In this bulletin;
- The Prime Minister declares a National Day of Reflection to mark a week since the Bondi massacre;
- Israel strikes a school in Gaza killing at least five people;
- And in sport, the Olympic torch returns to Italy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says this has been one of the darkest weeks in Australia's recent history reflecting on the Bondi massacre last Sunday.
Mr Albanese says he met with the National Security Committee this morning, their seventh meeting since the attack, and will meet once again on Monday.
He outlined the various responses the government is taking, such as gun reforms and a crackdown on hate speech and antisemitism.
He also announced that a minute silence will be observed this Sunday, declaring the day as a National Day of Reflection.
"As I announced yesterday, we have declared tomorrow, together with New South Wales, a national day of reflection to honor the victims and stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. Flags will be flown at half mast and Australians are asked to light a candle and put it in their front window, and to observe a minute silence at 6:47pm."
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New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has announced several measures to ban hate speech and increase police powers at protests and public gatherings.
In response to the Bondi mass shooting, Mr Minns says new laws will allow police to remove face coverings of anyone suspected of committing an offence.
He says phrases like "globalise the intifada", a common phrase tied to the liberation of Palestinians under occupation, now constitutes hate speech and encourages violence.
"We'll also make it very clear that horrific recent events have shown that the chant globalise the intifada is hate speech and it encourages violence in our community. The chant will be banned, alongside other hateful comments and statements made in our community."
The New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties says it holds concerns the changes could be used to justify preventing pro-Palestine protests against the actions of the Israeli government.
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An Israeli attack on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians has killed at least five people, mostly children, and wounded others.
The Palestinian civil emergency service said in a statement that most of those killed were children, adding a number of wounded had been transferred to hospitals for treatment.
Ismail al-Bursh, who is displaced in the school, describes the attack.
”I was sitting with my grandson. The first shell was struck, and rubble fell onto us. I felt suffocated. I tried to save the boy, he was injured in the head and he was stitched."
The Israeli Defence Forces said that a number of what it said were suspicious individuals had been identified in command structures outside the designated ceasefire line and its troops fired at them.
The Palestinian health ministry says the number of Palestinians killed by Israel since the ceasefire in October has now risen to 400.
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Australian pop-star Kylie Minogue has achieved her first ever Christmas number one in the UK with her new single XMAS.
Topping the UK Christmas charts for the first time, the 57-year-old has become the first woman to have number one singles across four different decades.
She has also become the first solo female artist in 12 years to top the UK charts at Christmas.
Ms Minogue, who has sold more than 80 million records in her career, told Official Charts that it's difficult for her to put into words how special this achievement is.
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To sport now...
The Olympic flame has returned to the Italian mainland, with a cauldron lit in Reggio Calabria as part of the torch relay for the 2026 Winter Games.
Day 14 of the two-month tour of Italy began in Sicily before crossing the strait of Messina.
After being lit last month in ancient Olympia, the Greek home of the ancient Games, and handed over to Italian Games organisers in early December, the torch set off from Rome’s historic Stadio dei Marmi on December 6.
The relay will span around 12,000 km, passing through all 110 Italian provinces and more than 300 municipalities, with end-of-day celebrations planned in 60 cities along the route.
