Entertainment
Australia probes security services after Bondi Beach attack
- Attack described as inspired by “Daesh ideology”.
- Review to examine powers, structures and information-sharing.
- ASIO investigated the son in 2019, no threat found.
SYDNEY: Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday he has ordered a review into the police and intelligence services after two gunmen shot and killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach.
A father and his son are accused of spraying bullets into the family-thronged Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s most famous beach on December 14, allegedly inspired by “Daesh ideology”.
Albanese said his government will examine whether police and spy services have the powers, structures, and sharing arrangements “to keep Australians safe”.
“The [Daesh]-inspired atrocity last Sunday reinforces the rapidly changing security environment in our nation,” he said.
“Our security agencies must be in the best position to respond.”
Alleged gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the Bondi attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in hospital under police guard and faces multiple charges, including terrorism and 15 murders.
‘Shocking event’
The son was investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation in 2019 for possible radicalisation but was found at the time not to pose a threat, according to Australian authorities.
His father was also questioned by the intelligence service as part of that review, but he managed to obtain a gun licence that allowed him to own six firearms.
A few weeks before the Bondi Beach attack, the pair returned to Sydney from a four-week trip to the southern Philippines that is now under investigation by detectives there and in Australia.
Albanese said there were “real issues” with Australia’s intelligence service in light of the attack.
“We need to examine exactly the way that systems work. We need to look back at what happened in 2019 when this person was looked at, the assessment that was made,” he told national broadcaster ABC.
Asked in a separate interview about the alleged gunmen’s stay at a hotel in the southern Philippines island of Mindanao, Albanese said their radicalisation was under investigation.
“But it is also the case that they were not seen to be persons of interest, and that is why this is such a shocking event,” he said.
‘Very, very unusual’
There is a long history of insurgencies in the Mindanao region but authorities there say there is no evidence to suggest the Philippines is being used to coach extremists.
The staff of Davao City’s GV Hotel have told AFP that the two men stayed holed up in their small room for most of their 28-day stay.
They would usually leave their rooms only for two or three hours, with the longest excursion lasting eight hours, the Philippine national security service said.
Regional police, who have trawled through CCTV images to retrace the pair’s steps and discover who they met, said the father had visited a gun shop.
Clarke Jones, an Australian National University criminologist, said it was “very, very unusual” to have a father and son as suspected perpetrators.
Once in the Philippines, the pair could have easily travelled to Mindanao without raising any flags, he told AFP.
Jones, who has worked with violent offenders in the Philippines, said the alleged gunmen’s radicalisation had apparently gone “under the radar” for years after the Australian intelligence probe.
“I think we would really need to look at what happened, and whether that kid, when he was first detected, should have been put through some sort of support programme to prevent this potential thing happening,” he said.
Entertainment
Pakistan rejects India’s remarks on Shia community, calls them ‘cynical, diversionary’
- India had alleged ‘systemic victimisation of minorities’ in Pakistan.
- FO says India’s comments cannot “mask its own record” of discrimination.
- Andrabi cites mob lynchings, attacks on mosques, violence against minorities.
The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday dismissed the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) so-called “concerns” about Pakistan’s Shia community, calling the remarks “cynical and diversionary” and an “exercise in deflection masquerading as concern.”
This response follows comments by India’s MEA, which cited statements it attributed to Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Syed Asim Munir.
CDF Munir had met with Shia clerics in Rawalpindi earlier this month, and according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the meeting focused on national security and the role of ulema in maintaining societal harmony.
The ISPR statement added that CDF Munir emphasised that religious sentiments must not be exploited to incite violence in the country.
The Indian MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, as quoted by Indian news agency ANI on Friday, said that the remarks reflected Pakistan’s “systemic victimisation of minorities”.
Responding a day later, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, “Pakistan rejects India’s remarks as cynical and diversionary — an exercise in deflection masquerading as concern.”
The foreign ministry official said that India’s comments could not “mask its own record of the steady normalisation of discrimination and violence against Muslims, Christians, and other marginalised communities — from curbs on worship to mob vigilantism and the targeting of homes and livelihoods”.
“These patterns are well-documented,” MoFA’s Andrabi said, adding, “The escalating wave of mob lynchings targeting Muslims is deeply abhorrent and underscores a climate of unchecked brutality.”
In the year 2025, more than 55 Muslims were reportedly lynched in India, and since January 2026, over 19 Muslims have been killed by violent mobs, according to the spokesperson.
“Extremist groups have unlawfully sought the destruction of 11 mosques. Perpetrators of crimes against Muslims often act with impunity, enabled by state patronage, and are seldom held to account,” he said.
“Pakistan urges India to address these serious and well-documented concerns within its own borders, ensure the protection of Muslim, Christians and other communities in accordance with its constitutional and international obligations, and refrain from making unfounded and politically motivated statements about others,” the statement concluded.
Strictly Come Dancing is facing a big shake-up after beloved hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped away from the show.
With the programme looking for fresh energy, reports say that comedian and actress Miranda Hart is in talks to join.
Fans might remember Miranda from her hit sitcom and from cheering on her friend Sarah Hadland during last year’s series.
Sources, however, said that she could bring her funny, warm personality to the show, talking to the celebs, dancers and judges, helping to keep the programme lively and entertaining.
Even though Miranda spent recent years enjoying a quieter life away from the spotlight, she has never lost her connection to television.
BBC bosses apparently see her humour as a perfect fit for the role, bringing the kind of lightness and charm that viewers loved in the past.
While nothing is confirmed yet, insiders are excited about the possibility.
If it happens, it could mark a new chapter for Strictly Come Dancing, mixing familiar comedy with the glitz and glamour of the dance floor.
Fans are waiting to see if Miranda’s easygoing style will breathe new life into the show.
Trevor Oakes, guitarist who helped make Showaddywaddy famous all over the world, has died at the age of 79 after fighting bravely with a long illness.
The icon passed away peacefully on February 18, leaving all of his fans and friends heartbroken.
Trevor’s former bandmate Dave Bartram paid a touching tribute for him, calling him “a unique character and a dedicated professional” who played a huge part in the band’s success.
Trevor was there from the very start, helping the band bring back songs from the 1950s and 1960s for a new generation.
Showaddywaddy, however, then got Top 10 hits, including the number one song Under the Moon of Love in 1976.
Dave remembered him as not just a talented musician but also a loving family man with a cheeky sense of humour, saying that he will be “sadly missed by all those dear to him.”
Though Trevor stepped away from performing in 2009 due to health problems, his spirit and influence stayed with the band, which continues to tour today under Dave’s management.
Only one original member remains on stage but Trevor’s energy and love for music live on in every show.
Fans, moreover, will always remember him for the joy, laughter and music he shared over years.
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Pakistan rejects India’s remarks on Shia community, calls them ‘cynical, diversionary’
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