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Australia’s spy agency has revealed that one of the men who carried out the country’s worst massacre in three decades was investigated for links to ISIL. Police say Naveed Akram and his father Sajid targeted Jewish Australians celebrating Hanukkah at the country’s most famous beach.

Published On 15 Dec 202515 Dec 2025

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Kruger rejects suggestions Farage schoolboy racism claims have damaged support for Reform UK in polls

In his Q&A, Danny Kruger was also asked whether he was concerned whether the Guardian reports about people at school with Nigel Farage saying they recall him being racist as a pupil, which have been widely followed up, and the party’s response to them, which has alternated between outright denial and suggestions that any comments were banter, or taken out of context, or misremembered, have damaged the party’s poll ratings. Support for the party has flatlined, or fallen, since the stories started appearing.

In response, Kruger rejected suggestions this was a problem. He explained:

The polling remains very, very positive for Reform. We are clearly well ahead of every other party. And that is sustained and consistent in every single poll that you see.

And I’m confident that that will continue.

But this is a battle we’re in. The right in politics is split. And I’ve said consistently, and I think the evidence is overwhelming, that the Conservative party remains a blocker to a centre-right government in this country. And the right thing for every Conservative voter or activist or member to do is to join Reform if you want to see change and get rid of this failing Labour government.

The Politico poll of polls shows the recent drop in Reform’s polling started on 21 November, three days after the first Guardian report was published. That implies there is a link.

Politico poll of polls Photograph: Politico

But polling experts are not convinced. This is what Luke Tryl, the pollster from More in Common, said on this topic on social media at the start of December.

Reform % was down across most polls last week. What is driving it? Farage school comments, Gill & Russia, Mahmood asylum reform? I suspect answer is simpler: Reform do best when its issues are in focus (migration,crime,lack of faith in politics) & less so when it’s the economy

Here is the clip from the Q&A.

‘Are you worried allegations about Farage’s time at school may have hurt your party’s ability to win over new voters?’@harry_horton asks Reform’s Danny Kruger

‘The polling remains very positive for Reform… and I’m confident that that will continue,’ Kruger says pic.twitter.com/bbi8oielf1

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) December 15, 2025

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Tories claim resident doctors strike going ahead because government has been ‘weak’ with unions

The Tories have claimed that the BMA’s decision to go ahead with the resident doctors strike in England is a result of the government being “weak” with unions.

Commenting on the announcement (see 1.18am), Stuart Andrew, the shadow health secretary, said:

The BMA rejecting Labour’s offer just shows how weak this government is in the face of militant unions.

We Conservatives repeatedly warned Labour that by giving inflation busting pay rises last year they would set a dangerous precedent. And now we see the consequences of their capitulation, with more disruption, more demands and no end in sight.

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Updated at 14.25 CET

Resident doctors in England vote to go ahead with strike

Resident doctors in England will strike as planned this week after they voted to reject the government’s latest offer to end the long-running pay and jobs dispute, Denis Campbell reports.

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Kruger rejects suggestions Farage schoolboy racism claims have damaged support for Reform UK in polls

In his Q&A, Danny Kruger was also asked whether he was concerned whether the Guardian reports about people at school with Nigel Farage saying they recall him being racist as a pupil, which have been widely followed up, and the party’s response to them, which has alternated between outright denial and suggestions that any comments were banter, or taken out of context, or misremembered, have damaged the party’s poll ratings. Support for the party has flatlined, or fallen, since the stories started appearing.

In response, Kruger rejected suggestions this was a problem. He explained:

The polling remains very, very positive for Reform. We are clearly well ahead of every other party. And that is sustained and consistent in every single poll that you see.

And I’m confident that that will continue.

But this is a battle we’re in. The right in politics is split. And I’ve said consistently, and I think the evidence is overwhelming, that the Conservative party remains a blocker to a centre-right government in this country. And the right thing for every Conservative voter or activist or member to do is to join Reform if you want to see change and get rid of this failing Labour government.

The Politico poll of polls shows the recent drop in Reform’s polling started on 21 November, three days after the first Guardian report was published. That implies there is a link.

Politico poll of polls Photograph: Politico

But polling experts are not convinced. This is what Luke Tryl, the pollster from More in Common, said on this topic on social media at the start of December.

Reform % was down across most polls last week. What is driving it? Farage school comments, Gill & Russia, Mahmood asylum reform? I suspect answer is simpler: Reform do best when its issues are in focus (migration,crime,lack of faith in politics) & less so when it’s the economy

Here is the clip from the Q&A.

‘Are you worried allegations about Farage’s time at school may have hurt your party’s ability to win over new voters?’@harry_horton asks Reform’s Danny Kruger

‘The polling remains very positive for Reform… and I’m confident that that will continue,’ Kruger says pic.twitter.com/bbi8oielf1

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) December 15, 2025

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Danny Kruger welcomes celebrity sex worker Bonnie Blue backing Reform UK, saying he won’t be ‘judgmental’

Danny Kruger was the Reform UK MP speaking at the party’s press conference this morning. An evangelical Christian, Kruger was an unexpected recruit when he defected to Nigel Farage’s party from the Tories in September. In his book Covenant in 2023, setting out his personal, political philosophy, Kruger argued: “The purpose of politics is the cultivation of the conditions of virtue, of the moral impulses that make good conduct, and that these conditions are the normative dispositions of a conservative society.”

So it was perfectly reasonable for someone to ask, at his Q&A this morning, how Kruger felt when he learned last week that Reform has been endorsed by the celebrity sex worker Bonnie Blue. As she explained in an article for the Spectator, she is impressed by the party’s policies on immigration and inheritance tax.

Kruger said he was happy to welcome the Bonnie Blue endorsement. He explained:

On Bonnie Blue I mean, listen, we’ll take votes wherever we can get them.

We know we want all the support we can get, quite like Bonnie Blue.

But we, you know, we’re not going to be fussy about that.

But listen, I mean, you know I’m not going to be judgmental about people who want to vote Reform.

In response to questions about Reform and racism, Kruger was also reluctant to moralise. Asked by my colleague Peter Walker about the more than 20 contemporaries who have come forward to say they remember Nigel Farage making racist comments as a pupil at Dulwich college, and whether he agreed with Richard Tice, who said the accusers were all lying, or whether he agreed with Farage, who at time has claimed people misremembered what happened, Kruger said that he and colleagues repeatedly answered questions about this and that he had “nothing more to say”.

And asked about a report saying that Chris Parry, Reform’s candidate for mayor of Hampshire and the Solent, posted a message on social media in February saying that David Lammy should “go home to the Caribbean” and whether this was racist, Kruger said that he was not aware of the details of this case and that this was not a matter for him. But he claimed that Farage has taken action to deal with racism in the party. And he described Parry, a former navy officer, as “a distinguished public servant” and said it was good to have his support.

UPDATE: Here is the clip.

‘We want all the support we can get – quite like Bonnie Blue’

Reform MP Danny Kruger was asked if he welcomes adult content creator Bonnie Blue’s support for Reform UK

‘I’m not going to be judgemental about people who want to vote Reform’ pic.twitter.com/TWuKu97qWZ

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) December 15, 2025

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Updated at 14.14 CET

Reform UK announces plans to gut HR and comms departments as part of plan to save £5bn by axing civil servant jobs

Reform UK has now released a short document about what it describes at phase one of its plan to reform the civil service. It claims the civil service “has become bloated, overstaffed, and has failed to deliver what is expected by the British people”. It says that its plans would remove the equivalent of 68,500 jobs, saving £5.2bn a year once the cuts are in place.

This chart shows where the jobs would go. In HR and communications, Reform want to get rid of more than half existing posts.

Reform UK plan to cut civil service jobs Photograph: Reform UK

Reform also says it would increase the bonus pool for civil servants by 400% to attract “the finest talent” and to incentivise high performers.

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Updated at 13.00 CET

Armed forces chief says Russian threat to Nato will require ‘whole nation stepping up’ to make UK more resilient

Blaise Metreweli, the new head of MI6, is not the only defence and security figure giving a big speech today.

Sir Richard Knighton, who as chief of the defence staff is head of the armed forces, is also giving a speech, to the Royal United Services Institute this evening, and he will say the threat from Russia is so serious that the whole nation, and not just the military, needs to step up to increase Britain’s resilience.

According to extracts released in advance, he will say:

The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career and the response requires more than simply strengthening our armed forces. A new era for defence doesn’t just mean our military and government stepping up – as we are – it means our whole nation stepping up …

Our armed forces always need to be ready to fight and win – that’s why readiness is such a priority.

But deterrence is also about our resilience to these threats, it’s about how we harness all our national power, from universities, to industry, the rail network to the NHS. It’s about our defence and resilience being a higher national priority for all of us. An ‘all-in’ mentality.

And that will require people who are not soldiers, sailors or aviators to nevertheless invest their skills – and money – in innovation and problem solving on the nation’s behalf.

As an example of what he means by the whole nation stepping up, Knighton will announce that £50m is being set aside to establish defence technical excellence colleges. They will provide courses needed to train staff for defence employers quickly. He will explain:

Five colleges in England, and others across the UK, will gain specialist status and major new funding to train people in the skills needed to secure new defence jobs, and help deliver on the ambitions set out in the SDR.

In addition to training young people for the new jobs of the future, this funding will also support thousands of short courses so defence employers can upskill existing staff quickly, providing the versatility that they – and we – need.

Knighton will say that the war in Ukraine has shown Vladimir Putin’s willingness to target neighbouring states, including their civilian populations, and he will say Russia has made it clear it wants to destroy Nato.

The Russian leadership has made clear that it wishes to challenge, limit, divide and ultimately destroy Nato, in former President Medvedev’s words, aspiring to “the disappearance of Ukraine and the disappearance of Nato – preferably both”.

The Ministry of Defence is describing Knighton’s speech as “rallying cry to the nation”.

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Danny Kruger, the Reform UK MP in charge of the party’s planning for government, is about to hold a press conference. There is a live feed here.

According to the Sun, the party is announcing plans to save £5bn by getting rid of 68,000 civil servant jobs.

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Yesterday the Labour MP Andrew Gwynne dismissed as “idle speculation” reports he could resign his Gorton and Denton seat in Greater Manchester as part of an Andy Burnham “coup” against Keir Starmer.

In their London Playbook briefing for Politico, Sam Blewett and Noah Keate suggest that, even if a seat like Gorton and Denton were to become available, Labour’s national executive committee (which is controlled by Keir Starmer supporters) would not necessarily let Burnham stand as the candidate.

Figures on Labour’s ruling NEC are still talking down the prospect that Burnham would make it past a selection board to become a candidate, particularly if it’s a seat outside his Manchester fiefdom. “Why would the NEC of the Labour Party spend £100,000 trying to get someone elected whose intention was to run against the leader?” as one official put it to Playbook. “That would be mad and completely self-destructive.”

But, in posts on social media, Rob Ford, a politics professor at Manchster University, questions whether, in practice, the NEC would feel strong enough to block a Burnham candidature.

‘Absolute power’ on paper doesn’t translate to absolute power in practice. Whether the NEC feels able to do this comes down to, I expect, whether vetoing a Burnham return would provoke a leadership challenge or a serious PLP revolt. I suspect it may well do.

If enough MPs were to say to the whips or Downing Street “If you do this, you have basically lost us for good” then an NEC veto becomes a pyrrhic victory for Starmer and his colleagues – yes they can do it, but by doing so they risk ending up in office but not in power.

Personally I think the bigger risk for Burnham is he either (a) loses the Commons by-election or (b) wins the by-election but then Labour lose the Greater Manchester Mayoral by-election that follows. Either one would seriously damage his brand.

By-election loss would damage his claim to be a vote winner, loss of GM would make his move to the Commons look like putting personal interest before the interests of the party (or of GM)

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Yvette Cooper calls for immediate release of Jimmy Lai after his conviction for sedition offences

Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, has issued a statement calling for the immediate release of Jimmy Lai after the media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner was convicted in Hong Kong of national security and sedition offences.

Statement from Yvette Cooper Photograph: Foreign OfficeShare

Rishi Sunak to give evidence to Covid inquiry about econonomic response to pandemic

Rishi Sunak is giving evidence to the Covid inquiry this morning. The inquiry has moved on to the module looking at the economic response to the pandemic, and Sunak, who was chancellor at the time, is giving evidence all today, and tomorrow morning.

Yohannes Lowe is covering it in a separate live blog.

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Green leader Zack Polanski has highest approval ratings of all UK party leaders, poll suggests

Later today Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, is due to announce some councillor defections. He will do so buoyed up by some polling from Opinium suggesting he is the most popular of the UK party leaders. It says:

The Greens’ leader, Zack Polanski, is currently the most popular party leader with voters at net -1, with the Lib Dems’ Ed Davey close behind on net -4.

No political leader is in net positive territory with voters, with Keir Starmer most unpopular at net -43 (+2), while Kemi Badenoch is up four points at net -10 and Nigel Farage stands at net -12 (+2). [Changes from Opinium polling three weeks ago.]

Opinium also found that the Green party outperforms Labour and the Conservatives when voters are asked to rate the parties according to a series of positive indicators.

Polling on Green party, versus Labour and Tories Photograph: Opinium

The only indicator where Labour and the Tories beat the Greens is “ready for government”, although the Greens are only one point ahead of the Tories on “can be trusted to take big decisions”.

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Updated at 11.17 CET

Government announces extra funding for safe housing for domestic abuse survivors

Good morning. The news will be dominated by two foreign stories today: the ongoing response to the Hanukah killings at Bondi beach, which we are covering on a live blog here, and the latest talks in Berlin tonight on peace proposals for Ukraine. Keir Starmer is a key partner in this process, and he will be flying to Germany to attend.

But first he will have to spend 90 minutes at the Commons liaison committee taking questions, not on foreign policy, but instead mostly on “the Plan for Change: one year on”. These hearings normally don’t reveal as much as a lengthy interrogation of the PM on policy probably should, but there is shortage of complaints about the government’s record over the past year and there are plenty of interesting questions that could be asked.

Part of Labour’s plan for change is to halve violence against women and girls over a decade and this week we are getting a series of announcements about that. As Geraldine McElvie reported at the weekend, all police forces in England and Wales are going to get a dedicated rape and sexual offences teams by 2029.

There is more today. The government is announcing that councils will receive a further £19m aimed at providing safe housing for domestic abuse survivors as part of the violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy.

PA Media has more details. It says:

Ministers said the funding would help local authorities offer victims access to a “fresh start” on top of £480m already pledged over the next three years for support including refuges and sanctuary schemes.

Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, is set to unveil sweeping reforms to the criminal justice system this week as part of government plans to halve Vawg, which it has declared a “national emergency”, within a decade.

Around £500m will go towards the domestic abuse safe accommodation duty, which places a statutory requirement on local authorities to provide support to survivors and children in safe accommodation.

Measures can include access to housing in refuges or confidential locations, or security upgrades such as lock changes and alarms for people staying in their own home.

Homelessness minister Alison McGovern said: “This funding will help local authorities provide safe accommodation and tailored support, including refuges and sanctuary schemes, so every survivor can access safety, stability and a fresh start.”

Mahmood will unveil the VAWG strategy on Thursday, the last day the Commons is sitting before the Christmas recess.

Here is the agenda for the day.

10.30am: Rishi Sunak, the former PM and former chancellor, gives evidence to the Covid inquiry about the economic response to the pandemic.

Morning: Kemi Badenoch is on a visit to promote the Conservative party’s call for an end the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.

11am: Danny Kruger, who is in charge of Reform UK’s planning for government, holds a press conference.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

2pm: Keir Starmer gives evidence to the Commons liaison committee.

2.30pm: John Healey, the defence secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

Afternoon: Blaise Metreweli gives her first speech at the new head of MI6. As Dan Sabbagh reports, she will warn that assassination plots, sabotage, cyber-attacks and the manipulation of information by Russia and other hostile states mean that “the frontline is everywhere”.

After 3.30pm: MPs vote to overturn last week’s Lords defeat on the employment rights bill.

Afternoon: Starmer flies to Berlin for talks about Ukraine.

5pm: Zack Polanski, the Green party, speaks at a press conference to announce councillor defections to his party.

If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.

If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.

I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.

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Updated at 11.17 CET

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The bigger the boom, the deeper and longer the bust. After two decades of runaway growth, by 2020, China’s real estate bubble had pushed home prices to more than 17 times the average salaries.

A perfect storm drove the boom, including reforms in 1998 that shifted housing from state provision to private ownership, the migration of nearly half a billion Chinese from rural areas to cities and abundant credit from state banks.

A frenzy of construction transformed China’s skyline, families poured savings into apartments and property speculation became the norm, helping millions of middle-class households to feel richer and spend more.

The turning point came during the country’s first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns when President Xi Jinping’s government imposed sweeping new rules on how much debt property developers could take on. The result of the “three red lines” reforms was brutal. Real estate giants like Evergrande, Country Garden and dozens of smaller firms defaulted, with more than 70 developers either going bust or needing state-backed bailouts to survive.

More than five years later, the subsequent bust shows no sign of easing. According to Barclays, a British bank, more than $18 trillion (€15.38 trillion) in household wealth has evaporated as home values collapse. Meanwhile, construction activity — once a key driver of gross domestic product (GDP) — has slumped so badly that it now drags overall growth below Beijing’s targets.

Beijing censors private property data 

In a sign of just how sensitive the downturn has become, Chinese officials last month told private data providers to stop publishing home sales figures, cutting off one of the few independent windows into the current woes in the real estate market.

The move followed a 42% year-on-year drop in new home sales by the top 100 builders in October, the largest monthly drop in 18 months, according to China Real Estate Information.

Anne Stevenson-Yang, founder and research director of the Taipei-based J Capital Research, thinks this move helps mask the true price decline.

“You likely have a market-wide drop of 50%, which could go down to 85% before it balances out,” she told DW.

Giving an example of a colleague from the central city of Xi’an who was offered three homes for the price of one by a developer, Stevenson-Yang said it was the equivalent of a two-thirds drop on each property.

In Tier‑1 cities like Beijing and Shanghai, average home prices have slipped by about 10% from their peak, Oxford Economics wrote in September, with cooling demand for luxury units spurring even steeper markdowns. The worst effect is, however, felt in Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 cities, including Chengdu and Dongguan, where values plunged by up to 30%.

Half-built and empty apartments litter the skyline

Across China, the crash has left half‑finished projects, ghost cities and millions of households trapped in negative equity, sparking public anger and sporadic protests as buyers hope that Beijing will step in with stimulus measures to shore up demand.

“There’s still a lot of excess supply — up to 3-5 years of unsold apartments and housing, mostly in the smaller cities,” George Magnus, research associate at the UK’s University of Oxford China Center, told DW. “It’ll take a long time to clear, especially as the cohort of first-time buyers — 20-35 year olds — is now declining.”

Having climbed to 1.41 billion, China’s population is now slipping backwards, marking the end of decades of growth.

Demand for construction raw materials, including steel and cement, is downImage: CFOTO/CFOTO/picture alliance

China’s major economic growth driver evaporates

Real estate once accounted for up to a quarter of China’s GDP, helping growth remain in double digits for more than a decade during the 2000s and early 2010s. The slowdown has since dragged economic growth to around 5% last year — still impressive, but down sharply from the boom years due to the knock-on effects on the rest of the country.

“[Chinese] steel and cement prices and output are dropping, employment and [business] investment are weak — all of them collateral damage [from the property crash],” Stevenson-Yang told DW.

China was the world’s largest consumer of iron ore, copper, steel, and cement, much of it tied to construction. Exporters Australia, Brazil and Chile are among the global players suffering from the falloff in Chinese demand. As homeowners feel the pinch, the slowdown weakens household consumption, reducing imports of foreign luxury brands and autos.

Property long served as the cornerstone of household wealth in ChinaImage: Zhou Jianping/dpa/picture alliance

Targeted stimulus, no broad rescue

Beijing is keen to avoid another speculative bubble, so stimulus measures to prop up the real estate market have not been as generous as in previous downturns. The Chinese government stepped in after the 2008 global financial crisis, the 2015 stock market crash and during the pandemic. 

Rather than coming to the rescue this time, many China watchers believe the government is allowing home prices to deflate gradually so that policymakers can prioritize stability and long‑term restructuring over short-term stimulus.

“You get to a point that you can’t stimulate because the amount of money required would be too great — it would be inflationary,” said Stevenson-Yang.

Bloomberg reported last month that Beijing is, however, considering subsidizing mortgage interest payments, lowering transaction fees and offering bigger income tax rebates for borrowers.

Millions of Chinese homeowners are in negative equityImage: Lian Fei/Blue Jean Images/IMAGO

Prices could drop for many more years

Property crashes typically take around five years to play out. In the United States, the housing bust that began in 2007 took until 2012 for prices to stabilize. In Spain, the post‑2008 collapse also dragged on for roughly five years before recovery signs appeared.

Japan’s post-bubble collapse, from 1991 to the 2000s, is often cited as the most prolonged real estate crisis, with home values stagnating for more than a decade and never fully regaining their pre‑bubble highs.

Stevenson-Yang believes the Chinese property sector is on course for another “10 years of negative or flat growth,” while analysts at S&P Global Ratings believe the downturn could persist well into the late 2020s. Some forecasts hint at recovery next year or in 2027.

That’s a hard pill for ordinary Chinese families to swallow. Many of them poured their savings into apartments that have lost value, leaving them stuck with mortgages they can’t escape and homes they can’t sell. Worse still, property values may remain far below the dizzying highs of 2020 for the foreseeable future.

The story is the same the world over, according to Magnus, where homeowners often assume that prices will continue to rise forever.

“When the party ends and the cycle goes into reverse … the consequences can be very serious,” he told DW.

Edited by: Rob Mudge

How Xi Jinping’s authoritarianism is killing China’s economy

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This is the moment a second hero confronted the alleged Bondi Beach gunman and kicked his rifle away before being shot at by police and set upon by bystanders who mistook him for one of the shooters. 

The deadly Bondi Beach terror attack killed at least 16 people on Sunday. 

The dramatic footage shows a civilian sneaking onto a pedestrian bridge moments after gunmen opened fire on crowds gathered for a Hanukkah celebration near Bondi Beach.

As one of the attackers lay wounded on the ground, the man is seen sneaking up the stairs and kicking a rifle out of reach and backing away with his hands raised, shouting ‘don’t shoot,’ as police officers continued to engage the scene.

As police fire at him, he is seen ducking down for cover. As police approach him, he backs away with his hands still raised in the air. 

In the chaos that followed, the man was briefly fired upon by police and then confronted by members of the public who mistakenly believed he was one of the attackers. 

He was punched and forced to defend himself. The man was then put on the ground by officers, who tried to stop others from further attacking him.  

He was eventually pulled to safety as officers secured the bridge and the surrounding area. Another hero, Ahmed el Ahmed, was also seen on video wrestling a gun out of the hands of one of the alleged shooters.

The second hero can be seen with his hands in the air as he shouts ‘don’t shoot’ as cops closed in on him

In the chaos, the hero was set upon by members of the public who mistook him as the attacker

The man has been identified by his lawyer as a Middle Eastern refugee who has lived in Australia for around a decade but remains on a temporary visa with no guaranteed path to permanent residency. He has an Australian wife and Australian children. 

Alison Battisson, the immigration lawyer representing the hero said her client had only just arrived at Bondi Beach when he heard gunfire and ran toward it while others fled.

‘He got out of a taxi, heard the shooting, other people ran away and he ran towards the sound of the shooting,’ she said. 

Despite the praise he has received, Battisson said her client’s immigration status remains unresolved.

‘He’s got an Australian partner and Australian children but he has no right to stay in Australia long term to be with them,’ she said.

‘It’s open to public opinion as to whether somebody who put himself in significant danger to help the Australian community has earned a right to stay in Australia.’

At least 16 people were killed in Sunday night’s mass shooting, including a ten-year-old girl, with dozens more left seriously injured.

The terrifying shooting unfolded as hundreds gathered to attend the Jewish Chanukah by the Sea event, marking the first day of Hanukkah. 

The suspects were named in local media as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed, 24. They are said to have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. 

The other hero, Ahmed el Ahmed, who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers, is also recovering in the hospital. A GoFundMe page set up on his behalf has reached nearly $1million. 

The Muslim man arrived in Sydney more than a decade ago from Syria. He is the father of two daughters aged five and six.

Mr Ahmed’s mother has said she couldn’t stop crying when she found out her son was the hero who had saved countless lives at Bondi Beach. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns said the heroism provided some hope in a time of darkness.

Ahmed el Ahmed, seen recovering in hospital after he bravely wrestled a gun out of the grips of one of the alleged attackers

Matilda, a 10-year-old girl was killed in the attack. Her family paid an emotional tribute to her on social media

‘We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives,’ Albanese told reporters.

Minns said Mr Ahmed was a ‘genuine hero’ at a press conference late on Sunday, adding there was ‘no doubt’ he saved many lives.

Details have emerged of the victims of the massacre. 

Matilda, 10 

Matilda died on Sunday night after she was shot while at the Chanukah by the Sea event.

In an emotional post shared to social media, her aunt Lina confirmed her niece had been killed. 

‘A great tragedy has happened to my family. Yesterday my beloved niece Matilda was killed during a terrorist attack in Bondi beach,’ she wrote. 

‘I don’t know how we survive such grief.’

In a GoFundMe, set up by Matilda’s language teacher Irina Goodhew, the little girl was remembered as a ‘bright, joyful, and spirited child’. 

‘I was Matilda’s language teacher, and I knew her as a bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her,’ Ms Goodhew wrote. 

‘Yesterday, while celebrating Hanukkah, her young life was tragically taken. Her memory will live on in our hearts.’

The GoFundMe has raised more than $13,800 as of 12pm on Monday, with the funds going to Matilda’s mother, Valentina Poltavchenk.

‘All donations will be transferred directly to her to support the family during this incredibly difficult time. Donations are made in loving memory of Mailda,’ Ms Goodhew wrote.

Former police officer turned rugby volunteer and photographer Peter Meagher was on assignment at Bondi Beach when he was gunned down

Peter Meagher

Former police officer Peter Meagher was also killed at Bondi Beach on Sunday. 

After his retirement, Mr Meagher volunteered at the Randwick Rugby Club and pursued his hobby of photography. 

It is understood Mr Meagher was on a photography assignment at Bondi Beach when the shooting unfolded. 

In a post shared to the Support Grassroots Rugby, Mr Meagher was remembered for his selfless attitude.

‘I can’t believe the news, Peter Meagher was a manager at Randwick when I played there,’ the post read. 

‘This tragedy wasn’t just a attack on the Jewish community, it’s was a attack on our nation and way of life. (sic)

‘Peter not only served our country up holding our safety and laws. He actively gave back to society through his love of our sport, giving tirelessly. R.I.P Peter my friend.’

Beloved father Tibor Weitzen (left) has been identified as one of the 15 victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack. He was shielding his wife (right), who survived, when he was fatally wounded

Tibor Weitzen

Beloved father and husband Tibor Weitzen has been identified as one of the victims after he was fatally wounded while shielding his wife from the gunfire – who survived the attack. 

The Daily Mail understands Mr Weitzen, whose son works as an ABC sound engineer, died after he was shot as he tried to protect his wife. 

Eli Schlanger, 41

Rabbi Eli Schlanger was confirmed as one of the victims in a heartbreaking post shared to social media by his first cousin Rabbi Zalman Lewis. 

Rabbi Lewis wrote: ‘My dear cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was murdered in today’s terrorist attack in Sydney.

‘He leaves behind his wife, young children, as well as my uncle and aunt, and his siblings. He was truly an incredible guy.’

Rabbi Schlanger was the head of the Chabad mission in Bondi where he had served the community for nearly two decades.

The British-born father-of-five was one of the organisers for the Chanukah by the Sea event targeted by the gunmen. 

Rabbi Eli Schlanger (pictured) was one of the organisers for the Chanukah by the Sea event allegedly targeted by the gunmen at Bondi Beach on Sunday

Rabbi Yakkov Levitan (pictured) was also killed in the mass shooting

Yakkov Levitan

Rabbi Yakkov Levitan has also been identified as another victim of the mass shooting. 

Rabbi Levitan served as a secretary of the Sydney Beth Din and worked at the BINA Centre, according to Chabad – a global organisation based in Brooklyn dedicated to sharing the Jewish faith and traditions around the world. 

While at the event, Rabbi Levitan was distributing tefillin – two small, black leather boxes containing Torah scrolls that are worn by male adult Jews committed to performing the Jewish rite. 

Alex Kleytman, 87

Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman was killed while protecting his wife of almost six decades from the gunfire. 

His wife Larisa told the Daily Mail her husband was shielding her from the bullets when he was fatally shot. 

‘I think he was shot because he raised himself up to protect me, in the back of the head,’ she said.

Married for 57 years, the pair, who are also beloved grandparents, travelled from Matraville, a suburb of Sydney, to celebrate Hanukkah with other Jewish people. 

One of the attackers was shot dead by police at the scene. The second was critically wounded and taken into custody. 

Authorities later confirmed improvised explosive devices were found in the attackers’ vehicle and safely removed by bomb disposal teams.

The attack has been classified by Australian authorities as a terrorist incident, with investigators treating it as a targeted antisemitic assault. 

Albanese has vowed to introduce harsher gun control laws. Australia already has one of the strictest restrictions in the world.  

The alleged gunmen are said to have lived in Bonnyrigg, in New South Wales, around an hour’s drive from Bondi Beach. 

Arsen Ostrovoky, who survived Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, was caught up in the shooting at Bondi Beach

Two women in tears as they pay tribute to those who were killed in the horrific attack

The pair were there until a few weeks ago when they moved into an Airbnb in Campsie, which is closer to Bondi Beach.

According to local media, police raided their home, and three people were arrested. Those three were subsequently released. 

Senior officials in the investigation told the ABC that two IS flags were found in the suspected gunmen’s car at the beach, although New South Wales police said they could not confirm the report. 

It has been said that one of the alleged shooters, Naveed Akram, had been previously investigated over his close affiliation with an IS terrorism cell in Sydney.

According to Australia’s leader, he first appeared on cops’ radar in October 2019; however, ‘an assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence’. 

Eyewitnesses have spoken about what they saw during the attacks. 

Kobi Farkash, an Israeli tourist, told Radio 5 Live it was a ‘lovely moment’ before the alleged gunmen opened fire. 

He said: ‘Suddenly, I heard boom boom boom, four or five times.’ He also described seeing someone bloodied and lying on the ground.  

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As Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al Ahmed recovers in hospital, his proud parents, Mohamed Fateh Al Ahmed and Malakeh Hasan Al Ahmed, have shed light on the sort of man their courgeous son is

12:07, 15 Dec 2025Updated 12:07, 15 Dec 2025

The parents of the Bondi Beach hero have now spoken out about their extrardinarily brave son, who lived a remarkable life even before being praised all across the world.

Courageous fruit shop owner, Ahmed al Ahmed, had been visiting Sydney’s Bondi Beach with his cousin Mustafa when the harrowing incident unfolded, witnessing as two gunmen began firing at crowds gathered to celebrate the first night of Hannukah. At least 16 people have died in the devastating attack against Australia’s Jewish community, including a 10-year-old child and a much loved Rabbi, while 40 others remain in hospital.

It’s believed others others would have undoubtedly lost their lives, had father of two Ahmed not crept up on the younger gunman, tackling him to the ground and disarming him. Footage of the 43-year-old’s incredible feat has now been seen far and wide, providining a much needed ray of light amid the darkness of this unthinkable tragedy. And many are keen to know more about this suburban businessman who stepped up in the face of evil.

Ahmed moved to Australia from Syria 13 years ago. His parents, Mohamed Fateh Al Ahmed and Malakeh Hasan Al Ahmed, who moved to Australia in recent months, have confirmed that their son previously served in the Syrian security forces, and as a police officer.

READ MORE: Bondi Beach shooting: Alleged gunman ‘likely to live’ after 16 killedMohamed Fateh Al Ahmed and Malakeh Hasan Al Ahmed have confirmed that their son has ‘always been brave’(Image: ABC News)

Speaking with ABC News through an interpreter, mum Malakeh shared: “My son has always been brave. He helps people. He’s like that.” The couple say their selfless son would do anything to help and protect others, and doesn’t discriminate.

Dad Mohamed said: “When he did what he did, he wasn’t thinking about the background of the people he’s saving, the people dying in the street. He doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another. Especially here in Australia, there’s no difference between one citizen and another.”

As he witnessed people dying before his eyes, Ahmed ‘couldn’t take any more’

Ahmed, who has two daughters — aged three and six — had been at the scene when the dreadful gunfire began to ring out. At first, Ahmed took shelter behind parked cars, but then took it upon himself to wrestle the long-barrelled weapon from one of the killers, putting his own life on the line to save others.

Cousin Mustafa told Australian media: “Ahmed said that he was really upset to see so many people dying in front of him, he said he couldn’t take any more and he had to stop the killings. He said he just had to do something. He’s a very religious man, he’s Muslim, he doesn’t believe in killings, Muslims don’t.”

He continued: “He said he couldn’t take any killings in front of his eyes, and that it was time to stop the killing. He prayed to God, he said ‘Give me strength’ and he ran at him from behind.”

The father of two suffered bullet wounds to the shoulder and hand

The older attacker then fired at Ahmed, leaving him with bullet wounds to the shoulder and hand. It’s understood he is now recovering in hospital, and has undergone his first surgery successfully, with further treatment to follow.

However, parents Malakeh and Mohamed fear for the future, and feat they’re too elderly to assist their son in his ongoing recovery. They are now calling upon the Albanese government to assist Ahmed’s two brothers, from Germany and Russia respectively, to make the journey to Australia in their sibling’s hour of need.

Malakeh said: “He needs help now as he’s become disabled now. We need our other children to come here to help.” Meanwhile, Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns MP, has visited Ahmed at his hospital bedside, today tweeting: “Ahmed is a real-life hero. Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk. It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW.”

Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns MP, said Ahmed had saved ‘countless lives’(Image: PA)

He added: “There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed’s selfless courage. Thank you, Ahmed.” This comes as Ahmed’s lawyer Alison Battisson tells CNN that her client, who is reportedly expecting his third child with his wife, currently lacks permanent legal status in Australia.

Ms Battisson remarked: “The government won’t give him a permanent visa. He has no right to stay here, yet he still ran forward to assist the Australian community.” She continued: “He comes from a country where you know when there is gunfire. He just knew he needed to run towards it to help stop it.”

The two gunmen have been identified as father and son, Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24. The elder Akram was shot and killed by police officers at the beachfront, while the younger was overpowered and taken into custody

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

READ MORE: Bondi Beach shooting: Australian rugby left devastated as ‘absolute legend’ killed in attack



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Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast has won a run-off election to become Chile’s 38th president, ousting the centre-left government currently in power. Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman has been with supporters celebrating in the capital Santiago.

Published On 15 Dec 202515 Dec 2025

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The government ‘couldn’t let perfect be the enemy of the good’, Sunak says

Responding to a question from the chair about having to devise policies quickly, Sunak says the government “couldn’t let perfect be the enemy of the good”.

He said:

There was an acknowledgment early on when I was talking to the team that, of course we weren’t going to get everything right straight away.

That would have been, you know, surprising given the speed at which we were operating and the scale of the interventions we were designing, and putting in place.

And so there was a recognition upfront and I, you know, encouraged the team to be comfortable with that, that that was OK. Right? We couldn’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. And we were going to have to acknowledge that we would iterate as we go.

Sunak has stressed that one of the priorities was to prevent unemployment and said that in the context of a pandemic there should have been a recognition that things had to get “out fast” as otherwise the consequences would have been “severely negative”.

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Sunak cautiously says the government will be in a better position to deal with a future pandemic, but stresses that all pandemics will be unique and will require an agile response to specific circumstances.

Sunak said:

My overarching reflection would be we have learned an enormous amount, having been through this once, and we have a set of tools that we developed, we iterated and no doubt can be improved in the future.

But I would slightly guard against the idea that whatever happens next time, you can pull something off the shelf.

And as you said, just kind of go right, line one line two, plug it into a machine and off you go. Each economic shock. Each economic crisis is going to be slightly different. And it’s important for policymakers at that moment to be agile and responsive to the situation they face and not be so mechanically thinking, OK, just as we did this last time, it’s the right thing to do in exactly the same way.

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Sunak says he initially thought there would be a temporary ‘economic shock’ lasting ‘several weeks to a few months’

Sunak says officials knew there was “going to be an economic shock” from the pandemic but they understood these impacts were going to be “temporary”.

The former chancellor told the Covid-19 inquiry:

I think our understanding at the beginning was that it would last several weeks to a few months. And what we were focused on, on doing is making sure that the temporary shock did not have long term serious economic consequences.

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Updated at 12.21 CET

Sunak said speed was “paramount” as “one thing that was crystal clear that this was happening very quickly” and was to have an “extraordinary impact” on millions of people across the country.

A damning official report on the handling of the pandemic found the UK’s response to Covid was “too little, too late”. It said the introduction of a lockdown even a week earlier than happened could have saved more than 20,000 lives.

The document criticised a “toxic and chaotic” culture inside Boris Johnson’s Downing Street – which it said the then prime minister actively embraced. You can read more about the finding’s here.

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Updated at 12.03 CET

Sunak says there was not a ‘toolkit’ to deal with the pandemic and he was surprised to be made chancellor

Sunak, who had been appointed chief secretary to the Treasury in July 2019, admitted he did not have a “huge amount of time in that context” when appointed chancellor.

“I was obviously very new to senior government. And then it was a surprise to be made chancellor in the middle of February,” Sunak said.

He said his “immediate job” was to prepare a budget in the “space of a few weeks”.

Sunak told the inquiry:

As it turned out, that was really the one of the easier things I had to do, given what then unfolded over the next few days, weeks, months, and at that moment things were moving very quickly. So even during the budget preparations, it was clear that what was happening with the pandemic was escalating.

Sunak added that there was not a “toolkit” to deal with the pandemic amid a huge amount of uncertainty, including around what the public’s behavioural response would be and the potential economic impacts of lockdowns.

“There was not a playbook that you could pull off the shelf that said, well, this is how you, you know, tend to deal with pandemics in the same way you somehow have with other economic shocks or financial shocks.”

Rishi Sunak giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in London. Photograph: UK Covid-19 Inquiry/PAShare

Updated at 11.56 CET

Sunak will be asked about a range of issues today including preparedness, the economic shock the country faced, funding for the devolved administrations, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the self-employed income support scheme, the economic impact of Long Covid, loans and the uplift to both the universal credit and working tax credits.

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This is Sunak’s second appearance at the Covid inquiry.

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Sunak confirmed that he was appointed as chancellor on 13 February 2020. He says he looks forward to providing evidence today and extends his condolences for all those who lost loved ones due to Covid during the pandemic. He said the inquiry should help with the UK’s preparedness in the future.

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Covid inquiry starts with Sunak set to be grilled over economic response to pandemic

The hearing in Dorland House in central London, where the Covid inquiry is taking place, has just started.

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You can watch the broadcast of today’s hearing in this feed, which is also attached to the top of the blog. We are expecting Sunak to appear in about ten minutes or so:

Rishi Sunak gives evidence at Covid-19 inquiry – Watch liveShare

The Covid inquiry, which, according to the IFS, is likely to end up costing in excess of £200m, got under way in 2022 and its final report is not expected until 2027.

It covers decision-making by the UK government, and the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, across a range of topics, including procurement, the care sector, children and young people, vaccines and the impact the pandemic had on the healthcare system.

Rishi Sunak will be grilled on the government’s economic response (module 9).

Just under 227,000 people in the UK died with Covid-19 listed as one of the causes on their death certificate between March 2020 and May 2023.

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The pandemic caused a severe recession, with a huge drop in GDP during the first national lockdown in 2020.

As part of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, known as furlough, the government subsidised the wages of employees hit by the pandemic as sectors – such as hospitality, nightclubs and the travel industry – closed down to prevent the virus from spreading.

This massive level of state intervention covered about 11.7 million jobs between March 2020 and September 2021, at a cost of roughly £70bn.

The Covid inquiry has previously heard that furlough is estimated to have directly preserved four million jobs across the UK workforce.

The Treasury has estimated that total spending by the government across all its support measures amounted to £373bn.

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Rishi Sunak to face questions on economic impact of the Covid pandemic

Former British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is to give evidence at the Covid-19 inquiry today as it looks into the government’s economic response to the pandemic.

Sunak, who was chancellor at the height of the pandemic, has previously defended his “eat out to help out” scheme, rolled out in the summer of 2020, saying it prevented job losses.

He has denied that the £850m policy – which gave diners a state-funded £10 discount – drove a second wave of Covid infections, despite research showing it caused a rise of between 8% and 17%, while the economic benefits of the scheme were short-lived.

Sunak is due to be questioned between 10.30am and 4.30pm (with a lunch break), so stick with us as we provide you with the latest lines. We will have a feed attached to the top of the blog shortly.

Rishi Sunak places an “eat out to help out” sticker in the window of a business during a visit to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, in August 2020. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/PAShare



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Air quality in New Delhi continued to be in the “severe” category for the third consecutive day on Monday as a thick toxic smog engulfed the Indian capital.

Air pollution in Delhi and its suburbs, which together make up the National Capital Region, has been at its worst levels in weeks.

According to government data, the averageAir Quality Index (AQI) in the region on Monday was 471, which among the worst in the world, with any measurement above 300 considered “hazardous” to health.

For comparison, any measurement under 50 is considered “good.” 

On Sunday, authorities imposed the most stringent pollution-control measures, which include a complete ban on the movement of older diesel vehicles and a halt in construction activities.

Schools have also been directed to conduct classes in hybrid mode.

Smog is a recurring phenomenon in Delhi, especially during the winter months. 

The issue of air pollution in the national capital is also a heated political issue. There have been demands for a long-term solution to curb the smog 

India: as New Delhi chokes, air quality data under scrutiny

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Travel impacted by smog

Low visibility from the haze disrupted air and rail travel on Monday.

Over 40 flights were reported to have been cancelled while dozen others were delayed. 

The Delhi airport had earlier issued a travel advisory, warning passengers of disruptions.

It said in the afternoon that runway visibility had improved but some arrivals and departures could still be impacted. 

Smog causes deadly highway pile up

The smog caused an accident involving multiple vehicles on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway, killing at least two people, news agency PTI reported.

Several others were injured in the incident.



Edited by: Wesley Rahn

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Two people found dead inside Rob Reiner’s home in Los Angeles

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Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Rob Reiner, the director of This is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me andWhen Harry Met Sally…, has been found dead inside his Los Angeles home with his wife Michele Singer.

A homicide investigation has been launched after the director, 78, and his photographer spouse, 68, were found on Sunday (14 December). A family member is being questioned but the LAPD has said no suspects are being been sought at this time.

A spokesperson for the Reiner family told CNN: “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”

Meanwhile, LAPD deputy chief Alan Hamilton said the investigation is being handled by the department’s Robbery Homicide Division, adding that it would “continue over the coming days.”

Reiner, the son of comedy legend Carl, met Singer in 1989 while he was directing the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally…, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

His other directorial credits include The Princess Bride, Misery and A Few Good Men while his acting roles ranged from the sitcom All in the Family to Sleepless in Seattle, The First Wives Club and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Rob Reiner death: Key points

Rob Reiner and wife found dead at their home in Los Angeles

Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.

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Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 07:37

Reiners’ daughter discovered their bodies, report says

People magazine has reported that Rob and Michelle Reiner’s only daughter Romy, who lives close to them in Brentwood, was the person who found the bodies, citing multiple sources.

Romy Reiner with her parents (AP)

Joe Sommerlad15 December 2025 11:00

Billy Crystal seen at Rob Reiner’s house

Billy Crystal was a long-time friend and collaborator of Rob Reiner and his producer wife Michele Singer, and has been seen outside their house hours after their death.

PEOPLE confirms that Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David was also at the scene in Los Angeles.

A neighbour told ABC 7 Los Angeles that Crystal was visibly emotional while paying his respects to his When Harry Met Sally director.

(Getty Images for TCM)

Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 10:33

The film that meant the most to Rob Reiner

Early in Rob Reiner’s directing career, he made Stand by Me, the 1986 coming-of-age Stephen King adaptation – and it’s the film he said “means more” to him than any other.

“It was the first time I did a film that reflected my own personal sensibility; it had a mixture of melancholy, humour and nostalgia,” he told The Guardian in 2021.

“I was 12 in 1959 so the music was the music I listened to and the feelings I had in relation to my father, I injected into the film. When it came out and was accepted it validated me. It gave me a big boost to press forward.”

But Reiner’s classic almost wasn’t to be; he only stepped in to direct after Adrian Lyne quit the project and directed Fatal Attraction instead.

(Columbia Pictures)

Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 10:23

This Is Spinal Tap star has ‘lost great friends’

This Is Spinal Tap star Christopher Guest has reacted to news of director Rob Reiner and his producer wife Michele Singer’s deaths.

A statement shared by Guest’s wife, Jamie Lee Curtis said: “Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them.”

Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 09:55

Everything we know about Rob Reiner and Michele Singer’s deaths

– Rob Reiner and his wife, the producer Michele Singer, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday afternoon.

– Los Angeles Police Department has launched an investigation after obtaining a search warrant.

– Reiner and Singer’s bodies were discovered by a family member, who is being questioned.

– No suspects are being sought at this stage.

(Getty Images)

Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 09:38

This Is Spinal Tap was so believable it triggered Ozzy Osbourne

Rob Reiner made quite a mark with his directorial debut, the 1984 comedy film This Is Spinal Tap.

It starred Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer as members of a fictional heavy metal band – and the script was so on the money that late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne felt triggered by the mishaps shown on screen

“I was the only person in the audience who wasn’t laughing because it felt like a real documentary to me,” he said, adding that “those things actually happened” to him.

‘Spinal Tap’ has endured as one of the finest comedy films ever made (StudioCanal)

Spinal Tap effectively created the “mockumentary” genre, and a legacy sequel, directed by Reiner, was released earlier this year.

Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 09:32

Rob Reiner’s views on Donald Trump

Rob Reiner, an ardent Democrat, hit out at Donald Trump in a 2018 interview with The Independent.

“If we’re not able to slow Trump down and slow this drift towards autocracy then the ultimate result is going to be a lot worse – which is the destruction of western-style democracy,” he said during the president’s first term.

Reiner added that he was taken aback when Trump “exacerbated” the racial tensions simmering in the country, stating: “I knew it was there but I thought it was a fringe thing. I didn’t think it was 35 to 40 per cent of the country thinking in these terms … it feels like we’re in the last major battle of the civil war which divided our country completely.”

Read the full interview here:

Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 09:24

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer’s family release statement

A spokesperson for the Reiner family said: “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”

The couple had three children together. Romy, Jake and Nick. Reiner was also the adoptive father of Tracy from his previous marriage to director Penny Marshall (Big).

(Getty Images)

Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 09:17

Ben Stiller calls Rob Reiner’s death ‘a huge loss’

Ben Stiller has paid tribute to Rob Reiner.

Calling the actor-director’s death “a huge loss”, the Zoolander star remembered Reiner as one of his favourite filmmakers.

“He made some of the most formative movies for my generation. He came out from behind a huge comedic shadow of the great Carl Reiner and being a TV actor to being a great director who made an incredible run of movies.

“Spinal Tap is one of the best comedies ever made – and the list goes on. He was a kind, caring person who was really, really funny.

Stiller continued: “I didn’t know him well but was always a fan and I feel a real sadness for those who did, and his family.

Jacob Stolworthy15 December 2025 08:59

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