Politics
Pakistan, other countries condemn shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach
World leaders queued up on Sunday to express their horror and revulsion at a mass shooting which killed 12 people at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach.
One suspected gunman was killed and another was in a critical condition, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a press conference. At least 29 people injured, including two police officers, were taken to hospital, he said.
Police were investigating whether a third gunman was involved in the shooting, and a bomb-disposal unit was working on several suspected improvised explosive devices, Lanyon said.
Mike Burgess, a top Australian intelligence official, said one of the suspected attackers was known to authorities but had not been deemed an immediate threat.
Following are comments from world leaders in the wake of the deadly shooting:
‘Dark moment’
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the tragic shooting, conveying condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.
In a statement issued on X, President Zardari said that Pakistan, having itself suffered greatly from terrorism, fully understands the pain and trauma such attacks inflict on societies.
He condemned violence against innocent civilians and expressed solidarity with the people and Government of Australia at this difficult time, reiterating Pakistan’s principled stance against terrorism in all its forms.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his official X account expressed deepest condolences to the victims of the tragic “terrorist attack”.
“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations… we stand in solidarity with the people and Government of Australia in this difficult time,” he wrote.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the “shocking and distressing” attack, which Australian police dubbed a “terrorist” incident, was “beyond comprehension” as assailants fired on a gathering celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
“At this dark moment for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to determine anyone associated with this outrage.”
Sussan Ley, opposition leader of Australia, said: “Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi.”
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was “shocked” at the shooting, which the bloc´s top diplomat condemned as an “appalling act of violence.”
“Europe stands with Australia and Jewish communities everywhere. We are united against violence, antisemitism and hatred,” von der Leyen, the European Commission President, wrote on X.
“This appalling act of violence against the Jewish community must be unequivocally condemned,” added EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer lamented what he termed “deeply distressing news from Australia. The United Kingdom sends our thoughts and condolences to everyone affected by the appalling attack in Bondi beach.”
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack and vowed that France would “fight relentlessly against antisemitic hatred.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X she felt “profound grief regarding the dramatic news arriving from Sydney.
“By once again firmly condemning all forms of violence and anti-semitism, Italy expresses its own condolences for the victims,” Meloni added.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, also in a post to X, said: “I am deeply shocked by the terrorist attack in Sydney — an act of hatred directed against all Jews worldwide on the first day of Hanukkah. My thoughts are with the families of those murdered, the injured and the Jewish community.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X that his country “stands in solidarity with Australia in the face of the brutal terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, Sydney, which targeted the Jewish community.”
“Terror and hatred must never prevail – they must be defeated everywhere and every time,” he said.
A major Australian Muslim organisation condemned the “horrific” shooting.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, “Australia and New Zealand are closer than friends, we’re family. I am shocked by the distressing scenes at Bondi, a place that Kiwis visit every day.”
“My thoughts, and the thoughts of all New Zealanders, are with those affected.”
GENEVA: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said that killings such as the reported death of Ali Khamenei raise serious concerns under international human rights law.
Speaking to reporters, Turk said that from a human rights perspective, any form of killing is unacceptable.
“From a human rights perspective, any killing of anyone is not in the interest of international human rights law,” he said.
Strike on Girls’ School Raises Concern
Turk also addressed reports of a strike on a girls’ school in Minab, a city in southern Iran, during the first day of US and Israeli attacks.
Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, claimed that the attack killed around 150 students, although the figure has not been independently verified.
The UN rights chief stressed that schools are civilian institutions and should never be targeted during armed conflicts.
Call for Independent Investigation
Turk called for an impartial investigation into the incident to determine the circumstances surrounding the strike, including the type of weapon used and the timing of the attack.
He said responsibility now lies with those who carried out the strikes to ensure a transparent inquiry.
Meanwhile, US officials told media that military investigators are examining the possibility that American forces were responsible, though the investigation has not yet reached a final conclusion.
The incident has intensified international concern about civilian casualties and humanitarian law violations as the conflict in the region continues to escalate.
WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department published additional FBI documents describing interviews with a woman who said President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her after she was introduced to him by Jeffrey Epstein.
The documents had not been made public under previous congressionally-mandated file releases related to the late convicted sex offender because they were mistakenly marked “duplicative,” the department said.
Democrats are investigating the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
The documents released include descriptions of multiple 2019 interviews the FBI held with the woman, who alleged she was assaulted by both Epstein and Trump while she was between 13 and 15 years old.
In one interview, the woman said Epstein took her to “either New York or New Jersey” and introduced her to Trump.
The woman said she and people close to her received threatening calls over the years demanding she keep quiet that she believed were related to Epstein.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to the Epstein allegations, and the Justice Department previously said some of the documents it has released “contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump.”
Democrats have accused the Trump administration of covering up details of the Epstein investigation that could negatively impact Trump.
On Wednesday, a House committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions about the Justice Department´s handling of the documents.
- Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashes during training.
- Jet went missing after taking off from Jorhat airbase.
- Dead pilots identified as Sq Ldr Anuj, Flight Lieutenant Duragkar.
Two pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed after a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed in India’s northeastern state of Assam, NDTV reported, citing officials.
The Indian Air Force said on Friday that a fighter jet, which was on a training mission, crashed in the northeast Indian state of Assam.
“The Su-30MKI, which was on a training mission, crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approx 60 km from Jorhat,” the Indian Air Force said on X.
The aircraft had gone missing shortly after taking off from the Jorhat airbase. Communication with the Russian-origin fighter jet was lost at 7:42pm, according to officials.
The crash occurred in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, around 60 kilometres from the airbase. The aircraft reportedly went down in a remote hilly area.
The IAF identified the deceased pilots as Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar.
“All personnel of the IAF express sincere condolences, and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” the Air Force said in a post on X.
Local residents in the area said they heard a loud explosion from a nearby hill and saw a ball of fire shortly afterwards.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of the two pilots in the “tragic” crash.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a two-seater, long-range fighter aircraft developed by Russian manufacturer Sukhoi. It is produced under licence in India by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the IAF.
The aircraft was first inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1997, and the service currently operates a fleet of more than 260 Su-30MKI jets.
Similar incidents have occurred in recent years. A Sukhoi fighter jet crashed in Nashik, Maharashtra, in June 2024, while another Su-30 aircraft crashed in January 2023 shortly after taking off from the Gwalior airbase in Madhya Pradesh.
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