Another doctor sentenced for supplying Matthew Perry with drugs

California doctor Mark Chavez was sentenced to eight months of home confinement for supplying ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry in the months before the actor’s 2023 death, a California court ruled. Chavez, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to supply the drug. He ran a ketamine infusion clinic near San Diego and must also complete 300 hours of community service, according to the court’s order. Prosecutors said Perry was buying ketamine for up to $2,000 a vial in the weeks before he was found dead in the hot…

Australian PM says charges imminent for alleged Bondi Beach shooter

SYDNEY — One of two men suspected of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades will be charged within hours, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday, as funerals began for Jewish victims of Sunday’s attack at Bondi Beach. The father-and-son pair allegedly opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration at the iconic Sydney waterfront, in an assault that shocked the country and intensified concerns about rising antisemitism and violent extremism. Police shot dead the elder suspect, identified as…

Byrne insists sanctions remain until Russia ends occupation of Ukraine

EU sanctions on Russia should remain in place as long as Moscow occupies Ukrainian territory, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said, as European leaders weigh a contentious “Reparations Loan” and a new international body launches in The Hague to process war-damage claims against Russia. “The entire basis of our support for Ukraine and our position against Russia and our actions against Russia is that has breached international law,” Byrne told reporters in Brussels ahead of a ministerial meeting.…

Inside the online misinformation surge after the Bondi Beach attack

After the Bondi Beach attack on Sydney’s Jewish community, a blizzard of false claims and conspiracy theories raced across social media—many amplified by AI systems positioned as authoritative sources. An examination by the European Broadcasting Union’s Spotlight Network shows how misinformation eclipsed verified reporting in the crucial first hours, sowing confusion about what happened, who was involved and even whether the attack was real. On Sunday, Dec. 14, two gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi…

On the front line, aid cuts ravage the world’s largest refugee camp

‘Ground zero’ for aid cuts: Rohingya children in Cox’s Bazar face hunger, lost schooling as funding collapses At a nutrition center in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, a seven-month-old girl named Ahshiya clings to life. She weighs just 4.7 kilograms—little more than an average one-month-old. Her mother, 21-year-old Sajida Begum, fled Myanmar after soldiers attacked her village and burned their home. Now, inside the world’s largest refugee camp, she is battling HIV, diabetes and dengue fever while trying to keep her daughter fed.…

M23 rebels announce withdrawal from strategic DR Congo city Uvira

The M23 armed group said it will withdraw from the strategic eastern Congolese city of Uvira at the request of U.S. mediators, a move that could ease immediate tensions after its rapid advance last week cast doubt on a newly signed peace deal between the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. The Rwanda-backed militia announced it “will unilaterally withdraw its forces from the city of Uvira, as requested by the U.S. mediators,” according to a statement signed by its coordinator, Corneil Nangaa. The…

Zelensky says U.S. negotiations were challenging yet ultimately productive

BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said talks in Berlin with envoys for U.S. President Donald Trump were “not easy” but delivered “real progress” on security guarantees that could underpin a path to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Meeting for a second day with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Zelensky said the discussions were “productive” and “detailed,” while acknowledging that “we still have different positions” on core issues, including territory. Kyiv’s…

Trump Sues BBC for $10 Billion Over Edited Documentary Speech

Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion (€8.5 billion) lawsuit against the BBC, alleging the broadcaster defamed him by editing his 2021 speech to supporters ahead of the U.S. Capitol riot and violating Florida consumer protection law. The complaint, filed in federal court in Miami, seeks damages “in an amount not less than $5,000,000,000” for each of two counts: defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Trump previously signaled the suit was imminent, accusing the BBC of having “put…

Police say Bondi gunmen were ISIS-inspired and traveled to the Philippines

Sydney’s Bondi Beach was quiet and grieving as investigators on Monday said the two alleged gunmen who opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration were likely inspired by the Islamic State group and had recently traveled to the Philippines. The attack killed 15 people in Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years and is being investigated as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community, police said. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said early evidence points to a father-and-son team who “aligned…

Sydney grieves 15 dead as Israeli envoy urges stronger security

Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting probed as terror attack; Israel’s envoy urges protection for Jewish Australians SYDNEY — Dozens queued along Sydney’s Bondi Beach to lay flowers and light candles for the victims of the weekend’s Hanukkah festival shooting, as Australia opened a terrorism investigation and Israel’s ambassador called for stronger protection of the country’s Jewish community. Police said 16 people were dead, including one of the alleged gunmen, after two attackers opened fire on Sunday in Australia’s worst mass…