Ata mārie and welcome to your Monday summary of international business and political news.
First, at least 16 people have been killed in a shooting near a Jewish gathering on Bondi Beach in Sydney. One shooter was killed, while another is in custody, the ABC understands.
Twenty-nine people have been injured, including two police officers. Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of the organisers of the Chanukah by the Sea event, is among the dead.
His cousin, Rabbi Zalman Lewis, confirmed his death. “My dear cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was murdered in today's terrorist attack in Sydney. He leaves behind his wife and young children, as well as my uncle and aunt and siblings. He was truly an incredible guy.”
The area of the attack is now officially a crime scene, as the operation shifts from an emergency response to an investigation. ABC reporter Digby Werthmuller said there was an armed police presence overnight.
King Charles also condemned the attack. "Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected so dreadfully, including the police officers who were injured while protecting members of their community.
"We commend the police, emergency services and members of the public whose heroic actions no doubt prevented even greater horror and tragedy.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned that Australia’s push for a Palestinian state “rewards Hamas terrorism,” Netanyahu wrote in a letter to counterpart Anthony Albanese just four months ago, Bloomberg reported.
Albanese promised at a late-night press conference to “eradicate” antisemitism, saying the shooting was a “targeted attack” on the Jewish community.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a person of interest is in custody in connection with a shooting at Brown University, CNN reported. The shooting happened during a final exam review session at the Ivy League university, which left two students dead and nine others injured.
Officials said the person was detained at a hotel in Rhode Island.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated his country is prepared to drop its long-held ambition of joining Nato in exchange for Western security guarantees. He is due to hold fresh meetings with US envoys and European allies in Berlin, Al Jazeera reported.
“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join Nato; these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” Zelensky said.
“Security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries – Canada, Japan – are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion.”
In the UK, new laws may be considered after “harrowing stories” from former Vodafone franchisees, the Guardian said. It followed allegations of suicide and attempted suicide by shopkeepers who had agreed to run retail stores for the telecommunications firm.
Last week, the Guardian revealed allegations that Adrian Howe, a former Vodafone employee who had agreed to become a franchisee in 2018, had taken his own life after becoming convinced his deal would be financially negative.
A group of 62 former Vodafone franchisees brought a claim in 2024, alleging the company “unjustly enriched” itself by slashing sales commissions paid to the small business owners. In September, Vodafone started offering financial settlements to some former franchisees outside of the group of claimants, the Guardian noted.
Elsewhere, photos of US President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton, former UK prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and ex-Trump advisor Steve Bannon were released from Jeffrey Epstein's estate by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, the BBC reported.
There is no suggestion that the pictures imply any wrongdoing. The images were separate to the so-called "Epstein files" which must be released by December 19.
A White House spokesperson accused the Democrats of selectively releasing “cherry-picked photos” to try and create a false narrative.
In economic news, the UK economy shrank unexpectedly in October as consumers held back on spending before Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget, the Guardian reported.
Official figures showed gross domestic product fell 0.1%, against expectations of a slight rise.
Economists said the latest data would likely cement an interest rate cut next week by the Bank of England because of weakening inflation pressures.
Billionaire investor Frank McCourt said he’s been left in limbo about his interest in buying TikTok's US operations as the latest deadline for the app's sale looms.
The US had repeatedly delayed the date for Chinese owner Bytedance to sell the platform or be blocked for US users.
"We're just standing by and waiting to see what happens. But if the moment arrives, we're prepared to move forward ... we've raised the capital to buy it," McCourt told the BBC.
Finally, YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan is the latest tech boss to limit his children’s social media use, CNBC reported. Mohan was just named Time’s 2025 CEO of the Year.
In an interview, he said his children’s use of media platforms is controlled and restricted. “We do limit their time on YouTube and other platforms and other forms of media. On weekdays we tend to be more strict, on weekends we tend to be less so. We’re not perfect by any stretch.”
Experts had continued to stress the harm on young children and teenagers from excessive smartphone and social media use.
