Media mogul Lai was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by China.

Published On 14 Dec 202514 Dec 2025

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Supporters of Hong Kong democracy activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai have begun queuing overnight outside a Hong Kong court ahead of a verdict in his lengthy trial.

The verdict will be delivered by a three-judge panel in a hearing that begins at 10am local time (02:00 GMT) on Monday and comes amid international calls to release Lai, who has already spent five years in jail.

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On Sunday night, Lai’s supporters formed a queue more than a block long outside the courthouse. Some even had camping gear as they tried to secure a spot among the 507 tickets to the courthouse — 58 tickets are for Lai’s courtroom and the rest are for viewing in a separate overflow room by video link.

Dozens of police officers have been deployed around the area in preparation for Monday’s verdict.

Pro-democracy activists, including Jimmy Lai , centre, arrive at a court in Hong Kong [File: Kin Cheung/AP]

Lai, 78, the multi-millionaire founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by Chinese authorities to quell anti-government protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019.

Lai’s family says his health has worsened after more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement, and that he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart palpitations.

Earlier this month, his daughter Claire Lai told the AFP news agency in Washington, DC that her father has lost “a very significant amount of weight” and noted that he has become “a lot weaker than he was before.”

“His nails turn almost purple, grey and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten,” she added.

Countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as rights groups, have said Lai’s 156-day trial is politically motivated and have called for his immediate release.

US President Donald Trump also raised Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting in South Korea in October and has said he would do his utmost to “save” Lai.

But Beijing has called Lai “an agent and pawn of anti-China foreign forces”, describing him as the main planner behind disruptive activities in the city.

The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have also said the tycoon is receiving a fair trial and that the national security law treats all equally. They say no freedoms are absolute when it comes to safeguarding national security.

“Jimmy Lai has endured five years in prison under appalling conditions simply for doing his job as a founder of one of the most renowned and independent media outlets in Hong Kong,” the media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.

“The trial can only be described as a sham and has nothing to do with the rule of law.”

After Monday’s verdict, if Lai is convicted, he could be sentenced in the near future. He can, however, appeal the outcome.

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Sunday’s deadly terrorist attack on Australian Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney was something the country’s small but historic community had feared since a wave of antisemitic incidents began following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

While the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, condemned the attack, calling it “a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah,” his critics say his Labor government has failed to appropriately respond to the alarming rise in antisemitic incidents across the country. 

Avi Yemini of Rebel News Australia, who has been documenting the attacks against the community, told Fox News Digital that just days after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, “mobs of Islamic extremists were already openly hunting Jews here in Australia, chanting, ‘Where’s the Jews’ outside the Sydney Opera House. Since then, synagogues and childcare centers have been firebombed and repeated warnings ignored. With no meaningful government action to confront the problem, tonight’s horrific attack in Bondi was tragically inevitable and is unlikely to be the last.”

ISRAELI OFFICIALS HEAP BLAME ON AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AFTER BONDI BEACH SHOOTING: ‘COUNTLESS WARNING SIGNS’

Antisemitic graffiti in a Jewish area in Melbourne, Australia. (Executive Council of Australian Jewry )

He said: “The Australian Labor government has been unwilling to act decisively, in part because of its political reliance on Islamic community votes. As a result, many Australian Jews are now facing a devastating wake-up call that this country is no longer as safe for us as it once was. I believe many will now be seriously considering a move to Israel.”

AUSTRALIA’S JEWISH COMMUNITY ALARMED BY RISING ANTISEMITISM: ‘FEAR AND ANXIETY’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, center, gestures as he pushes his way past a crowd after visiting the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (Joel Carrett/AAP Image via AP)

Adding to the anger, Australia’s Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced criticism for failing to note in an earlier statement posted on X that the deadly attack was directed at Jewish Australians.

Following the attack, a reporter confronted Albanese with concerns about his government’s response to antisemitism, citing his government’s recognition of a Palestinian state, Labor ministers attacking the Israeli government and refusing to visit the sites of the Oct. 7 massacres, and the simultaneous appointment of special envoys for Islamophobia and antisemitism. The reporter asked Albanese whether his government had taken antisemitism seriously.

ANTISEMITIC ATTACKERS VIOLENTLY TARGET SYNAGOGUE, ISRAELI RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALIA

Members of the Synagogue recover items from the Adass Israel Synagogue on Dec. 6, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. An arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne forced congregants to flee as flames engulfed the building early on Friday morning. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident as an antisemitic act, emphasizing that such violence at a place of worship is unacceptable in Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

“Yes, we have taken it seriously,” Albanese replied. “And we’ve continued to act. We’ve continued to work with Jewish community leaders. We’ve continued to take all the advice from the security agencies to put in place special measures, and we will continue to do so.”

Albanese’s press office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about frustrations regarding the prime minister’s response to the mass shooting attack.

An anti-Israel  protestor’s high-vis jacket during a march against the Jewish state by the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia. Aug. 2025. (Ayush Kumar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) recently documented 1,654 anti-Jewish incidents across Australia between 1 Oct, 2024 and 30 Sept. 2025, “in addition to 2,062 incidents nationwide the year before.” 

It also noted, “antisemitic incidents in Australia remain at historically high levels, at almost five times the average annual number before Oct. 7, 2023. . . . While there has been a marginal reduction from last year’s all-time high, the most serious categories of incidents, including arson attacks against synagogues, pre‑schools and other Jewish institutions, are higher than in any previous year on record.”

Some of the more shocking incidents to hit Australia’s Jewish community since Oct. 7, 2023, up until Sunday’s terror attack include:

Melbourne

Masked individuals setting a fire in Ripponlea’s Adass Israel Synagogue while congregants said morning prayers. The fire caused widespread damage and injured one worshipper. 

AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE WORKERS THREATEN ISRAELI MAN, CLAIM TO HAVE KILLED JEWS IN THEIR CARE ON CAMERA

Sydney:

Sydney’s Allawah Synagogue was tagged with swastika graffiti. The following day, the Newtown Synagogue, also in Sydney, was similarly defaced. The week prior, a car in Sydney had been spray-painted with an antisemitic phrase.

Major property damage was inflicted on a childcare center near a Jewish school and synagogue in Sydney during an arson attack. Antisemitic graffiti was found inside.

A car was set on fire in a Jewish community in Sydney, and as many as seven homes in the area were vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

Two healthcare workers in Sydney speaking on the social platform Chatrouletka with an Israeli man said that they would refuse treatment to Israeli patients and had previously killed Israeli patients.

Police escort anti-Israeli protesters outside an Israeli restaurant Miznon on Hardware Lane in Melbourne, Friday, July 4, 2025. Families were terrified as one of Australia’s oldest synagogues was targeted by arsonists and protesters shouted chants outside an Israeli restaurant.  (AAP Image/Josh Stanyer/ via Reuters)

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Gideon Sa’ar, the foreign minister of Israel, expressed his sorrow to his Australian counterpart Penny Wong by phone. On X on Sunday, Sa’ar said that he told Australia’s foreign minister that “security for the Jewish community in Australia will be achieved only through a real change in the public atmosphere. Calls such as ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ ‘From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free,’ and ‘Death to the IDF’ are not legitimate, are not part of freedom of speech, and inevitably lead to what we witnessed today. The Australian government must take strong action against the use of these antisemitic calls.”

Populist Australian Sen. Pauline Hanson said on X that Albanese “never heeded the warning signs, including the weekly antisemitic protests across our nation, hate speech from certain religious clerics, our obnoxious universities and probable terrorist alert.” Hanson said the Jewish community in Australia has “the same right to live in peace and harmony as all Australians,” and called on authorities to “be honest when revealing the identities and backgrounds of these murderers.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Beth Bailey is a reporter covering Afghanistan, the Middle East, Asia, and Central America. She was formerly a civilian intelligence analyst with the Department of the Army. You can follow Beth on Twitter @BWBailey85

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Ukraine and US peace talks in Berlin end and will resume tomorrow, Zelensky adviser says

Talks between Ukrainian and U.S. officials on proposals for a settlement of the war in Ukraine ended after more than five hours on Sunday and are set to resume on Monday, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said.

“They went on for more than five hours and ended for today with an agreement to resume tomorrow morning,” adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters in a WhatsApp chat.

Lytvyn said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would comment on the talks on Monday once they were completed. Officials, Lytvyn said, were considering the draft documents.

Daniel Keane14 December 2025 20:17

Comment: Ukraine can and will win – if its allies get serious about defence

Daniel Keane14 December 2025 19:42

How was Nato formed?

Originally born of the Treaty of Dunkirk signed by Britain and France on 4 March 1947, Nato was created to contain any future military threat from a revived Germany or the USSR at a time when the Marshall Plan was attempting to bring economic deliverance to a continent still in recovery from a war that had killed 36.5 million people.

Nato was soon expanded to include Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg and then the US, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.

Holding firm throughout the Cold War and evolving its approach in response to such tense diplomatic episodes as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War and the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan, the alliance was given a new lease of life with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

It gradually added former Soviet satellites states to its ranks: first the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in 1999 and then Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia in 2004.

Daniel Keane14 December 2025 18:38

Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski tells of Belarus prison ordeal in first interview

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski has spoken out for the first time since his release from prison in Belarus.

The 63-year-old veteran human rights advocate, from Belarus, was suddenly released on Saturday after more than four years behind bars,

When back in Vilnius, he hugged his wife for the first time in years.

“When I crossed the border, it was as if I emerged from the bottom of the sea and onto the surface of the water”, he told the Associated Press.

“You have lots of air, sun, and back there you were in a completely different situation — under pressure.”

Daniel Keane14 December 2025 18:00

What is Nato and will Ukraine become a member?

Ukraine is not currently part of Nato, but Zelensky has consistently called for his country to be welcomed into the alliance.

Mr Putin insists – without any basis – that Russia and Ukraine are really one nation. Through his act of aggression against Ukraine, he appears to be seeking to reintegrate the country into his vision of a greater Russia, just as he annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

For its part, Ukraine wants the defensive protection of the alliance as part of its bid for recognition as a free western democracy, shielded from the malign influence of Moscow but Trump has insisted Kyiv cannot be a member.

Read our full explainer below.

Daniel Keane14 December 2025 17:30

Zelensky ditches hopes of Ukraine joining Nato ahead of crunch peace talks in Berlin

The Ukrainian president ditched his hopes to join the military alliance in what he said was a “compromise” to end the war with Russia.

In a major shift, Zelensky said Ukraine will instead ask for Western security guarantees, which he said should be legally binding.

Athena Stavrou14 December 2025 16:57

Zelensky meets Witkoff and Witkoff

President Zelensky greeted Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner warmly in Berlin.

The Ukrainian president and US envoys are beginning crunch peace talks.

Athena Stavrou14 December 2025 16:16

Zelensky begins crunch peace talks with Trump envoy and European leaders in Berlin

Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Berlin for the latest round of Ukraine peace talks with Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.

A source told Reuters that the negotiations, which also include Trump’s son Jared Kushner and Ukraine’s head of national security Rustem Umerov, were underway as of 4pm local time on Sunday.

It comes just hours after Zelensky said that he would abandon his ambition for Ukraine to join Nato in order to secure a peace deal, indicating that Kyiv would be flexible with one of its previous red lines in negotiations. He said the move was a “compromise” but that separate security guarantees would be essential in an agreement.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Athena Stavrou14 December 2025 15:39

Comment: Ukraine can and will win – if its allies get serious about defence

We have the shadow of war knocking at Europe’s door, the armed forces minister Al Carns, the much-decorated Royal Marines veteran, explained in glorious mixed metaphor to assembled defence correspondents. He was opening the new military intelligence hub at RAF Wyton. Experts from seven different branches of the service confirmed that aggressive cyber and information operations by Russia on UK interests have gone up 50 per cent in the last year alone.

The message has been underscored by Nato’s civilian boss, secretary general Mark Rutte, the hugely experienced Dutch statesman. He said Europe and Nato must be ready for conflict with Russia “on a scale our grandparents and great-grandparents endured”.

Russia’s leadership is repeating that it does not want to “go to war with Europe, but is prepared for war” if it is provoked. The words are eerily similar to what the Kremlin said through the winter of 2021 about not intending to invade Ukraine, unless circumstances changed. The similarity in language and information tactics has alarmed UK defence intelligence and its sister agencies.

Tara Cobham14 December 2025 15:30

Russia downs hundreds of Ukrainian drones

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defences downed 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday.

In the Belgorod region, a drone injured a man and set his house ablaze in the village of Yasnye Zori, the regional governor said.

Authorities also said Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Uryupinsk in the Volgograd region, triggering a fire.

In the Krasnodar region, Ukrainian drones attacked the town of Afipsky, where an oil refinery is located. Authorities said that explosions shattered windows in residential buildings, but didn’t report any damage to the refinery.

Athena Stavrou14 December 2025 14:56

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NEED TO KNOW

• Russell Simmons responded to his ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons’ claims that she doesn’t have a relationship with her kids’ dads
• “I have been fighting for my kids love and my bread,” Russell wrote, in part, in his response on social media
• Kimora met him as a high schooler at New York Fashion Week in 1992, married him in 1998 and split from him in 2006

Russell Simmons says he’s been “fighting” for the love of his and Kimora Lee Simmons’ kids.

After the model-turned-fashion mogul, 50, recently told PEOPLE that she doesn’t “have a relationship really” with her kids’ fathers, her ex-husband, 68, responded, in part, by saying “there are two sides to every story.”

“I gave u 50,000 a month for 20 years,” Russell, who shares daughters Ming Lee, 25, and Aoki Lee, 23, with Kimora, wrote on Threads on Dec. 14. “I was ur best /only friend. I’m the godfather to your other 3 kids, until one day you stole my stock.”

“I have been fighting for my kids love and my bread ever since,” he continued. “You threatened that if I sued you, I would never speak to my kids again. There are two sides to every story.”

Kimora’s rep did not immediately reply to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane star also shares son Kenzo Lee, 16, with actor Djimon Hounsou, 61; and son Wolfe Lee, 10, with former investment banker Tim Leissner, 54, who was sentenced to two years in prison earlier this year after he pleaded guilty to bribery and money laundering charges.

Beyond claiming that she did not maintain relationships with the fathers of her children, Kimora also told PEOPLE that she credits her “village” of “friends and family and people my kids can rely on” for helping her through. 

“Usually I would say that I co-parent okay, but the kids are with me full-time,” she explained. “I’m pretty much the primary parent. It’s difficult, but I don’t know sometimes what other people are thinking. Guys are weird.”

“Ming and Aoki are older, but I think they still feel very much like I’m ‘mom,’ and I think that’s okay,” she added. “For sure they can come to me. They live at home, they travel the world and they have a place in New York.”

Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons in 2010.

Theo Wargo/WireImage

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Kimora also emphasized that her “life doesn’t ever revolve around a guy, ever.”

“I am thankful I’m able to be there for my family in ways that other people or parents are not,” she said. “If I wasn’t this person, I don’t know if we would’ve made it or if we would be okay. It’s been very important to me to be strong and self-reliant, and to constantly be growing.”

Kimora and Russell, who married in 1998 and split in 2006 before their divorce was finalized in 2009, were at the center of another controversy involving their daughters in June 2023 when the fashion mogul backed up her daughter Aoki’s allegations that the former Def Jam Recordings executive would “threaten” her boyfriend and friends if she blocked him or “[took] some space.” 

“I’m so sorry to have to do this,” Kimora wrote on her Instagram Stories at the time, going on to accuse him of being “abusive” to the women in his life. “This man has been threatening my kids’ lives. I’m hearing so much more now. We won’t be bullied threatened or afraid.”

She continued, “Leave my kids alone. This narrative of attacking the only caregiver, the only parent in the home with the kids, the mom, AND the kids for one’s own shortcomings and embarrassments is dead. Dead. Dead.”

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This is the moment police took down the alleged Bondi Beach terrorists after gunmen killed at least 16 people during a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s most famous beach.   

In the footage, filmed from a drone, one of the attackers can be seen firing shots from a pedestrian footbridge before stumbling and falling to the ground after being hit by a police bullet.

One terrorist appears to be dead and lying in a pool of his own blood as the other continues to target innocent civilians while emergency sirens blare in the background.

The attacker ducks below the side of the bridge throughout as he appears to reload his weapon before continuing to unleash fire after targeting crowds of locals, holidaymakers and families. 

He shoots in both directions, with one civilian just five cars away, before falling to the ground, dropping his weapon and lying on the floor. 

He trades punches and kicks with a civilian before the police detain him. 

Police then swarm the bridge to arrest one of the attackers who raises his hands to surrender 

The car used by the terrorists, believed to have a flag of terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) draped on its front window, is seen in the distance on Campbell Parade on the edge of Bondi Beach with a body lying next to it. 

This is the moment police took down the alleged Bondi Beach terrorists after gunmen killed at least 16 people during a Hanukkah celebration 

One of the attackers can be seen firing shots from a pedestrian footbridge before stumbling and falling to the ground after being hit by a police bullet

Naveed Akram, 24, from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south-west, pictured armed with a rifle at Bondi Beach 

Witnesses said two men stepped out of the vehicle on Campbell Parade, and over the course of roughly 10 minutes, the two terrorists, one of whom has been identified as Naveed Akram, 24, from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south-west, coldly fired around 50 bullets into the gathered crowd. 

It is understood that Akram was shot, arrested and remains in custody, where he is being treated by emergency services.

The other gunman was shot dead at the scene.

The death toll from the massacre rose to 16 by Monday morning local time, and includes a child. 

The attack took place on Sunday shortly before 7pm local time as the attackers targeted a Hanukkah by the Sea event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in an act of ‘terrorism’.

At least 16 people were killed and at least 29 people were injured as the Jewish community was taking part in a family-focused festival to celebrate the the first night of Hanukkah. 

A child passed away at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick. Four patients were transferred to the children’s hospital, New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park said. 

In just a few minutes, the gunmen took the lives of 12 people, though that number could rise.

Two of the victims have been identified.

Alex Kleytman tragically died while saving his wife of five decades, she told the Daily Mail.

The car used by the terrorists, believed to have a flag of terrorist group Islamic State ( ISIS ) draped on its front window, is seen in the distance

Married for five decades, grandmother Larisa Kleytman and her husband came from Matraville, a suburb of Sydney, to celebrate Hanukkah with other Jewish people.

‘I think he was shot because he raised himself up to protect me, in the back of the head,’ she said.

Mrs Kleytman and her husband came to Australia from Ukraine and have two children and 11 grandchildren.

A rabbi who promoted the Hannukah event at is also among the dead.

British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who had recently celebrated the birth of his son, was among those shot when gunmen opened fire into the crowd on Sunday evening.

Several sources within the Bondi Jewish community confirmed the father of five was a victim. His wife Chaya is also believed to have been injured in the attack.

Some of their children were with the couple at the event but are understood to have escaped without physical injury.

Prime Minister Albanese gave a speech to the public following a meeting of the National Security Committee on Sunday night.

‘There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation,’ he said.

‘Let me be clear we will eradicate it. Amidst this vile act of violence and hate will emerge a moment of national unity, where Australians across the board will embrace their fellow Australians of Jewish faith.

Gunman Naveed Akram coldly fired around 50 bullets into the gathered crowd

At least 16 people have been killed after two terrorists targeted a Hannukah event on Bondi Beach

‘At this dark moment for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to determine anyone associated with this outrage. Our agencies will provide you with factual updates as quickly as possible as they continue to emerge.’

The praise for first responders has been unanimous from leaders across Australia, but some witnesses have questioned why police did not have systems in place to respond to an attack such as this far more swiftly than what unfolded, especially after the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing that took place not too far away.

It has also since been admitted by Australia’s domestic security intelligence agency, ASIO, that one of the shooters was on their radar.

‘One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate threat perspective,’ ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said.

‘So obviously we need to look into what happened.’

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A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the Bondi Beach attack has tragically died in hospital



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Historian Alan McPherson tells Marc Lamont Hill how the US is carrying out a regime change campaign in Venezuela.

Is the United States orchestrating regime change in Venezuela? Could this spark an all-out war?

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill speaks to Alan McPherson, an author and history professor at Temple University who specialises in US-Latin American relations.

The US is continuing the largest military build-up in Latin America in decades and has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has also threatened to attack Venezuela by land “very soon”, while the Pentagon continues to strike alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. At least 87 people have been killed in what human rights groups have called extrajudicial killings and murder.

The Trump administration has made clear that it wants Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power, and has thrown its support behind opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado. She supports foreign intervention and wants to privatise Venezuelan oil, leaving many to question how much the ideologies of US politicians and the interests of oil companies are driving the push for regime change inside Venezuela.

Published On 14 Dec 202514 Dec 2025

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Voting has begun in Chile’s presidential runoff election, with voters choosing between far-right candidate Jos Antonio Kast and Jeannette Jara of the ruling leftist coalition.

Polling stations opened Sunday with far-right Republican Party candidate Kast emerging as the clear front-runner against Jara, a member of the Communist Party and former labor minister.

Ahead of the vote, opinion polls showed Kast leading Jara by a wide margin, with some indicating a lead of more than 10 percentage points.

For the first time in over a decade, voting has been made compulsory, with around 15.8 million people eligible to cast ballots. Initial results are expected in the early hours of Monday and the election winner will take office in March 2026.

Kast is a right-wing populist, while Jara represents the Communist PartyImage: Lucas Aguayo Araos/Anadolu/picture alliance

What are the most pressing issues for Chilean voters?

Sunday’s vote marks Kast’s third bid for the presidency, with the 59-year-old having campaigned on a tough-on-crime and anti-migrant platform.

He pledged to seek unity in what he described as a highly polarized country, saying the winner “will have to be the president of all Chileans.” 

Once viewed as one of the safest and most prosperous countries in Latin America, Chile has been disrupted in recent years by the Covid-19 pandemic, violent social protests and an increase in organized crime.

Polls show more than 60% of Chileans consider security the country’s most pressing issue, more so than concerns over the economy, healthcare or education.

Although Chile remains one of the safest countries in Latin America, there has been a rise in crime in certain areas over the past decade, with authorities laying the blame on gangs linked to Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador.

Chile leftists advance to December’s presidential runoff

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What has Kast said about immigration? 

Migration featured equally prominently throughout campaigning, with migrants now accounting for roughly 10% of Chile’s population.

Many have arrived fleeing violence and poverty elsewhere in South America, particularly from Venezuela.

Kast has pledged to secure Chile’s borders and deport any migrants who do not hold legal status, while building new prisons.

He opposes abortion without exception and has voiced support for former military ruler Augusto Pinochet, who governed Chile from 1973 to 1990.

Some critics have said they worry Kast’s positions could signal a return to authoritarian practices.

He is seen by some voters as similar to Pinochet, who left power after losing a 1990 referendum following 17 years of dictatorship marked by killings, disappearances and widespread torture.

Jara won the first round of the presidential election [FILE: December 10, 2025]Image: Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo/picture alliance

Leftist challenger had led first round

Meanwhile, Jara had led the first round of voting held on November 16, when she won nearly 27% of the vote.

Kast finished second with 24%, but since last month’s vote has consolidated support from other right-wing candidates.

Jara’s candidacy has been tied to the unpopular government of outgoing President Gabriel Boric, whose own four-year term has struggled as many of his efforts to reform the Pinochet-era constitution proved unsuccessful.

Boric, who is constitutionally barred from re-election, cast his vote in Punta Arenas, calling democracy “the best instrument” for resolving differences among Chileans.

Edited by: Karl Sexton

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the frontline city of Kupiansk on Friday, just weeks after Russia claimed its forces had taken control.

In a video posted to X, Zelenskyy is seen wearing a flak jacket and speaking in front of a heavily damaged sign in Cyrillic that says “Kupiansk.”

“Today, I am in the Kupiansk sector, with our warriors who are getting the job done for Ukraine here,” he said. “The Russians kept going on about Kupiansk – the reality speaks for itself. I visited our troops and congratulated them.”

Russian state media outlet Tass reported in November that Russian forces had “liberated” the city of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, citing a briefing from Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, to President Vladimir Putin.

EUROPEAN TALKS RESHAPE UKRAINE’S PEACE PLAN AS ZELENSKYY REFUSES TERRITORIAL CONCESSIONS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy records a video in front of a sign reading “Kupiansk” in the frontline town in Kharkiv region on Dec. 12, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

Zelenskyy’s visit comes as he and his negotiating team prepare for a new round of talks Sunday in Berlin with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.

He is also expected to hold talks with European leaders on a broader political agreement to end the war and secure long-term safety for Ukraine, as well as plans to support the country’s postwar recovery and development.

“We are focusing on how to reliably guarantee Ukraine’s security so that the experience of the Budapest Memorandum and Russia’s invasion are never repeated. We are counting on constructive talks,” said Zelenskyy on X.

UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY YET TO READ PEACE PLAN, TRUMP SAYS

Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffin of fallen comrade during a funeral ceremony on Jan. 4, 2025, in Lviv, Ukraine. (Michael Sorrow/Anadolu via Getty Images)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that any sustainable ceasefire in Ukraine must include firm guarantees and protect European security interests, warning that peace cannot be reached at the expense of the EU or NATO or without their participation.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte echoed those concerns last week, warning members of the transatlantic alliance that they could be Russia’s next target.

Rutte, speaking at the Bavarian State Representation during a Munich Security Conference event in Germany, told attendees that raising defense spending wasn’t a moment for self-congratulation while Russia continues its large-scale attacks on Ukraine.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte hold a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on Dec. 11, 2025. (Liesa Johannssen/Reuters)

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“I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don’t feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now,” he said.

The NATO chief urged allies to boost defense spending and production, saying their armed forces must have the resources needed to protect their homelands, and cautioning that Moscow could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.

Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Witnesses recalled the “traumatizing” mass shooting that took place during a Hanukkah event at Australia’s Bondi Beach on Dec. 14
• “I’ve seen a brain on the ground … It was a grandma, she was bleeding a lot,” one eyewitness said
• At least 12 people were killed, and 29 others were injured in the tragedy

Survivors and witnesses of the mass shooting that killed at least 12 people and injured 29 others at Australia’s Bondi Beach are opening up about the “traumatizing” incident. 

As the community gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea beach festival, two gunmen opened fire on the crowd in Archer Park, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said in a press conference.

One of the shooters was killed at the scene, and a second shooter is in custody, according to Minns. A possible third gunman is also being investigated, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at the press conference.

Recalling the tragedy — in which children and a police officer are believed to be among the victims, according to News.com.au — one eyewitness told CBS News, “I’ve seen a brain on the ground.”

“It was a grandma, she was bleeding a lot,” he continued. “That’s the most traumatized thing that I’ve seen in my life. A brain. I’ve never seen that.”

A member of a jewish community reacts as he stands at the site of a shooting incident at Bondi Beach.

 Saeed KHAN / AFP via Getty

Another onlooker told Al-Jazeera that the scene of the festival, which was attended by many children and families, was chaotic.

“A few people helped a few older people get up and get out of there, but it was like there were lots of bodies on the floor,” they recalled. 

One woman told the Associated Press, “I was holding somebody’s child. Because he was screaming, I was saving this child.”

Another man told the outlet that he had gone outside to smoke a cigarette when he suddenly heard gunshots. “I don’t get scared very easily,” he said. “The shooting starts, and everyone is running down.”

Witness Finn Green told The Guardian that he saw two people get shot before he ran to his house and hid in the closet. 

“I just saw an older lady get shot and she was on the floor,” he said to the outlet. “Saw an older guy get shot very badly injured on the left-hand side … and I just saw a bunch of people screaming run towards me. I didn’t know what was going on.”

Police set up a cordon line at the scene of a mass shooting at Bondi Beach.

 Darrian Traynor/Getty

Adrian, another eyewitness, described the tragedy as a “really confusing situation.”

“People didn’t know where to go,” he told The Guardian. “They were so confused, and we tried to run away from the beach because there were many people and we were afraid someone [was] killing people there.”

Australian broadcaster Michael Vaughan also shared his account of the tragic shooting on X, writing, “Being locked in a restaurant in Bondi was scary .. Now home safe .. but thanks so much to the emergency services and the guy who confronted the terrorist .. thoughts with all who have been affected.”

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