Polls have closed in Chile’s presidential runoff election, with voters looking to have backed far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast  instead of Jeannette Jara of the ruling leftist coalition.

Early vote counting suggested a resounding win for far-right Republican Party candidate Kast, as projected, against Jara, a member of the Communist Party and former labor minister.

Jara conceded defeat to her hard-right rival and said that “Democracy spoke loud and clear.” She went on to say in a post on X that she had spoken to Kast to wish him well.

According to preliminary results with 83% of the vote counted, Kast garnered 58% of the vote, while Jara managed 41%, a clear indication she was on course to lose.

Leading up to 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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A senior New York rabbi has condemned Australia’s “inaction” after a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach was shattered by a mass shooting that wounded 40 and killed at least 15 people, including two prominent rabbis.

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky of the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York City, said the attack, carried out by a father and son, reflected a growing climate of antisemitism in Australia that authorities had failed to confront.

“As well as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, we have now learned that Chabad Rabbi Yaakov Levitan has succumbed to his wounds. May his memory also be a blessing,” Krinsky told Fox News Digital.

“Jewish people around the world right now are uneasy, but they are defiant,” he said. “Every incremental escalation of antisemitic language that is tolerated has a direct, and now, deadly, consequence, and must no longer go unchecked.”

PATRIOTS PAY TRIBUTE TO BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTING, AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK VICTIMS

Police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 14, 2025.  (Mark Baker/AP Photo)

“Australian authorities need to act with alacrity and stamp out both the acts and the rhetoric that normalize antisemitism,” Krinsky added.

The tragic mass shooting Dec. 14 came when two gunmen opened fire on a large “Chanukah by the Sea” event near Campbell Parade at Bondi Beach.

The attack, reportedly being investigated as a terrorist incident by police, included improvised explosive devices found in one suspect’s vehicle, as previously reported by Fox News Digital.

ANTISEMITIC THREATS ESCALATE NATIONWIDE AS PROTESTERS CALL FOR REPEAT OF OCT 7 MASSACRE

A member of the Jewish community reacts as he walks with police toward the scene of a shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Dec. 14, 2025. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

The elder assailant was killed at the scene and his son was taken into custody in critical condition.

Krinsky, who was also in Melbourne in July when a synagogue arson attack took place at the East Melbourne Synagogue, said he had already seen the “unease” in Australia growing firsthand.

“I witnessed firsthand the unease and concern felt by many within the Australian Jewish community amid the rise in antisemitic incitement, and their sense that the response from the authorities was inadequate, he said.

FAITH, FREEDOM AND THE FIGHT AGAINST RISING ANTISEMITISM

Rabbi Dovid Gutnick walks past damage to the exterior of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Melbourne, Saturday, July 5, 2025, after an arsonist set fire to the door. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)

“At that point, there was a feeling that the Jewish community in Australia has been increasingly uneasy with what they feel is the lack of a strong enough response to these acts.”

Schlanger, 41, who was one of the first deceased victims to be identified, was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and an organizer of the beach event.

TRUMP ENCOURAGES JEWISH AMERICANS TO ‘CELEBRATE PROUDLY’ DURING HANUKKAH AFTER DEADLY BONDI BEACH SHOOTING

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (Mark Baker/AP Photo)

“While each Chabad center operates independently, they function under our global umbrella organization,” Krinsky clarified. “There are no words to underscore the anguish and heartbreak caused by this gut-wrenching tragedy.” 

“Rabbi Schlanger was among the victims of this barbarism,” he added. “He had deep ties to the United States and studied here, he has family here and although the attack took place far away, this Hanukkah we feel him closer than ever.”

“He was younger than I am, and we attended the same institutions, though at different times,” Krinsky noted. “He dedicated his life to living in communities around the world, far away from home, inspired by the Rebbe’s teachings and vision.

PATRIOTS WILL HOLD PREGAME CEREMONY FOR VICTIMS OF BROWN UNIVERSITY AND BONDI BEACH

Armed police work at the scene after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. Australian police said two people were in custody following reports of multiple gunshots on December 14 at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach, urging the public to take shelter. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

Schlanger, born in the U.K., married Chaya, the daughter of prominent Australian Rabbi Yehoram Ulman.

“Following their marriage, some 18 years ago, they moved to Sydney to help grow the community and bring the beauty and spirit of the Jewish tradition to life for many in the Sydney Jewish community,” Krinsky explained. “He would have found some place to move to go about the work that he had he wanted to dedicate his life to.”

As the world responded, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as an “act of pure evil,” according to The Associated Press.

“We are crushed for the families who were celebrating the Festival of Light on Bondi Beach,” Krinsky said.

101-YEAR-OLD KRISTALLNACHT SURVIVOR WARNS CURRENT ERA ‘EQUIVALENT TO 1938’ ON ANNIVERSARY OF NAZI RIOT

A health worker moves a stretcher after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. Australian police said two people were in custody following reports of multiple gunshots on December 14 at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach, urging the public to take shelter. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

“But every Chabad community worldwide is already doing what we do best: spreading more light, strengthening Jewish pride and observance, and increasing acts of goodness and kindness.”

“The perpetrator may have wanted to dim the Hanukkah lights in Sydney – but they will burn even brighter across Australia and around the globe.”

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A statement released by Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters in New York said, “Let us be clear: this was a treacherous act of terror – an attack on the community, on goodness, and on light itself. It reflects a climate in which Jew hatred has been allowed to grow and to turn violent. That reality must be confronted.” 

“We will honor the lives taken by enhancing Jewish practice, pride and visibility. May their light rise from this sorrow, and their memory be a blessing to us all,” the statement read.

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A Democratic senator who was a champion of gun reforms in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting in his state blamed Donald Trump on Sunday for encouraging a “dizzying” campaign of violence, hours after authorities announced that a person of interest was apprehended for a mass shooting at Brown University.

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy told NBC’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press that the president’s rhetoric and actions since returning to the White House made violence “more likely” in America.

Representing the state in the Senate since 2013, the senator is a leading voice for gun safety restrictions among members of his party.

His remarks came after America was rocked by news Saturday evening of a gunman opening fire in an academic building at the Ivy League university in Rhode Island, killing two people and wounding nine others.

“He has been engaged in a pretty deliberate campaign to try to make violence more likely in this country, and I think you’re unfortunately going to see the results of that on the streets of America,” Murphy said.

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Democratic Senator Chris Murphy blamed Donald Trump for encouraging violence after a gunman killed two people and injured nine others at Brown University (CNN – State of the Union)

Of the Brown shooting, he said: “This is not shocking because over the last year President Trump has been engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country. He is restoring gun rights to felons and people who have lost their ability to buy guns. He eliminated the White House Office of Gun Violence Protection, and he has stopped funding mental health grants and community anti-gun violence grants that Republicans and Democrats supported [in 2022].”

The White House issued a furious statement in response.

“Before spreading these lies, Chris Murphy should take a look in the mirror,” Trump’s deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote. “Chris and his colleagues have regularly used rhetoric meant to incite their followers to violence, including smearing ICE officers as Nazis and calling their political opponents fascists.”

She said assaults against ICE officers “have skyrocketed” and pointed to the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, “not to mention the other violent riots that leftists have engaged in.”

“The Violent Left is a problem whether Chris admits it or not,” she told Politico.

The Independent has requested further comment.

This year saw a reduction in instances of mass casualty incidents involving firearms after those numbers spiked over 2018 and 2019, according to a database created by the Associated Press and USA Today tracking mass shootings reports.

There were at least 154 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, killing at least 49 people and causing at least 135 injuries, according to gun violence prevention group Everytown.

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A woman leaves flowers at the scene of a mass shooting at Brown University the morning after two students were killed and nine other wounded in a mass shooting on the Ivy League campus (REUTERS)

There have been a number of high-profile mass shootings this year across the United States, however, and on Sunday morning Americans awoke to the news of another tragedy unfolding in Sydney, Australia, after gunmen killed more than a dozen people and injured at least 29 others at a Jewish gathering on Bondi Beach.

August and September saw two of those incidents unfold: the attack at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota, followed by Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University weeks later.

Both shootings renewed angry debates about gun culture and the Second Amendment in America, with Kirk’s death provoking especially passionate responses from both Republicans and Democrats. Allies of the president, including members of Trump’s inner circle who were personally close to Kirk, sought to use his death as a means of painting the broader American left as violent and dismissing charges of political violence being fomented by the right.

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After the Sandy Hook massacre in his home state, the Connecticut senator has emerged as one of the most prominent voices for gun reform in the upper chamber of Congress (AFP via Getty Images)

Many Democrats, on the other hand, expressed condemnations of Kirk’s murder while deriding instances where the Turning Point USA co-founder had expressed racist sentiments and opposed restrictions on gun ownership meant to reduce the number of mass shootings in America.

Murphy spoke out against efforts or inclinations by Republicans to criminalize dissent and Democratic-aligned organizations in the wake of Kirk’s death and announcements by the White House that the Department of Justice will go after “antifa” groups around the country.

He has long blamed inaction in Washington, encouraged by the firearm and shooting sports lobby, for allowing a deadly problem to spiral out of control.

A gunman killed 20 six- and seven-year-old children during the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

In the aftermath, Murphy supported bipartisan legislation which eventually failed under the Senate’s filibuster threshold that would have expanded background checks and launched studies on mass gun violence in America.

In 2022, in the wake of another mass shooting in New York, he gave a Senate floor speech accosting his fellow lawmakers.

“What are we doing?” he said. “Why do you spend all this time running for the United States Senate? Why do you go through all the hassle of getting this job … if your answer, as this slaughter increases, as ours kids run for their lives, we do nothing?”

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NEED TO KNOW

• Ellen DeGeneres shared a heartfelt tribute to her late friend Stephen “tWitch” Boss on the third anniversary of his death
• “I planted a tree for tWitch at my campus in Rwanda,” the former talk show host, 67, said, adding, I miss you friend”
• Boss — a dancer, DJ and producer on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ — died by suicide on Dec. 13, 2022, at the age of 40

Ellen DeGeneres shared a heartfelt tribute to her late friend Stephen “tWitch” Boss on the third anniversary of his death.

In a post shared to Instagram on Dec. 13, the former talk show host, 67, posted a series of photos of a tree planted at her endangered gorilla conservation campus in honor of the late dancer, DJ and producer.

“I planted a tree for tWitch at my campus in Rwanda. This is what it looks like today. Look at all the beautiful life it nourishes every day,” DeGeneres wrote alongside photos of the lush greenery, complete with a hummingbird buzzing in the background. “I miss you friend.”

Boss — a beloved dancer, as well as a DJ and producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show — died by suicide on Dec. 13, 2022, at the age of 40.

He had previously finished as runner-up on season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance, co-hosted Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings with Holker and also appeared in a number high-profile films and shows, including Magic Mike XXL, Modern Family and Step Up All In.

DeGeneres has previously been candid about the death of her late producer, and has publicly looked back on some of her fondest memories with Boss.

In a touching tribute posted on Instagram on the first anniversary of his death, DeGeneres recalled her experiences working with Boss.

“I thought that I would share a couple of memories that I have,” she began. “Well, first of all there are so many memories that I have of tWitch.”

Ellen DeGeneres and Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss.

 ellendegeneres/Instagram

“I love that every single day after the show we would sing and dance to some song. And then we would make each other laugh somehow,” she continued. “And then we would walk off arm in arm and walk to my dressing room, which was the first one we got to and I would say, ‘I love you,’ and he’d say, ‘Love you much.’ And then he would walk off to his. And every single day, that’s how we ended the show, arm in arm. I miss that.”

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.

Boss’ widow Alison Holker — with whom he shared three children including daughter Zaia, 6, son Maddox, 9, as well as Holker’s daughter from a previous relationship, Weslie, 17, whom Boss adopted — also shared a post to Instagram in honor of her late spouse’s third death anniversary.

“Today is the 3 year Stephen tWitch Boss anniversary day 12/13/2022. We honor you and cherish all of our beautiful memories with you. We loved laughing, creating and dancing. We will love you forever ❤️❤️,” she wrote alongside videos of her and Boss dancing and family photos with their kids.

“Saw some beautiful posts yesterday as we lead up to the day. Thank you for your endless love and support. It means the world to me and my kids,” Holker added.

Ellen DeGeneres and Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

Since his death, Holker has opened up about the initial days following Boss’ suicide. In January, she told PEOPLE that he had been battling “scary” demons, including a hidden drug addiction and unresolved childhood trauma.

She also shared that she was able to team up with resources that helped her handle the loss, including the National Alliance of Mental Illness and Maple Counseling. 

“I’ve learned there’s so many other resources that a lot of people don’t know about. I’ve had so many people reach out to me needing to talk, and if I’ve learned anything, I’ve learned that mental health can impact anyone at any time of their life,” Holker said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

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Corrie’s Beth Nixson who plays paedophile teacher Megan

Beth Nixson who plays Megan almost gave up acting last year.

It’s taken Beth Nixson just a month to become Corrie’s most hated character playing paedophile PE teacher Megan, who she calls “the devil in disguise.”

Completely oblivious to the fact she is grooming his athlete son Will, (Lucas Hodgson-Wale), grateful for her coaching, Rovers Return landlord Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker) invites her to the family’s Christmas lunch.

To maintain her cover, as the doting teacher, she brings her ‘decoy’ boyfriend – fellow teacher Daniel Osborne (Rob Mallard) along as her plus one. But she is playing with fire, as her 15-year-old lover Will’s jealousy threatens to boil over.

Beth, 25, who joined the Corrie cast in November, says: “Poor Will. Megan is the devil in disguise and we are going to really see how evil she is.

READ MORE: Charming UK town with vibrant Christmas market where you might even bump into a celebrity

“She will stop at nothing and she will do anything she wants to stay on top. “Everything she does is for a reason and it’s to serve herself and nobody else. You find yourself wanting to shout at the telly at her, because she is so evil.”

Viewers will see tension mount, as the Driscolls tuck into their turkey dinners. “Megan is spinning so many plates and it’s a ticking time bomb,” says Beth. “She has met Daniel and she uses him as a cover. She ramps the relationship up by kissing Daniel in front of Will in the Rovers. She is a lone wolf and there will be plenty more twists and turns. She keeps on plotting and plotting.”

Beth and her soap bosses have been working with Barnardo’s on the grooming storyline. She hopes that it will help any viewers facing a similar situation to realise they aren’t alone. She explains: “I have done research on female paedophiles and it’s shocked me how prevalent grooming is. It’s completely wrong, but by working with Barnardo’s, we want people to know they aren’t alone. Even if it is just one person that maybe realises they are in a similar situation, we’ve done our job.”

Corrie has given Beth her first ever TV role and she is determined to give it her all – especially as she was ready to quit acting just weeks before landing the part. Grounded and likeable in real life – the total opposite of her soap character – she says: “This is my first TV job and it’s not been easy. I was really, really close to giving acting up. But getting this Corrie part was the universe saying ‘don’t give up, keep going’.”

Will and Megan are disturbed by someone hammering on the door.

Growing up in York with her mum, Karen, an NHS porter, and dad, Andy, a forklift truck driver, Beth, who has four siblings, says she lacked confidence growing up and wasn’t sure how to get into acting.

Underperforming in some subjects at school, she says: “I never found anything I was good at. I can’t do maths; I am ok at writing but I’ve got no passion for it and the only thing I loved was drama. Thankfully, my teacher, Toni Feetenby, persuaded me to take it at GCSE, but I was so scared to do so!”

Passing with flying colours, with her teacher’s support, she found a college and moved to Manchester, aged 18, to study drama at the Arden School of Theatre. “They really champion working class actors,” she says. “I had the best time and they were amazing. It was such a good way to get your foot in the door.”

After graduating from Arden, she found work in a McDonald’s advert and did some educational videos for Rochdale Council. A play in Lincoln followed, but Corrie gave her the big break she craved. “It’s been tough and a couple of years ago, I took a break for a year,” she explains. “I did a lot of waitressing and I would always be collecting plates. People kept saying to me ‘maybe one day you will be on Coronation Street’.”

Beth uses Daniel as a cover so people don’t realise she’s grooming Will.

When acting jobs were thin on the ground, she also worked as a social media manager, after which the auditions began to roll in. She says: “That’s when the role of Megan came up. It feels so surreal to be on the set of Corrie knowing what people used to say when I was waitressing. While it’s a difficult role, I do keep pinching myself. I’ve landed this job and I am so grateful to Corrie for trusting me with it.”

No one could be more proud of Beth’s success than her boyfriend, Ethan, a construction worker, who she has been dating for 18 months. When she told him, he even cried. “He did cry,” she confesses. “It has all been so amazing.”

Working with Pauline McLynn, Catherine Tyldesley and Lucas has been brilliant, according to Beth, who says they have welcomed her into the Corrie fold. “OMG it’s been so crazy, they are all such great actors and everyone has been so welcoming,” she says. “Initially, I hid in my dressing room as I was really nervous. But I knew I needed to socialise and I don’t know why I was scared. Everyone is so nice. I feel very blessed to be a part of Coronation Street.”

And her family were so proud they held a special watch party in the local pub in York for her debut episode. “My mum is a lifelong Corrie fan, as is my Nana,” she confides. “Corrie is such a big part of many people’s childhood. Many people have grown up watching it and my family have been so excited, even though the role is a very difficult one.”

The Driscolls invite Beth over for Christmas dinner.

While trouble will never be far away from Megan over Christmas, Beth will be having a much more harmonious celebration at home in York with her family. “I love Christmas and I definitely want to spoil my mum and little sister,” she promises. “I might book them a holiday. I will be going home back to York, which is such a lovely place at Christmas.”

And she might start a new festive tradition, by getting her family to “play Traitors” this year. She laughs: “We all love the Traitors so much and I would love to be a traitor, but I don’t know if I would be any good at that. I think I would go bright red and be like Alan Carr by laughing all the time. I think I would get caught out early.”

Turning back to Corrie, Beth remains tight-lipped on how long her storyline will run, but she hopes that other working class actors will be inspired to follow their dreams, after seeing her land a role in the soap. “Even though I was close, I am so glad I didn’t give up,” she confides.

Megan starts at Weatherfield High where Will is a student.

“My advice to anyone is if you feel in your heart this is what you want to do, then it will happen. It doesn’t matter what your background is, you can get Government funding and the Arden School of Theatre, where I went, is fabulous. It sets you up with the tools.”

Finally, she hopes that Megan’s story will help anyone in Will’s situation seek help. She says: “My storyline is a very tough one and it needs to be handled with care, but it needs to resonate with people and hopefully it will do so. I am so thankful to have been given this part and I am learning so much being at Corrie.”

Coronation Street airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 or STV1. Episodes can be downloaded on ITVX.

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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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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

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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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