US and Palestinian officials also used the ceremony to lay out a blueprint for the next steps in implementing a ceasefire in Gaza, and putting the territory under the day-to-day control of a Palestinian-run technocratic administration, which has been assembled in Cairo. The president's son-in-law Jared Kushner outlined a plan for the next 100 days, including a significant increase in aid deliveries, the rehabilitation of essential infrastructure, such as water, electricity and sewage systems, and the reconstruction of hospitals and bakeries.
Capitalizing on the inaction of the international community, which failed to apply meaningful pressure on Israel to halt its genocidal war in Gaza, the Israeli state has fast-tracked its efforts to carve up the West Bank through land grabs, home demolitions, and the mass expulsion of Palestinians. The purpose of the E1 project has always been clear; as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said last August, it is intended to "bury the idea of a Palestinian state."
As we wait for Zelenskyy, it's worth noting a cheeky social media post from Poland's outspoken foreign minister Radosaw Sikorski. He posted a video of his comments from a side event on Ukraine at Davos, in which he argued that you have to put pressure not on the victim of the aggression, but on the aggressor, and added this comment: The person to the left to whom I was giving side glances was Steve Witkoff. It is likely to be seen as a swipe at what central and eastern Europeans see as Witkoff's troubling willingness to accept Putin's explanations and his tendency to present both sides of the conflict as if they were equally responsible for the continuation of the war.
And yes, it is true, the Russians have lost in December 1,000 people dead-not seriously wounded, dead-a day. That's over 30,000 in the month of December. In the 1980s in Afghanistan, the Soviets lost 20,000 in 10 years. Now they (Russia - ed.) lose 30,000 in one month.
The energy agreement brokered after Nicolas Maduro's arrest between U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has transformed Venezuela's economic outlook in the blink of an eye. Just last December, the country faced a bleak 2026: international sanctions; triple-digit inflation spiraling out of control; a fiscal deficit of 9% of GDP; a meager wage scale; and minimal economic growth.
Located on the Samaná Peninsula, Las Terrenas first caught the attention of Christopher Columbus as he sailed past it's tropical shores in 1492. Hundreds of years later, French and Italian expats settled in the town, turning the once-rustic fishing village with little infrastructure into a popular destination for Europeans seeking Caribbean scenery without resort dominance along the coastline, according to International Living.
Memorial services will be held at the Sydney Opera House and Bondi's Chabad House, a Jewish community centre. Most of the 15 victims of the attack were Jewish, including a 10-year-old child. The theme of the memorials is Light will win, and the government will stage light installations in the capital of Canberra and other cities featuring pillars of light for each of the 15 victims.
The deaths from a fire in a mall in Pakistan's Karachi have risen to at least 50 as firefighters recovered more bodies from the debris of the charred building. "We have found 20 to 25 dead bodies, or you call them remains," Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso told the media on Wednesday. The Gul Plaza mall in Karachi the country's biggest city caught fire late on Saturday. The blaze raged on for more than 24 hours before it could be doused.
According to the UN, more than 1,800 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians about five per day were documented in 2025. Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has approved the issuance of gun licences to Israelis in 18 additional illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, as the right-wing government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes to expand illegal outposts that undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
The prime minister said the day was about remembering the 15 victims of the 14 December attack, which he called a stain on our nation. It's an opportunity for us as a nation to wrap our arms around the Jewish community because people were targeted because they were Jewish Australians. Every Jewish Australian felt that very deeply that evening, and ever since as well, he said on Thursday. Today, we share their grief. A grief with no ending, only a beginning.
A young Filipino journalist who spent nearly six years in a crowded provincial prison was found guilty of terror financing on Thursday, in a case rights groups and a UN rapporteur labelled a travesty of justice. Community journalist and radio broadcaster Frenchie Cumpio, 26, and former roommate Marielle Domequil broke down in tears and hugged each other as the guilty verdict was read and they were sentenced to 12-18 years in prison by judge Georgina Uy Perez of the Tacloban regional court.
Gold remained close to historic highs on Thursday. Caution dominates despite a slight easing in geopolitical tensions between the US and Europe. While some uncertainty has been reduced over the near-term, sentiment remains in check, keeping demand for defensive assets elevated. US President Donald Trump stepped back from previously announced tariff threats against several European countries following discussions with NATO leadership. The shift points to a tentative diplomatic understanding around Greenland's future.
By now we have grown accustomed to Trumps strategy of threatening nations with tariffs in a bid to get what he wants, but this occasion appears to have taken it a step too far. For many of the European leaders, this is a warning sign that their US partners are no longer reliable for as long as Trump is in power.
WTI has recorded two consecutive recovery sessions, reclaiming the USD 60 per barrel level and touching around USD 60.5. This move suggests that short-term selling pressure has eased somewhat after the previous corrective phase. However, to properly assess the nature of this rebound, it is necessary to clearly examine both the supporting factors behind prices and the risks that still persist in the near term.
