A couple behind a suspected ambush in rural Australia, in which two police offers were killed, appear to have posted a video during the attacks, where they admitted to the killings.  Queensland Police said they were aware of the tape but did not confirm whether it showed Gareth and Stacey Train. The couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, were killed by police after shooting two officers and a neighbour. Police are looking into the trio’s links to conspiracy theories. Officials said the suspects used “many weapons”, but are yet to reveal what kind – or any motive for the attack. But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday said it was a “vicious and deadly ambush”. The Queensland Police union boss Ian Leavers claimed the property was set up with a sophisticated surveillance system and a stockpile of guns and ammunition. In videos uploaded to a YouTube account – first reported by local media outlet Crikey on Friday morning – a pair sharing the likeness of Gareth and Stacey rail against police.(BBC)…[+]

Denmark’s new coalition government is set to scrap a bank holiday to boost defence spending. It is one of the first measures agreed by the unusual coalition between centre-left and centre-right parties – the first since the 1970s. The centre-left Social Democrat party, the centre-right Liberal Party and the centrist Moderate party are all part of the new government. Incumbent Social Democrat PM Mette Frederiksen will carry on in the job. In October, Ms Frederiksen called a snap election following outrage after a highly critical report of her government’s handling of a country-wide mink cull at fur farms at the height of the pandemic was released over the summer. After last month’s vote, Ms Frederiksen handed in her government’s resignation to Queen Margrethe despite her party winning the most votes, as she said she wanted to form a broader coalition. An agreement with her historical rivals was found when the Liberals and the Moderates agreed to drop calls for an independent legal inquiry into the mink cull.The result was the Social Democrat-Liberal-Moderate coalition unveiled on Thursday, as the handover of power from the previous government took place.(BBC)…[+]

A fierce winter storm has left a trail of destruction across the southern US, devastating communities and killing three people in Louisiana. The weather has also left tens of thousands without power across six states. Several east coast states are forecast to be hit by snow and freezing rain late on Thursday and into Friday. The storm system has also brought blizzard-like conditions to the Midwest. In Louisiana, officials have so far confirmed three deaths and dozens of injuries as a result of the storm. In one incident, a 56-year-old woman in St Charles Parish near New Orleans was killed after a tornado destroyed her home. Communities across the state reported severe damage, including downed power lines and collapsed buildings. In Jefferson Parish – a suburb of New Orleans – the sheriff’s office said that homes and businesses in the area had “suffered catastrophic damage”. One Louisiana resident, Michael Willis, told the BBC’s US partner CBS that a close encounter with a tornado near the town of Harvey was “the scariest thing” he has ever experienced. The tornado lifted him up while he was sitting in his car, a large SUV, while debris smashed through his windshield and passenger window.(BBC)…[+]

Two people have been killed, say Ukrainian officials, in a second day of Russian attacks on central Kherson, recaptured by Ukraine last month. Heavy shelling on critical infrastructure in the port area left the entire city without power, according to the regional governor. The retreat of Russian forces from Kherson was one of Moscow’s biggest setbacks since the February invasion. For weeks it has targeted power facilities in Ukrainian cities. Millions of Ukrainians have been left without heating or power as winter temperatures have fallen below freezing. Shells reportedly landed 100m (328ft) from the main administration building in Kherson city, officials said, a day after the building itself was badly damaged. A 32-year-old paramedic and a 70-year-old man were killed in the attack which hit a medical aid point, Ukrainian media said. Explosions also went off in Ukraine’s second biggest city Kharkiv. Mayor Igor Terekhov said Russia was shelling infrastructure facilities and appealed to residents to stay in shelters if possible.(BBC)…[+]

The rapid rise in consumer prices is slowing in the US, as the costs of energy, used cars, medical care and airfare fall. US inflation rose 7.1% over the 12 months to the end of November, dropping from 7.7% in October, figures from the US Labour department show. That was the slowest pace in nearly a year and better than analysts expected. But though the overall picture is improving, the cost of some items such as housing continues to climb. The US central bank has raised interest rates at the fastest pace in decades this year, in an effort to get the inflation problem under control. Earlier this month, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said that the bank would start to move less aggressively to see how the moves are playing out in the economy. By boosting borrowing costs, the Federal Reserve is expecting to dampen demand for expensive items such as homes and cars, helping to slow the economy and ease the pressures pushing up prices.(BBC)…[+]

Six people, including two police officers, have been fatally shot after a suspected ambush at a remote Australian property. Police said they had been searching for a missing person in Wieambilla – 270km (168 miles) west of Brisbane, Queensland – when they were fired upon. After a lengthy siege, three suspects were fatally shot by police. A motive remains unclear, authorities said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it a “heartbreaking day” for Australia. Four police officers – who are armed in Australia – initially went to the property on Monday afternoon local time, after a request from New South Wales police. Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, were shot dead as they approached the property. Another officer suffered a “bullet graze” and the fourth escaped without physical injury, police said. A neighbour, 58-year-old Alan Dare, was killed by the suspects after going to the property to investigate. The siege involved “many weapons” and continued for hours, before the suspects – two men and a woman – were shot by specially trained officers, authorities said.(BBC)…[+]

Supporters of Brazil’s outgoing far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, tried to attack the headquarters of the federal police in Brasilia on Monday. Tension escalated after police arrested a pro-Bolsonaro indigenous leader. Mr Bolsonaro was defeated in last month’s election by his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but some of his supporters refuse to recognise the president’s defeat. They set alight several vehicles and blocked a number of roads, police said. Police said the protesters “attempted to invade” the federal police building, where José Acácio Serere Xavante was being held. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had ordered that the indigenous leader be detained for 10 days for “alleged anti-democratic acts”. According to prosecutors, José Acácio Serere Xavante had “attempted to incite people to try to abolish the rule of law and to impede the swearing-in of the president and vice-president elect”. Prosecutors did not provide details as to how the indigenous leader had tried to impede the handover of power, which is scheduled for 1 January. Mr Serere Xavante released a video from detention calling on people who had gathered outside the police HQ to “refrain from engaging in conflict, fights or confrontations” with the police force.(BBC)…[+]

Operations have resumed at the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa after Russia used Iranian-made drones to hit energy facilities in the city. The port in the south of the country was closed after strikes on Saturday left 1.5 million people and all non-critical infrastructure without power. Ukraine’s president said it could take days to restore electricity, with sub-zero temperatures expected this week. Odesa is one of three ports being used to ship grain under a UN-brokered deal. The agreement, mediated by Turkey and the UN, allows Ukrainian products to be transported safely to the rest of the world. The deal has helped bring down soaring global food prices.

Although operations at Odesa port were briefly stopped on Sunday, Ukraine’s agriculture minister said grain exports would not be suspended. In total, Russia launched 15 Iranian-made drones at the regions of Odesa and neighbouring Mykolaiv, 10 of which were shot down, Ukraine’s armed forces said. The situation in the Odesa region is very difficult,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address. “Unfortunately the hits were critical, so it takes more than just time to restore electricity. It doesn’t take hours, but a few days.”(BBC)…[+]

Two police officers and a member of the public have been shot dead at a remote property in Queensland, Australia. The officers were responding to reports of a missing person in Wieambilla – 270km (168 miles) west of Brisbane. The offenders are still at large, the police said at a news conference. Residents are being told to remain indoors “until further notice”. Katarina Carroll, Queensland Police Commissioner, said four police officers attended the property. One received a “bullet graze”, while another escaped the property. Both are receiving treatment in hospital, she said. Ms Carroll said the offenders are yet to be taken into custody, and that the police operation involves PolAir – which provides aerial support to police – and specialist forces.(BBC)…[+]

Iran says it has carried out a second execution linked to the anti-government protests engulfing the country. Majidreza Rahnavard, 23, was hanged “in public” early on Monday in the city of Mashhad, the judiciary announced. A court convicted him of the charge of “enmity against God” after finding he had stabbed to death two members of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force. Human rights groups have warned that protesters are being sentenced to death after sham trials with no due process. “Rahnavard was sentenced to death based on coerced confessions, after a grossly unfair process and a show trial. This crime must be met with serious consequences for the Islamic Republic,” tweeted Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Norway-based Iran Human Rights. “Thousands of detained protesters, and a dozen death sentences already issued. There is a serious risk of mass-execution of protesters,” he added.(BBC)…[+]