South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to “fight until the end” attempts to remove him from office over his short-lived imposition of martial law, which plunged the country into chaos.

In a defiant and lengthy TV address on Thursday, Yoon defended his shock decision last week to order martial law – a move designed to suspend political activities and press and civic freedoms – describing it as a legitimate “act of governance” and denied attempting to foment insurrection.

Days before the national assembly is due to vote a second time on Yoon’s impeachment on Saturday, he repeated claims that he had been trying to defend the country from anti-state forces.

“I will fight to the end, to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralysing the country’s government and disrupting the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” Yoon said.

He added that his martial law declaration, which lasted just six hours before parliament overturned it, had meant to defend the liberal democracy and constitutional order against attacks from the liberal opposition.

He claimed his martial law decree did not amount to rebellion and could not be the subject of a criminal investigation.

“The opposition is now doing a knife dance of chaos, claiming that the declaration of martial law constitutes to an act of rebellion. But was it really?” Yoon said.

“I apologise again to the people who must have been surprised and anxious due to the martial law. Please trust me in my warm loyalty to the people.”

Yoon, a conservative whose time in office has been marked by controversy, much of it centering on his wife, survived an opposition-led impeachment vote last weekend after all but three members of his People Power party refused to take part.

His statement came hours before the main liberal opposition Democratic party was expected to submits a new impeachment motion that reports said would go to a vote on Saturday evening.

The leader of Yoon’s own party, Han Dong-hoon, said on Thursday that the president should be immediately suspended from his duties after declaring the short-lived martial law last week. Han said the only way to do so is for the ruling party lawmakers to vote for impeachment.

Yoon’s 3 December martial law decree has generated political chaos and protests calling for his resignation.

On Wednesday, Yoon’s office resisted a police attempt to search the compound.

The investigation is focusing on whether Yoon and other top military and government officials involved in imposing martial law committed rebellion. A conviction for rebellion carries a maximum penalty of death.

Earlier this week, Yoon’s former defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was arrested on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power. He became the first person formally arrested over the martial law decree.

Kim, one of Yoon’s close associates, has been accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the national assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Enough lawmakers eventually managed to enter a parliament chamber and they unanimously rejected Yoon’s decree, forcing the Cabinet to lift it before daybreak on 4 December.

The director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, announced he was stepping down on Wednesday, after Donald Trump said he would fire him and install the firebrand loyalist Kash Patel in his place.

Wray, who the president-elect himself appointed as director during his first presidency after firing Wray’s predecessor James Comey in 2017, announced his decision to staff at the bureau’s Washington headquarters.

“I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” he said. “This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.”

In the emotional remarks, Wray added: “This is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission and I love our people.”

Wray also took an implied swipe at anyone who might try and unduly influence the FBI in its work in the future – as many fear Trump will do in his second term.

“We’re not on any one side. We’re on the American people’s side – the constitution’s side. And no matter what’s happening out there, in here we’ve got to stay committed to doing our work the right way every time – with rigor and integrity,” Wray said.

“That means following the facts wherever they lead, no matter who likes it, or doesn’t – because there’s always someone who doesn’t like it. It means conducting investigations without fear or favor.”

The news was greeted with elation by Trump, who called it “a great day for America” and said Wray’s departure would end what he has characterised as the “weaponisation” of the US justice system.

Trump used a post on his Truth Social network to celebrate Wray’s demise while elaborating on his grievances against a public official he had once extolled.

“It will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice,” Trump wrote.

“I just don’t know what happened to him. We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans.”

He added that, under Wray’s leadership, “the FBI illegally raided my home, without cause, and worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me”.

“They have used their vast powers to threaten and destroy many innocent Americans, some of which will never be able to recover from what has been done to them.”

Wray’s decision means he will depart more than two and a half years before the end of the 10-year term that directors of the bureau are customarily appointed to.

By leaving early, Wray may reduce the chances of his name being dragged into what are likely to be highly contentious Senate confirmation hearings surrounding the nomination of Patel. Patel has branded the FBI as part of a “deep state” and pledged to shut its Washington headquarters, dispersing its agents across the US.

The attorney general, Merrick Garland, issued a statement, praising Wray’s service.

“Under Director Wray’s principled leadership, the FBI has worked to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission to keep our country safe, protect civil rights, and uphold the rule of law,” Garland said. “He has led the FBI’s efforts to aggressively confront the broad range of threats facing our country – from nation-state adversaries and foreign and domestic terrorism to violent crime, cybercrime, and financial crime.”

Garland also used the moment to restate what he sees as the FBI’s mission at a moment when there are widespread fears of how Patel and Trump may seek to use the bureau.

“The Director of the FBI is responsible for protecting the independence of the FBI from inappropriate influence in its criminal investigations. That independence is central to preserving the rule of law and to protecting the freedoms we as Americans hold dear,” he said.

Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press.

Wray originally fell foul of Trump and his supporters after declining to investigate the then president’s baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election – won by Joe Biden – had been stolen and riddled with voter fraud.

He further earned Trump’s ire after, as previously mentioned by Trump himself in an aforementioned post, FBI agents raided his home in Mar-a-Lago in 2022 to retrieve classified documents that he had retained from his time in the White House.

Trump claimed that FBI agents had been “locked and loaded” and ready to kill him, even though the raid had been agreed upon with his lawyers in advance and there was time to ensure he would not be present.

The president-elect made his displeasure with Wray plain in an interview with NBC last weekend.

“He invaded Mar-a-Lago. I’m very unhappy with the things he has done,” Trump said.

It was a far cry from his words of praise at the time of Wray’s appointment, calling him “a man of impeccable credentials”.

Trump was also unhappy that the bureau would not confirm that he had been shot in the ear with a bullet after a failed assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July. Agents cited the need to examine fragments as part of its investigation before saying what had caused Trump’s wound.

Wray’s tenure also coincided with FBI investigations into Biden after he, too, was alleged to have improperly kept classified documents at his home in Delaware, as well as into his son Hunter who was subsequently convicted of gun and tax evasion charges.

Biden granted his son an unconditional pardon last weekend days before he was due to be sentenced.

The Associated Press contributed reporting

The Islamist rebel commander responsible for the downfall of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has said that those responsible for torture and killing in Syria’s notorious prison system will not evade justice, after the opening of detention centres revealed the extent of the regime’s crimes against its own people.

Pardons or amnesties would not be granted for implicated regime officials, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said in a statement published on the state broadcaster’s Telegram channel. “We will pursue them in Syria, and we ask countries to hand over those who fled so we can achieve justice,” he said.

Assad’s commanders have been hunted down across the country in the two weeks since Jolani’s group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise offensive on the northern city of Aleppo that led to the swift collapse of one of the most oppressive police states in the world and ended almost 14 years of brutal civil war. Many high-ranking officials have fled abroad, and some are believed to be in hiding on the coast, where the regime’s support was traditionally strongest.

Several unverified videos circulating on social media appear to show killings of Syrian forces in uniform in different places around the country.

At the Masnaa border crossing to Lebanon on Wednesday night, thousands of Syrians were trying to leave the country despite assurances from HTS that civil rights and sectarian differences will be respected. Rebel fighters appeared to be searching for members of the regime army and security services trying to get to Lebanon with their families.

The challenges ahead for Syrians who dare to hope for a better future are immense – not least a desire for justice that could push the ethnically and religiously diverse country into a new chapter of violence if armed actors take matters into their own hands.

In his first brief address on state TV on Tuesday, the new interim prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, appeared in front of two flags: the green, black and white flag flown by opponents of Assad throughout the civil war, and a white flag featuring the Muslim shahada, or oath of faith, typically flown by Sunni Islamist fighters, raising concerns amid Syria’s minority groups about the direction HTS may take the country in.

On Wednesday, a mausoleum in Qardaha near Latakia that housed the remains of Assad’s father, Hafez, who seized control of Syria in 1970, was burned by armed Islamist rebels, adding to fears among the Assad family’s minority Alawite sect.

Many people are still combing the corridors of the regime’s detention centres looking for clues as to the whereabouts of disappeared loved ones. At least 300,000 people were killed and another 130,000 are still missing from the war, the majority believed to have vanished into the prison system.

In the morgue of a hospital in Damascus, 35 bodies bearing signs of torture arrived on Wednesday, and doctors asked people to examine photographs of their battered bodies before allowing them to inspect the corpses. Yasser al-Qassem, a pathologist, told Agence France-Presse that the dead were detainees from the infamous Sednaya prison on the outskirts of the capital, called a “human slaughterhouse” by Amnesty International, and that they had clearly been killed recently.

On Wednesday in al-Midan, a busy neighbourhood south of Damascus’s old city, thousands of people gathered in al-Ashmar Square after rumours spread that one of the key perpetrators of the 2013 Tadamon massacre was going to be hanged in public for his crimes.

The massacre was revealed by the Guardian two years ago: blindfolded and handcuffed civilians were shot one by one, their bodies falling into a pit prepared in advance, which was then set on fire with the use of burning tyres. Footage filmed by Assad’s soldiers documented the killings of at least 288 people, including 12 children.

In al-Ashmar, boys and young men climbed trees and perched on the roofs of bus stops, waving the Syrian opposition and Palestinian flags, as masked and armed fighters led chants for freedom and justice as they waited for the arrival of the Syrian military intelligence officer.

After about two hours, he was not bought forward, and the crowd dissipated. But those waiting said the appetite for revenge was strong. “The people suffered so much. This isn’t just about Tadamon or Sednaya,” said Areej, 35, from the desert city of Deir ez-Zor.

“These crimes affected everyone and after so many years of the regime there is a need for justice. I hope that keeps the people together against the regime and not each other,” she said.

Mohammed, 20, from Damascus, said: “You can see how many people are here … Now the rumour is he will be executed on Friday instead. We will come to the square every day until it happens.”

Elsewhere in Syria on Wednesday, the situation remained fluid and some frontlines re-erupted. Fighting in Manbij on the Turkish border between Turkish-backed Arab rebel groups and the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has killed 218 people since the Turkish-supported groups launched the offensive in the aftermath of Assad’s decision on Sunday to flee to Moscow.

Israel, which has been fighting both the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah for over a year, has deployed ground troops into and beyond a demilitarised buffer zone in the disputed Golan Heights, its first foray into Syrian-controlled territory for 50 years.

It has also launched possibly the biggest operation in the history of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), with 480 airstrikes across Syria over the past two days which have hit weapon depots, military infrastructure, and the regime’s planes, helicopters and navy.

Islamist organisations and militants around the world have congratulated Syrian rebels on their victory over the regime of Bashar al-Assad, ignoring historic ideological differences, sectarian divides and continuing uncertainty around how rigorously the new rulers in Damascus will impose religious strictures and norms.

The almost universal support for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant faction among Syrian rebels, suggests the group’s fusion of national and religious ideologies will act as a further example for other Islamists. Some senior Islamist activists are already discussing in private the “model” pioneered by the Sunni rebel group.

Many branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, the veteran Islamist movement which seeks to bring government based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law to countries across the Muslim world and has rejected violence, issued jubilant statements celebrating the victory of HTS, crediting the “Syrian people with the overthrow of the Assad regime”.

The Lebanese branch of the Brotherhood congratulated and blessed “the Syrian people for overthrowing their tyrant and achieving the first goals of their revolution”.

In Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, the political party that represents the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood in the kingdom, also congratulated the Syrian people, and some of its senior officials expressed support for the HTS and its campaign.

In a Facebook post that was later deleted, one said the success of the HTS was being “studied for its tactics, intelligence operations, technology, media handling, prisoner management, preparation, and surprise strategies”.

“The Muslim Brotherhood is … looking to HTS as a governance model. HTS is a saviour for the nationalist Islamist project,” said Katrina Sammour, an Amman-based analyst.

Congratulating the Syrian people – rather than just HTS – allows for a degree of unity among groups that have long been divided by ideology, method, sponsors and sect, observers said.

Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad are backed by Iran, which had strong links with Assad’s regime and has previously been strongly critical of the rebels.

However the group, whose ideological roots stem from the Muslim Brotherhood, distanced itself from Assad – a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam – as he cracked down on the mainly Sunni Muslim protesters and rebels.

In recent days, Hamas congratulated the Syrian people for achieving their “aspirations for freedom and justice” adding that it hoped that post-Assad Syria would continue “its historical and pivotal role in supporting the Palestinian people”. The Iran-backed, Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued an almost identical statement.

But reaction to HTS has revealed the deep divisions among Islamists, whose views of what means are justified to achieve very different goals has always been diverse.

Afghanistan’s Taliban, which returned to power in 2021 after a 20-year insurgency, were the first rulers of any state to congratulate HTS by name and so to recognise the faction as the new government of Syria.

In a statement on Sunday, the Taliban’s ministry of foreign affairs said it hoped for “a sovereign and service-oriented Islamic government in line with the aspirations of the Syrian people, that unifies the entire population without discrimination and retribution”.

Affiliates of al-Qaida have made statements that are supportive of the HTS, but Islamic State, from which HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani split around a decade ago, has been savagely critical, accusing the group of betraying the cause of jihad and collaboration with the enemies of Muslims.

Hamas’s positive response to the fall of Assad contrasted with that of Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based Shia Islamist movement which played a major part propping up Assad through years of war. Assad’s Syria long served as a vital conduit for Iran to supply arms to the group.

Hezbollah’s first statement on events in Syria – made by Lebanese parliamentarian Hassan Fadlallah – described a “major, dangerous and new transformation”.

The Iran-backed group has brought its fighters back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel – a redeployment which weakened Syrian government lines.

Experts said HTS is one of many Islamist militant groups now focusing on local causes, rather than transitional campaigns or distant enemies in the west, and that this had contributed to its success.

Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said Jolani was reacting to a more general trend of “what Sunni fundamentalists think … will work”.

“Al-Jolani found that other Syrian Islamists wouldn’t deal with him unless he dropped transnational jihad … One of the biggest problems for all Islamists is that they are seen to be involved in a transitional project and that strikes many Arabs as insufficiently patriotic … You need to wrap yourself in the flag and that is much more effective, at least in the Arab world,” Ibish said.

• Russian troops destroyed or captured several Ukrainian positions near the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, Kyiv’s military said on Wednesday. Moscow’s forces lay as close as 3km (1.9 miles) from the southern outskirts of the city, according to Ukraine’s DeepState, which maps the frontlines using open sources. Ukraine’s military spokesperson for the eastern front, Nazar Voloshyn, said in televised comments: “As a result of prolonged clashes, two of our positions were destroyed, one was lost. Currently, measures are being taken to restore positions.”

• Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said he had visited a marine unit in the Pokrovsk sector and noted the conditions servicemen faced against “an enemy superior, primarily, in terms of manpower. Unconventional decisions must be made to enhance the resilience of our defence and ensure more effective destruction of the occupiers. The battles are exceptionally fierce. The Russian occupiers are throwing all available forces forward, attempting to break through our troops’ defences.”

• Zelenskyy hailed “tangible blows against Russian targets”, saying Ukraine had hit “military facilities on the territory of Russia, as well as facilities of the fuel and energy complex, which is working for aggression against our state and people”. Russia said it would retaliate, claiming that Kyiv fired six Atacms missiles at a military airfield in the port city of Taganrog in its southern Rostov region. Ukraine’s general staff earlier claimed it had hit an oil depot in Russia’s Bryansk border region, also in an overnight strike. Videos purportedly taken in the Bryansk region showed a fireball illuminating the night sky over an urban area, while air raid sirens could be heard in footage from the southern Rostov region.

• A US official on Wednesday said that Russia might soon target Ukraine with another of its new Oreshnik missiles. Russia fired the nuclear-capable missile at the city of Dnipro last month in a major escalation. The US warning was “based on an intelligence assessment that it’s possible that Russia could use this Oreshnik missile in the coming days”, said Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon press secretary.

• Russia claimed its troops had recaptured two villages in its western Kursk region, which has been partly occupied by Ukraine since a surprise cross-border offensive in August. There was no independent confirmation.

• Ukrainian officials on Wednesday said that the death toll from a Russian missile strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia a day earlier had climbed to nine.

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, for undermining western unity by calling Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. “No one should boost [their] personal image at the expense of unity,” Zelenskyy wrote online after the Orban-Putin call, appearing to mock the Hungarian’s self-styled attempts to launch a peace mission to end the war. “We all hope that Orban at least won’t call Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Russia’s harbouring of the overthrown Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Orban responded online, claiming that Budapest had “proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange”, and that Zelenskyy had “rejected and ruled this out”. The Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said there had been no advance warning or communication from Hungary before Orban called Putin, and no talk of a Christmas ceasefire.

• Syrian fighters received about 150 drones as well as other covert support from Ukrainian intelligence operatives ahead of the rebels’ advance that toppled Bashar al-Assad, according to the Washington Post, which cited unnamed sources familiar with Ukrainian military activities. It said Ukrainian intelligence sent about 20 drone operators and about 150 first-person-view drones about four to five weeks ago to aid Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Russia’s foreign ministry had earlier said, without evidence, that the rebels had received drones from Ukraine and training in how to operate them, an accusation that Ukraine’s foreign ministry at the time said it “categorically” rejected.

• Russia has complained of “banal theft” and “robbery” after the US disbursed a $20bn loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets as part of a $50bn G7 support package. Moscow’s foreign ministry said Russia had “sufficient capacity and leverage to retaliate by seizing western assets under its jurisdiction”.

Hannah Kobayashi has been found safe, the Los Angeles police department (LAPD) said on Wednesday.

Kobayashi vanished last month in Los Angeles, and her disappearance prompted a huge search and a missing persons investigation. It was not immediately clear where she was found, but police previously said she had voluntarily crossed the border into Mexico.

“We are happy to learn that Hannah has been found safe,” the LAPD said in a statement. “Now that we have this new information, this has become a private matter and we will wrap up our investigation.”

Kobayashi’s disappearance had caused panic among those close to her and sparked a frantic and sizable investigation from US law enforcement. The mystery surrounding her whereabouts captured global headlines.

“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” Brandi Yee and Sydni Kobayashi posted on X. “This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us.”

Kobayashi, a budding photographer from Maui, was heading to New York City on 8 November 2024 for a new job and to visit relatives when she missed a connecting flight during a stop at Los Angeles international airport. She told her family she was sleeping at the airport that night and texted them the next day to say she was sightseeing in Los Angeles.

Her family reported her missing to law enforcement on 11 November after relatives received “strange and cryptic, just alarming” text messages, according to her aunt Larie Pidgeon.

“Once the family started pressing, she went dark,” Pidgeon told the Associated Press late last month. After the texts on 11 November, her phone “just went dead”, Pidgeon said.

Family members, friends and local volunteers searched for Kobayashi in Los Angeles. Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, was among those who flew in from Hawaii to help in the search. He was found dead on 24 November in a parking lot near LA international airport, according to the county medical examiner. Kobayashi’s family confirmed Ryan’s death in a statement the same day, saying they “endured a devastating tragedy” and that he died by suicide.

Police said Hannah walked into Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing about 125 miles (201km) south-east of Los Angeles on 12 November, the day after her family reported her missing. Authorities made the announcement after reviewing security video from US Customs and Border Protection.

Hannah disappeared voluntarily as she sought to “step away from modern connectivity”, Jim McDonnell, the LA police chief, had previously said.

Digital platforms will be forced to pay for Australian news regardless of whether they enter new deals with publishers, preventing companies like Meta side-stepping the news media bargaining code.

On Thursday the Albanese government unveiled its “news bargaining incentive”, a charge applied to digital platforms which they are effectively refunded by an offset if they pay news companies directly instead.

The government does not intend to raise revenue through the measure, because the charge will be set at a level higher than digital platforms would pay under direct deals, incentivising them to pay publishers not the government.

The measure responds to Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta’s, announcement in March that it will stop funding Australian news through deals with publishers.

The new model will require digital platforms with Australian revenues of over $250m – at least Meta, Bytedance (TikTok) and Google – to participate by paying a fixed charge or enter direct deals.

Although the government can guarantee that no less money will flow from the platforms to news publishers in global terms, the new system could still disadvantage small publishers if platforms completely offset their liability with deals with bigger publishers.

After it is legislated, the requirement to pay will be backdated to 1 January, 2025, and revenue from deals paid after that date will also qualify for offsets.

Consultation will occur in 2025 about the level of the charge, and a distribution mechanism if any platform opts to pay the charge to the government instead of striking deals with media companies.

The government settled on the charge and offset model to prevent digital platforms refusing to carry news as a means to escape a requirement being imposed to bargain with local publishers.

The news media bargaining code was introduced in 2021 to address the significant bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and news publishers.

The code saw digital platforms including Meta and Google pump about $200m into Australian media, whose business model had been disrupted by the growth of digital platforms.

On Thursday Jones said “the government wants Australians to continue to have access to quality news content on digital platforms”.

“Digital platforms receive huge financial benefits from Australia, and they have a social and economic responsibility to contribute to Australians’ access to quality journalism,” he said in a statement.

“This approach strengthens the existing code by addressing loopholes that could see platforms circumvent their responsibility to pay.”

The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said the government “is committed to a diverse and sustainable news media sector, given this is critical to the health of Australia’s democracy”.

The parliamentary joint select committee on social media and Australian society recommended in October the creation of a “digital platform levy” on companies such as Meta and Google – referred to by some as a “tech tax” – to fund public interest journalism.

The social media committee’s interim report focused on Meta, specifically criticising its decision not to renew deals and the “de-prioritisation of news” on its platforms.

Digital platforms will be forced to pay for Australian news regardless of whether they enter new deals with publishers, preventing companies like Meta side-stepping the news media bargaining code.

On Thursday the Albanese government unveiled its “news bargaining incentive”, a charge applied to digital platforms which they are effectively refunded by an offset if they pay news companies directly instead.

The government does not intend to raise revenue through the measure, because the charge will be set at a level higher than digital platforms would pay under direct deals, incentivising them to pay publishers not the government.

The measure responds to Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta’s, announcement in March that it will stop funding Australian news through deals with publishers.

The new model will require digital platforms with Australian revenues of over $250m – at least Meta, Bytedance (TikTok) and Google – to participate by paying a fixed charge or enter direct deals.

Although the government can guarantee that no less money will flow from the platforms to news publishers in global terms, the new system could still disadvantage small publishers if platforms completely offset their liability with deals with bigger publishers.

After it is legislated, the requirement to pay will be backdated to 1 January, 2025, and revenue from deals paid after that date will also qualify for offsets.

Consultation will occur in 2025 about the level of the charge, and a distribution mechanism if any platform opts to pay the charge to the government instead of striking deals with media companies.

The government settled on the charge and offset model to prevent digital platforms refusing to carry news as a means to escape a requirement being imposed to bargain with local publishers.

The news media bargaining code was introduced in 2021 to address the significant bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and news publishers.

The code saw digital platforms including Meta and Google pump about $200m into Australian media, whose business model had been disrupted by the growth of digital platforms.

On Thursday Jones said “the government wants Australians to continue to have access to quality news content on digital platforms”.

“Digital platforms receive huge financial benefits from Australia, and they have a social and economic responsibility to contribute to Australians’ access to quality journalism,” he said in a statement.

“This approach strengthens the existing code by addressing loopholes that could see platforms circumvent their responsibility to pay.”

The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said the government “is committed to a diverse and sustainable news media sector, given this is critical to the health of Australia’s democracy”.

The parliamentary joint select committee on social media and Australian society recommended in October the creation of a “digital platform levy” on companies such as Meta and Google – referred to by some as a “tech tax” – to fund public interest journalism.

The social media committee’s interim report focused on Meta, specifically criticising its decision not to renew deals and the “de-prioritisation of news” on its platforms.

The number of under-50s being diagnosed with bowel cancer is increasing worldwide, according to research that also reveals rates are rising faster in England than almost any other country.

For the first time, global data suggests doctors are seeing more young adults develop early-onset bowel cancer, from Europe and North America to Asia and Oceania.

An increase in rates was reported in 27 of the 50 countries examined, with the greatest annual increases seen in New Zealand (4%), Chile (4%), Puerto Rico (3.8%), and England (3.6%).

Experts are still in the early stages of understanding the reasons behind the rise. The authors of the study, published in the Lancet Oncology, said consumption of junk food, high levels of physical inactivity and the obesity epidemic were likely to be among the factors.

“The increase in early-onset colorectal cancer is a global phenomenon,” said Hyuna Sung, a senior principal scientist in cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study. “Previous studies have shown this rise in predominately high-income western countries, but now it is documented in various economies and regions worldwide.”

The escalating trend of bowel cancer among young adults is now so significant that it could also lead to higher incidence in older people, among whom rates have been stable or falling – potentially reversing decades of progress made against the disease.

“The global scope of this concerning trend highlights the need for innovative tools to prevent and control cancers linked to dietary habits, physical inactivity and excess body weight,” said Sung.

“Ongoing efforts are essential to identify the additional factors behind these trends and to develop effective prevention strategies tailored to younger generations and local resources worldwide.”

The study found bowel cancer rates in people aged between 25 and 49 rose in 27 of the 50 countries studied in the decade to 2017, the most recent year for which figures were analysed.

Young women were found to have faster increases in early bowel cancer rates than men if they lived in England, Norway, Australia, Turkey, Costa Rica or Scotland.

Bowel cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death, responsible for more than 1.9m new cases and almost 904,000 deaths in 2022 worldwide.

Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “This flagship study reveals that increasing rates of early-onset bowel cancer, affecting adults aged 25 to 49, is a global issue.

“Concerningly, this research has revealed for the first time ever that rates are rising more sharply in England than in many other countries around the world. A cancer diagnosis at any age has a huge impact on patients and their families – so while it’s important to note that rates in younger adults are still very low compared to people over 50, we need to understand what’s causing this trend in younger people.”

There were several limitations to the study. It reported the rates of bowel cancer only up to 2017, so may not accurately reflect current trends. The study also used data from subnational registries that often represent a small fraction of a country’s population, which may limit the generalisation at the population level.

David Robert Grimes, an assistant professor of biostatistics at Trinity College Dublin, who was not involved with the research, urged caution in interpreting the findings. “Comparing international data about cancer rates is a difficult undertaking, as there is considerable variation in data quality and availability … we have to resist the urge to jump to conclusions, especially with conflicting and complicated data,” he said.

The rate at which bowel cancer in the under-50s was increasing was also much smaller than England in Wales (1.55%), Scotland (0.64%) and Northern Ireland (0.54%), raising further questions about the data.

Katrina Brown, a senior cancer intelligence manager at Cancer Research UK, said it was “hard to say for certain” why rates in England were increasing faster than the other UK nations. “More research is needed to understand whether there are genuine differences between the nations, and how to address them,” she said.

She added that the overall number of cases in young adults was still low, with only about one in 20 bowel cancers in the UK diagnosed in people aged under 50.

Sung said it was critical that more people know the symptoms. “Raising awareness of the trend and the distinct symptoms of early-onset colorectal cancer (eg rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, altered bowel habits, and unexplained weight loss) among young people and primary care providers can help reduce delays in diagnosis and decrease mortality,” she said.

A new study of children living through the war in Gaza has found that 96% of them feel that their death is imminent and almost half want to die as a result of the trauma they have been through.

A needs assessment, carried out by a Gaza-based NGO sponsored by the War Child Alliance charity, also found that 92% of the children in the survey were “not accepting of reality”, 79% suffer from nightmares and 73% exhibit symptoms of aggression.

“This report lays bare that Gaza is one of the most horrifying places in the world to be a child,” Helen Pattinson, chief executive of War Child UK, said. “Alongside the levelling of hospitals, schools and homes, a trail of psychological destruction has caused wounds unseen but no less destructive on children who hold no responsibility for this war.”

The survey questioned parents or caregivers of 504 children from families where at least one child is disabled, injured or unaccompanied. The sample was split between southern and northern Gaza and was complemented by more in-depth interviews. The survey was carried out in June this year, so is likely to understate the accumulated psychological impact of Gaza’s children now, after more than 14 months of Israel’s assault on the territory.

The estimated death toll in Gaza is more than 44,000 and a recent assessment by the UN Human Rights Office found that 44% of the fatalities it was able to verify were children.

The new psychological survey published on Wednesday was carried out by ​​a Gaza-based organisation, the Community Training Centre for Crisis Management, with backing from the Dutch Relief Alliance as well as the War Child Alliance.

“The psychological toll on children was severe, with high levels of stress manifested in symptoms such as fear, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nightmares, nail biting, difficulty concentrating and social withdrawal,” the report said. “Children have witnessed the bombing of their homes and schools, experienced the loss of loved ones, and have been displaced or separated from their families while fleeing for safety.”

About 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza, approximately 90% of the territory’s total population, have been displaced, many several times. Half of that number are children who have lost their home and been forced to flee their neighbourhoods.

More than 60% of the surveyed children reported having experienced traumatic events during the war and some had been exposed to multiple traumatic events.

An estimated 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied, separated from their parents, although the study notes the real number may be much higher.

The report warns: “Being separated from their families places these children at a heightened risk of exploitation, abuse and other serious violations of their rights.”

“As a result of such exposure, children develop responses that may persist long after the war has ceased, profoundly affecting their daily lives,” it adds. “Traumatic responses can manifest in various ways, including ongoing emotional distress, anxiety, behavioural changes, difficulties in relationships, regression, nightmares, sleep disturbances, eating issues, and physical symptoms such as pain.”

The sense of being doomed has become pervasive. Almost all the children (96%) felt their death was imminent, and 49% actually wished to die, a feeling that was much more prevalent among boys (72%) than girls (26%).

War Child says the charity and its partners have so far been able to reach 17,000 children in Gaza to provide mental health support, but it ultimately aims to reach a million children with psychosocial and other support, in what it says will be the biggest humanitarian response in its three-decade history.

Pattinson said: “The international community must act now before the child mental health catastrophe we are witnessing embeds itself into multigenerational trauma, the consequences of which the region will be dealing with for decades to come.”

Journalists at the Guardian and the Observer are on Thursday beginning a second 48-hour strike in protest at the proposed sale of the Observer newspaper to Tortoise Media, which was agreed in principle last week.

The industrial action follows a similar two-day strike last week, which was the first at the Guardian in more than 50 years. The new 48-hour strike is due to take place on Thursday 12 December and Friday 13 December.

National Union of Journalists (NUJ) members passed a motion in November stating that selling the Sunday newspaper to Tortoise would be a “betrayal” of the Scott Trust’s commitment to the Observer. The trust is the ultimate owner of Guardian Media Group.

Last Friday it was announced that a deal to sell the Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, to Tortoise Media, had been agreed in principle. It will result in £25m of new investment in the Observer, with a commitment to print on a Sunday and a plan to build it into a digital brand.

As part of the deal, the Scott Trust said it would take a stake in Tortoise and take a seat on both the editorial and commercial boards of the media company.

On its website, the NUJ said: “The National Union of Journalists and its members at the Guardian and Observer believe the plans are disastrous for the Observer, will damage the reputation of the Guardian and will seriously impact the working conditions for staff on both titles.”

The ballot for strike action last month showed that of those eligible to participate, 75% cast a vote, with 93% supporting industrial action.

The strike means that readers may notice some differences to the Guardian’s website on Thursday and Friday and in the print edition on Friday and Saturday.

Due to deadlines, some of the stories that appear on the website and in the newspaper on those days will not have been written on the day in question. In other cases, anonymous bylines may be used. Guardian US and Guardian Australia staff are not part of the strike action.

Observer staff have been told there will be no job losses as a result of the deal. Observer staff have been told they can also opt to take voluntary redundancy on enhanced terms. If they transfer to Tortoise, their existing terms and conditions will be honoured.

Tortoise is run by James Harding, the former editor of the Times and former director of BBC News. It has put forward plans to continue publishing the Observer on a Sunday and build the title’s digital presence. It would combine the Observer with Tortoise’s podcasts, newsletters and live events.

A Guardian spokesperson said: “We respect the right of NUJ members to strike and have initiated a plan to minimise the impact on staff and readers, continuing to publish online and in print. We recognise the strength of feeling towards the sale of the Observer.

“Our priority has always been to ensure the title’s journalism continues to have a leading role in the liberal media landscape and are certain this decision is right to give the Observer a sustainable future.”

Elton John has hit out at the legalisation of marijuana in parts of North America, saying it was “one of the greatest mistakes of all time”.

The musician, who brought his touring career to an end last year and has been sober for 34 years, has helped fellow celebrities including Eminem and Robbie Williams to recover from addiction.

John, who was named Time’s icon of the year, told the magazine that it is “tough to hear” how bad your behaviour has become, and said admitting this helped him get clean.

He said that marijuana was “addictive”, and said: “It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned – and I’ve been stoned – you don’t think normally. Legalising marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”

In a 1999 interview with David Frost, John disclosed that his throat problems midway through an Australian tour in the mid-1980s were caused by marijuana, and said he had given up using the drug after advice from doctors.

In Canada, cannabis has been legal for adults, with certain restrictions including on the amount people can possess and distribute, since 2018. Many US states, including California, have also legalised cannabis for medicinal or recreational use, though it remains illegal in others.

John also discussed his “short fuse”, saying he can snap “if I’m tired, if I’m exhausted, if I’m overwhelmed”. His temper was explored in a 1997 documentary titled Tantrums and Tiaras. But John also credits his ability to create songs quickly to his impatience, saying: “It’s really effortless. If I get a lyric and I look at it, the song comes straight out.”

His husband, David Furnish, is putting out a new documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, with fellow director RJ Cutler, which captures the veteran singer preparing for his final concert in North America at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where he performed two sold-out concerts in 1975.

His headline set at Glastonbury last year was his last UK performance as part of a 330-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which he drew to a close with an emotionally charged show in Stockholm, Sweden.

Earlier this year, John became the 19th performer to earn the coveted EGOT status – a winner of an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. In September, he disclosed on Instagram that his vision had been affected in his right eye after he contracted an infection in the summer.