Daily World Briefing, Dec. 18

Alleged Bondi shooter charged with 59 offenses by Australian police

The surviving alleged perpetrator of the fatal mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach had been charged with 59 offenses, Australian police said on Wednesday.

The police force in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Wednesday afternoon charged 24-year-old Naveed Akram with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act, following the attack that targeted an event celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Akram remained in hospital under police guard on Wednesday after waking from a coma on Tuesday.

A second alleged gunman, identified as Akram's 50-year-old father Sajid, was fatally shot by police at the scene of Sunday night's attack.

Authorities on Tuesday said that the attack was motivated by Islamic State ideology and confirmed that two Islamic State flags and improvised explosive devices were found in a vehicle belonging to Naveed Akram.

Trump orders total blockade of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has ordered a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, escalating a months-long pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"Today, I am ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela," Trump said in a post on his social media Truth Social.

Trump also said that the Venezuelan government has been designated "a foreign terrorist organization," accusing it of involvement in crimes including terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking.

U.S., Russian negotiators to meet in Miami over peace deal to end Ukraine crisis: media

U.S. and Russian negotiators are expected to hold talks in Miami, U.S. state of Florida, this weekend over a peace deal aimed at ending the Ukraine crisis that has lasted nearly four years, U.S. media outlet Politico reported on Wednesday.

The schedule remains in flux, and if they meet, the Trump administration will present to the Russian side the latest development following the talks among U.S., Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin last weekend, said the report, citing two people familiar with the matter.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to represent the U.S. side while the Russian delegation is expected to include Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, said the report.

Ukrainian national security adviser Rustem Umerov is also expected to meet with the U.S. delegation separately in Miami or another location in the United States in the coming weekend.

China's central bank announced on Wednesday the completion of its financial preparations for the start of island-wide special customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it has built a financial policy and institutional system specifically designed to support the high-standard construction of the FTP, providing strong momentum for the port's development.

On Thursday, Hainan FTP will launch island-wide special customs operations, a major milestone in the opening-up drive of the world's second-largest economy.

To facilitate high-level convenience for cross-border capital flows, the PBOC and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange launched multi-functional free trade accounts (EF accounts) in May 2024 to create an integrated local and foreign currency account system.

Russia advocates peaceful solutions to Ukraine crisis: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia will continue to advocate peaceful solutions to the Ukraine crisis, while promoting regional security and stability.

Russia is currently seeking mutually beneficial and fair cooperation with the United States and European countries, Putin said.

Putin rejected claims portraying Russia as a threat to European nations, saying that such narratives are unfounded and fabricated.

The president emphasized that the Russian Armed Forces remain a key guarantee for the country's sovereignty, independence, security, development, and the maintenance of strategic balance.

Putin welcomed the progress made in dialogue with the United States on this issue, expressing hope that similar understandings can be reached with European countries.

U.S. Senate passes 901 bln USD defense authorization bill for fiscal 2026

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a 901-billion-dollar defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, sending it to U.S. President Donald Trump's desk for his signature.

The vote was 77 to 20 with broad bipartisan support.

"This will be the 65th year in a row, the 65th consecutive year that Congress has come together across the aisle and across two chambers to send the president a bill designed to sustain and strengthen the national defense," U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said ahead of the vote.

The over-3,000-page bill includes a nearly 4 percent military pay raise, an overhaul that will speed up Pentagon arms purchases, as well as measures for developing the U.S. Golden Dome missile defense system and promoting military readiness.

Japan's Takaichi strongly criticized in Diet meeting over evasiveness on Taiwan

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi came under fire in parliament on Tuesday as her evasive answers regarding Taiwan has triggered strong criticism from opposition parties and fueled disorder at the Diet meeting.

On Tuesday, lawmakers engaged in a heated debate over Takaichi's earlier erroneous remarks on Taiwan. Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker Hajime Hirota pressed Takaichi to clarify whether Taiwan would fall under the category of "other countries with close ties to Japan" in the definition of a "survival-threatening situation."

Takaichi said the category is "not specified in advance" and needs to be judged "on a case-by-case basis," while avoiding any further explanations.

Hirota then asked whether Takaichi would retract her previous erroneous remarks on Taiwan. Although opposition lawmakers shouted from their seats that it was her "last chance," Takaichi reiterated that "there has been no change to the Japanese government's basic position," without clarifing what that stance actually entails.

Her responses drew strong protests from opposition parties. Japanese media reported that the session was briefly suspended for several minutes, while the live broadcast was muted for three times.

Thailand, Cambodia agree to ASEAN observer team as part of de-escalation efforts

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to the deployment of an ASEAN observer team as efforts to de-escalate their conflict continue, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday.

Malaysia's engagement would continue across multiple channels, including communications between leaders, foreign ministers and the respective chiefs of armed forces, and a meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers scheduled for Dec. 22 in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar said, according to a Bernama report.

He said that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to attend the meeting on Dec. 22, a Malaysia- and ASEAN-initiated effort aimed at easing tensions and preventing further escalation along the Thailand-Cambodia border.

"We are appealing to them to immediately stop these frontline offensives and, if possible, immediate ceasefire," he said.

China's central bank completes financial prep for Hainan's island-wide special customs operations.■