The Australian government has announced a gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack - its deadliest mass shooting in decades. The scheme is the largest since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which left 35 people dead and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control meas»»»

STARKE, Florida: A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion robbery was put to death Thursday evening in a record 19th execution in Florida this year. Frank Athen Walls, 58, was pronounced dead at 6:11 pm following a three-drug injection at Florida State Pri»»»

News report by Saud Al-Ajmi DOHA, Dec 18 (KUNA) -- Qatar is celebrating its National Day Thursday, remembering Sheikh Jassem bin Mohammad bin Thani who founded the Gulf state on December 18, 1878, while Kuwait joins in this celebration as a reflection of the bonds of Gulf brotherhood and a shared d»»»

GENEVA, Dec 18 (KUNA) -- At least 1,013 civilians were killed during an offensive by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Zamzam internally displaced persons camp from 11 to 13 April, said a UN Human Rights Office report said on Thursday.The report described this as "a consistent patt»»»

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of an at-large suspect in Saturday's Brown University mass shooting, law enforcement officials announced on Thursday. Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI | License Photo Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Authorities issued a warrant Thursday for a suspect in a Brown University mass »»»

Violence has erupted in Bangladesh following the death of a prominent leader of the youth movement that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Sharif Osman Hadi was shot by masked attackers while leaving a mosque in Dhaka last week and died of his injuries on Thursday while being treated in Si»»»

A Hanukkah menorah is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney. On Thursday, police detained seven men believed to be part of a planned "violent attack." Photo by NSW Premier's Office/UPI | License Photo Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Syd»»»

This is the second part of RT's special investigation on Igor Kolomoysky. You can find Part 1 here to read about Kolomoysky's rise to the status of godfather of Ukrainian corruption, his involvement in the Maidan revolution and the following years leading up to Vladimir Zelensky's election. Zelensk»»»

When bullets began flying at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, strangers Wayne and Jessica found themselves in the same nightmare scenario. They couldn't find their three-year-olds. In the chaos, separately, they desperately scanned the green. People who'd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanuk»»»

It is crunch time for Ursula von der Leyen and her Brussels-based cabal who have attempted to bend and break EU law in order to force through a dubious legal claim for the use of sovereign Russian wealth to further fund Ukraine’s military. Kiev is long past broke, owes the EU some €45 billion and f»»»

The European Union on Thursday said it would drastically reduce asylum claims from seven nations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia by considering them safe countries of origin, prompting widespread outrage from human rights groups on International Migrants' Day. An agreement between European Parl»»»

Brazilian opposition senators celebrate during a Senate session in Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday after a bill passed that could reduce the sentences of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison, and other participants in the coup plot that followed the 2022 elections»»»

New plaques have appeared under the portraits of former US presidents at the White House. Unlike Donald Trump's previous statements about his predecessors, which have been delivered through speeches, interviews and social media posts, these plaques - installed outside the West Wing - represent a mo»»»

More than 1,000 civilians were killed when Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces took over the famine-stricken displacement camp of Zamzam in Sudan's Darfur in April, according to a UN report published on Thursday. About a third of the victims were summarily executed, says the UN Human Rights O»»»

Thai fighter jets on Thursday struck a building in the Cambodian border city of Poipet, a casino hub popular with Thai gamblers, amid renewed clashes between the neighbouring countries just months after they agreed to a truce brokered by the US and regional powers. Thailand on Thursday bombed a bui»»»

Brian Walshe was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Ana Walshe. File Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Brian Walshe was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the murder of his wife Ana Walshe. Walshe was also sentenced to no less than 19 years for lying to police and »»»

DOHA (Sputnik) - Qatar on Thursday held its first large-scale military parade in six years to mark National Day, commemorating the state's founding, showcasing military readiness following Israel's September strikes on its capital, a Sputnik correspondent reported. The parade was opened with fighte»»»

Belgium insisted on Thursday that its European Union partners must provide ironclad guarantees that it will be protected from Russian retaliation before it would back a massive loan for Ukraine. At a high-stakes EU summit in Brussels, the 27-nation bloc's leaders are set to decide on whether to use»»»

In a powerful display of courage amid tragedy, Ahmed Al-Ahmed has emerged as the "Sydney hero" following the devastating mass shooting at Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. Also Read: Viral video: Hero tackles Bondi beach shooter in life-saving takedownA now-viral video shows that during a Hanukkah »»»

Police in London arrested two people who called for "intifada" during a pro-Palestinian protest, which followed a decision by authorities to toughen enforcement of hate speech laws after a deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. The arrests Wednesday came hours after police in London »»»

Police in London arrested two people who called for “intifada” during a pro-Palestinian protest, which followed a decision by authorities to toughen enforcement of hate speech laws after a deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. The arrests Wednesday came hours after police in London »»»

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government will crack down on hate speech following Sunday's deadly shooting at Bondi Beach that targeted a Jewish festival. Fifteen people were killed when two gunmen opened fire at an event to mark the first day of Hanukkah. New laws will target»»»

Sydney: Australia’s prime minister vowed to stamp out extremism Thursday as the nation mourned the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach shooting, a 10-year-old girl remembered as “our little ray of sunshine”. Father-and-son gunmen are accused of firing into crowds at a beachside Jewish festival on Su»»»

Quito, Ecuador: Ecuadoran footballer Mario Pineida was shot and killed in the port city of Guayaquil on Wednesday, his team said. Guayaquil has become a hotspot for gang violence linked to drug trafficking and several football players in Ecuador have been targeted in recent months. Pineida, 33, was»»»

U.S. Army HIMARS were included in the $11.1 billion arms deal with Taiwan. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The United States has approved a massive $11.1 billion arms deal with Taiwan, the self-government Asian island announced Thursday. The U.S. Congress was informed »»»

China opposed what it said was "unilateral bullying" after Washington ordered a blockade of sanctioned tankers entering and leaving oil-rich Venezuela, but did not say exactly how it would come to the South American country's aid or offer any refuge for its embattled leader. Earlier this week, US P»»»

EU leaders gather in Brussels Thursday for a make-or-break summit on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine -- with key player Belgium under pressure to drop its opposition. The 27-nation bloc is scrambling to strengthen Kyiv's hand as Russia's war drags towards the four-year mark and US President»»»

Israeli troops fired a mortar shell over the ceasefire line into a Palestinian residential area in the Gaza Strip, in the latest incident to rock the tenuous ceasefire with Hamas. Health officials said at least 10 people were wounded, and the army said it was investigating. The military said the mo»»»

The US military said Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same day the House rejected efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels. US Southern Command stated on social med»»»

Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dan Bongino speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, December 4, 2025. He announced he was resigning on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 18 (UPI) »»»

DOHA: Under the bright lights of the iconic Lusail Stadium, an irresistible finale awaits as free-scoring Jordan take on Morocco’s rock-solid defence in a thrilling Asia-Africa showdown tonight, with both sides chasing the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 glory. Both World Cup-bound teams arrive at the fin»»»

WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has filed a criminal complaint against the Nobel Foundation, accusing it of misusing Nobel Peace Prize funds by awarding them to Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, who has publicly called on the US to attack her own country. The complaint, dated W»»»

US President Donald Trump has added partisan and subjective plaques to his White House presidential "Walk of Fame", taking personal swipes at his predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama and repeating false claims about his 2020 election defeat. US President Donald Trump, who has made no mystery of »»»

French authorities have detained a 22-year-old man over a cyberattack on the email servers of the French interior ministry that compromised files containing criminal records. Prosecutors say the suspect is known to police and was convicted of similar crimes earlier this year. A 22-ye»»»

The family of the Bondi shooting's youngest victim Matilda urged the community to not let her death fuel anger, as they said a final goodbye to the 10-year-old on Thursday. Matilda was among 15 people who were shot dead when two gunmen opened fire on an event marking the start of Hannukah at Sydney»»»

A manhunt for the mass shooter who opened fire in an exam room at one of America's top universities stretched into a fifth day Wednesday with no apparent police progress in identifying a suspect or a motive. The only new information from police at a media briefing Wednesday was an appeal for a witn»»»

Police have arrested two people "for racially aggravated public order offences" after they allegedly "shouted slogans involving calls for intifada" at a pro-Palestinian protest in central London. Five people in total were arrested, including one for obstructing the arrests of people shouting slogan»»»

France is investigating whether an organised group linked to a “foreign power” may have been involved in the malware infection of a passenger ship that would allow it to be controlled remotely. The malware discovery onboard the Italian-owned Fantastic was made when the ship was docked in the southe»»»

Heavy rains over the past week have compounded the already dire living conditions of the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, UN agencies say. Unicef spokesman Jonathan Crickx told the BBC that the weather overnight had been "horrendous", with the rain so intense that »»»

The Rasht-Astara railway line enables uninterrupted freight transport from Russia to the Persian Gulf, avoiding Western-controlled maritime chokepoints, Mohammad Khatibi, a Tehran-based political analyst, tells Sputnik. "Unlike maritime routes, land corridors through Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia ca»»»

Dubai: The French government said on Wednesday that “a few dozen” confidential records were extracted during a cyberattack on the Interior Ministry that lasted several days, with senior officials describing the breach as serious and announcing immediate measures to strengthen cyber defences, AFP re»»»

Members of the National Guard patrol the Washington monument grounds in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 21. An appeals court ruled Wednesday that the Guard can stay in the city until the suit filed by the city is decided. File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A federal appeals»»»

The Lebanese army has uncovered a tunnel built by Hezbollah in the southern town of Touline after carrying out an excavation at the request of the ceasefire oversight committee known as the Mechanism, Lebanese media reported. The site had previously been struck by an Israeli attack, according to th»»»

DOHA:The 2025 National Day events continued on Wednesday at Darb Al Saai in the Umm Salal area, under the slogan 'With you it rises and from you it awaits', organized by the Ministry of Culture, from December 10 to 20. Darb Al Saai witnessed a large public turnout from citizens and residents, who c»»»

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., speaks during a press conference after a weekly House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in March. He announced Wednesday that he won't seek re-election. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., announced Wedne»»»

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will attend a ceremony on Wednesday to honor US personnel killed in Syria over the weekend by a suspected ISIS attacker. Trump and his wife will travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to be present for what the Air Force calls the "dignifie»»»

A prosecutor at the appeal trial of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group has proposed that all 42 defendants be convicted in line with the original indictment, during proceedings before a Five-Member Court. The case concerns charges of running a criminal organization, as well as the 2013 murder of anti-f»»»

The head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service said on Tuesday that the country must "ensure" Iran doesn't restart its nuclear program, six months after it bombed Tehran's atomic facilities during a 12-day war. "The idea of continuing to develop a nuclear bomb still beats in their hearts. We bear»»»

Nato countries' pledge to spend 5% of their economic output on defence is Donald Trump's "biggest foreign policy success," the alliance's chief has said. In an interview with the BBC, Mark Rutte said it was thanks to Donald Trump that Nato was "stronger than it ever was", adding that Trump "is good»»»

Senior British police officials said Wednesday that in the light of recent deadly antisemitic attacks they would now arrest protesters using language or signs that intimidate Jews. File photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Demonstrators on the streets of Britain's two largest cities, chant»»»