Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.
Government data has been stolen in a hack though officials believe the risk to individuals is "low", a minister has said.
Trade Minister Chris Bryant told BBC Breakfast "an investigation is ongoing" into the hack, adding that the security gap was "closed pretty quickly".
A Chinese affiliated group is suspected of being behind the attack, but Bryant said investigators "simply don't know as yet" who is responsible.
"We think that it's a fairly low-risk that individuals will have been compromised or affected," Bryant said.
It comes after the Sun newspaper reported that the hack took place in October with information possibly including visa details targeted.
It said in its report that hackers affiliated to the Chinese state were thought to be involved.
The incident has been referred to the Information Commissioners Office.
UK intelligence agencies have warned about increasing, large-scale espionage from China, using cyber and other means, and targeting commercial and political information.
England were pushed towards the precipice of the fastest Ashes series defeat in more than 100 years as a Travis Head century maintained Australia's grip on the third Test in Adelaide.
Head was dropped on 99 by Harry Brook and spent eight balls one run short of a hundred before belting Joe Root down the ground for four to draw a deafening roar from his home-town crowd at the Adelaide Oval.
The left-hander moved Australia's second innings to 271-4 and their overall lead to 356 at the end of the third day.
If England's third loss in as many Tests is completed on Saturday, it would mean the Ashes have been decided in 10 days of cricket.
Not since 1921, when Australia needed only eight days of play to win in England, has the destination of the urn been settled so swiftly.
Head's inevitable ton snuffed out brief England hope that was raised when captain Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer added 73 runs in the morning session.
Stokes made 83 and Archer 51 in a stand of 106, the highest by an England ninth-wicket pair in Australia since 1924.
By creeping to 286 all out, 85 behind on first innings, England could have left themselves an outside chance by dismissing Australia for a total below 240 in their second innings.
At 53-2 and 149-4, England clung on before being cut adrift by Head. At some point, England will be tasked with pulling off the highest successful chase on this ground in order to keep the Ashes alive.
Of further concern to the visitors is the fitness of all-rounder Stokes, who is yet to bowl in the 66 overs of Australia's second innings.
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Brook drops Head at gully on 99
Slow death for England
Realistically, England's fate in this match and the series was sealed by their batting on the second day.
It needed a trademark Stokes miracle to keep his team from their destiny and, despite how well the captain and Archer have personally performed in this match, Stokes might have exhausted his escape acts.
There will be questions over all-rounder Stokes' physical state for the rest of the series. Never one to avoid work when his team need him, there were times when he was bent double in the field.
Bar the 90 minutes of resistance England mustered in the morning session, this day went as expected – Australia batting under minimal pressure, grinding England into the dirt.
England's effort cannot be faulted, they are simply being outclassed. They are suffering a slow death in the City of Churches, a prolonged post-mortem of the Bazball project.
A team aim will be to extend the match to Sunday, to at least avoid a historically swift series defeat. Individuals like Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith need runs to alleviate growing pressure on their international futures.
Head boy
Head's elevation to open the batting on the second day of the first Test will go down as one of the defining moments of the series. His match-winning century in Perth gave Australia a momentum they have never looked like relinquishing.
This ton was memorable for different reasons. Like Alex Carey on day one, Head is another South Australian enjoying an Ashes moment on home turf. This was his fourth successive century in Tests at the Adelaide Oval.
He had to endure a lively England burst with the new ball, particularly from Brydon Carse. With the storm weathered, Stokes absent from the attack and Will Jacks unable to hold an end, Head cashed in.
England tried different plans, at one point packing the off side with seven fielders, but Head still found ways to score. He added 84 for the fourth wicket with Usman Khawaja, who made 40 to further his case to be retained for the fourth Test.
The chance to Brook, off the bowling off Archer, was a powerful slash to gully. It would have been a smart catch, though should have been taken. In the next over, Head lofted Root's off-spin down the ground to complete his 11th Test ton.
It was fitting that Carey was Head's partner when he reached three figures. Their partnership stood at 122 by the close, with Carey unbeaten on 52 and eyeing a second hundred in the match.
Stokes and Archer stand up for England
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'What a shot that is!' - Archer smashes Lyon over long on for six
Stokes and Archer are among the few England players to have performed so far on this tour. Their tight relationship goes back to the 2019 World Cup final.
When Stokes was captured on camera on the second morning giving Archer a tounge-lashing for his bowling, it was an example of how Stokes knows he can get the best from his paceman.
From 213-8 overnight, and with 12 overs in the morning before the second new ball, the ninth-wicket pair were more expansive than the previous evening.
Stokes drove Scott Boland for four from the third ball of the day, Archer swiped Nathan Lyon over long-on for six.
Stokes' 50, from 159 balls, was his slowest in Test cricket and the slowest by any England batter in the Bazball era. Archer, who took five wickets in Australia's first innings, made his maiden half-century in Tests and the second-highest score by an England number 10 in Australia.
Stokes deserved a hundred only for Mitchell Starc to hit the stumps through the gate. Stokes roared in frustration, while Archer chased the captain all the way to the boundary to pat him on the back.
By the time Archer edged Boland to become the last wicket to fall, his batting average of 33 was England's second-highest behind Root. He has more Ashes half-centuries than Pope.
Two-time world champion Anthony Joshua (right) has won 28 professional bouts with four losses, while YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul (left) has won 12 and lost one
The pair crossed paths again during Joshua's interview, with Paul continuing to goad him.
"He's top heavy. Look at those legs. Chicken legs," Paul said, as Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn shook his head and laughed.
"I smell fear. I see something in his eyes, I truly do," Paul added.
"The pressure is on him. I'm fighting free. I've already won. This is a lose-lose situation for him. I've got him right where I want him."
The next time they lock eyes will be in the ring for their eight-round bout at Miami's Kaseya Center.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
WWE star Logan Paul joiend his brother Jake on stage, with Eddie Hearn by Joshua's side
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Paul made his pro debut in 2020, while Joshua turned pro in 2013
Joshua makes weight, Paul unleashes bizarre tirade
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Joshua has fought in 13 world title fights at heavyweight, Paul is yet to compete at an world championship level
A low-key, media-only weigh-in took place on Thursday morning at the Fontainebleau hotel, before a ceremonial weigh-in later in the day at the Fillmore Miami Beach.
Heavyweights do not usually have to make weight, but Joshua was required to come in under 17st 7lb (111kg) - reflecting the gulf in experience between the fighters.
He tipped the scales at 17st 5lb (110kg), with Paul weighing 15st 7lb (98kg).
At the official weigh-in earlier, Paul stepped on the scales calmly before breaking into a brief, animated and somewhat confusing tirade.
"Do you know who I am? I am him," he shouted, eyes wide, as he gestured towards the assembled media.
Paul was the heaviest he has weighed in at - 3lb more than for his fight against Mike Tyson last year.
The weight discrepancy has been a major talking point.
Paul has operated largely at cruiserweight for much of his boxing career.
Joshua was never expected to miss the limit, having posted a video on social media two weeks ago showing himself already on target.
He has comfortably made similar weights before, including for both fights against generational great Oleksandr Usyk. At his heaviest, he was 18st 3lb (118kg) during his professional career.
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Paul is 'massively deluded' if he thinks he can beat Joshua - Hearn
Smiling Dubois makes weight for MVP debut
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Caroline Dubois calls out rivals before US debut
Briton Caroline Dubois smiled her way to the stage as she also made weight for her WBC lightweight world title defence against Camilla Panatta.
Dubois, 24, looked strong at the weight, with both fighters coming in one pound under the 9st 9lb (61kg) limit.
The Londoner exchanged words with her Italian opponent as they faced off.
"I said I was going to break her and that's exactly what I am going to do," Dubois said afterwards.
She was also involved in a lively exchange with super-featherweight Alycia Baumgardner, who also features on the card, at Wednesday's news conference.
Dubois is unbeaten, with 11 wins and one draw, and this contest marks her first appearance under Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, which has invested heavily in women's boxing.
Long considered one of the future faces of the sport, Dubois now steps on to the global stage, with the event being broadcast on Netflix.
The platform's worldwide subscriber base of more than 300 million offers significant exposure, particularly for fighters on the undercard.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Dubois is one of several British female fighters who have signed with MVP, co-founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian
TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok's boss told employees on Thursday.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
The deal is line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community".
The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.
A typical Christmas dinner with all the trimmings will cost slightly more than last year
Turkey and sprouts are synonymous with Christmas dinner and this year a rise in the price of both means the festive feast will cost you slightly more at the supermarket.
A typical turkey dinner with all the trimmings will cost about £32.45, according to research done for the BBC - a £1.24 or nearly4% rise on last year.
It comes after bird flu led to large numbers of turkeys being culled early, while a drier spring and summer hit sprout harvests.
However, the humble but golden potato and parsnip have gone down in price, along with - if you have any room - Christmas pudding and mince pies. Our seasonal snapshot reflects that overall food price rises are beginning to slow down.
The centre piece to the traditional family feast - the turkey - costs £20, for a standard 10lb (4.55kg) frozen one. The same bird was £18.62 last year - that's a 7.37% rise, according to the research from retail tracking platform Assosia.
The ever-divisive Brussels sprouts went up by more than 9% to 94p a bag, it found.
The data is based on prices on 6 December 2025 and the same date in 2024, across own-brand products from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl.
However, every year as supermarkets compete for our Christmas custom many slash the prices of their bags of veg as low as 8p so there are bargains to be had.
She says turkeys eat more feed when they can't graze outdoors so this pushed up her costs. But she says her customers understand she has to pass this on.
"I think people are now generally expecting an increase on most things year on year," she says.
Susan Gorst
Susan Gorst and her son Freddie on their turkey farm
The rising price of turkey "could have been a lot worse," according to John Muff, co-owner of Muff's Butchers in Wirral. He estimates it's up by £1-2 per kilo since last Christmas.
"All year round we've seen price increases, almost on a weekly basis, 5p here, 10p there," he says.
Pork has also gone up in price, with pigs in blankets now £2.59, or 5.3% higher than last year.
John says this didn't surprise him. The cost of making their sausages from scratch has seen a "steady increase throughout the year," he says.
Butcher John Muff said the price of turkey has crept up all year
He says "every aspect is going up," from animal feed, energy, transport and wages.
But he thinks higher supermarket prices might be tempting shoppers into a trip to the butchers.
"They're thinking to themselves: If I'm going to pay that sort of price, I may as well come in here and get the proper stuff," he says.
Sprout prices
Whether you celebrate or shun the sprouts at Christmas, the success of this little green veg is highly dependent on the weather.
Alan Steven, a sprout farmer in Fife, says this spring the ground was so dry he had to water his fields before he could plant his seeds - for the first time in 10 years.
He had the cost of irrigating twice more over the summer due to prolonged hot weather.
And so far the winter has been milder which means the sprout plants are more prone to disease, he says.
Alan Steven said he had to irrigate his sprout seeds as they were being planted because the ground was so dry
Spud prices hold steady
The price of root vegetables has remained firmly planted - with no change to the cost of carrots - and potatoes and parsnips just a penny cheaper than last year.
Scott Walker, chief executive of GB Potatoes, said planting and harvesting conditions were favourable this year, but the middle of the season, was "one of the driest in modern memory". The summer was the hottest on record in the UK.
Farmers who didn't have irrigation systems would have suffered and those who could water their crops would have had higher electricity and fuel costs, he says.
"We've had more modest rises than we've had over the past couple of years, but costs have still gone up," he says.
Lucy Munns
Lucy Munns grows potatoes, sugar beet, wheat and barley
The trouble with potato prices is you never know what you're going to get, says Lucy Munns, a potato farmer in Cambridgeshire.
She said a good price for her potatoes would be £200 a tonne, but she was anticipating prices as low as £80 in December.
Hot spells while potatoes are growing causes them to be oddly shaped and they can be rejected by supermarkets and fish and chip shops, she says.
Lucy Munns
Hot weather can cause potatoes to grow in odd shapes
Pudding and mince pies fall in price
Another side dish which saw a slight dip in price was stuffing mix - dropping 1.32% to 50p for 170g.
And lashings of gravy will also be cheaper this year, with gravy granules dropping 7.35% to 91p for 200-300g.
If after the Christmas feast you still have appetite for a sweet treat you'll be glad to hear that Christmas pudding and mince pies are cheaper this year.
A pack of six iced mince pies will cost £1.77, which is 2.75% cheaper than in 2024. A standard 400g pudding comes in at £2.35, or a drop of 7.42%.
It's down to falling flour and sugar prices - there is currently a global sugar surplus.
'An absolute superhero': father describes how Jess saved his daughter
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 Hanukkah screamed and ducked. Others ran. Some didn't make it far.
The 10-odd minutes that followed were the longest of their lives.
Wayne's body was acting as a human shield for his eldest daughter, but his mind was elsewhere: with his missing daughter Gigi.
"We had to wait all that time for the gunshots to stop. It felt like eternity," he tells the BBC.
Unbeknown to him, Jessica's gaze had caught on a little girl in a rainbow skirt, confused, scared and alone - calling out for her mummy and daddy.
In that moment, the pregnant mother couldn't protect her own child, so she'd protect this one, she decided. She smothered Gigi's body with her own, and uttered "I've got you", over and over again. They could feel the moment a woman about a metre away was shot and killed.
By the time the air finally fell silent, Wayne had become all but convinced Gigi was dead.
"I was looking amongst the blood and the bodies," he says, growing emotional.
"What I saw - no human should ever see that."
Eventually, he caught a glimpse of a familiar colourful skirt and found his daughter, stained in red - but okay, still shrouded under Jessica. Her son too would soon be found, unharmed.
"She said she's just a mother and she acted with mother instincts," Wayne says.
"[But] she's a superhero. We'll be indebted to her for the rest of our lives."
It is one of the incredible accounts of selflessness and courage that have emerged from one of Australia's darkest days.
Declared a terror attack by police, it is the deadliest in Australian history. Dozens were injured and 15 people - including a 10-year-old girl - were killed by the two gunmen, who police say were inspired by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
Chris Minns/Facebook
Chris Minns says Ahmed al Ahmed is a "genuine hero"
More people undoubtedly would have been harmed if it weren't for Ahmed al Ahmed.
A Syrian-Australian shop owner, he'd been having coffee nearby when the shooting began. His father told BBC Arabic Ahmed "saw the victims, the blood, women and children lying on the street, and then acted".
Footage of the moment he sprung out from behind a car and wrestled a gun off one of the attackers immediately went viral. He was shot multiple times, and may lose his arm.
Another man, Reuven Morrison, was also seen on the video hurling objects at the same attacker in the moments after Ahmed disarmed him.
Sheina Gutnik easily recognised her dad in the footage.
"He is not one to lie down. He is one to run towards danger," Ms Gutnick told BBC partner CBS News.
He had jumped up the second the shooting started, she said, and was throwing bricks at one of the gunmen before he was fatally shot.
"He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most."
The first two victims of the assault, Boris and Sofia Gurman, were also captured on dashcam footage grappling with one of the men for his weapon. When they succeeded, he got another gun from the car he'd just climbed out of and killed them.
Bondi beach attack: Dashcam video shows couple tackle attacker
"While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness," the couple's family said in a statement.
"This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were - people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others."
The list goes on.
Chaya, only 14 years old, was shot in the leg while shielding two young children from gunfire.
Jack Hibbert - a beat cop just four months into the job - was hit in both the head and the shoulder but continued to help festival attendees until he physically couldn't, his family said. The 22-year-old will survive, but with life-changing injuries.
Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed sprinting over from a neighbouring beach during the attack, armed with critical medical supplies. He didn't even pause to put on shoes.
Alexandra Ching/Instagram
Jackson Doolan heard gunshots and took off running towards them
Others at Bondi rushed from the beach into the fire, their red-and-yellow lifesaving boards working overtime as stretchers. One lifeguard even dived back into the surf to save swimmers who'd been sent into a panic by the shooting.
Student Levi Xu, 31, told the BBC he felt he could not shout for help, as he didn't want to draw attention to himself or risk any potential saviours being targeted.
But lifeguard Rory Davey saw him and his friend struggling, and dragged them back to shore.
"We stood up and wanted to thank him, but he had already gone back into the sea to rescue other people," says Mr Xu.
Thousands of Australians flocked to donate blood, dwarfing the previous record.
Authorities say many off-duty first responders travelled to Bondi on Sunday - from as far as two hours away - simply because they knew there was a need.
Healthcare workers rushed to hospitals when they heard of the attack, whether or not they were on shift, confronting unspeakable trauma to save lives.
"Normally on a Sunday night, there is staff available to run one operating theatre [at St Vincent's Hospital]. There were eight operating at once," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
State premier Chris Minns, too, has been quick to praise the heroics of ordinary, everyday Australians.
"This is a terrible, wanton act of destructive violence. But there are still amazing people that we have in Australia, and they showed their true colours last night," he said, the day after the attack.
Wayne says he shudders to think what would have happened without people like Jessica and Ahmed.
When he speaks to the BBC, he's just attended a funeral for the gunmen's youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
"I was sitting at this funeral and I was just thinking, tears pouring out of my eyes... I could have been in the front... It could have been my little girl."
"There could have been so much more devastation without the bravery of [these] people... someone who could run just comes in. Someone who could worry about their own child looks after another child.
TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok's boss told employees on Thursday.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
The deal is line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community".
The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.
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