Naveed Akram, the surviving alleged suspect in Sunday's mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act, according to the New South Wales Police.
The other gunman, his father Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in an exchange of fire with police at the scene.
Fifteen people were killed and dozens of others were injured in the attack, which targeted Australia's Jewish community at an event celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
It was the country's deadliest shooting since 1996.
Akram also faces 40 charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, as well as one charge of causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol.
He was critically injured during the incident on Sunday, and had his first hearing from his hospital bedside, the local New South Wales court said.
The case has been adjourned until April 2026, the court added.
Earlier on Wednesday, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said they were waiting for medication to wear off before formally questioning Akram.
"For his fairness, we need him to understand what is exactly happening," Lanyon said.
Twenty people injured in the attack remain in hospitals across Sydney, with one person still in a critical condition.
Earlier, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said they were waiting for medication to wear off before formally questioning Akram.
"For his fairness, we need him to understand what is exactly happening," Lanyon said.
Police have designated the attack a terrorist incident, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying it appears to have been "motivated by Islamic State" group ideology.
Police said "homemade" Islamic State group flags and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been found in the vehicle used by the gunmen.
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Watch: Prosecutor announces charges against Nick Reiner in parents' deaths
Prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed murder charges against a son of Rob and Michele Reiner, the Hollywood couple who were found dead in their home with multiple stab wounds on Sunday.
Nick Reiner, 32, is facing two counts of first-degree murder and could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty. He will be brought to court to formally face charges after he is "medically-cleared" by prison officials, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Mr Hochman also said no decision had yet been made about whether to seek the death penalty.
Rob Reiner directed several iconic films in a variety of genres, including This is Spinal Tap, Misery and A Few Good Men.
Michele Singer Reiner was an actress, photographer and producer, and the founder of Reiner Light, a photography agency and production company.
Their son Nick Reiner is facing two counts of first degree murder, "with a special circumstance of multiple murders," according to Hochman. That enhancement could lead to a stiffer sentence if he is later found guilty.
District Attorney Hochman said he also is accused of using a "dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife".
The suspect is currently undergoing medical testing to ensure that he can attend court. He is expected to appear before a judge later on Tuesday for an arraignment hearing, where he will be able to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.
LA Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell also spoke during the news conference, describing how the case has reverberated throughout the city.
"This case is heartbreaking and deeply personal, not only for the Reiner family and their loved ones, but for the entire city," he said.
"We extend our deepest condolences to everyone affected by this tragedy."
Getty Images
Nick Reiner (right) is accused of killing his two parents
During the news conference, officials declined to say how the suspect was located, attributing his arrest to "good, solid police work".
District Attorney Hochman added that it is too early to say whether any "mental illness" played a role in the crime, and speculated that it could come up at trial.
"If there is evidence of mental illness, it will appear in court, in whatever details the defence seeks to present," he said.
Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce said in the viral photo that she was "eating with a Chinese".
Finland's delegate to last month's Miss Universe pageant held in Thailand has sparked a racism firestorm over a viral photo that showed her pulling the corners of her eyes.
Sarah Dzafce, who has been dethroned, uploaded the photo with the caption "eating with a Chinese". The slanted-eyes pose is often seen as disrespectful to East Asians.
The post drew backlash in Japan, South Korea and China against the 22-year-old and even against her country's flag carrier, Finnair.
Back home in Finland, the prime minister said on Monday making such gestures was "thoughtless and stupid" and that the controversy that ensued was "damaging" to the country.
Ms Dzafce claimed the gesture was her reaction to a headache during dinner. She said a friend added the offensive caption to the 11 December post without her consent, according to local tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.
Ms Dzafce has apologised for the photo, noting it has "caused ill will in many people".
"That was not my intention in any way... One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences," she wrote on an Instagram post.
The apology still drew criticism, with some calling it "insincere" given it was written in Finnish.
"Not sure Chinese outside of Finland would understand it. Such considerate and sincere apology," one wrote in a comment on her post.
Another wrote: "That was uncalled for, Asian people didn't do anything to you... We [are] still disappointed in you."
Two right-wing MPs in Finland, Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, posted photos of themselves mimicking Ms Dzafce's gesture to show their support for the beauty queen.
The posts were taken down after backlash. Eerola apologised adding he felt Ms Dzafce was given "disproportionately harsh punishment".
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo condemned the MPs' actions as "childish", adding that lawmakers should set an example of proper conduct.
The Finns Party is deliberating whether the MPs should face any sanctions for their actions, local media reported.
Finland's flag carrier Finnair told public broadcaster Yle that the controversy had affected the company, and that there had been calls for tourists to boycott Finland.
"The statements or posts mentioned by some Finnish members of parliament do not represent the values of Finnair," the airline wrote on its Japanese X account on Tuesday.
"As an airline supported by employees from diverse backgrounds and customers around the world, we promise to welcome everyone with respect," it wrote.
The debacle has also drawn attention in Japan, South Korea and China, among other East Asian countries.
A Japanese man living in Finland launched an petition calling for an investigation into anti-Asian discrimination, which had gathered more than 7,000 signatures as of Sunday evening, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
The Finnish embassy in Japan said it had received "numerous opinions and questions" on Finland's efforts to address racism.
"Racism remains a challenge in Finnish society, and its resolution requires continuous and resolute efforts," it acknowledged in an X post early this week.
The Miss Finland Organisation said dethroning Ms Dzafce was a "difficult but necessary" move.
"Miss Finland holds a position of role-model status, which requires respecting all people regardless of their origin, background, or appearance," the organisation said in a statement.
"We are deeply sorry for the harm these events have caused. Especially to the Asian community, but also to everyone affected. Racism is never acceptable in any form," it wrote.
The funeral for Rabbi Eli Schlanger on Wednesday was the first held for one of the 15 people killed in a mass shooting at a Jewish celebration in Sydney, Australia.
BBC outside Rabbi Schlanger's funeral as mourners pay tribute
The first funeral for one of the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting has taken place in Sydney, with thousands gathering to mourn Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
He was among 15 people killed when two gunmen, alleged to have been motivated by Islamic State ideology, opened fire on a festival marking the first day of Hanukkah.
Rabbi Schlanger, who was known as the "Bondi Rabbi" and had helped organise Sunday's event, was born in the UK. His wife gave birth to their fifth child just two months ago.
Rabbi Levi Wolff, who opened the service, said his death as an "unspeakable loss" for the community, the Chabad of Bondi and "the entire Jewish nation".
Associated Press
The family of Rabbi Eli Schlanger mourn over his coffin during his funeral
"Eli was ripped away from us, doing what he loved best," he said.
"Spreading love and joy and caring for his people with endless self-sacrifice in his life and in his death, he towered above as one of the highest and holiest souls."
He was mourned by his father-in-law as a person beloved by the community. The 41-year-old was "my son, my friend, my confidant," Rabbi Yehoram Ulman told the congregation at the Chabad of Bondi.
"My biggest regret was, apart from the obvious, to tell Eli more often how much we love him, how much I love him, how much we appreciate everything that he does and how proud we are of him," Rabbi Ulman said.
"I hope he knew that but I think it should have been said more often."
Ulman also urged Jewish people not to hide in the aftermath of the attack and said that on Sunday night - the final night of Hanukkah - they would continue a 31-year-old tradition, and light the final candle on Bondi Beach.
"All the rabbis together, under the banner of our Chabat house of Bondi, to which Eli dedicated his life, we are going to gather in Bondi Beach," he said.
The funeral of Rabbi Yaakov Levitan is also expected to take place on Wednesday afternoon, while the funeral of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim, is to take place on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters in Bondi on Wednesday, Matilda's father praised lifesavers, bystanders and police officers who came to their assistance as they struggled to save their daughter's life, and a woman who helped their younger daughter, Summer.
"I must say the biggest thank you to the lady that saved Summer," he said. "I don't know who she was but she literally hugged her for the whole ten minutes of shooting."
Watch: 10-year-old victim's parents speak at Bondi flower tribute
Opposition leader Sussan Ley, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, former prime minister Scott Morrison and Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon were among those attending Schlanger's funeral.
Anthony Albanese was not present. Asked on ABC NewsRadio about his absence, the prime minister said, "I would attend anything that I'm invited to. These are funerals that are taking place to farewell people's loved ones."
The Jewish community has criticised Albanese for not taking enough action on antisemitism.
The prime minister defended himself against those accusations on Wednesday, telling ABC NewsRadio he had taken a series of measures including appointing the country's first antisemitism envoy, toughening hate speech laws and increasing funding for social cohesion projects and Jewish institutions.
He also said that one of the two men accused of carrying out Sunday's attack would be charged later on Wednesday, although NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon later said this may depend on his medical condition.
"It's important he has appropriate cognitive ability. For his fairness, we need him to understand what is exactly happening," he told reporters in Sydney.
Naveed Akram reportedly woke from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after being shot and critically injured by police in Sunday's attack. His father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram was shot dead.
The pair, who allegedly fired on people attending the Hanukkah festival for around 10 minutes, reportedly travelled to the Philippines in November and police are investigating whether they met with Islamic extremists.
Two police officers were critically injured in the shooting and police on Wednesday confirmed that one of them had lost the sight in one eye as a result.
Jack Hibbert, 22, had only been in the police force for four months when he was shot, police said in a statement. During the attack he had "responded with courage, instinct, and selflessness, continuing to protect and help others whilst injured, until he was physically no longer able to."
The second officer, constable Scott Dyson, underwent further surgery this morning and is in a critical but stable condition, Lanyon added.
The Met Office has announced that 2025 has been the sunniest year in the UK since records began in 1910.
With two weeks of the year still to go, provisional data shows that 1622 hours of sunshine have been recorded, beating the previous record set back in 2003.
All months this year excluding February and October recorded above average sunshine hours.
The record-breaking sunny year was bolstered by an exceptional spring, which was not only the sunniest and warmest on record, but also the driest in more than 50 years.
Where were the sunniest spots?
Whilst the UK as a whole has seen well above average sunshine hours this year, there have been some big regional differences.
Looking at the data for the four nations separately, only England has broken its record for the sunniest year, whilst 2025 is currently the second sunniest year in Scotland and the sixth sunniest in Wales.
In Northern Ireland, although sunshine has been above average in 2025, it is currently not in the top 10 sunny years on record - but may come close by the end of December.
The most notably high sunshine amounts, compared to average, were recorded in eastern England and northern Scotland.
Image caption,
Frequent high pressure in 2025 blocked areas of cloud and rain from reaching the UK
Why has there been so much sunshine this year?
High pressure has been a frequent feature of 2025's weather.
Areas of high pressure form as air descends in the atmosphere, leading to largely dry and settled weather. Depending on the exact location of the high, and the time of year, this can bring sunny skies that last several days.
The behaviour of the jet stream influences where high and low pressure systems form. During 2025 the jet stream has often been positioned well to the north of the UK, allowing higher pressure to build to the south, across the UK, blocking rain-bearing weather fronts from reaching our shores.
How is sunshine measured?
Sunshine hours are measured and recorded, external at nearly 300 Met Office observing sites across the UK. Two types of instrument are used: either a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder or a modern sunshine duration detector.
"Sunshine" is recorded when the strength of the Sun is at least 120 watts per square metre. When passing clouds obscure the Sun, the strength typically dips below this threshold.
Image caption,
Sunshine amounts compared to average in 2025 (left) and in 2024 (right)
Is climate change bringing more sunshine?
Whilst we know that climate change is influencing our weather in several ways - higher temperatures, wetter winters and drier summers - the link between climate change and sunshine is still unclear.
The Met Office says, "The UK has generally become sunnier since the 1980s.The cause of this trend is uncertain and it may simply be down to natural variability, though reduced aerosols could be a factor."
The past few years have seen huge variability in sunshine amounts, with 2024 being the dullest year since 1998, followed by 2025, which will go down as the sunniest year on record.
Will the sunny theme continue into the start of 2026?
Although 2025 has been an exceptionally sunny year overall, it is worth noting that recent months haven't been quite so bright. In fact autumn was actually slightly duller than average and December has seen around average sunshine so far.
As we head towards the new year, there are signals of a return to the influence of high pressure, which could bring with it sunny skies at times, although during the winter months, high pressure can trap cloud and moisture - something called anticyclonic gloom.
Keep up to date with our latest thoughts on the longer-range forecast in our monthly outlook or by downloading the BBC Weather app.
The move is an escalation of military operations and a pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s leader. But its scope and economic impact are not clear.
A New York intellectual and onetime liberal stalwart, his Commentary magazine became his platform as his political and social view turned sharply rightward.
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