The alleged gunmen behind the Bondi beach attack were a father-son duo who are suspected to have used legally obtained firearms to commit the massacre, according to police.
Naveed Akram, 24, was arrested at the scene and was taken to a Sydney hospital with critical injuries. His 50-year-old father, who the Sydney Morning Herald first reported to be Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police. Police would not confirm their names.
MI6 chief to deliver remarks on Monday warning ‘chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach’; European leaders to join day two of talks in Berlin. What we know on day 1,391
The head of Britain’s foreign spy service, known as MI6, will warn that Russia poses an “aggressive, expansionist, and revisionist” threat, in her first speech since taking office. Blaise Metreweli took over from Richard Moore in October, becoming the first female chief of MI6. “[Vladimir] Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraine’s behalf will be sustained,” Metreweli will say on Monday, according to advance extracts of her remarks. “The export of chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach to international engagement, and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus,” she said, according to the extract.
Separately, Richard Knighton, head of Britain’s armed forces, will also call in a separate speech on Monday for a “whole society” approach to defence in the face of growing uncertainty and threats, and highlight an increased probability of Russia invading a Nato country.
The Ukrainian leader called on Sunday for a “dignified” peace and guarantees that Russia would not attack Ukraine as he attended talks with US figures in Berlin – the latest efforts to end the war with Russia. “Ukraine needs peace on dignified terms, and we are ready to work as constructively as possible. The coming days will be filled with diplomacy. It is critically important that it delivers results,” Zelenskyy said on X. He later added ahead of a meeting with US officials: “The key thing is that all the steps we agree on with partners must work in practice to deliver guaranteed security. Only reliable guarantees can deliver peace.” Zelenskyy is expected to comment on the talks once they are completed on Monday, when they are expected to be joined by other European leaders.
The Ukrainian leader said that a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia along the current frontlines would be a fair option in any peace deal. Russia has demanded Kyiv withdraw its troops from parts of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions that Ukraine still holds. Answering questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat, Zelenskyy reiterated that option would be unfair, adding that the issue of territory remained unresolved and very sensitive.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said “a lot of progress was made” at the first day of talks. The meeting between US and Ukrainian delegations included Witkoff, president Zelenskyy, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and European officials. “Representatives held in-depth discussions ... a lot of progress was made, and they will meet again tomorrow morning,” Witkoff said in a post on X. The talks ended after more than five hours on Sunday.
Ukraine’s offer to forgo joining the Nato military alliance probably will not significantly change the course of peace talks, two security experts said on Sunday. “This doesn’t move the needle at all,” said Justin Logan, director of defence and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. “It’s an effort to appear reasonable.” Nato membership for Ukraine has not been realistic in a long time anyway, said Logan and Andrew Michta, a professor of strategic studies at the University of Florida. Michta called Ukraine’s Nato admittance a “non-issue” at this point.
The Kremlin said on Sunday that Nato secretary general Mark Rutte’s remarks about preparing for war with Russia were irresponsible and showed that he did not really understand the devastation of the second world war. Rutte, in a speech in Berlin on Thursday, said that Nato should be “prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured” and asserted that “we are Russia’s next target”. “Kremlin spokespersonDmitry Peskov told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin: “They have no understanding, and unfortunately, Mr Rutte, making such irresponsible statements, simply does not understand what he is talking about.”
Drone fragments caused a fire near the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region without inflicting any injuries or damage, an emergency centre said on Sunday. “A gas pipe caught fire outside the refinery near one of the checkpoints. The fire covered an area of 100sqm and has since been extinguished,” the centre said on the Telegram messaging app. Ukraine had said earlier that its military had hit the refinery and an oil depot in the Russian Volgograd region.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces had captured the village of Varvarivka in Ukraine’s eastern Zaporizhzhia region. Reuters could not verify battlefield reports of the both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Two Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor gags make top 10 of public vote, along with jokes about Oasis and Nigel Farage
It’s safe to say it’s been a very bad year for the former Prince Andrew. Already stripped of his title and privileges, he is rounding off the year by becoming the punchline of the year’s most popular Christmas cracker joke.
The annual competition is commissioned by the comedy channel U&Gold (formerly Comedy Gold) and decided by the British public. It usually produces a topical winner that sends up one of the biggest stories of the year.
People able to buy homes previously beyond budget, aided by rising wages and looser affordability tests
First-time buyers are taking out larger mortgages than ever before as rising wages and looser affordability tests allow them to buy properties that were previously beyond their budget.
The average first-time buyer borrowed £210,800 in the year to September, a record high, according to analysis by Savills, the property agent.
The son of a Nazi party member and an admirer of Pinochet, Kast built his campaign on a promise to expel tens of thousands of undocumented migrants
The ultra-conservative former congressman José Antonio Kast has been elected as Chile’s next president.
With more than 99% of polling stations counted, Kast took 58.16% of the vote, against 41.84% for the leftist Jeannette Jara, a former labour minister under the current president, Gabriel Boric.
Trump praises Vince Haley, his ex-speechwriter tasked with creating Arc de Triomphe knockoff amid affordability crisis
Amid concerns that he has failed to address a worsening affordability crisis, with health insurance premiums about to spike dramatically for over 20 million Americans, Donald Trump revealed on Sunday that his domestic policy chief’s main priority is building a triumphal arch for Washington DC.
Speaking at a White House holiday party, the president praised Vince Haley, his former speechwriter and a longtime aide to Newt Gingrich who now leads the White House Domestic Policy Council.
The Los Angeles Chargers eliminated the Kansas City Chiefs from playoff contention when Derwin James picked off a pass by Gardner Minshew – who had just taken over for the injured Patrick Mahomes – in the closing seconds to preserve victory over the reigning AFC champions.
As federal agents target families, teens are left to care for siblings – from accessing bank accounts to medical records
Vilma Cruz, a mother of two, had just arrived at her newly leased Louisiana home when federal agents surrounded her vehicle in the driveway. She had just enough time to call her oldest son before they smashed the passenger window and detained her.
The 38-year-old Honduran house painter was swept up in an immigration crackdown that has largely targeted Kenner, a New Orleans suburb with a large Hispanic population, where some parents at risk of deportation had rushed to arrange emergency custody plans for their children in case they were arrested.
Israeli prime minister claims the Australian government ‘let the disease’ of antisemitism spread ‘and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today’
Leaders around the world expressed their horror at Sunday’s terrorist attack on Bondi beach, in which at least 16 people died, mixed in some cases with harsh words for the Australian government for alleged shortcomings in tackling antisemitism over the past two years.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had written to his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, in August, warning that the government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire … emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets”. He claimed Albanese had “replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement”.
Move marks big shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join Nato as safeguard against Russian attacks
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to drop Ukraine’s aspirations to join the Nato military alliance, as he held five hours of talks with US envoys in Berlin on Sunday to end the war with Russia.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said “a lot of progress was made” as he and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met Zelenskyy in the latest push to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since the second world war – though full details were not divulged.
Oscar-nominated actor struggles to convince in an emotionally inert attempt to resurrect one of the playwright’s lesser-known works
Though it won a Pulitzer prize in 1922, Eugene O’Neill’s social melodrama Anna Christie is not among the venerated playwright’s most famous works. For the better part of a century, ambitious theater artists have endeavored to climb the mountains of Long Day’s Journey Into Night and The Iceman Cometh. Less so for Anna Christie, a strange piece about a supposedly ruined woman trying to get her life back in order.
It’s an interesting choice of vehicle for star Michelle Williams, making her return to the stage after a nine-year hiatus. Anna Christie is an erratic and now quite dated play, one whose moral outlook is hard to parse, its shifts in tone sudden and varied. There’s also the matter that at 45, Williams is about a quarter-century older than O’Neill’s heroine, who is meant to be a hardened and battered young woman trying to start her adult life on new footing.
JetBlue pilot calls incident ‘outrageous’ and says US military refueling tanker didn’t have transponder turned on
A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US air force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.
“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path ... They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”
Head coach praises ‘real leader’ Dias as defence holds firm
Win at Selhurst Park extends Manchester City’s run to five
Pep Guardiola has warned that Manchester City are growing in resilience after Erling Haaland and Phil Foden secured the side’s fifth win in succession and maintained pressure on the Premier League leaders Arsenal.
City gained revenge for their FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace in May with a ruthless 3-0 win at Selhurst Park after they saw off Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek. It means they have won all five matches since enduring successive defeats against Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen at the end of November and are back to within two points of Arsenal.
German striker was given a sarcastic ovation by the Sunderland fans after his inadvertent match winner
On numerous occasions during the 75 minutes he spent on the pitch during the Wear-Tyne derby, Nick Woltemade cut an extremely isolated, peripheral and forlorn figure in the opposition box. A bad afternoon for Newcastle’s German striker got significantly worse shortly after half-time when he cut an even more isolated, peripheral and forlorn figure in his own team’s box after inadvertently heading a Nordi Mukiele cross past Aaron Ramsdale from six yards out.
Woltemade’s embarrassing own goal proved to be the unwitting match-winner in a contest that had until that point been high on full-blooded aggression but low on moments of real quality. As he made way for Yoane Wissa, it was no surprise the Sunderland fans granted the visibly deflated 23-year-old a sarcastic ovation. A fan favourite on Tyneside until the 46th minute of this match, Woltemade has now pulled off the unlikely feat of winning a permanent, bitterly ironic place in mackem hearts.
End of subsidies after failed legislation will have serious and damaging impact on entire sector, policy experts say
With subsidies for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance set to expire, Americans who rely on them will probably switch to plans with lower monthly premiums and high deductibles or decide not to purchase any coverage, which will have a serious and damaging impact on the entire sector, according to healthcare policy experts.
The average amount ACA plan enrollees pay annually for premiums is estimated to more than double, from an average of $888 this year to $1,904 in 2026, according to a KFF analysis.
This was a game to reflect the tyranny of analytics-based football, where thought and expression are abandoned for the playbook, set pieces rule, and long throws become key events. For Brentford’s Michael Kayode, read Leeds’s Ethan Ampadu, both taking an age before hurling the ball into a mass of bodies, before the ball was bundled away. How long can this tactic stay in vogue, now that every Premier League side is so well prepared?
Scoring a goal from open play remains a valid tactic and from such a situation Rico Henry set up Jordan Henderson to score his first goal in English football since 2021, via a deflection off the Leeds defender Jaka Bijol. In turn, Leeds found their deserved equaliser from open play, Dominic Calvert-Lewin heading home Wilfried Gnonto’s cross. Henry and Gnonto, both substitutes, had added dabs of quality to a previously constipated contest.
Shortly after the mass shooting targeting Australia’s Jewish community on Sunday, Rabbi Levi Wolff of Central Sydney Synagogue told reporters that “the inevitable has happened now”.
Wolff was speaking in Bondi, close to where two men armed with powerful rifles or shotguns had just attacked an event celebrating Hanukah, the Jewish religious festival. At least 12 people were killed, including one alleged gunman, and dozens were injured in Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in almost three decades.
Eddie Howe vowed that he would not allow Newcastle’s defeat in the Wear‑Tyne derby at Sunderland on Sunday to define his side’s season.
“It’s a horrible feeling, it’s very painful,” said Howe, whose inconsistent team were sunk by Nick Woltemade’s spectacular second-half headed own goal. By way of exacerbating his distress, Sunderland’s players rubbed salt in visiting wounds by posing for a celebratory group picture on the pitch at the end. That was a riposte to the events of January 2024 when Howe’s assistant, Jason Tindall, ordered Newcastle’s players to pose for a similar photograph after a 3-0 FA Cup win at the Stadium of Light.
Manager says it will take time to turn club around
Spence reaction to substitution will be investigated
Thomas Frank said Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest offered a sobering reminder his side remain a “work in progress” and amid increasing scrutiny the head coach reiterated improving Spurs’s fortunes is “not a quick fix”, saying: “If no one gets the time, no one can turn this around.”
Spurs have been hit and miss since Frank took charge in June and are in mid-table in the Premier League after a run of one win in seven top-flight matches, though still only six points off fourth-placed Chelsea. Spurs registered a single shot on target at the City Ground, where Callum Hudson-Odoi scored twice and Ibrahim Sangaré sealed victory with a stunning first-time strike.
Jewish communities across the world have reacted with shock, sadness and solidarity after what Australia’s prime minister described as a “targeted attack on Jewish Australians” at Bondi beach in Sydney.
On Sunday, as hundreds of people were gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, at least two individuals armed with guns began firing on crowds on the beach. At least 11 people were killed and 29 injured in what police designated as a terrorist attack. One of the alleged gunman was also killed, bringing the total number of dead to 12.
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