The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a pill version of the weight-loss drug Wegovy, according to maker Novo Nordisk.
It marks a first in this new era of weight-loss medications with Wegovy being the only so far to gain approval for the pill version of their GLP-1 drug, which has only been available as an injection.
Wegovy's Danish makers Novo Nordisk said the once-daily pill was a "convenient option" to the inject-able and would provide the same weight loss as the shot. It comes after Wegovy was approved by the FDA specifically for weight loss.
Others like Ozempic, which has similar weight-loss effects, were primarily approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.
The BBC has contacted the FDA for comment.
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Watch: Trump announces new class of Navy battleships
President Donald Trump has announced that the US will commission a new series of heavily armed Navy "battleships" named after himself, as part of a revamped "Golden Fleet".
Construction on the Trump Class USS Defiant ships, which will be equipped to carry an array of weapons, is expected to begin soon, with Trump saying they will be operational in two-and-a-half years.
The announcement is part of a larger planned expansion of the US Navy by President Trump in both manned and unmanned vessels, including larger missile-armed warships and smaller vessels.
Officials have warned that the US currently lags behind China in both shipbuilding capacity and total output.
Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida alongside defence secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan on Monday, Trump said he approved the construction of two new battleships to start, with a plan to build up to 25.
"They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," Trump said.
Once completed, Trump said the armed vessels would be equipped to carry hypersonic and "extremely lethal" weapons, and would be the flagships of the US Navy.
Trump, who spoke while flanked on both sides with posters of renderings of the "Trump class" ships, said the vessels would be built domestically, and their construction would create "thousands" of jobs.
Reuters
Trump said he approved the construction of two new battleships to start, with a plan to build up to 25
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Phelan said that Trump had specifically asked for a "big, beautiful" battleship-type vessel as part of the fleet, which will also include dozens of support and transport vessels.
On 19 December, another new set of vessels, based on the US Coast Guard's Legend-class National Security Cutter, were announced by the US Navy.
"Recent operations from the Red Sea to the Caribbean make the requirement undeniable - our small surface combatant inventory is a third of what we have," Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle said in a video statement about the new ships.
"We need more capable blue water small combatants to close the gap and keep our [destroyers] focused on the high-end fight," he added.
Reuters
Trump unveiled a rendering of the Trump Class USS Defiant at an announcement in Mar-a-Lago on Monday
A similar vessel, the Constellatio-class frigate - which Trump approved during his first term in office - was cancelled in 2024 after repeated delays and cost overruns.
Only two ships were reportedly expected to be delivered after approximately $2bn (£1.49bn) was spent on the project.
US officials and defence analysts have repeatedly warned that the US is lagging behind China, its main potential maritime rival, in shipbuilding capacity.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has vowed to revive the US shipbuilding industry.
"We used to make so many ships," Trump said in March. "We don't make them very much, but we're going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact."
In October, Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb penned a deal for the US to purchase 11 Finnish-designed icebreakers, including seven built in the US with Finnish expertise.
The president's announcement also comes as US naval and air assets have surged to the Caribbean amid rising tensions with Venezuela.
The US started attacking vessels in September that were alleged to be carrying drugs, with strikes leaving at least 100 people dead.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump claimed that thousands of American lives had been saved because of the boat strikes by stopping lethal drugs from entering the US.
The attacks have been criticised by some experts, who said they could violate international laws governing armed conflict.
Vince Zampella, who co-created the widely-popular video game Call of Duty, has died in a car crash in California, aged 55.
Zampella's death was confirmed by Electronic Arts, which owns Respawn Entertainment, a game studio he co-founded.
The influential video game developer died after his car crashed and caught fire on a highway in Los Angeles on Sunday, US media report.
"This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince's family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work," a spokesperson for Electronic Arts told the BBC.
Donald Trump has sparked a renewed disagreement with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland, the Arctic island he has said he would like to annex.
Trump announced on Sunday that Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, would become the US's special envoy to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Writing on social media, the US president said Landry understood how "essential Greenland is to our national security" and would advance US interests.
Greenland's prime minister said the island must "decide our own future" and its "territorial integrity must be respected".
The move angered Copenhagen, which will call the US ambassador for "an explanation".
Governor Landry said in a post on X it was an honour to serve in a "volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the United States", saying the role would not affect his duties as Louisiana governor.
Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, described the appointment as "deeply upsetting" and warned Washington to respect Danish sovereignty.
He told Danish broadcaster TV2: "As long as we have a kingdom consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot accept actions that undermine our territorial integrity."
Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the territory was willing to cooperate with the United States and other countries, but only on the basis of mutual respect.
He said: "The appointment of a special envoy does not change anything for us. We decide our own future. Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, and territorial integrity must be respected."
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has revived his long-standing interest with Greenland, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.
He has refused to rule out using force to secure control of the island, a stance that has shocked Denmark, a Nato ally that has traditionally enjoyed close relations with Washington.
Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US.
The dispute comes as strategic competition in the Arctic grows, with melting ice opening new shipping routes and increasing access to valuable mineral resources.
Greenland's location between North America and Europe also makes it central to US and Nato security planning and puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.
The US seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday
The US Coast Guard is in "active pursuit" of another vessel in international waters near Venezuela, an official has told the BBC's US partner CBS News, as tensions in the region continue to escalate.
US authorities have already seized two oil tankers this month - one of them on Saturday.
Sunday's pursuit related to a "sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion", a US official said. "It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order."
Washington has accused Venezuela of using oil money to fund drug-related crime, while Venezuela has described the tanker seizures as "theft and kidnapping".
US President Donald Trump last week ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the country.
Venezuela - home to the world largest proven oil reserves - has accused the Trump administration of trying to steal its resources.
US authorities have not yet officially confirmed Sunday's pursuit, and the exact location and name of the tanker involved is not yet known.
As of last week, more than 30 of the 80 ships in Venezuelan waters or approaching the country were under US sanctions, according to data compiled by TankerTrackers.com.
Saturday's seizure saw a Panamanian-flagged tanker boarded by a specialised tactical team in international waters.
That ship is not on the US Treasury's list of sanctioned vessels, but the US has said it was carrying "sanctioned PDVSA oil". In the past five years the ship also sailed under the flags of Greece and Liberia, according to records seen by BBC Verify.
"These acts will not go unpunished," the Venezuelan government said in response to Saturday's incident. It added that it intended to file a complaint with the UN Security Council and "other multilateral agencies and the governments of the world".
Venezuela is highly dependent on revenues from its oil exports to finance its government spending.
In recent weeks, the US has built up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea and has carried out deadly strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats, killing around 100 people.
It has provided no public evidence that these vessels were carrying drugs, and the military has come under increasing scrutiny from Congress over the strikes.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a designated-terrorist organisation called Cartel de los Soles, which he denies.
The town of La Bañeza - which has a population of around 11,000 - was badly affected by wildfires in the summer
Spain's Christmas lottery has been welcomed as an "injection of hope" in the northwest of the country, where the jackpot handed out hundreds of millions of euros just months after wildfires had caused devastation.
Most of the first-prize-winning tickets in the lottery, known as El Gordo, had been bought by people in small towns in the province of León.
A single ticket, or décimo, costing 20 euros, is worth 400,000 euros if it bears the winning number, in this case 79432. Décimos come in strips of 10 and when many strips of the same number are sold to a group of neighbours or workmates, there is potential for a massive jackpot.
People in the town of La Bañeza shared out 468 million euros.
Among the recipients were members of a local football club in the town, which has a population of around 11,000.
The jackpot came four months after forest fires had torn through León, burning 8,000 hectares of land surrounding La Bañeza and killing a local man, 35-year-old Abel Ramos.
The sparsely populated, heavily forested north-west of Spain is used to wildfires, although during this record-breaking year, the area was particularly severely affected. Firefighters battled enormous blazes in León and the neighbouring Galicia region throughout much of August and during the summer 0.8 percent of the country's total surface area was burned.
EPA
Members of La Bañeza football club celebrated their winnings on Monday
According to the mayor of the town, Javier Carrera, the lottery win "means for La Bañeza an injection of excitement and hope," he told Spanish media. Carrera also mentioned the closure this year of a local sugar-beet factory which caused the loss of dozens of jobs.
Another town in the León province that was heavily affected by the summer's fires, Villablino, also took a massive share of the jackpot, receiving 200 million euros.
"We needed some good news," said the mayor, Mario Rivas.
On top of the blazes, five local men were killed in two separate mining accidents in nearby Asturias this year.
"It doesn't make up for the loss of the lives of our friends, but this shows us that there can also be good news," said Rivas.
Most of the winning tickets in Villablino were sold by a local Alzheimer's association.
In addition, the town of La Pola de Gordón, also in León and with a population of 3,000, shared out 60 million euros. Sixty-four million euros of jackpot money also went to a working-class district in Madrid.
In Villablino, Maribel Martín had one of the winning décimos, worth 400,000 euros. She was out doing grocery shopping when her son called her to give her the good news.
"We were really down and 200 million euros is a wonderful thing," she said
She is clear what she wants to do with the prize money. "Spread it around a bit and enjoy life," she said.
The town of La Bañeza - which has a population of around 11,000 - was badly affected by wildfires in the summer
Spain's Christmas lottery has been welcomed as an "injection of hope" in the northwest of the country, where the jackpot handed out hundreds of millions of euros just months after wildfires had caused devastation.
Most of the first-prize-winning tickets in the lottery, known as El Gordo, had been bought by people in small towns in the province of León.
A single ticket, or décimo, costing 20 euros, is worth 400,000 euros if it bears the winning number, in this case 79432. Décimos come in strips of 10 and when many strips of the same number are sold to a group of neighbours or workmates, there is potential for a massive jackpot.
People in the town of La Bañeza shared out 468 million euros.
Among the recipients were members of a local football club in the town, which has a population of around 11,000.
The jackpot came four months after forest fires had torn through León, burning 8,000 hectares of land surrounding La Bañeza and killing a local man, 35-year-old Abel Ramos.
The sparsely populated, heavily forested north-west of Spain is used to wildfires, although during this record-breaking year, the area was particularly severely affected. Firefighters battled enormous blazes in León and the neighbouring Galicia region throughout much of August and during the summer 0.8 percent of the country's total surface area was burned.
EPA
Members of La Bañeza football club celebrated their winnings on Monday
According to the mayor of the town, Javier Carrera, the lottery win "means for La Bañeza an injection of excitement and hope," he told Spanish media. Carrera also mentioned the closure this year of a local sugar-beet factory which caused the loss of dozens of jobs.
Another town in the León province that was heavily affected by the summer's fires, Villablino, also took a massive share of the jackpot, receiving 200 million euros.
"We needed some good news," said the mayor, Mario Rivas.
On top of the blazes, five local men were killed in two separate mining accidents in nearby Asturias this year.
"It doesn't make up for the loss of the lives of our friends, but this shows us that there can also be good news," said Rivas.
Most of the winning tickets in Villablino were sold by a local Alzheimer's association.
In addition, the town of La Pola de Gordón, also in León and with a population of 3,000, shared out 60 million euros. Sixty-four million euros of jackpot money also went to a working-class district in Madrid.
In Villablino, Maribel Martín had one of the winning décimos, worth 400,000 euros. She was out doing grocery shopping when her son called her to give her the good news.
"We were really down and 200 million euros is a wonderful thing," she said
She is clear what she wants to do with the prize money. "Spread it around a bit and enjoy life," she said.
MSF said it would be "a disaster for Palestinians" if international NGOs are forced to stop operations in Gaza
The UN and other aid agencies fear new Israeli registration rules for dozens of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) risk the collapse of the humanitarian response in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
INGOs not registered by 31 December face closure of their operations in Israel within 60 days, which the agencies say could severely disrupt healthcare and other life-saving services in Gaza.
Save the Children said its application had not been approved and it was "pursuing all available avenues to have this decision reconsidered".
Israel's ministry of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism said the departure of "rogue organisations" would not affect the delivery of aid.
Fourteen out of the approximately 100 applications have so far been rejected, 21 have been approved, and those remaining are still undergoing review, according to the ministry.
"The system relies on vague, arbitrary, and highly politicised criteria and imposes requirements that humanitarian organisations cannot meet without violating international legal obligations or compromising core humanitarian principles," it said.
It added: "While some INGOs have been registered under the new system, these INGOs represent only a fraction of the response in Gaza and are nowhere near the number required just to meet immediate and basic needs."
According to the Humanitarian Country Team, INGOs currently run or support the majority of Gaza's field hospitals and primary healthcare centres, emergency shelter responses, water and sanitation services, nutrition stabilisation centres for children with acute malnutrition, and critical mine action activities.
If they were forced to stop operations, it said, one in three health facilities in Gaza would close.
"Pressing ahead with this policy will have far-reaching consequences on the future of the OPT, in addition to threatening a fragile ceasefire and putting Palestinian lives at imminent risk, particularly during winter," the Humanitarian Country Team warned.
"The UN will not be able to compensate for the collapse of INGOs' operations if they are de-registered, and the humanitarian response cannot be replaced by alternative actors operating outside established humanitarian principles."
It also stressed that Israel had an obligation under international humanitarian law to ensure that Gaza's population was adequately supplied.
Reuters
An Israeli official said international NGOs, which support many hospitals in Gaza, had been given "more than sufficient time" to obtain registration
Save the Children - which has supported families in Gaza with clean water and cash assistance, as well as healthcare clinics and mother and baby areas - confirmed on Monday that it was informed several weeks ago that its registration application had not been approved.
"We are pursuing all available avenues to have this decision reconsidered, including filing a petition with the Israeli courts," a spokesperson told the BBC.
"While we call for this decision to be reconsidered, we remain committed to delivering vital and life-saving support to children and families in the Occupied Palestinian Territory through our team of over 300 dedicated Palestinian staff together with trusted partners."
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - which supports six public hospitals and runs two field hospitals in Gaza, and has treated hundreds of thousands of patients over the past year - meanwhile said it was among the INGOs still waiting to obtain registration.
"With Gaza's health system already destroyed, independent and experienced humanitarian organisations losing access to respond would be a disaster for Palestinians," a statement said.
"MSF calls on the Israeli authorities to ensure that INGOs can maintain and continue their impartial and independent response in Gaza. The already restricted humanitarian response cannot be further dismantled."
A spokesman for the Israeli diaspora affairs ministry told the BBC that it had already extended the registration deadline from 9 September to 31 December "as an extraordinary measure and well beyond what was required".
"There has been more than sufficient time to act, and any organisation that has failed to do so by now has demonstrated a clear lack of good faith," he said.
He also stressed that the process had been carried out by a team that included all relevant Israeli security and government bodies, and that "claims of a sweeping or mass rejection are false and misleading".
He added: "Humanitarian aid will continue uninterrupted. The departure of rogue organisations whose real objective is to undermine the State of Israel under a humanitarian guise will not affect the ongoing delivery of aid."
Eleven Ecuadorean soldiers have been sentenced to 34 years in prison each after being found guilty of the forced disappearance of four boys last year.
The discovery of the beaten and burned remains of the four boys, aged between 11 and 15, shocked the violence-wracked nation.
The court found a military patrol had picked up the boys as they returned from playing football in the city of Guayaquil, forced them to strip off their clothes, beat them and left them naked in a desolate, dangerous and abandoned location.
One of the boys called his father but, by the time he arrived, they were no longer there. Their burned bodies were found days later close to a military base near Guayaquil.
In total, 17 soldiers were on trial over the disappearance of 15-year-old Nehemías Arboleda, 11-year-old Steven Medina, and brothers Ismael, 15, and Josué Arroyo, 14.
Eleven of the soldiers were sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison and five were given reduced sentences of two and a half years for co-operating with the prosecution.
A lieutenant-colonel who had not been on patrol with the rest of the group was declared not guilty.
The soldiers had been sent on patrol as part of the government's crackdown on criminal gangs in the country, which has seen its crime rate skyrocket as the gangs' power has expanded.
Defence officials had originally said that the four children, who became known as The Malvinas Four after the neighbourhood the were from, had been stopped by the patrol because they were suspects in a robbery.
But the judge ruled that they had been "innocent victims of a state crime" and ordered that their families be issued with an official apology and that the four victims be commemorated with a plaque.
He also ordered that military personnel undergo human rights training.
The judge said that evidence provided by the five soldiers who had co-operated with the prosecution had revealed the cruelty with which the 16 soldiers on patrol had acted.
He said that they had deliberately taken the four boys to a desolate area, where they subjected them to racist insults, beatings and even a simulated execution.
Defence lawyers had argued that because the boys were alive when the soldiers left, the accused were not responsible for their death.
But the judge concluded that leaving them in such a dangerous and desolate location "was the cause of the victims' death". It is not known who burned the bodies.
The region of Odesa has suffered hundreds of strike over the last week, Ukraine has said
Russia has intensified its strikes on the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa, causing widespread power cuts and threatening the region's maritime infrastructure.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said Moscow was carrying out "systematic" attacks on the region. Last week, he warned that the focus of the war "may have shifted towards Odesa".
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the repeated attacks were an attempt by Moscow to block Ukraine's access to maritime logistics.
Earlier in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to sever Ukraine's access to the sea as retaliation for drone attacks on tankers of Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Black Sea.
"Shadow fleet" is a term that refers to hundreds of tankers used by Russia to bypass Western sanctions imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
On Sunday night in the Odesa region, strikes cut off electricity for 120,000 people and sparked a fire at a major port which destroyed dozens of containers of flour and vegetable oil.
It was the latest in a series of hundreds of strikes which have disrupted power supplies in the region for days on end and caused several casualties.
Last week, a ballistic missile strike on the Pivdenniy port east of Odesa killed eight people and injured at least 30.
Another attack earlier in the week killed a woman who was travelling in a car with her three children and temporarily cut off the Odesa region's only bridge linking Ukraine and Moldova.
Zelensky indicated a new commander of the air force for the region would be selected soon following the dismissal of Dmytro Karpenko over the weekend.
Odesa's port has always been key for the country's economy. The city is Ukraine's third largest after Kyiv and Kharkiv. It now occupies strategic importance as other ports in the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Mykolayiv regions are inaccessible to Ukraine due to Russian occupation.
Despite the war, Ukraine remains one of the world's top exporters of wheat and corn.
Since August 2023, Odesa has been the starting point of a crucial corridor that allows it to export grain out of the country, following the coastlines of Romania and Bulgaria before reaching Turkey.
Zelensky, who has previously accused Russia of "sowing chaos" on the people of Odesa, said that "everyone must see that without pressure on Russia, they have no intention of genuinely ending their aggression".
His comments came as the latest round of US-led diplomatic efforts wrapped up in Miami. The US separately met the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, with the meetings yielding optimistic statements but no clear progress to bring the end of Moscow's nearly four-year war on Ukraine any closer.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said he and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov had worked on "aligning positions" on a 20-point draft peace plan put forward by Ukraine earlier this month. The plan is an alternative to a proposal presented by the US in November, which was seen as favourable to Moscow.
Before Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev even returned to Moscow from Florida, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the European and Ukrainian changes to the peace proposal would not improve the chances of peace being achieved.
On Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused EU countries of having a "firm aspiration" to derail potential Russia-US agreements on Ukraine and to "in general prevent Russia-American relations getting healthier".
He also said European countries were "possessed by a maniacal" fear of a Russian attack. Russia was ready to confirm in a legal agreement that it had no intention of attacking either the EU or Nato, Ryabkov added, echoing previous comments from Putin.
"We've never planned to [attack Europe], but if they want to hear it from us, well, let's do it, we'll put it in writing," Putin said in November.
Siwar Ashour spent six months in hospital in Jordan after being evacuated from Gaza
A one-year-old Palestinian girl evacuated from Gaza with severe nutritional problems is back in hospital in the territory after being returned there from Jordan. Siwar Ashour, whose story the BBC has followed for several months, was repatriated to Gaza on 3 December after completing her medical treatment in Amman.
She'd spent six months in hospital there under a medical evacuation programme run by the Kingdom of Jordan. Her grandmother, Sahar Ashour, said she became ill three days after coming back.
"She started having diarrhoea and vomiting and her situation keeps getting worse. The diarrhoea won't go away," she told a freelance journalist working for the BBC in Gaza. International journalists have been banned by Israel from entering Gaza independently since the start of the war nearly two years ago.
Siwar is being treated at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip where Dr Khalil al-Daqran told the BBC she is "receiving the necessary treatment, but the situation is still bad for her". The doctor said Siwar was suffering from a gastro-intestinal infection. She has an immune system deficiency which makes it hard for her to fight bacteria. She also struggles to absorb nutrition, meaning she requires specialised baby formula.
Dr Khalil al-Daqran said poor hygiene conditions had disease to spread
Dr Daqran said that hospitals in Gaza - many of which were badly damaged by Israeli bombing and fighting nearby with Hamas before a ceasefire took effect in October - were seeing an increase in child admissions. Poor hygiene conditions caused by the destruction of vital infrastructure have led to the spread of infections and disease.
"Since the ceasefire was announced, the number of child patients arriving at Gaza Strip hospitals is three times the capacity… The situation at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital is no different from other hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
"It suffers from a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies, and a major shortage regarding electric generators, which are the main artery to keep a hospital going."
The World Health Organization (WHO) described humanitarian needs in Gaza as "staggering, with current assistance addressing only the most basic survival requirements".
Siwar was evacuated to Jordan in June after the BBC reported on her case and raised it directly with the Jordanian authorities.
Jordan's Minister of Communications, Dr Mohammed al-Momani, told us that Siwar was among 45 children returned to Gaza after completing their treatment. Under the evacuation scheme all patients are sent back after medical attention.
I put it to Dr al-Momani that people might find it hard to accept that a child in such a vulnerable condition could be sent back to Gaza in the current conditions.
"No patient is sent back before they finish their medical treatment… the first reason [why they are returned] is that this will allow us to bring more patients from Gaza. We cannot take all of them at once. We have to take them in batches. So far we have taken 18 batches.
"The second reason is that we don't want to contribute in any shape or form to the displacement of Palestinians from their land and all patients are told… after treatment you are sent back so other patients and other children can be brought in for treatment."
Dr Mohammed al-Momani says patients are sent back from Jordan after medical treatment to allow authorities to bring in new patients from Gaza
Jordan also treats war wounded at its field hospital in Gaza and has supplied aid via air drops and road convoys. The kingdom hosts more than 2 million Palestinian refugees, who fled conflicts with Israel since 1948, and 500,000 refugees from other countries, mostly Syrians.
Since last March some 300 sick and wounded children and 730 parents and guardians have been brought to Jordan out of 2000 scheduled for treatment. Other countries in the region like the United Arab Emirates and Turkey have treated thousands of sick civilians from Gaza.
The specialised formula milk Siwar needs was either not available or in very short supply during the ongoing conflict. In March, Israel imposed a total blockade on aid into Gaza that was lifted partially after 11 weeks. Since the ceasefire there has been a surge in aid deliveries, although the UN and aid agencies say not enough humanitarian supplies are flowing.
Siwar's family are trying to get her evacuated once more due to her condition
The Jordanian authorities gave Siwar's family a supply of 12 cans of the hypoallergenic Neocate formula on their departure for Gaza. However her mother Najwa told us that Israeli officials confiscated much of what they'd been given - nine of their 12 cans were taken.
"They told us, 'It is forbidden to take more than these cans,'" said Siwar's mother, Najwa Ashour. "Even though it is therapeutic milk and they said that treatment is allowed, yet they took them."
She also said that extra clothing the family had been given in Jordan was taken. "They searched us from top to bottom. When they saw us wearing clothes over each other [layered] they refused to let us out, and told us, 'You must take off all the clothes, down to one outfit.'"
I asked the Israeli government why the milk formula and clothing were confiscated? They replied that limits were placed on what could be taken back for "security considerations."
They said only minimal luggage was allowed and this had been conveyed to the Jordanian authorities and the returning families. "In cases where the luggage exceeded the approved scope, its entry was denied."
The WHO has appealed for more countries to offer medical evacuation to patients who cannot get the necessary treatment in Gaza.
It has also called on the Israeli government to allow patients to be treated in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank "which is the most time and cost effective route." Israel stopped allowing such evacuations after the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 abducted into Gaza.
Siwar's family has been given Neocate milk formula since returning to Gaza. There have also been donations of money, including funds raised from online appeals. Jordanian representatives in Gaza have also visited the family to provide assistance.
The Ashours are trying to have Siwar evacuated once more - a process that has begun with the issuing of a permit by Palestinian health officials. It will be managed by the WHO which deals with all evacuation requests from a place the UN calls "a wasteland".
With additional reporting by Malak Hassouneh, Suha Kawar and Alice Doyard.
Party-goers descend on Ghana each December for a packed calendar of parties, festivals and concerts
Detty December, a popular term for Ghana and Nigeria's end-of-year party season, can have "negative connotations", Ghana's official for diaspora affairs has said, adding that he does not want the label linked with his country.
"On a personal level I don't want the word 'detty' to be associated with anything Ghana... that's something I'm not very comfortable with," Kofi Okyere-Darko said.
"Detty", West African Pidgin for "dirty", is used to express unrestricted fun when it comes to seeing the year out.
The celebrations are thought to be a huge boost to Ghana's economy. Last December more than 125,000 international visitors, many of whom were diasporans, flocked to Ghana.
It was a notable increase from the number of people arriving during any other month - and the same can be said for the three years before that.
Government branding avoids the term Detty December instead choosing to push a tourism initiative named December in Ghana, Mr Okyere-Darko, who oversees his country's relationship with its sizeable diaspora, told the BBC at the Ghana Diaspora Summit in capital city, Accra.
"The young people somehow prefer 'Detty December', but officially, that's not the name," he said.
"I don't think December is what attracts people to Ghana. People started coming to Ghana a long time ago. I remember December in Ghana at the turn of the millennium, with initiatives like Akwaaba UK.
Mr Okyere-Darko responded positively to suggestions that the season could be rebranded in a way that still appeals to younger audiences, saying that December in Ghana could be shortened to the initials "D.I.G.. Let's dig it!"
The phrase Detty December gained popularity roughly eight years ago, after Nigerian musician Mr Eazi launched his Detty Rave festival in Accra.
This December, festivals, parties and concerts have Accra teeming with diasporans and other tourists. They are mostly from the US and Europe, with ages ranging from early 20s and mid-40s, and are out socialising seven days a week.
US hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes performed in Accra as part of the Rhythm and Brunch concert on Saturday, while popular UK rapper Giggs is playing at the Afro Paradise festival on 31 December.
Local stars such as Samini - considered to be the "godfather" of Ghanaian dancehall - and Reggie Rockstone will also play at major events later this month.
Ghana in recent years has been promoting itself as a destination for people from the continent and the African diaspora to visit. In 2019, the government launched the Year of Return - an initiative encouraging those with African roots to invest in the country.
The influx of foreign visitors in December is seen as a positive by many, but some locals complain of price gouging, overcrowding and intense traffic during this period.
This year has proven that December in Ghana no longer revolves around non-stop partying.
Alongside the expected concerts and festivals, there is a growing calendar of investment seminars, networking sessions and cultural showcases, offering the diaspora routes into property, minerals, fashion and textiles.
Donald Trump has sparked a renewed disagreement with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland, the Arctic island he has said he would like to annex.
Trump announced on Sunday that Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, would become the US's special envoy to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Writing on social media, the US president said Landry understood how "essential Greenland is to our national security" and would advance US interests.
Greenland's prime minister said the island must "decide our own future" and its "territorial integrity must be respected".
The move angered Copenhagen, which will call the US ambassador for "an explanation".
Governor Landry said in a post on X it was an honour to serve in a "volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the United States", saying the role would not affect his duties as Louisiana governor.
Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, described the appointment as "deeply upsetting" and warned Washington to respect Danish sovereignty.
He told Danish broadcaster TV2: "As long as we have a kingdom consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot accept actions that undermine our territorial integrity."
Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the territory was willing to cooperate with the United States and other countries, but only on the basis of mutual respect.
He said: "The appointment of a special envoy does not change anything for us. We decide our own future. Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, and territorial integrity must be respected."
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has revived his long-standing interest with Greenland, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.
He has refused to rule out using force to secure control of the island, a stance that has shocked Denmark, a Nato ally that has traditionally enjoyed close relations with Washington.
Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US.
The dispute comes as strategic competition in the Arctic grows, with melting ice opening new shipping routes and increasing access to valuable mineral resources.
Greenland's location between North America and Europe also makes it central to US and Nato security planning and puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.
A senior staff member at France's presidential palace will stand trial over the alleged theft of precious tableware, including Baccarat Champagne glasses and Sèvres porcelain plates.
Around 100 objects that were reported missing from the presidential collection were allegedly later found in the locker, car and home of Thomas M, who is reported to be the Élysée Palace's chief butler. He will stand trial alongside two others.
Investigators say they found some of the items - thought to be worth between €15,000 and €40,000 (£13,000 and £35,000) - on his Vinted account.
It comes just months after the Louvre Museum in Paris suffered a brazen heist in which jewels worth €88m (£76m) were taken.
French media reported that Thomas M's role as head butler and keeper of precious silver involved setting the tables at state dinners and other prestigious events.
He is accused of siphoning off the items over several months and falsifying the records to cover his tracks.
Also among the alleged stolen goods are solid silver cutlery and a René Lalique figurine.
The inventory kept by Thomas M suggested he was planning to steal more goods, prosecutors say.
The Élysée has already posted a job advertisement to find his replacement, according to French media outlet TF1 Info.
Officials at Sèvres - France's state-owned porcelain factory - also identified some of their items on online auction sites, including a plate embossed with an air force stamp and ashtrays.
Thomas M was arrested on Tuesday 16 December on suspicion of theft, alongside his partner Damien G - a collector and manager of an online auction company.
A third man, Ghislain M, was arrested a day later, accused of receiving stolen goods. His "passion" for rare antiques has been put forward by his lawyer as being behind his alleged involvement.
According to Le Parisen - which first reported on the case - he was working as a guard at the Louvre at the time and has been barred from returning until the trial is completed.
The gold price has hit another record high, trading above $4,400 an ounce for the first time.
The price of the precious metal has risen on expectations the US central bank will cut interest rates further next year, analysts said.
Gold started the year worth $2,600 an ounce, but geopolitical tensions, the Trump tariffs and expectations of rate cuts have added to investor demand for safe haven assets, such as gold and other commodities.
The prices of other precious metals, such as silver and platinum, have also risen.
The spot price of gold hit a high of $4,420 on Monday before slipping back.
The gold price has risen more than 68% this year, the highest increase since 1979, according to Adrian Ash, director of research at gold bullion marketplace BullionVault.
2025 has seen "slow-burning trends around interest rates, around war and trade tensions", Mr Ash said, which have helped to push up the price of gold.
"The precious metals market says that President Trump has really triggered something – and gold has gone crazy this year.
"You've got the trade war, the attacks on the US Federal Reserve and you've got geopolitical tensions, all of those provocations come from Trump," he said.
Lower interest rate expectations typically mean lower returns for investments such as bonds, so investors look to commodities such as gold and silver to get a return, but also diversify their portfolios.
A weaker US dollar has also helped push gold prices higher by making the metal cheaper for overseas buyers,
Other precious metals have also had record years. The price of silver also hit a record of $69.44 an ounce on Monday.
For 2025 so far, silver is up 138% year-to-date and platinum is at a 17-year high, vastly outperforming gold, underpinned by strong and supply constraints, according to analysts.
Unlike gold, the other precious metals are also used widely in industrial manufacturing which helps stoke demand.
Donald Trump has sparked a renewed disagreement with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland, the Arctic island he has said he would like to annex.
Trump announced on Sunday that Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, would become the US's special envoy to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Writing on social media, the US president said Landry understood how "essential Greenland is to our national security" and would advance US interests.
Greenland's prime minister said the island must "decide our own future" and its "territorial integrity must be respected".
The move angered Copenhagen, which will call the US ambassador for "an explanation".
Governor Landry said in a post on X it was an honour to serve in a "volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the United States", saying the role would not affect his duties as Louisiana governor.
Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, described the appointment as "deeply upsetting" and warned Washington to respect Danish sovereignty.
He told Danish broadcaster TV2: "As long as we have a kingdom consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot accept actions that undermine our territorial integrity."
Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the territory was willing to cooperate with the United States and other countries, but only on the basis of mutual respect.
He said: "The appointment of a special envoy does not change anything for us. We decide our own future. Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, and territorial integrity must be respected."
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has revived his long-standing interest with Greenland, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.
He has refused to rule out using force to secure control of the island, a stance that has shocked Denmark, a Nato ally that has traditionally enjoyed close relations with Washington.
Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US.
The dispute comes as strategic competition in the Arctic grows, with melting ice opening new shipping routes and increasing access to valuable mineral resources.
Greenland's location between North America and Europe also makes it central to US and Nato security planning and puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.
Watch: Images, cassettes and high-profile figures - What's in the latest Epstein files?
A pair of US lawmakers have threatened legal action against US Attorney General Pam Bondi, after her deadline to release all government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was met only in part.
The release of the Department of Justice (DoJ) documents was highly anticipated but in the end, only a portion of the available material was made public.
A leading campaigner on the issue, Republican congressman Thomas Massie, said he could try to bring contempt proceedings against the attorney general as a result.
The DoJ insists it is complying with its legal obligations, and Bondi herself has said she is part of "the most transparent administration in American history".
The phrase "Epstein files" refer to the trove of information that was amassed by the US justice department during its two criminal investigations into Epstein.
A law that compelled the release of the full trove was signed by US President Donald Trump in November, after pressure from his supporters and members of his own Republican Party. Friday was the deadline for the release of the material.
Although some material was released, there were many redactions and other information was withheld - which angered Massie and his allies, as well as survivors of Epstein's abuse. Trump himself is yet to comment.
The DoJ has said that more material will follow in the coming weeks.
But speaking to CBS programme Face the Nation on Sunday, Massie suggested that the justice department was "flouting the spirit and the letter of the law".
He went on to say: "The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi, and that doesn't require going through the courts."
Inherent contempt is a little-used legal recourse that can be used by either the Senate or House - the upper and lower chambers of Congress respectively - which has not been invoked for nearly a century, according to the American Bar Association.
Massie added that "Ro Khanna and I are talking about and drafting that right now", referring to a Democratic congressman who has also been prominent in the campaign for the release of the full Epstein files.
Speaking to the same programme, Khanna gave further detail on how the contempt proceedings could work. "We're building a bipartisan coalition, and it would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she's not releasing these documents," he said.
Unlike an impeachment effort - another option that would be theoretically available to critics of Bondi - the contempt move would only require support from the House of Representatives, Massie pointed out.
Bondi's deputy Todd Blanche was defiant during an interview with another broadcaster on Sunday.
Asked by the Meet the Press programme on NBC News whether he took threats from Congress members seriously, the deputy attorney general said: "Not even a little bit. Bring it on. We are doing everything we're supposed to be doing to comply with the statute."
Blanche pointed to the magnitude of the task. "You're talking about a million or so pages of documents," he said. "Virtually all of them contain victim information."
He continued: "And if by complying with the statute we don't produce everything on Friday, we produce things next week and the week after, that's still compliance with the statute."
Speaking to the same programme, another member of Khanna's party, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, said contempt or impeachment efforts would be "premature".
"We have tools in appropriations bills and other tools to force compliance if somebody is dragging their feet and I'd rather focus on those tools," Kaine said.
Blanche said elsewhere on Sunday that certain Epstein-related files that were originally released on Friday were later removed by the DoJ from its website because of concerns raised by victims.
One of those files - an image featuring Trump - was later reinstated after review, said Blanche.
The renewed fighting this month has displacing around 900,000 on both sides, officials say
South East Asia's top diplomats are meeting on Monday in Malaysia in a bid to end deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that have killed at least 41 people and displaced close to one million others.
They will seek to revive a ceasefire that was brokered in July by Malaysia as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and US President Donald Trump in July.
This is the first meeting between officials of Thailand and Cambodia since fighting resumed on 8 December. Both countries have blamed each other for the fresh hostilities.
The conflict dates back more than a century, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who presided over the signing of the July ceasefire alongsideTrump, said he was "cautiously optimistic" about Monday's meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
"Our duty is to present the facts, but more importantly, to press upon them that it is imperative for them to secure peace," he said last week.
Cambodia has said that the talks aim to restore "peace, stability and good neighbourly relations", adding that it would reaffirm its position that the disputes should be resolved through peaceful means.
Thailand, while calling the meeting an important opportunity, reiterated its conditions for negotiations, including a declaration of ceasefire from Cambodia first and a "genuine and sustained" ceasefire.
The US and China have also been attempting to mediate a new ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had a phone call with his Thai counterpart on Thursday, said that he hoped a new ceasefire could be reached by Monday or Tuesday.
China's special envoy for Asian affairs, Deng Xijun, visited Phnom Penh last week. A statement from Beijing said he reaffirmed that China would continue to play a constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand.
The gold price has hit another record high, trading above $4,400 an ounce for the first time.
The price of the precious metal has risen on expectations the US central bank will cut interest rates further next year, analysts said.
Gold started the year worth $2,600 an ounce, but geopolitical tensions, the Trump tariffs and expectations of rate cuts have added to investor demand for safe haven assets, such as gold and other commodities.
The prices of other precious metals, such as silver and platinum, have also risen.
The spot price of gold hit a high of $4,420 on Monday before slipping back.
The gold price has risen more than 68% this year, the highest increase since 1979, according to Adrian Ash, director of research at gold bullion marketplace BullionVault.
2025 has seen "slow-burning trends around interest rates, around war and trade tensions", Mr Ash said, which have helped to push up the price of gold.
"The precious metals market says that President Trump has really triggered something – and gold has gone crazy this year.
"You've got the trade war, the attacks on the US Federal Reserve and you've got geopolitical tensions, all of those provocations come from Trump," he said.
Lower interest rate expectations typically mean lower returns for investments such as bonds, so investors look to commodities such as gold and silver to get a return, but also diversify their portfolios.
A weaker US dollar has also helped push gold prices higher by making the metal cheaper for overseas buyers,
Other precious metals have also had record years. The price of silver also hit a record of $69.44 an ounce on Monday.
For 2025 so far, silver is up 138% year-to-date and platinum is at a 17-year high, vastly outperforming gold, underpinned by strong and supply constraints, according to analysts.
Unlike gold, the other precious metals are also used widely in industrial manufacturing which helps stoke demand.
NSW Premier Chris Minns says the new laws will protect the community
Civil rights groups and pro-gun advocates in Australia have raised concerns that new fast-tracked laws will place undue restrictions on firearms and protests in the wake of the Bondi shootings.
On Monday, the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) recalled its parliament to debate a raft of new laws such as banning the phrase "globalise the intifada", limiting the number of guns one person can own, and greater police powers for protests.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said some may feel the changes had "gone too far" but they were needed to keep the community safe.
A pro-gun politician said the laws unfairly target law-abiding gun owners while civil libertarians said restrictions on protests were an affront to democracy.
On banning the "intifada" phrase, Minns said its use at protests in Australia and around the world "are a call to a global intifada. That is what it means. Not in the Middle East, not in Israel or Gaza but here in Sydney".
"I do believe it leads to a culture and environment of heightened disunity," he said, and "an invitation to violence".
The term intifada came into popular use during the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1987.
Some have described the term as a call for violence against Jewish people. Others have said it is a call for peaceful resistance to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and actions in Gaza.
In the aftermath of the Bondi attacks, in which 15 people were killed, the Jewish community accused the government of not doing enough to protect it from rising antisemitism.
The new protest laws will also allow police to restrict demonstrations at places of worship, with stronger penalties for breaches.
Timothy Roberts, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said the new law ignores a recent decision by the state's supreme court which found the so-called "move-on power" at religious locations went against Australia's implied constitutional freedom of political communication.
Religious institutions exercise significant and overt political power in Australian politics and this makes them a legitimate site of protest in a democratic society, Mr Roberts said.
"The laws introduced today are an affront to our right to assemble and communicate with each other," he said, adding they "damage our democracy".
He said Minns wants social cohesion but he does not know the meaning of the term.
"He thinks silence is peace, and does not seem to realise it can also reflect oppression. Passing laws that oppress some parts of our community in the wake of an attack like we saw, does not bring us closer - it drives us further apart and stops us from healing well in this time of grief."
Police will also be able to remove face coverings from protesters who are suspected of committing an offence - including low-level offences - during a protest.
Previously, police could only do so if someone is arrested or suspected of committing an indictable offence.
On gun reform, the new laws will mean licence holders in NSW cannot own more than four firearms with exceptions for farmers and sport shooters who can have up to ten.
The move follows similar laws introduced in Western Australia earlier this year to cap gun ownership. Elsewhere across the country, there are no limits.
One of the gunmen in the Bondi shooting, Sajid Akram, had six registered firearms.
Other gun law changes include more regular renewals for gun licence holders from every five years to every two years, and a review of the types of firearms available to most gun owners.
Mark Banasiak from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party - which lobbies for more relaxed gun laws - said the state's 260,000 gun licence holders were being "punished" and "made a scapegoat for agency failings".
"We're diverting away from what the real problem is," he said, referring to "a climate of hate and division that's been allowed to fester for two and a half years because government haven't done enough to stop that."
Walter Mikac, whose wife and two young daughters were among the 35 people shot dead in Tasmania by a lone gunman in 1996 in what is Australia's deadliest mass shooting, welcomed the reforms.
The changes will "close critical gaps in our gun laws" and put community safety first, he said.
The government also aims to crackdown on hate speech and symbols, as well as enabling police to ban protests for up to three months after a terrorist attack.
Palestine Action Group spokesperson Josh Lees said the new laws were "incredibly draconian".
"Australia is seen as a safe country," he said, "where freedom of speech is very important" but the Bondi shooting was "perhaps changing the dynamics of that democracy and that freedom".
David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said moves to ban "intifada" chants was a "watershed moment" in confronting hate and incitement.
He also welcomed greater police powers during protests.
"The right to protest is a core Australian value and a fundamental tenet of a democratic society," he said.
"But it has never included the right to hide your face and shout slogans calling for violence against one's fellow Australians or waving the flags of groups devoted to murder and destruction."
A screenshot from a video found on Naveed Akram's phone shows his father conducting firearms training, police allege
The gunmen who allegedly carried out a deadly attack on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach last week threw four undetonated explosives at the start of the attack, including a "tennis ball bomb", according to newly released documents.
Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with dozens of offences including 15 counts of murder over the attack at a Hanukkah celebration on 14 December. Akram, who was shot by police during the attack, was released from hospital on Monday and transferred to a prison.
The second alleged gunman, his father Sajid Akram, was shot dead.
The pair recorded a video manifesto in October in which they sit in front of the Islamic State group flag, according to police documents.
Supplied
A screenshot from CCTV shows the Akrams carrying 'bulky items' hours before the attacks, police allege
The Akrams "meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months", police alleged. Videos found on Naveed's phone showed the pair were motivated by "violent extremist ideology" linked to the Islamic State group.
They include one video in which the pair sit in front of an Islamic State flag and detail their motivation for the Bondi attack and condemn "the acts of 'Zionists'", police alleged. Naveed also appears to recite a passage from the Quran in Arabic in the video, police alleged.
Another video allegedly showed the pair conducting firearms training in what police believe to be rural New South Wales in October. "The Accused and his father are seen throughout the video firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner," police alleged.
A temporary suppression order had been made on the fact sheet last week to protect the identities of the survivors of the attack. The order was revoked on Monday after an application to the New South Wales Local Court by media companies although the names of most survivors were redacted.
Supplied
CCTV shows the Akrams carrying out reconnaissance two days ahead of the Bondi Beach attack, police allege
CCTV recorded at Bondi beach two days ahead of the attack also showed the Akrams driving to the area and carrying out reconnaissance, police alleged.
"The Accused and his father, S Akram, are seen to exit the vehicle and walk along the footbridge, being the same position where they attended two days later and shot at members of the public," police wrote.
CCTV also captured the pair leaving rented accommodation in the Sydney suburb of Campsie hours before the attack "carrying long and bulky items wrapped in blankets", police alleged.
Police said the items, which were placed in a car, were three firearms, home-made improvised explosive devices including the "tennis ball bomb" and two Islamic State flags.
They later drove to Bondi where they parked and placed the flags on the inside of the front and rear windows, police alleged. After removing the firearms and homemade bombs from the car, they walked towards the footbridge from where they carried out their attack, police alleged.
Three homemade pipe bombs and the tennis ball bomb were thrown as they approached the bridge, police alleged, but did not explode although they were assessed as "viable". A fifth explosive device was later found in their vehicle, police had previously said.
Naveed Akram, who was shot in the abdomen and critically injured by police, did not appear at Monday's court appearing.
Supplied
Police allege a homemade bomb was found in the boot of the Akrams' vehicle
A Ukrainian source later told the BBC that Kirillov was killed by Ukraine's security service, though this was never confirmed on the record. As a matter of policy, Ukraine never officially admits or claims responsibility for targeted attacks.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
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Watch: Images, cassettes and high-profile figures - What's in the latest Epstein files?
A batch of files, which includes a photo of US President Donald Trump, were removed by the justice department because of concerns raised by victims, the deputy attorney general said on Sunday.
Todd Blanche said the photo that included Trump also showed unredacted images of women, and rejected criticisms that the removal was related to the president.
At least 13 files from the thousands made public on the justice department's website on Friday had disappeared without explanation by Saturday.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee questioned the images' removal. In a social media post, they asked Attorney General Pam Bondi: "What else is being covered up?"
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a post on X on Sunday that the image of Trump was flagged by the Southern District of New York "for potential further action to protect victims".
They added that they had temporarily removed the image for further review "out of an abundance of caution".
"After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction," the DOJ said.
Blanche said that the suggestion that the photo was removed due to Trump was "laughable". "It has nothing to do with President Trump," he told NBC News.
"There are dozens of photos of President Trump already released to the public seeing him with Mr Epstein."
He added: "So the absurdity of us pulling down a photo, a single photo, because President Trump was in it, is laughable."
Blanche cited a judge in New York who "has ordered us to listen to any victim or victims' rights group if they have concerns" as a reason behind removing some of the previously posted files.
"There were a number of photographs that were pulled down after being released on Friday," he said.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein's victims. There is no suggestion that these pictures imply any wrongdoing.
US Department of Justice
An image of framed photos was removed from the DOJ website and later reappeared
Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who led the charge to release the files, said he was frustrated with the Trump administration's response and his focus is to get justice for the victims.
He said he is drafting inherent contempt charges for Attorney General Pam Bondi.
"They are flouting the spirit and the letter of the law," he told CBS News on Sunday. "It's very troubling the posture that they have taken. I won't be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied."
The image that was included in the removed files showed a credenza desk in Epstein's home with an open drawer filled with other photos, one of which showed the president with Trump, Epstein, first lady Melania Trump and Epstein's convicted associate Ghislane Maxwell. Framed photos also can be seen on top of the credenza desk.
That image has since been restored by early Sunday, available through a link to the website. The other files had not been restored to the site as of Sunday afternoon.
Ten of the missing files include images which appear to show the same room - a small massage parlour with clouds painted on the ceiling, and brown patterned wallpaper studded with multiple nude pictures. Some appear to be photos, others are artwork.
Most of the women pictured on the wall have had their faces redacted. However, one face is redacted in one file but plainly visible in three of the others. Another face remains unredacted in all of the files while a painted image of the same person is visible.
On Saturday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee questioned the files' removal.
They posted the missing photo of Trump on social media and asked Attorney General Pam Bondi if it was true that the image had been removed.
"What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public," the committee wrote.
The files' removal comes at time of increased suspicion surrounding the US government and the so-called Epstein files.
The documents released on Friday came to light as the result of an act of Congress that forced the DOJ to release them.
The DOJ said it would comply with the congressional request to release documents, with some stipulations.
It redacted personally identifiable information about Epstein's victims, materials depicting child sexual abuse, materials depicting physical abuse, any records that "would jeopardise an active federal investigation" or any classified documents that must stay secret to protect "national defence or foreign policy".
But many of the documents that were released were heavily redacted.
There was limited new information about Epstein's crimes and things like internal DOJ memos on charging decisions were not included in the files that were released.
Additional reporting by Alison Benjamin and Benedict Garman.
St Mary's Catholic school in central Nigeria where schoolchildren were abducted
Nigerian authorities say they have secured the release of the remaining 130 schoolchildren kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in the country's central Niger state.
Nigeria's federal government described the latest release as a "moment of triumph and relief", after one of the country's worst mass kidnappings.
More than 250 children and staff were abducted from St Mary's Catholic school in Papiri on 21 November. Earlier this month about 100 of the children were released.
The authorities confirmed "the rescue of the remaining 130 children and staff" in a statement, saying "not a single pupil is left in captivity".
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said on Sunday the total of freed students was now 230.
Since the kidnapping, the exact number of people taken and how many have remained in captivity has been unclear.
It has not been formally made public how the government secured the latest release - or whether any ransom was paid.
The announcement by Onanuga included pictures of children smiling and waving. The students are expected to arrive in the Niger state capital, Minna, on Monday.
When the earlier release happened the governor of neighbouring Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule, told local media that the federal government had played a key role, adding that the behind-the-scenes efforts could not be disclosed for security reasons.
The Christian Association of Nigeria reported that 50 students managed to escape at the time of the kidnapping.
November's abduction was the latest incident in a growing number of targeted attacks on schools and places of worship in north and central Nigeria.
The attack on St Mary's in November was preceded by mass kidnappings just days earlier.
On 18 November, two people were killed and 38 abducted in an attack on the Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara state, and a day before that, two were killed and 25 Muslim students abducted from Government Girls' Secondary School in Kebbi state.
All those taken in the Kwara and Kebbi attacks have since been freed.
It is not clear who is behind these kidnappings - most analysts believe they are carried out by criminal gangs seeking ransom payments.
On 9 December Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said his government would continue to work with Niger and other states "to secure our schools and make the learning environment safer and more conducive for our younger ones".
The renewed fighting this month has displacing around 900,000 on both sides, officials say
South East Asia's top diplomats are meeting on Monday in Malaysia in a bid to end deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that have killed at least 41 people and displaced close to one million others.
They will seek to revive a ceasefire that was brokered in July by Malaysia as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and US President Donald Trump in July.
This is the first meeting between officials of Thailand and Cambodia since fighting resumed on 8 December. Both countries have blamed each other for the fresh hostilities.
The conflict dates back more than a century, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who presided over the signing of the July ceasefire alongsideTrump, said he was "cautiously optimistic" about Monday's meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
"Our duty is to present the facts, but more importantly, to press upon them that it is imperative for them to secure peace," he said last week.
Cambodia has said that the talks aim to restore "peace, stability and good neighbourly relations", adding that it would reaffirm its position that the disputes should be resolved through peaceful means.
Thailand, while calling the meeting an important opportunity, reiterated its conditions for negotiations, including a declaration of ceasefire from Cambodia first and a "genuine and sustained" ceasefire.
The US and China have also been attempting to mediate a new ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had a phone call with his Thai counterpart on Thursday, said that he hoped a new ceasefire could be reached by Monday or Tuesday.
China's special envoy for Asian affairs, Deng Xijun, visited Phnom Penh last week. A statement from Beijing said he reaffirmed that China would continue to play a constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand.
A screenshot from a video found on Naveed Akram's phone shows his father conducting firearms training, police allege
The gunmen who allegedly carried out a deadly attack on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach last week threw four undetonated explosives at the start of the attack, including a "tennis ball bomb", according to newly released documents.
Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with dozens of offences including 15 counts of murder over the attack at a Hanukkah celebration on 14 December. Akram, who was shot by police during the attack, was released from hospital on Monday and transferred to a prison.
The second alleged gunman, his father Sajid Akram, was shot dead.
The pair recorded a video manifesto in October in which they sit in front of the Islamic State group flag, according to police documents.
Supplied
A screenshot from CCTV shows the Akrams carrying 'bulky items' hours before the attacks, police allege
The Akrams "meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months", police alleged. Videos found on Naveed's phone showed the pair were motivated by "violent extremist ideology" linked to the Islamic State group.
They include one video in which the pair sit in front of an Islamic State flag and detail their motivation for the Bondi attack and condemn "the acts of 'Zionists'", police alleged. Naveed also appears to recite a passage from the Quran in Arabic in the video, police alleged.
Another video allegedly showed the pair conducting firearms training in what police believe to be rural New South Wales in October. "The Accused and his father are seen throughout the video firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner," police alleged.
A temporary suppression order had been made on the fact sheet last week to protect the identities of the survivors of the attack. The order was revoked on Monday after an application to the New South Wales Local Court by media companies although the names of most survivors were redacted.
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CCTV shows the Akrams carrying out reconnaissance two days ahead of the Bondi Beach attack, police allege
CCTV recorded at Bondi beach two days ahead of the attack also showed the Akrams driving to the area and carrying out reconnaissance, police alleged.
"The Accused and his father, S Akram, are seen to exit the vehicle and walk along the footbridge, being the same position where they attended two days later and shot at members of the public," police wrote.
CCTV also captured the pair leaving rented accommodation in the Sydney suburb of Campsie hours before the attack "carrying long and bulky items wrapped in blankets", police alleged.
Police said the items, which were placed in a car, were three firearms, home-made improvised explosive devices including the "tennis ball bomb" and two Islamic State flags.
They later drove to Bondi where they parked and placed the flags on the inside of the front and rear windows, police alleged. After removing the firearms and homemade bombs from the car, they walked towards the footbridge from where they carried out their attack, police alleged.
Three homemade pipe bombs and the tennis ball bomb were thrown as they approached the bridge, police alleged, but did not explode although they were assessed as "viable". A fifth explosive device was later found in their vehicle, police had previously said.
Naveed Akram, who was shot in the abdomen and critically injured by police, did not appear at Monday's court appearing.
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Police allege a homemade bomb was found in the boot of the Akrams' vehicle
There's been an outpouring of support from the community - but tension remains
As helicopters circled overhead, sirens descended on her suburb, and people ran screaming down her street on 14 December, Mary felt a grim sense of deja vu.
"That was when I knew there was something seriously wrong – again," she says, her eyes brimming with tears.
Mary - who did not want to give her real name - was at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre last April when six people were stabbed to death by a man in psychosis, a tragedy still fresh in the minds of many.
Findings from a coronial inquest into the incident were due to be delivered this week, but were delayed after two gunmen unleashed a hail of bullets on an event marking the start of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah eight days ago.
Declared a terror attack by police, 15 people were shot and killed, including a 10-year-old girl who still had face paint curling around her eyes.
The first paramedic to confront the bloody scenes at the Chanukah by the Sea event was also the first paramedic on the scene at the Westfield stabbings.
"You just wouldn't even fathom that something like this would happen," 31-year-old Mary, who is originally from the UK, tells the BBC. "I say constantly to my family at home how safe it is here."
This was the overarching sentiment in the days following the shooting. This kind of thing, mass murder, just doesn't happen in Australia.
But it can and it has – twice, in the same community, within 18 months.
A sea of flowers left by shocked and grieving people at Bondi is being packed up. A national day of reflection is over. On Sunday night, Jewish Australians lit candles for the last time this Hannukah.
But the two tragedies have left scores physically scarred and traumatised, and the nation's sense of safety shattered.
'Everyone knows someone affected'
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Funerals for the victims have drawn thousands of mourners this week
Bondi is Australia's most famous beach - a globally recognised symbol of its way of life.
It's also a quintessential slice of Australian community. There's a bit of "everyone knows everyone" - and that means everyone knows someone affected by the 14 December tragedy, mayor Will Nemesh told the BBC.
"One of the first people I texted was [Rabbi] Eli Schlanger. And I said, 'I hope you're OK. Call me if you need anything'," he said.
But the British-born father of five, also known as the "Bondi Rabbi", was among the dead.
The first responders, police and paramedics would have been working on members of their own community. Others had the task of having to treat the shooters who had taken aim at their colleagues.
"[Westfield Bondi Junction] was horrendous, something we're certainly not used to. And then this again was massive, catastrophic injuries," Ryan Park, health minister for New South Wales, told the BBC.
"They've seen things that are like you would see in a war zone… You don't get those images out of your head," Park added.
Mayor Nemesh fears this will forever be a stain on Bondi, and Australia.
"If this can happen here at Bondi Beach, it really could happen anywhere… the impact has reverberated around Australia."
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Ryan Park says healthcare workers will take time to recover from what they've seen
'Warnings ignored'
No one is feeling this more than the Jewish community, for whom Bondi has become a sanctuary.
"I swam here every day for years on end, rain or shine. And this week… I couldn't get in the water. It didn't feel right. It felt sacrilegious in some way," Zac Seidler, a local clinical psychologist, told the BBC.
Many of the victims of the attack moved here over many decades for safety from persecution, including 89-year-old Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman. Instead, his life was bookended by violent acts of antisemitic hate.
Mr Seidler has spent the past two years trying to convince his grandparents, who are also Holocaust survivors, to hold on to their faltering belief in the good of humanity.
"[My grandmother] kept saying, 'These are the signs. I've seen this before'. And I just kept saying, 'Not in Australia, not here. You're safe', just trying to soothe her.
"But now I kind of feel like the fool."
No community is a monolith, but one thing many Jewish Australians believe is that warnings about a rise of antisemitism in the months preceding this attack were ignored.
The year started with a spate of vandalism and arson incidents on Jewish marks in the suburbs surrounding Bondi. It has ended with mass murder targeting their community.
Watch: Jewish Australians on why Bondi is a 'sanctuary' for them
There has been resistance in the face of fear - some leaders urging Jewish Australians to double down, be more publicly Jewish and display their religious symbols with pride.
One woman perusing the flowers outside the Bondi Pavilion on Sunday admits she is too scared to do that. It took her all week to even work up the courage to visit this site, which is just metres from where many of the victims died.
"I've never felt my Jewishness before. I've never experienced antisemitism in my whole life until now," MaryAnne says. "And now, I don't want to wear my Star of David."
Community, anger and sadness
The shooting triggered a massive outpouring of support from around the nation.
When the news broke, many in the community rallied to help.
Lifeguards - volunteer and paid - put their lives on the line. Restaurants opened their doors and hid people in their store rooms and freezers, and locals ushered lost children into their apartments.
Even the New South Wales opposition leader Kellie Sloane - also the local state member - was at the scene, helping pack bullet wounds.
In the days after the shooting, thousands of ordinary Australians lined up - many for hours on end - to donate blood desperately needed to treat those injured.
Each day, a carpet of petals, handwritten notes, commemorative stones and candles grew out from the gates of the Bondi Pavilion.
Bee motifs - stickers, balloons, even pavement art - are all over the suburb, in remembrance of Matilda, the terror attack's youngest victim.
Surfers and swimmers on Friday paddled out beyond Bondi's iconic breaks to honour those who died.
A day later, surf livesavers and lifeguards stood shoulder to shoulder on the beach in solidarity with the Jewish community.
But amid the platitudes, sadness and shock is calcifying into anger and tension.
Surfers and swimmers pay tribute to victims of Bondi shooting
Last year's Bondi Junction stabbings were devastating for the community - but a shared resolution united it.
Experts say the attacker, who had schizophrenia, was in psychosis at the time of the stabbings, and his family have previously said he was frustrated at being unable to find a girlfriend. The question of whether he targeted women will likely forever go unanswered. But clear failures in the mental health system have been identified.
Last month, families of the victims asked the coroner to refer the doctor who weaned him off medication with limited supervision to regulators for investigation, and they have also argued for a massive boost to mental health service funding.
But last Sunday's events raise more uncomfortable feelings and questions.
There is palpable fury at the government, over a perceived – and admitted – failure to do more to stop antisemitism. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been booed during public appearances this week, and talking to people visiting the site of the attack in Bondi, it isn't uncommon to hear them demand his resignation.
Many people the BBC spoke to pointed to his government's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood, alongside countries including the UK and Canada, and regular protests in Australia by members of the pro-Palestinian movement, which though largely peaceful but have been peppered with antisemitic chants and placards.
The state of New South Wales - which has in recent years tightened protest rules - has already announced it will introduce more legislation cracking down on "hateful" chants and give police more powers to investigate demonstrators. The federal government has promised similar.
The blame apportioned to these protests does not sit right with many, even some sections of the Jewish community.
"We need to hold multiple truths," Mr Seidler says. "We can be afraid, we can feel that there is deep antisemitic rhetoric going on in certain circles within Australia… while also understanding that there is a right of people in this country – especially Muslim Australians – to be concerned about what is taking place in Gaza.
"We need to get better at finding that line and calling out when that line has been crossed."
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A memorial inside the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre where six people were stabbed to death in April last year
For others, there is anger at what they feel is the politicisation of a tragedy.
"It's a bloody photo op," one woman tells me on Sunday, as a prominent Australian businesswoman arrives and begins posing with the floral tributes outside the Bondi Pavilion.
Some - including the local federal MP Allegra Spender - worry the attack is being used to fuel anti-immigration sentiment.
"We would not have had the man who saved so many Australians if we had cut off, for instance, Muslim immigration," she said.
Mr Seidler says these arguments fail to recognise that antisemitic views - and other forms of bigotry - are formed here too.
"I heard someone say the other day that Australia thinks it's on a holiday from history, that we're somehow immune to this stuff, that it's not bred here, it's imported," Mr Seidler says.
With the anger, there is also fear: for the Jewish community of other attacks, for the Muslim community of retaliation for an act of terror they have loudly condemned.
There are questions over how Australia's security agency fumbled an alleged terrorist who at one point was on their watch list, prompting a review into federal police and intelligence agencies that was announced on Sunday.
There is frustration at NSW Police, who have for years been warned by the Muslim community of hate preachers poaching their young men.
There is animosity towards the media, driven by hurt among both Jewish and Arab Australians over a belief they and their communities have been misrepresented, and frustration at what some feel is incitement against them.
But there is also a queasiness at the treatment of traumatised victims throughout this week, some of whom were interviewed live on television while the blood of their friends still stained their hands.
Through it all, is an undercurrent of suspicion of institutions and each other.
There are varying opinions on how those rifts can heal – or even if they can. But there is a shared determination to try.
Getty Images
Many Jewish Australians are angry at the government
One UK expat who was at the beach at the time of the shooting says everyone he speaks to is adamant this will not change Bondi, or Australia.
"It's seriously unique what you have as a nation… there's a magic about it," Henry Jamieson tells the BBC.
"I'm traumatised… and I'm going to have to deal with that for the rest of my life, I know I am… even people who weren't there were traumatised.
"But I'm not gonna let it shake me and we will not let it shake this community.
"You can't let them win," he says of the alleged terrorists.
At an emotional memorial on Sunday night, seven days since the attack, the same sense of defiance was on show. It ended with the lighting of the menorah, something the crowds gathered for Hannukah last week never got to do.
The shamash, the centre candle, was lit by the father of Ahmed al Ahmed, in honour of his bravery in wrestling a gun off one of the attackers. The children of the two rabbis who were killed lit another. Others were lit by a representative of surf lifesavers and a Jewish community medic who rushed to the scene and began treating the injured before the shots had even stopped. The final candle was lit by Michael, the father of Matilda, who has been described a fountain of joy to all who knew her.
After the parade of diverse Australians had sparked flames on each arm of the menorah, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman of Bondi Chabad made a plea for more love and more unity.
"Returning to normal is not enough," he said.
"Sydney can and must become a beacon of goodness. A city where people look out for one another, where kindness is louder than hate, where decency is stronger than fear, and we can make it happen," he said, stopping for a moment as the crowd applauded.
"But only if we take the feelings we have right now and turn them into action, into continuous action."
The renewed fighting this month has displacing around 900,000 on both sides, officials say
South East Asia's top diplomats are meeting on Monday in Malaysia in a bid to end deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that have killed at least 41 people and displaced close to one million others.
They will seek to revive a ceasefire that was brokered in July by Malaysia as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and US President Donald Trump in July.
This is the first meeting between officials of Thailand and Cambodia since fighting resumed on 8 December. Both countries have blamed each other for the fresh hostilities.
The conflict dates back more than a century, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who presided over the signing of the July ceasefire alongsideTrump, said he was "cautiously optimistic" about Monday's meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
"Our duty is to present the facts, but more importantly, to press upon them that it is imperative for them to secure peace," he said last week.
Cambodia has said that the talks aim to restore "peace, stability and good neighbourly relations", adding that it would reaffirm its position that the disputes should be resolved through peaceful means.
Thailand, while calling the meeting an important opportunity, reiterated its conditions for negotiations, including a declaration of ceasefire from Cambodia first and a "genuine and sustained" ceasefire.
The US and China have also been attempting to mediate a new ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had a phone call with his Thai counterpart on Thursday, said that he hoped a new ceasefire could be reached by Monday or Tuesday.
China's special envoy for Asian affairs, Deng Xijun, visited Phnom Penh last week. A statement from Beijing said he reaffirmed that China would continue to play a constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand.
Steve Witkoff, right, seen here with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month, said negotiations were "productive and constructive"
US and Ukrainian envoys say "productive and constructive" talks have taken place in Miami, but there still appears to be no major breakthrough in efforts to end Ukraine's war with Russia.
Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, issued a joint statement with the top Ukrainian negotiator, Rustem Umerov, after three days of meetings with European allies.
The pair said the meeting focused on aligning positions on a 20-point plan, a "multilateral security guarantee framework", a "US Security guarantee framework for Ukraine" and an "economic & prosperity plan".
Separate talks have been taking place in Miami between the US and the Russian envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
"Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine's recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity," Witkoff and Umerov said in a statement.
The meetings are the latest step in weeks of diplomatic activity, sparked by the leaking of a 28-point US peace plan which shocked Ukraine and its European allies for appearing to favour Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.
Witkoff said representatives from Russia had met himself and other US officials in southern Florida, including Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said the meetings with Russian envoy Dmitriev were also "productive and constructive" and that "Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine".
Trump has been pushing Ukraine and Russia to come to an agreement on ending the war, but so far the two countries have been unable to agree on major issues, including Moscow's demand to keep land it has already seized.
US intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to capture all of Ukraine and reclaim parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with US intelligence told the Reuters news agency.
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