BBC News Briefing

22 December, 2025

Doug has short blonde hair and is wearing glasses

Doug Faulkner

Hello. The suspected gunmen in the Bondi Beach attack had practised shooting weeks before the deadly incident and started the attack by throwing explosives which failed to detonate, according to new Australian court documents. In Moscow, another Russian general has died in a car bombing and in rebel-held Myanmar our South Asia correspondent Yogita Limaye meets civilians fleeing junta air strikes.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Bondi gunmen threw explosives in attack and had practised shooting, police say

A man wearing a bllack top, jeans and a black cap braces a gun against his shoulder in a grassy field. Trees can be seen in the background. A label on it says Sajid Akram.

A screenshot from a video on Naveed Akram's phone shows his father conducting firearms training, police allege. Credit: Supplied

The suspected Bondi Beach gunmen threw explosives at the start of the attack and had practised shooting weeks before, according to court documents. Fifteen people were killed and dozens more injured when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration on 14 December. Explosives - including a "tennis ball bomb" - failed to detonate, according to the documents. Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder. A second gunman - his father, Sajid Akram - was shot dead by police at the scene. According to police, the pair "meticulously" planned the attack for several months.

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Bondi reels: A second deadly attack in Sydney in 18 months has given locals a grim sense of deja vu.

Gun laws: As Australia moves to toughen up weapons and protest legislation after the Bondi attack, civil rights groups have raised concerns.

Tackling extremism: Australian PM Anthiny Albanese has announced a review into police and intelligence agencies after the attack.

WORLD HEADLINES

A white car door can be senlying against a bollard several yards from a car which has exploded. The back window is missing and there are scraps of metal surrounding it. There are several other cars in the vicinity and tower blocks can be seen in the background.

Russian general killed in car bomb, Moscow says

Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov died on Monday morning after an explosive device planted under a car detonated in Moscow.

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Epstein files Trump image reinstated after backlash

Several items, including the image of the president, were removed due to victims' concerns, the deputy attorney general said.

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A helicopter flies above an oil tanker in the ocean

Official says US pursuing third oil tanker

The US Coast Guard is in "active pursuit" of another vessel in international waters near Venezuela as tensions continue to rise.

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A sign reads St Mary's Private Catholic Seconday School. Dry dusty ground and a few trees can be seen as well as a few small buildings

All pupils kidnapped from Nigerian school now free

Teachers and 130 schoolchildren taken from a Catholic boarding school last month have been released, authorities say.

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A row of five bottles of Jim Beam bourbon whiskey

Bourbon maker Jim Beam halts Kentucky production

The famous brand is pausing the operation at its main distillery for a year to "invest in site enhancements"

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NEWS FROM THE UK

Free-speech: A university has been threatened with legal action after a talk by a leading sex and gender academic was disrupted by protesters.

'Difficult years': Religion editor Aleem Maqbool examines why British Jews are facing the biggest change for 60 years.

Christmas past: London's Charles Dickens museum is depicting what the festive season would have looked like in the A Christmas Carol author's day.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

In rebel-held Myanmar, civilians face air strikes and a sham election

Iang a Kim as long dark hair in a ponytail over her right shoulder. She is wearing a green shirt unbuttoned at the top, with a yellow top on beneath

Iang Za Kim had to flee her home after the junta launched air strikes nearby. Credit: Aamir Peerzada/BBC

Iang Za Kim's face quivers as she recounts the air strike on her village in Myanmar's western Chin State, writes South Asia correspondent Yogita Limaye. She's among thousands of civilians who've fled their homes in recent weeks after the Burmese military launched a fierce campaign of air strikes and a ground offensive in rebel-held areas across the country, ahead of elections starting on 28 December.