BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
In today’s briefing update, North Korea’s so-called ‘Christmas gift’ could be a new hardline anti-US policy.
Australia PM smacks down Greta Thunberg’s bushfire criticism, and says he’s ‘not here to impress people overseas’. And five Australians have been hospitalised after a Christmas balloon drop at a shopping centre.
As thousands flee bombing in Syria, Turkey is in talks with Russia after reports Syrians were fleeing towards Turkey.
In the UK, the Queen’s Christmas speech will acknowledge a ‘bumpy’ year for the nation!
Entertainment, TV presenter Caroline Flack has pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault.
ALL this and more in today’s news briefing – A daily roundup of all the news headlines that you need to know, summarised as part of WTX News Briefing.
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North Korea’s ‘Christmas gift’ could be a new anti-US hardline policy, source says
CNN says North Korea is planning to adopt a hard-line policy towards the US which would include taking denuclearisation off the table. The source added that North Korea sees President Trump is politically vulnerable. 
The new policy is likely the “Christmas gift” floated by a top North Korean official earlier this month. And is expected to include abandoning negotiations with Washington and consolidating Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear weapons state.
Read the full story on CNN
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‘Not here to impress people overseas’: Australian PM smacks down Greta Thunberg’s bushfire criticisms
RT News says Australia’s prime minister dismissed climate activist Greta Thunberg’s criticism of his handling of the bushfire “catastrophe,” saying he was prioritising Australia’s interests over foreigner-friendly PR. 
Thunberg slammed politicians on Sunday for failing to “make the connection between the climate crisis and increased extreme weather events and [natural] disasters like the #Australiafires.”
Weighing in on Monday, the PM said in a press conference that he is not “here to impress people overseas”. Claiming he’s “here to do the right job for Australians and put them first,” the PM vowed not to “embrace reckless targets and abandon our traditional industries that would risk Australian jobs while having no meaningful impact on the global climate.”
Read the full story on RT News
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Turkey in talks with Russia as thousands flee bombing in Syria
Aljazeera reports a Turkish delegation was in Russia on Monday for talks on Syria, following reports that Russian-backed attacks there were forcing tens of thousands more Syrians to flee towards Turkey. 
This developed as a car bombing in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, killed at least eight civilians, including a woman and a child.
Turkey already hosts at least 3.7 million Syrians – the world’s biggest refugee population.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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Queen acknowledge’s ‘bumpy’ year for the nation in Christmas message
BBC News says the Queen will use her Christmas Day message to acknowledge that 2019 has been “quite bumpy.”
She will say the path is never “smooth” but “small steps” can heal divisions. 
It follows a year of intense political debate over Brexit as well as a number of scandals and events affecting the Royal Family.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Five hospitalised after a stampede at an Australian shopping centre
Arab News says five people were hospitalised after Christmas shoppers were crushed in a midnight balloon dropped of gift vouchers at a shopping centre. 
Video footage showed people at the Westfield Parramatta shopping centre jostling for the gold, silver and white balloons containing the gift cards.
Jonathan Nott, who took the footage, said: “It did not look like a very safe area for a large crowd to scramble for balloons.”
Read the full story on Arab News
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Caroline Flack denies attacking boyfriend with a lamp
Sky News says Caroline Flack has pleaded not guilty to attacking he boyfriend Lewis Burton with a lamp. 
The Love Island presenter, 40, was arrested and charged on 13 December, with assaulting the 27-year-old.
Flack answered “not guilty” when the charge was put to her.
Prosecutor Ms Weiss discussed the contents of the three to four-minute 999 call that Mr Burton made, saying: “He made an allegation regarding his girlfriend Caroline.
“The first police officer arrived some eight minutes later. He knocked on the door and it was opened by both of them.
“Both were covered in blood and in fact, one of the police officers likened the scene to a horror movie.”
Read the full story on Sky News
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