuadorean soldiers jailed for forced disappearances, while **Epstein files reveal Ghislaine Maxwell’s tactics and a New York school board investigates 'timeout' box allegations**.

• Lynching of a Hindu in Bangladesh Fans Fears of Rising Intolerance — New York Times World -
• U.K. Man and 5 Others Charged With Sexual Offenses Against His Wife — New York Times World -
• New York school board investigates wooden ‘timeout’ box allegations — The Guardian -

• Number of people in ICE detention hits record high, data shows — The Guardian -
• Ecuadorean soldiers jailed for 34 years over boys' forced disappearance — BBC World -
• Ecuador court sentences 11 air force troops over disappearance of four boys — The Guardian -
• Man in UK charged alongside five others with sexual offences against his wife — The Guardian -
• Six men charged with sexual offences against woman over 13 years — The Guardian -
• US justice department halts funding for human-trafficking survivors — The Guardian -
• Epstein files shed light on Ghislaine Maxwell’s tactics for luring teenagers | First Thing — The Guardian -
• Files release illuminates Maxwell’s tactics to lure teens into Epstein’s orbit — The Guardian -
• Man jailed for 1,335 years as El Salvador sentences almost 250 MS-13 gang members — The Guardian -
• Divided between two states, the town at the heart of America's abortion debate — BBC World -

International trade tensions rise as China imposes tariffs on EU dairy products, impacting global supply chains and US farmers facing challenges from tariffs, while corporate movements include Larry Ellison's guarantee for a major media takeover and Jim Beam halting production amid uncertainty.

• Larry Ellison gives personal guarantee for Paramount takeover of Warner Bros Discovery — The Guardian -
• China hits EU dairy industry with tariffs of up to 42.7% — The Guardian -
• As Trump Clings to Tariffs, His Argentine Ally Is Opening Up to Trade — New York Times World -

• Bosses at City & Guilds handed million-pound bonuses after training firm is privatised — The Guardian -
• Bourbon maker Jim Beam stops production at Kentucky site for 2026 — The Guardian -
• ‘Historic’ gas reservation policy to force major producers to set aside up to a quarter for Australian use — The Guardian -

Social trends include Britons drinking less alcohol and businesses rolling back Pride support, while the arts see new Banksy murals and a Spanish wildfire-hit town wins big in a Christmas lottery, alongside obituaries for gaming pioneer Vince Zampella and musicians Chris Rea and Mani.

• Wildfire-hit town wins €468m in Spain's Christmas lottery — BBC World -
• Understanding Male Loneliness — New York Times World -
• Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty video game series, dies aged 55 — The Guardian -

• Betty Reid Soskin, who gained fame after becoming a park ranger at 85, dies aged 104 — The Guardian -
• Barry Manilow to undergo surgery for lung cancer — The Guardian -
• Manchester music and football stars gather for funeral of Stone Roses’ Mani — The Guardian -
• Ghana official rejects 'Detty December' label — BBC World -
• Chris Rea, rock and blues singer-songwriter, dies aged 74 — The Guardian -
• Puzzle Designers Search for That ‘Satisfying Click’ — New York Times World -
• Spanish villagers devastated by forest fire win €468m in lottery prizes — The Guardian -
• Revealed: how big businesses are rolling back public support for Pride — The Guardian -
• Indiana twins bridge political divide with kindness: ‘You have one family’ — The Guardian -
• Jimmy Kimmel Will Deliver Britain’s ‘Alternative Christmas Message’ — New York Times World -
• What Fans Did to Attend a Bad Bunny Show in Mexico City — New York Times World -
• The Sibling Bond — New York Times World -
• Afcon is a special tournament, says Premier League star Iwobi — BBC World -
• ‘Slightly haunted but manageable’: new signs cause confusion – and delight – in Christchurch — The Guardian -
• Why Croatia's capital wants to hold Europe's best Christmas market — BBC World -

California faces severe Christmas storms and flooding, while a pink platypus sighting in Australia sparks interest and Yellowstone's Black Diamond Pool erupts, as researchers predict patches of the moon will become spacecraft graveyards.

• Pink platypus spotted in Gippsland is cute – but don’t get too excited — The Guardian -
• One dead in California floods as state braces for brutal week of Christmas storms — The Guardian -
• Yellowstone hot spring spews forth spectacular muddy plumes — The Guardian -

• Patches of the moon to become spacecraft graveyards, say researchers — The Guardian -
• Weather tracker: Further flood watches issued across California — The Guardian -
• 2025 is ‘year of the octopus’ as record numbers spotted off England’s south coast — The Guardian -

All kidnapped Nigerian schoolchildren have been released and are set to be reunited with their families, marking the end of a month-long ordeal that gained international attention.

• More Abducted Nigerian Children Are Released, Government Says — New York Times World -
• Freed Nigerian schoolchildren to be reunited with families — The Guardian -
• All pupils kidnapped from Nigeria Catholic school now free - officials — BBC World -

France's Élysée Palace faces a scandal as a staff member stands trial over tableware theft and its national post office is hit by a cyber-attack, while Portugal's far-right party is ordered to remove discriminatory posters and South Korea launches an independent inquiry into a deadly air crash.

• France’s national post office hit by suspected cyber-attack — The Guardian -
• Portugal’s far-right Chega party ordered to take down posters targeting Roma people — The Guardian -
• Élysée Palace staff member to stand trial over theft of precious tableware — BBC World -

• ‘A champion of Aboriginal rights’: Alice Springs leader Geoffrey Shaw dies aged 79 — The Guardian -
• ‘The inspiration I need’: baby Lilah arrives early for MPs Josh Burns and Georgie Purcell — The Guardian -
• Jeju Air crash: South Korea sets up independent inquiry into disaster that killed 179 amid delays and acrimony — The Guardian -
• Origin Energy to face court over 77,000 alleged law breaches after taking millions from welfare recipients — The Guardian -
• Élysée Palace Silver and Tableware Stolen by Steward, Prosecutors Say — New York Times World -

The neo-Nazi terror group "the Base" is reportedly stepping up its US operations even as the FBI pulls back, highlighting concerns about domestic extremism and its international ties.

• Neo-Nazi terror group steps up US operations as FBI pulls back — The Guardian -