World news

World news

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that he had met with the leaders of the country's states and territories, and that the group had agreed to "strengthen gun laws across the nation." They plan to introduce even more rigorous background checks, bar non-nationals from gaining firearms licenses, and further limit the kinds of weapons individuals can own.

Hamas's Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya, confirmed the killing of senior commander Raed Saad in an Israeli attack in Gaza the previous day. He accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and jeopardising the United States-brokered peace plan. The continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and latest assassinations that targeted Saad and others threaten the viability of the agreement, al-Hayya said. He called on mediators US President Donald Trump in particular to work on obliging Israel to respect the ceasefire and commit to it.

At about 5pm, the Chanukah by the Sea event begins at Archer Park, a small, grassy area at the back of Bondi beach. The park is just north of Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving club, and has several small shelters for picnics and a children's playground. Chanukah by the Sea is a regular event for Bondi's large Jewish community, to mark the beginning of the religious festival.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, United States envoys and European leaders are set to hold high-level talks in Germany as diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine increase. After five hours of talks on Sunday, Zelenskyy will again meet US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, with other European leaders also holding meetings in the German capital throughout the day.

As the rest of the world rushes to harness the power of artificial intelligence, militant groups also are experimenting with the technology, even if they aren't sure exactly what to do with it. For extremist organizations, AI could be a powerful tool for recruiting new members, churning out realistic deepfake images and refining their cyberattacks, national security experts and spy agencies have warned.

Extraordinary footage of the civilian's actions began circulating on social media on Sunday, shortly after two men, later identified as a father and son, started shooting into a crowd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah. The massacre has left at least 16 people dead in the worst terrorist attack in Australia's history. In the mobile-phone video, which has not been verified by Bloomberg News, one of the attackers is standing near a tree and firing.

This is the story of Hanukkah, Rabbi Mendel Weinfeld of Chabad of Almaden in San Jose said. This is exactly what Hanukkah is about that over and over again, we have these stories, and we stood up and we were a resilient people, and that's what our community feels as well, that we're going to go back into the public square and we're going to light menorah again.

Sydney, New South Wales An terrorist attack on a Hanukah celebration at Australia's most famous beach has left at least 12 people dead, including one attacker, after gunmen opened fire from a nearby footbridge. Prime minister Anthony Albanese said the targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukah, which should be a day of joy [was] an act of evil antisemitism. A further 29 people, including two police officers responding to the attack, were taken to hospital with injuries.

Cuban officials have denounced the US seizure of the Skipper oil tanker off Venezuela's coast on Wednesday, calling it an act of piracy and maritime terrorism, as well as a serious violation of international law that hurts the Caribbean island nation and its people.

Iman Abdel-Azim had to bury her brother in the courtyard of her home in Khartoum North when he died as fighting between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces raged around them. Her neighbours had to help her bury him because it was impossible to access cemeteries in the fighting. She was not the only resident of the capital region's three cities Khartoum, Khartoum North and Omdurman who had to do this.

"At a time when London's Jewish communities are coming together to begin the celebration of Hannukah, we know this attack will be the cause of not just terrible upset but also significant heightened concern about safety. "We were already working closely with partners, including the Community Security Trust, to provide an increased presence around synagogues and other community venues at this important time.