Greetings! Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🇦🇺 Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack leaves 15 dead in Sydney. Two gunmen, a father and son, opened fire at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people, including a child. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the attack antisemitic terrorism. Police said officers shot and killed both men soon after arriving. Authorities reported more than two dozen wounded, and hospitals near capacity. Witnesses described families diving behind tables as bullets hit the sand. Video showed a bystander, 43-year-old Muslim fruit vendor Ahmed al-Ahmed, tackling one gunman unarmed while under fire from the second gunman, limiting further deaths. Security officials are now reassessing protections for Jewish celebrations in public spaces.

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico secrecy bill alarms press advocates. Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González signed a bill that critics say will sharply restrict access to public records. The law lengthens deadlines for agencies to answer requests and widens security-based exemptions. Journalists warn it could revive secrecy that hid corruption scandals after Hurricane Maria. Civil liberties groups say fines for misusing documents may deter investigative reporting. Supporters argue the statute creates uniform rules and protects privacy. Opponents counter that judges already had tools to block abusive filings. Several watchdog groups are preparing legal challenges that could shape transparency for years.

🚨 Brown University shooting probe centers on 24-year-old veteran. New England police say 24-year-old Army veteran Benjamin Erickson is detained as a person of interest in the Brown University shooting that killed two people and wounded nine. Officers arrested Erickson at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, after a daylong manhunt. Investigators recovered two handguns, including one with a green laser sight. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said authorities are not seeking anyone else. Officials say Erickson served as an infantry soldier and worked at Arlington National Cemetery. Brown University canceled exams and expanded counseling services. Families of the dead and injured now brace for a lengthy legal process.

🗳 Partisan map fights reshape American political maps. Fresh gerrymandering fights are sweeping American states as parties argue that tilted districts are simply democracy’s math. Republican lawmakers in Southern legislatures defend maps that could secure their dominance for years. Democrats in New York and Illinois advance their own aggressive plans after court setbacks. Supporters say voters naturally cluster in cities and suburbs, making tidy lines impossible. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has largely left these battles to state courts. Voting rights groups warn engineered districts can give parties big majorities with slim popular support. Current lawsuits may quietly determine who controls the House through 2030.

🎷 Haruki Murakami gets jazz soaked tribute and double honors. Novelist Haruki Murakami was honored in New York with twin literary awards and a jazz tribute echoing the soundtracks in his fiction. At a Manhattan ceremony, musicians played standards he spotlighted in novels like “Norwegian Wood.” Organizers praised his mix of surreal plots and quiet heartbreak, translated into dozens of languages. Murakami told the crowd he still writes every morning and runs daily. Readers lined up to hear him in Japanese and English. Some clutched dog-eared paperbacks that have followed them since college. The evening showed how a once-shy bar owner from Kobe became a global literary star.

✈️ JetBlue flight near Venezuela narrowly avoids collision. JetBlue Airways ($JBLU) says one of its flights narrowly avoided a midair collision with a refueling tanker near Venezuelan airspace. The Airbus jet, carrying 200 people from Ecuador to Florida, suddenly descended after cockpit alarms warned of another aircraft. Officials say the other plane belonged to the United States Air Force (USAF). Pilots followed the traffic collision avoidance system’s orders and later landed safely. Passengers reported brief weightlessness and drink carts lifting from the aisle. Aviation investigators are reviewing radar data and radio tapes from both crews. The scare has revived questions about how civilian and military flights share skies.

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That’s all for today!

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