Russia launched a "massive" attack on several Ukrainian cities overnight on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, a day after he warned of strikes over the Christmas period.

At least three people were killed, according to Ukrainian officials, including a four-year-old child, while energy infrastructure was also targeted, leaving several regions without power.

Russia launched more than 600 drones and 30 missiles, according to Ukraine.

Zelensky said "people simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe" in the run-up to Christmas, and said the strikes sent "an extremely clear signal about Russia's priorities" despite ongoing peace talks.

He added: "Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing. And that means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia."

Zelensky had previously warned it was in the Kremlin's "nature" to "carry out massive attacks" during the festive period.

Confirming a child's death in the central Zhytomyr region, local official Vitaly Bunechko said: "She was taken to hospital, doctors fought for her life but could not save her in the end." Five others were injured in the strike, he added.

Meanwhile, a 76-year-old woman was killed and three people injured when a house in the Kyiv region was struck, according to Ukraine's state emergencies service.

An attack in Khmelnytskyy, western Ukraine, killed a 72-year-old, regional administration head Serhiy Tyurin said.

Polish fighter jets were scrambled in response to missiles and drones targeting west Ukraine.

The Russian defence ministry said it had targeted energy facilities and other transport infrastructure, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

Meanwhile, Ukraine reportedly struck a petrochemical plant in Stravropol, southern Russia.

Videos shared by Russian media channels online showed large flames rising from the direction of the plant.

The region's governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, said a Ukrainian drone hit the plant and sparked a fire. No casualties were reported and residential buildings were left undamaged.

With temperatures expected to fall to as low as -7C on Wednesday, Ukraine's energy operator warned of emergency power shutdowns "in all regions" and urged people to use energy "sparingly".

Acting energy minister Artem Nekrasov said it was the ninth large attack on Ukraine's energy system this year, and that supply in the Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytsky regions has been "almost completely" lost.

Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko told the BBC World Service that some areas could be without power "for days".

The main focus of Russian attacks in recent days has been the southern port city of Odesa, which comes after Vladimir Putin threatened to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea.

The Russian president made the threat in retaliation for Ukrainian drone attacks on tankers belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet", vessels used to move good including oil which are under Western sanctions.

The Tuesday morning attack punctured a period of relative calm in the capital Kyiv, where it has been weeks since Shahed drones have been spotted flying low overhead.

In the Ukrainian capital, many suspect the most recent attack is linked to Monday's killing of a top Russian general after a car bomb exploded in Moscow.

Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov - the head of the armed forces' operational training department - died in the blast, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has not commented.

It also comes after the latest round of US-led diplomatic talks in Miami, where envoys from Washington and Kyiv have been drafting detailed proposals to end the war.

According to Zelensky, the US had proposed a Christmas truce but Russia rejected the idea.

Zelensky said he received a progress report on the talks on Tuesday morning, and that "several draft documents have now been prepared", including a basic framework to end the war, future security guarantees for Ukraine, and on the country's post-war recovery.

Putin was also due to be briefed by his envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Tuesday on the latest discussions with Washington.

Russia launched a "massive" attack on several Ukrainian cities overnight on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, a day after he warned of strikes over the Christmas period.

At least three people were killed, according to Ukrainian officials, including a four-year-old child, while energy infrastructure was also targeted, leaving several regions without power.

Russia launched more than 600 drones and 30 missiles, according to Ukraine.

Zelensky said "people simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe" in the run-up to Christmas, and said the strikes sent "an extremely clear signal about Russia's priorities" despite ongoing peace talks.

He added: "Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing. And that means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia."

Zelensky had previously warned it was in the Kremlin's "nature" to "carry out massive attacks" during the festive period.

Confirming a child's death in the central Zhytomyr region, local official Vitaly Bunechko said: "She was taken to hospital, doctors fought for her life but could not save her in the end." Five others were injured in the strike, he added.

Meanwhile, a 76-year-old woman was killed and three people injured when a house in the Kyiv region was struck, according to Ukraine's state emergencies service.

An attack in Khmelnytskyy, western Ukraine, killed a 72-year-old, regional administration head Serhiy Tyurin said.

Polish fighter jets were scrambled in response to missiles and drones targeting west Ukraine.

The Russian defence ministry said it had targeted energy facilities and other transport infrastructure, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

Meanwhile, Ukraine reportedly struck a petrochemical plant in Stravropol, southern Russia.

Videos shared by Russian media channels online showed large flames rising from the direction of the plant.

The region's governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, said a Ukrainian drone hit the plant and sparked a fire. No casualties were reported and residential buildings were left undamaged.

With temperatures expected to fall to as low as -7C on Wednesday, Ukraine's energy operator warned of emergency power shutdowns "in all regions" and urged people to use energy "sparingly".

Acting energy minister Artem Nekrasov said it was the ninth large attack on Ukraine's energy system this year, and that supply in the Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytsky regions has been "almost completely" lost.

Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko told the BBC World Service that some areas could be without power "for days".

The main focus of Russian attacks in recent days has been the southern port city of Odesa, which comes after Vladimir Putin threatened to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea.

The Russian president made the threat in retaliation for Ukrainian drone attacks on tankers belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet", vessels used to move good including oil which are under Western sanctions.

The Tuesday morning attack punctured a period of relative calm in the capital Kyiv, where it has been weeks since Shahed drones have been spotted flying low overhead.

In the Ukrainian capital, many suspect the most recent attack is linked to Monday's killing of a top Russian general after a car bomb exploded in Moscow.

Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov - the head of the armed forces' operational training department - died in the blast, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has not commented.

It also comes after the latest round of US-led diplomatic talks in Miami, where envoys from Washington and Kyiv have been drafting detailed proposals to end the war.

According to Zelensky, the US had proposed a Christmas truce but Russia rejected the idea.

Zelensky said he received a progress report on the talks on Tuesday morning, and that "several draft documents have now been prepared", including a basic framework to end the war, future security guarantees for Ukraine, and on the country's post-war recovery.

Putin was also due to be briefed by his envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Tuesday on the latest discussions with Washington.

Donald Trump has said the US will keep or sell the crude oil contained on tankers it has seized off the coast of Venezuela, as well as the vessels themselves.

The US president's comments came as Washington continues to pressure the South American country's leader Nicolas Maduro to stand down.

Speaking to reporters in Florida on Monday, Trump said of the oil "we're going to keep it", adding: "Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it. Maybe we'll use it in the Strategic Reserves. We're keeping the ships also."

The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund drug-related crime, while Caracas has condemned the seizures as "piracy."

The US military has seized two oil tankers this month, including one on Saturday.

Trump issued his latest warning as the US Coast Guard continued to pursue a third oil tanker, which authorities described as part of a Venezuelan "dark fleet" used to evade US sanctions.

"It's moving along, and we'll end up getting it," Trump said.

Separately on Monday, the US military said it carried out a strike on what it said was a suspected trafficking vessel in international waters in the eastern Pacific. US Southern Command said one person was killed.

When asked whether the goal of the seizures was to force Maduro from power, Trump responded: "Well, I think it probably would... That's up to him what he wants to do. I think it'd be smart for him to do that. But again, we're gonna find out."

The US has been building up its military presence in the Pacific and Caribbean Seas 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.

Speaking on Monday, Trump repeated that the US intends to strike targets on land too.

He said: "We'll be starting the same programme on land. If they want to come by land, they're going to end up having a big problem. They're going to get blown to pieces, because we don't want our people poisoned."

Speaking on state television, Maduro responded to Trump by saying: "He would be better off in his own country dealing with economic and social issues and the world would be better off if he focused on his own country's affairs."

Since returning to office in January, Trump has doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro's capture, accused him of being "one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world".

The Trump administration has designated Maduro's government as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO), and last week ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.

As the Venezuelan government relies heavily on oil exports to finance public spending, the latest measures have sparked outrage among officials in Caracas.

At Venezuela's request, the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency session on Tuesday to discuss what the government has described as "ongoing US aggression".

Israel's parliament has extended an order allowing the government to shut down foreign broadcasters operating in the country.

The legislation, passed by 22 votes to 10, expands temporary powers introduced during the Gaza war to shutter outlets seen as a threat to national security.

It allows the government for the next two years to cease operations of a foreign outlet even in peace time and without the need for a court order.

Originally dubbed the "Al Jazeera Law", the powers were used to shut down the Qatari-owned channel's offices and block its broadcasts in May 2024.

Israel accused Al Jazeera - which has been a strong critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza - of anti-Israel bias and of supporting Hamas in its coverage.

Al Jazeera denied the accusations and condemned Israel's actions, calling it a "criminal act" and an attack on press freedom.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said last year that the temporary order violated "freedom of expression, the right to information and freedom of the press, and blocks citizens and residents from receiving a variety of information that does not fit the Israeli narrative or is not broadcast on Israeli media channels".

The legislation extending the order was passed hours after the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to shut down Army Radio, or Galei Tzahal (GLZ), a state-funded station that is operated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) but is editorially independent.

Under the plan proposed by Defence Minister Israel Katz, the station will cease operations by 1 March 2026.

Katz argued that Army Radio, which employs both active duty soldiers and civilians, "no longer serves as a mouthpiece and ear for soldiers and broadcasts political and divisive content that is not in line with IDF values".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet meeting that a station broadcasting under the authority of the military was highly unusual.

"I think it exists in North Korea and maybe a few other countries, and we probably don't want to be counted among them," he said.

The Union of Journalists and Journalists' Organisations said they would petition the High Court of Justice against the decision, calling it "a severe and unlawful infringement on freedom of expression and freedom of the press".

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) think tank said shutting Army Radio constituted a serious violation of freedom of expression and effectively wiped out half of Israel's independent public radio news broadcasts.

"The decision to shut down a public media organisation is not an isolated move. It is part of a broader and worrying pattern of ongoing harm to Israeli democracy," it warned.

At least five people have been killed after a Mexican Navy plane crashed in foggy conditions near Galveston, Texas on Monday while transporting a child burns victim.

According to flight tracking website Flight Radar, the plane was last recorded at 15:01 local time (21:01 GMT) over Galveston Bay, near Scholes International Airport.

The aircraft was taking part in a medical mission on behalf of the Michou y Mau Foundation, which provides care to Mexican children with severe burns.

Mexico's Secretariat of the Navy said one person remains missing and two others were rescued alive.

Video footage shared with AP news agency showed the wreckage of the plane in the water, with witnesses and police officers seen entering the water to search the debris.

Sky Decker, a local yacht captain, said he took two police officers to the site of the nearly submerged plane, before jumping in and finding a badly injured woman trapped.

He said: "I couldn't believe. She had maybe three inches of air gap to breathe in.

"And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life."

Earlier the Mexican Navy Secretariat said search and rescue operations were under way in co-ordination with the US Coast Guard.

Video taken near Scholes International Airport in Galveston showed rescuers including a dive team working in dense fog.

In a statement shared on X, the Michou y Mau Foundation sent "our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this tragedy".

It was supposed to be just another Thursday in Laos, where Anthonin's father was born.

Instead, the 30-year-old French citizen found himself among more than 140 people, mostly tourists, on a ferry that capsized in the Mekong River. All but three are thought to have made it to safety.

Videos online show a scene of chaos - people screaming for help, children crying and passengers scrambling to get their belongings.

Anthonin, who declined to give his full name, recalls seeing a mother and her two children on board the ferry - but they were nowhere to be seen on the rescue boat.

On Monday, Lao media reported that the body of a woman, named Pany Her, had been retrieved from the river. Rescuers then found the body of a one-year-old, who they believe was one of her children. Efforts to find a second child are continuing.

'Only 15 lifejackets'

The boat was making its way last Thursday from the riverside town of Huay Xay to the historic city of Luang Prabang in northern Laos, a common route along the Mekong - and popular with visitors to the country.

There were 118 tourists and 29 locals, including four crew, on board the boat when it struck underwater rocks, according to an official report carried by the Laotian Times.

Within minutes, the ferry began to sink.

"The [crew] were just totally unprepared for that. There was a lot of confusion... it happened really, really fast," Anthonin said.

"What was, you know, puzzling and alarming is that there were very few life jackets, around like, 15 life jackets maximum... [it] was really bad."

As the boat continued to capsize, passengers shouted to a passing boat for help, but it did not stop - possibly because, according to him, it was relatively small.

The second one, however, did stop and take them in. However, according to British tourist Bradley Cook, another passenger on board, that briefly "made it worse".

The 27-year-old told the BBC that as the rescue boat came closer to their ferry, people started to shift and put weight on one side of the ferry, causing water to fill up the hull even quicker.

Mr Cook went to the other side to climb up on the roof, from where he jumped onto the rescue ferry.

Some people managed to climb over to the ferry, while others swam for it, hung onto the rails and got pulled up by others. Both Anthonin and Mr Cook were among those rescued.

But others were less fortunate.

Anthonin says he was helping some other passengers retrieve their luggage at the back of the sinking ferry when he saw a Lao mother and her two children.

However, when he was on the rescue ferry, he realised they weren't there.

"Some people were crying, panicking. It was a mess," he said. "[But] I didn't fear for my life... I was more affected by the three missing people."

Lao media later reported that the body of the Lao woman Pany Her and a one-year-old child were found, separately, near Luang Prabang.

Another passenger, Gabrielius Baranovičius, 19, told the BBC that he and his friend, both of whom are from Lithuania, did not panic at first.

"We were just joking around," Mr Baranovičius said, adding that his attitude quickly changed when he realised they were sinking.

After getting on the rescue boat, Mr Baranovičius said he starting filming what was happening on board "but then I heard other people screaming so [I] turned off the camera and went straight to help other people in the water get on the boat."

Tens of thousands of tourists use slow boat and speedboat services every year along the 300km (185-mile) route connecting Huay Xay, Pak Beng and Luang Prabang, according to the Mekong River Commission.

For Mr Cook, the experience was "terrifying" and it made him want to get out of Luang Prabang, "although everyone's really friendly here", because it was a constant reminder of his narrow escape.

Speaking to the BBC from Vang Vieng, a town in northern Laos, Mr Cook said he planned to file for insurance claims for his electrical items that were broken and for cash that was lost, though he was not sure who would be held responsible.

"I'm assuming it's just a freak accident," he said, though he added he "was not sure how avoidable" the ferry capsizing was.

It's not the first time such a sinking has occurred in Laos.

In September 2023, a passenger boat, which travelled on the same river corridor between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang, capsized in the Mekong in Pakbeng district, resulting in three deaths.

The boat reportedly became entangled in a fishing net, causing loss of control and the vessel overturning in strong currents.

A young police officer who was shot in the head during the Bondi Beach attack has been released from hospital.

Probationary Constable Jack Hibbert - who is just four months into the job - was patrolling a Hanukkah event when two gunmen opened fire, injuring over 40 people and killing 15.

The 22-year-old, who was also hit in the shoulder, has lost vision in one of his eyes but is now recovering at home, his family confirmed in a statement.

"As a family, we couldn't ask for anything more - having our Jack home, especially for Christmas, truly feels like a miracle."

They thanked the public for their "overwhelming support" and praised medical staff for their "exceptional" care and dedication.

"While he is home, he is still recovering and will need space, support, and continued positive thoughts during this time," the statement added.

Even after he was shot during the attack, Constable Hibbert continued to help festival attendees until he physically couldn't, his family previously said.

"Many of his colleagues who were present on the night of the incident have visited in hospital and given testaments to Jack's bravery during the incident... They described how Jack acted, he moved toward people in need, not away from danger," they said.

He was one of two police officers injured in the shooting, with the second officer Constable Scott Dyson, 25, still recovering from his injuries in hospital, according to the last police update.

Last week, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon visited Constable Hibbert in hospital, praising him as a "positive young man".

Lanyon added that the force would rally around Constable Hibbert and find "appropriate duties for him" after his recovery.

Police have alleged the suspected gunmen were inspired by Islamic State ideology and targeted the Jewish festival in what has been declared a terror attack.

Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of terror. A second gunman - his father, Sajid Akram - was shot dead by police at the scene.

On Monday, new court documents alleged the pair "meticulously" planned the attack for months, and two days prior to the shooting, visited Bondi for reconnaissance.

A top Amazon executive has said the US technology giant has blocked more than 1,800 job applications from suspected North Korean agents.

North Koreans tried to apply for remote working IT jobs using stolen or fake identities, Amazon's chief security officer Stephen Schmidt said in a LinkedIn post.

"Their objective is typically straightforward: get hired, get paid, and funnel wages back to fund the regime's weapons programs," he said, adding that this trend is likely to be happening at scale across the industry, especially in the US.

Authorities in the US and South Korea have warned about Pyongyang's operatives carrying out online scams.

Amazon has seen a nearly one-third increase in job applications from North Koreans in the past year, said Mr Schmidt in his post.

He said the operatives typically work with people managing "laptop farms" - referring to computers based in the US that are run remotely from outside of the country.

The firm used a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and verification by its staff to screen job applications, he said.

The strategies used by such fraudsters have become more sophisticated, Mr Schmidt said.

Bad actors are hijacking dormant LinkedIn accounts using leaked credentials to gain verification. They target genuine software engineers to appear credible, he said, urging firms to report suspicious job applications to the authorities.

Mr Schmidt warned employers to look out for indicators of fraudulent North Korean job applications, including incorrectly formatted phone numbers and mismatched education histories.

In June, the US government said it had uncovered 29 "laptop farms" that were being operated illegally across the country by North Korean IT workers.

They used stolen or forged identities of Americans to help North Korean nationals get jobs in the US, said the Department of Justice (DOJ).

It also indicted US brokers who had helped secure jobs for the North Korean operatives.

In July, a woman from Arizona was sentenced to more than eight years in jail for running a laptop farm to help North Korean IT workers secure remote jobs at more than 300 US companies.

The DOJ said the scheme generated more than $17m (£12.6m) in illicit gains for her and Pyongyang.

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.

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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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.

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.

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.

Over 60% of the world's orders this year went to Chinese shipyards, and its navy is already the largest in the world.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 registration system introduced in March includes several grounds for rejection, including:

• Denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state
• Denying the Holocaust or the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023
• Supporting an armed struggle against Israel by an enemy state or terrorist organisation
• Promoting "delegitimisation campaigns" against Israel
• Calling for a boycott of Israel or committing to participate in one
• Supporting the prosecution of Israeli security forces in foreign or international courts

The Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory - a forum that brings together UN agencies and more than 200 local and international organisations - warned in a statement last Wednesday that the system "fundamentally jeopardises" the operations of INGOs in Gaza and the West Bank.

"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.

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.

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.

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 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."

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.

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.

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.

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

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 trial is scheduled for February.

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.

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.

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.

The most recent fighting has seen the exchange of artillery fire along the 800km (500-mile) border. Thailand has also launched air strikes targetting Cambodian positions.

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.

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."

Additional reporting by Katy Watson

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.

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.

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.