Ukraine loses embattled eastern town
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the embattled eastern town of Siversk, as Russia continues its steady - albeit slow - advance, BBC reported.
The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it acted "to preserve the lives of our soldiers and the combat capability of units", adding that Russian forces had a "significant advantage in manpower".
The capture of Siversk brings Russia closer to the last remaining "fortress belt" cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk still in Ukrainian hands in the industrial Donetsk region, according to BBC.
Australia to deport British man charged with displaying Nazi symbols
A British national in Australia has had his visa cancelled and faces deportation for allegedly displaying Nazi symbols, BBC reported.
The 43-year-old man living in Queensland was arrested and charged earlier this month, after allegedly using a social media account to post the Nazi swastika, promote pro-Nazi ideology and call for violence towards the Jewish community.
The man was taken into immigration detention this week in Brisbane and is due to face court in January. Police have been cracking down on the use of prohibited symbols amid a recent rise in antisemitism and right-wing extremism, according to BBC.
China likely loaded more than 100 ICBMs in silo fields, Pentagon report says
China is likely to have loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles across its latest three silo fields and has no desire for arms control talks, according to a draft Pentagon report which highlighted Beijing’s growing military ambitions, Reuters reported.
China is expanding and modernizing its weapons stockpile faster than any other nuclear-armed power, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a Chicago-based non-profit. Beijing has described reports of a military buildup as efforts to “smear and defame China and deliberately mislead the international community.”
Last month, US President Donald Trump said that he may be working on a plan to denuclearise with China and Russia. But the draft Pentagon report, which was seen by Reuters, said Beijing did not appear to be interested, according to Reuters.
Amid unrest and calls for Home adviser’s resignation, another leader shot in Bangladesh
Amid continuing nationwide unrest in Bangladesh and mounting demands for resignation of the country’s Home Affairs Adviser following the killing of July uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi, another leader linked to the movement was shot on Monday (December 22, 2025), The Hindu reported.
The shooting intensified fears of a widening cycle of political violence at a time when Bangladesh is already grappling with instability, protests, and uncertainty over the path to elections.
Motaleb Shikdar, a leader of the Jatiya Sramik Shakti, the labour wing affiliated with the National Citizen Party (NCP), which spearheaded the July uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government, was shot in broad daylight in Khulna city, in a manner reminiscent of the attack on Hadi, according to The Hindu.
