With her health failing and an information vacuum around Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her son told Reuters he worries that he may not even know if she passed away.

Naypyidaw

Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has expressed grave concern for his mother's wellbeing, stating he has not heard from her in years and does not know if she is still alive. Suu Kyi has been held incommunicado since the 2021 military coup, with no contact allowed with her family or legal team, and has been imprisoned for nearly five years.

Aris and many foreign governments have rejected the Myanmar junta's upcoming elections, calling them a sham to legitimize military rule. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Laureate, is serving a 27-year sentence for charges she denies, and her son hopes international attention may help improve her situation.

'For all I know, she could be dead' says son of Myanmar's Suu Kyi

Together, we will win. The son of Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said he's not even sure if she's still alive. Kim Aris told Reuters he hasn't heard from his eight-year-old mother in years. All I know, she could be dead already. He has, he said, only received sporadic details about her condition since a 2021 military coup that deposed her government. She's eight years old. She's got ongoing health issues. Nobody has seen her in over two years. She hasn't been allowed contact with her legal team, never mind her family. He rejects attempts by Myanmar's junta to hold elections later this month, as do many foreign governments, dismissing it as a sham aimed at legitimising military rule. But Aris says the vote could provide a chance to ease the plight of his mother, who has been locked up for almost five years. I imagine Min Aung Hlaing has his own agenda when it comes to my mother. If he does want to use her to try and appease the general population before or after the elections, by either releasing her or moving to house arrest, then at least that would be something. And I would feel a bit better about her, you know, her condition and her whereabouts. Perhaps I'd know where she is, for starters. With international eyes more focused on Myanmar, he said, he needs to use this opportunity to his advantage. Myanmar's military has a history of releasing prisoners to mark holidays or important events. A junta spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment. Nobel Peace Laureate Suu Kyi was previously freed in 2010, days after an election. That ended a long period of detention largely spent at her family home in Yangon. She went on to become Myanmar's de facto leader after elections in 2015, the first openly contested vote in a quarter of a century. But her international image was tarnished by what the United Nations called a genocidal campaign by the military against the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2016 to 2017. Aris said his mother, whose power over the military was limited by Myanmar's constitution, was quote, not complicit. Believed to be held in the capital, she's serving a 27-year sentence for offences including incitement and corruption, all of which she denies.

Police say the alleged gunmen who opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney's Bondi Beach had traveled to Mindanao in the Philippines last month, as investigators probe ties to extremist networks.

Bondi Beach

Islamic State link eyed after Bondi Beach gunmen's Philippine visit

Donald Trump has launched a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, accusing the broadcaster of altering his words in a documentary about the Capitol riot.

Washington

Trump sues BBC for $10 billion over edited Capitol riot speech

Zelenskyy hails progress with the US during Berlin talks about security guarantees. Europeans vow to protect Ukraine, including via military means, against Russia in the future. But disagreements over territories remain.

Berlin

EU vows to assist Ukraine against future Russia attack at Berlin talks

Australia's prime minister said a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach appears to have been motivated by ISIS ideology. Meanwhile, mourners flocked to the site to lay flowers and grieve for the people killed, including a 10-year-old child.

Council of the City of Sydney

Bondi Beach shooting motivated by ISIS ideology: Australian PM

Four people have been arrested in California - charged with plotting a series of bombing attacks on multiple targets on New Year's Eve.

California

FBI arrests four over alleged New Year’s Eve bomb plot in California

Police in Rhode Island are searching for a new person of interest following Saturday’s deadly shooting at Brown University. Investigators say the case remains active as authorities work to determine a motive.

Providence

New person of interest sought in Brown University shooting

The son of filmmaker Rob Reiner was arrested on homicide charges after the director of beloved movies like "When Harry Met Sally ..." and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home, a police official said on Monday.

Los Angeles

Rob Reiner's son arrested after director and wife found dead

A jury found Brian Walshe guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife Ana on New Year's Day in 2023 in their Massachusetts home. Legal analyst Jennifer Roman joins with more details.

Boston

Brian Walshe found guilty of first-degree murder in wife's death

Hong Kong's High Court on Monday (December 15) found pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to publish seditious material under a China-imposed national security law that could see him jailed for life.

Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong court finds Jimmy Lai guilty in landmark security trial

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. negotiators are meeting in Berlin. As the U.S. grows increasingly pressed to end the four-year war, the peace negotiations continue, with territorial concessions to Russia remaining the "sticking point" for Ukraine.

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskyy offers to drop NATO bid for security guarantees

Police have released a person of interest who was detained in a shooting at Brown University. Two students were killed and at least nine others were injured in the Saturday attack. Tom Hanson spoke with students about the shooting.

Police release person of interest in shooting at Brown University

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy proposed abandoning NATO ambitions in exchange for Western security guarantees during peace talks in Berlin. The move marks a major shift as Kyiv seeks to end the war with Russia without ceding territory.

Ukraine offers to drop NATO bid at Berlin peace talks

Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead Sunday in their Los Angeles home, sources told CBS News, in what police called an apparent homicide. Rob Reiner was 78 and Michele Reiner was 68.

Brentwood

Director Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in their L.A. home

Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile's presidential run-off, after defeating his leftist opponent.

Santiago

Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election

The person of interest authorities took into custody in connection with the shooting at Brown University has been identified as Benjamin Erickson. He's a 24 year old, originally from Wisconsin.

Person of interest identified in Brown University shooting

Two alleged gunmen who killed 15 people at a Jewish celebration in Sydney's Bondi Beach were a father and son, police said on Monday, as Australia mourned victims of its worst gun violence in almost 30 years. This video contains graphic images.

Father and son behind Bondi mass shooting, Australian police say

Israel has described a deadly mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach as an attack on Jews, after gunmen opened fire during a Jewish holiday event, killing at least 11 people.

Israel calls Bondi shooting attack on Jews, urges action on antisemitism

Two gunmen attacked a Hannukah celebration on a Sydney beach Sunday, killing at least 11 people in what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitism and terrorism.

Gunmen kill several at Jewish gathering in Sydney's Bondi Beach

Providence police have detained a "person of interest" in connection with the Brown University shooting that left two students dead and another nine people wounded, as the Ivy League school said it had lifted a shelter-in-place order for its campus in Rhode Island.

Police hold person of interest after Brown University shooting

Belarus has freed more than 120 political prisoners in a major thaw in relations with the United States. The releases came in return for Washington lifting sanctions on potash, a key source of revenue for Belarus.

Minsk

Belarus releases 123 prisoners as U.S. lifts sanctions

Washington was still under a state of emergency on Saturday after torrential rains swamped communities. Plus, snow and dangerous cold are falling on some in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Nicole Valdes has more from Washington state.

Deming

Washington under state emergency as rains ease

China's plans for a massive new embassy in the British capital were delayed until January. Construction plans have proven controversial, with some raising espionage concerns. Ramy Inocencio has more from London.

London

Controversial Chinese embassy construction in London delayed

A United Airlines jetliner lost one of its engines during liftoff from Washington's Dulles Airport bound for Tokyo.

Tokyo

United Airlines flight loses engine during liftoff, sparks brush fire

Thailand says there is no ceasefire with Cambodia, and its military will continue fighting until it faces no further threat. That's despite the US president's earlier announcement that both sides had agreed to stop their attacks. Villages along the border are largely empty, except for a handful of volunteer security guards.

Phnom Penh

Fighting continues along Thai-Cambodia border

U.S President Donald Trump has threatened potential land strikes on Venezuela to target an illegal narcotics trade. Trump says the drugs are arriving on U.S shores and that President Nicolas Maduro is behind it. Maduro has denied the claim.

Caracas

Washington considers Venezuela land assault

King Charles III, who shared his cancer diagnosis with the world in February 2024, announced Friday that he would be scaling back his treatment after his doctors have seen success. The monarch also pushed for people to get early screenings, saying, "Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives."

King Charles to reduce cancer treatments

Belarus has freed more than 100 political prisoners, including a Nobel Peace Prize winner, in exchange for sanction relief on Belarusian potash, a U.S. statement said on Saturday.

Belarus releases political prisoners as U.S. lifts some sanctions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he visited troops fending off Russian advances near the embattled city of Kupiansk that Moscow claimed to have captured last month, which Kyiv denies.

Kup'yans'k

Zelenskyy visits troops as Ukraine claims gained ground near key city

In an audacious move, the EU has decided to indefinitely immobilize the Russian sovereign assets, pushing back against external pressure to release the funds before Moscow agrees to pay war reparations to Ukraine.

Brussels

EU locking in Russian assets for good

U.S. House Democrats released new images from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that feature U.S. President Donald Trump and other high-profile people previously linked to Epstein.

Breakdown