By Renju Jose

SYDNEY, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Australia's Jewish community gathered at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Friday ​for prayers, while hundreds of swimmers and surfers ​paddled out into the water to honour the 15 victims killed after alleged father-and-son gunmen opened fire at ⁠people celebrating Hanukkah.

Authorities have said Sunday's shooting, Australia's deadliest in almost 30 years, appears to have been inspired by the Islamic State, and police have ramped up patrols and policing in ​an effort to prevent further violence.

SYDNEY, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Australian ​police said ​that seven men detained ⁠in Sydney's southwest on Thursday had ideological connections ​to the ‍two gunmen who ​allegedly fired at hundreds celebrating Hanukkah in Bondi Beach, killing ⁠15 people.

"We don't have definitive links between the individuals who committed these atrocities on Sunday and this yesterday ​apart from ⁠potential ⁠commonality in some thinking, but no associations at this stage," New South ‌Wales state Police Deputy ​Commissioner Dave Hudson told ABC Radio on Friday.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec ​18 (Reuters) - The ​United Nations ⁠General Assembly on Thursday elected Barham ​Salih, a ‍former Iraqi ​president who fled persecution under Saddam Hussein, ⁠asthe next U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Salih was elected without a vote ​by the ⁠193-member ⁠assembly after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nominated him ‌to succeed Italy’s ​Filippo Grandi, who has led the agency ‍since 2016.

Salih will begin a ‌five year ‌term on January 1, 2026.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, ⁠Editing by Franklin Paul)

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday plans to sign ​into law a nearly $1 trillion annual defense ​policy bill, despite its provisions providing new aid to Ukraine and reining in his ability to ⁠dial down U.S. involvement in the defense of Europe.

The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes a record $901 billion in annual military spending, $8 billion more than Trump ​requested.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two more judges of the International Criminal Court after they rejected an attempt by Israel to end a war crimes probe in Gaza.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had already ordered sanctions on judges and prosecutors in the case, explicitly linked the new measures to a vote Monday in which the two judges sided with the majority and upheld arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Dubai police on Thursday urged residents to stay indoors unless it was "absolutely necessary" as heavy rainfall was expected in the desert country which saw record downpours last year.

The warning came hours after rainfall in the Emirati city caused flooding in streets.

"For your safety, please remain cautious as unstable weather conditions are expected in the coming hours, and avoid going out unless it is absolutely necessary until midday on Friday," said a police alert sent to residents' phones.

The United States will host talks in Miami on Friday to push the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, as President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely visit him at the close of the year.

Trump's roving special envoy Steve Witkoff is to meet senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in Florida, a White House official told AFP Thursday, amid fears that efforts to reach the second stage of the deal are stalling.

WASHINGTON, Dec ​18 (Reuters) - ​U.S. ⁠President Donald Trump's special envoy ​Steve ‍Witkoff will ​meet Friday with ⁠Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish officials in Miami, ​Florida, ⁠to ⁠discuss the Gaza deal, ‌a White ​House official said on Thursday.

(Reporting ‍by Steve Holland, ‌Writing ‌by Caitlin Webber; Editing by ⁠Katharine Jackson)

Dec 18 (Reuters) - ​Israel and ​Germany signed ⁠a contract worth around $3.1 billion ​to ‍expand the Arrow-3 ​air and missile defence system ⁠manufactured by Israeli aerospace industries, Israel's defence ministry said ​on Thursday.

The ⁠contract ⁠expansion complements the initial purchase agreement ‌signed two years ​ago. Combined, the two agreements ‍total approximately $6.7 billion, the ministry ‌added.

(Reporting ‌by Yomna Ehab and Enas Alashray; Editing ⁠by Susan Fenton)

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Timour Azhari, Maya Gebeily and Jonathan Spicer

AMMAN/RIYADH/BEIRUT/ANKARA, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Syrian, Kurdish and U.S. officials are scrambling ahead of a ​year-end deadline to show some progress in a stalled deal to merge Kurdish ​forces with the Syrian state, according to several people involved in or familiar with the talks.

Discussions have accelerated in recent days despite growing frustrations over delays, according ⁠to the Syrian, Kurdish and Western sources who spoke to Reuters, some of whom cautioned that a major breakthrough was unlikely.