World

SYDNEY — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese proposed tougher gun laws after a father and son opened fire on a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people before the older man was shot dead, in what officials called a targeted anti-Semitic attack. The death of the 50-year-old father brought the toll to 16, police said. His 24-year-old son was critically wounded and remains in hospital. Albanese said his government would take “whatever action is necessary,” adding that firearms licensing rules need tightening. “People can be…

Sydney — A bystander who wrestled a weapon from a gunman during the Bondi Beach shooting is being hailed as a “genuine hero,” as Australia reels from its worst mass shooting in years. Video posted on social media shows a man grabbing one of the gunmen as he fires on civilians, grappling with him and wrenching the firearm free before briefly pointing it back as the attacker retreats. Local broadcaster 7News identified the bystander as Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, a fruit seller, and reported he suffered two gunshot wounds during the…

Hamas says Israel’s assassination of a senior commander has imperiled Gaza’s fragile ceasefire, urging U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to abide by the truce terms as rival factions maneuver over the enclave’s future security architecture. The group identified the slain commander as Raed Saed, killed alongside three associates. Thousands of supporters massed in central Gaza City for Saed’s funeral, chanting “Martyrs are dear to God” as coffins draped in green Hamas flags moved through one of the largest public…

Europe is bringing back the citizen-soldier. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a growing number of European governments have moved to reintroduce conscription or expand voluntary national service, reversing three decades of reliance on smaller, professional armies. Germany and France are the latest to join the shift, betting that wider training for young adults is the fastest way to rebuild reserves, harden deterrence and prepare for a long era of insecurity. The trend marks a significant recalibration.…

North Korea has acknowledged deploying troops to Russia’s Kursk region to clear land mines, with leader Kim Jong Un praising an engineering regiment for “mass heroism” during a ceremony in Pyongyang, according to state media. The remarks, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), mark a rare public admission by Pyongyang about the dangerous frontline duties assigned to its soldiers in Russia as the war in Ukraine nears its fourth year. KCNA said Kim hailed the unit’s return and awarded state honors to fallen soldiers…

SYDNEY — Two people were taken into custody after reports of gunfire and injuries at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, New South Wales Police said Saturday, as officers urged the public to avoid the area during an ongoing operation. Emergency services said eight people were transported to hospitals following the incident at the popular beachfront in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Authorities did not immediately provide details on the nature of their injuries or whether there were any fatalities. “The police operation is ongoing and we…

Trump dismisses newly released Jeffrey Epstein photos as ‘no big deal’ WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday brushed off the release of new photos showing him with Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters the images were “no big deal” and insisting the late financier appeared in countless pictures with prominent people long before his 2019 death. “Everybody knew this man,” Trump said at the White House. “He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, almost — there are hundreds and hundreds of people…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Two people were killed and eight others were critically injured in a shooting at Brown University on Friday, prompting a campuswide shelter-in-place order as police launched a manhunt for the gunman, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said. Shots were fired inside Barus and Holley, Brown’s main engineering building on College Hill, while exams were underway. The university issued an emergency alert at 4:22 p.m. local time reporting an “active shooter near Barus and Holley Engineering,” and urged students,…

Cambodia shuts border crossings with Thailand as Bangkok denies Trump claim of ceasefire Cambodia has closed all official crossings with Thailand amid days of cross-border clashes, hours after Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul contradicted former U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that the two countries had agreed to halt fighting. The Interior Ministry in Phnom Penh said it would “suspend all entry and exit movements at all Cambodia-Thailand border crossings” effective immediately, following new fatalities along…

Two U.S. service members and an interpreter were killed in central Syria when an alleged Islamic State gunman opened fire on a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol near Palmyra, U.S. Central Command said, marking a deadly escalation as Washington and Damascus deepen military coordination against ISIS remnants. CENTCOM announced the deaths on X, adding that three additional troops were wounded in what it described as “an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman.” The attacker “was engaged and killed,” the command said. Officials said the identities…