🇦🇺⚡️- Public broadcaster ABC News reports that a senior counter-terrorism official has confirmed that Sajid and Naveed Akram had travelled to the Philippines to receive "military-style training" 1 month before the Bondi Beach attack.

🇨🇩🇷🇼🇧🇮⚡- M23 says it is ready to withdraw from Uvira, South Kivu, as a "goodwill gesture," following Qatari mediation. M23 in return expects the city to remain "demilitarized."

🇺🇸⚡️- It has been 59 hours since the Brown University mass shooting, and there is still no suspect in custody. Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel is appearing on a podcast with his wife, Alexis Wilkins.

🇨🇩🇷🇼🇺🇬⚡- DR Congo sources report heavy military reinforcements have been arriving from Rwanda into Goma and the North Kivu region over the past 24-48 hours. After successfully capturing Uvira in South Kivu, DRC sources believe M23 are now turning their attention to the North Kivu region.

Reports indicate M23 are preparing to launch a large-scale offensive in an attempt to capture the major cities of Lubero, Butembo and even Beni. Unlike in South Kivu where M23 faced off with the Congolese, Burundian and Wazalendo armies, the three cities in North Kivu are under the control of the Ugandan Armed Forces, UPDF.

The presence of the UPDF in eastern Congo is shown on the map in light blue. Kinsasha had invited Kampala to assist fighting extremist groups in the Ituri region, such as the Islamic State, but more importantly CODECO. Uganda has been accused of supporting the Rwandan-backed M23 in the past, though those reports were never confirmed. However, in the past Kampala let Kigali 'secretly' know it did not appreciate the build-up of M23 along its borders, which led to the unusual exchange of territories between the UPDF and M23 just south of Lubero.

🇹🇭🇰🇭⚡- Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen says that "no Russian or other [Chinese] foreign nationals are fighting on the battlefield or serving as advisers" to the Cambodian military.

🇺🇸🇶🇦🇮🇱⚡- Qatar has become the newest member from the Middle East to submit a request for the purchase of F-35 jets, following Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey.

Israel has lodged a protest, as it did with Turkey's request, against the sale of the F-35s to Doha.

🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡- Russia rejects a German-proposed Christmas truce with Ukraine.

🇫🇷⚡- "Brigitte Macron says sorry not sorry after calling feminist activists ‘stupid bitches'.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte apologized for being caught calling feminist activists 'sales connes' — which roughly translates to “stupid bitches”— but said she should be able to speak her mind away from the cameras," - Politico.

🇺🇸🇫🇷⚡️- French interior intelligence agency (DGSI) has renewed their contract with Palantir for the next three years.

The DGSI initially signed a partnership with Palantir following the 13th November 2015 Paris terror attack. They had renewed the contract in 2019 and 2022.

🇦🇺🇮🇳⚡- The family of the father and son Bondi Beach shooters in Hyderabad, India, says they are "shocked," and claim to have cut ties with the Akram duo "years ago."

The brother of Sajid Akram, the father, says Sajid had left India 25 years ago for Australia on a student visa, and "married a Christian" while there.

🇺🇸🇵🇭🇨🇳⚡- "The US is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to interfere in the maritime matters among the South China Sea countries concerned.

The US must stop making statements that distort the facts and incite confrontation, and stop condoning and supporting the Philippines' provocations and disturbances in the South China Sea," - Guo Jiakun, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman.

🇵🇭🇹🇼⚡- The Philippines and Taiwan continue to draw closer together, with the two countries holding a bilateral meeting on maritime security.

A month ago, Taiwan agreed to upgrade 9 mainland Philippine military bases that could accommodate foreign troops, including the US and Australia, as well as hosting the Indian-Russian BrahMos missiles.

🇳🇬⚡- Suicide attack in northeast Nigeria kills 5 Nigerian soldiers.

🇪🇷🇸🇦🇦🇪⚡- Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, after travelling to Riyadh to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has accused the UAE of "attacking the sovereignties" of the Africa Horn region countries, Yemeni outlet al-Mahriah reports.

Afwerki blamed the UAE for destabilizing Sudan, funding separatism in Somalia, and arming Ethiopia, who are threatening to invade Eritrea's Assab region.

🇮🇳🇪🇹⚡- India's Prime Minister Modi arrives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Modi is expected to meet Prime Minister Ahmed and address the Ethiopian Parliament tomorrow.

🇹🇭🇰🇭⚡- After capturing Hill 677 two days ago and Hill 500 yesterday, Thai forces have managed to cross the international border and have captured the entire Chong An Ma crossing, northern Cambodia.

Thailand's air force has struck the casino complex located just south of the crossing multiple times over the past 24 hours, it is unlikely any Cambodian forces remain in the structure.

Map key:
Green - Cambodian-controlled Thailand,
Orange - Thailand-controlled Cambodia,
Yellow - Recent Thai advances, after capturing Hill 677 and 500.

🇵🇱⚡- "Polish security services have detained a 19-year-old student suspected of seeking to establish contacts with Islamic State and charged with preparing an attack at a Christmas market that could have caused mass casualties," - Reuters.

🇺🇸🇨🇴⚡- BREAKING: The US Department of State has designated the Colombian-based Clan del Golfo cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

"Based in Colombia, Clan del Golfo is a violent and powerful criminal organization with thousands of members. The group’s primary source of income is cocaine trafficking, which it uses to fund its violent activities. Clan del Golfo is responsible for terrorist attacks against public officials, law enforcement and military personnel, and civilians in Colombia," - Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

🇺🇸⚡- "My Fellow Americans: I will be giving an ADDRESS TO THE NATION tomorrow night, LIVE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, at 9 P.M. EST. I look forward to “seeing” you then. It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME," - President Donald Trump.