BBC News Briefing

16 December, 2025

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. More details are emerging about the victims of Australia's Bondi Beach shooting, as authorities continue to investigate the suspected gunmen. In the US, President Donald Trump has filed a $5bn (£3.7bn) lawsuit against the BBC over an edit of his 6 January 2021 speech. And finally, learn about a century-old Niagara Falls shipwreck that is slowly breaking apart.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Bondi shooting suspects travelled to Philippines before attack, police say

Thousands of people gather round a huge pile of flowers. Many people are embracing those they're standing next to.

Thousands attended a vigil for the victims on Tuesday. Credit: Reuters

Dashcam footage has captured the moments a couple tried to stop one of the alleged Bondi Beach shooters by grabbing his gun. Their family say that Boris and Sofia Gurman, who were killed in the attack which left 15 people dead, stepped in to try and protect others before being shot themselves. On Tuesday, authorities in Australia said they are investigating a trip taken to the Philippines by the two alleged gunmen in the month before the attack. An official in Manila said the country is checking their possible links to terrorist groups and what they did whilst they were on the island archipelago. Australian media also reports that one of the suspects - Naveed Akram - has woken from his coma. The other, his father Sajid Akram, was found dead at the scene.

Latest updates

Watch: BBC Verify has pieced together how the shooting unfolded, using video from the scene.

First person: The BBC's Tessa Wong and her children had just left the beach when the attack began. She recounts what happened.

Victims: Authorities say two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old are amongst the dead. Here's what we know about those identified so far.

Trump files $5bn defamation lawsuit against BBC over speech edit

US President Donald Trump has filed a $5bn (£3.7bn) lawsuit against the BBC over an edit of his 6 January 2021 speech in a Panorama documentary. Trump's legal team accused the broadcaster of defamation by "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring his speech". The BBC has not yet responded. Last month the corporation apologised to the US president but rejected his demands for compensation and disagreed there was a "basis for a defamation claim".

More on the case

WORLD HEADLINES

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US offers Ukraine 'strong' security guarantees

The eastern Donbas region remains a major sticking point, with Russia wanting Kyiv to hand it over and Ukraine refusing.

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Eight killed in latest strikes on alleged drug boats - US

The US military said it carried out strikes on three boats it has accused of trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean.

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A woman with very curly black hair wears a green shirt and matching earrings. She is sat in front of a large potted plant.

'Iran Nobel laureate taken to hospital after violent arrest'

Narges Mohammadi told her family that she was taken to hospital twice after being beaten with batons, following her arrest.

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Carney called out for 'utilizing' British spelling

Canadian English is used in government communications, but eagle-eyed linguists have spotted British spellings creeping in.

Take a look >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Jeffrey Epstein: 87 flights linked to the sex offender flew into and out of the UK, some with alleged abuse victims on board, the BBC has found.

Liverpool parade attack: A sentencing hearing is underway for the man who injured more than 130 people when he drove his car into a crowd.

Nosocomephobia: Hope Jezzard, who used to have a fear of hospitals, explains how she overcame it to become a midwife, and shares her tips.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Children with cancer scammed out of millions fundraised for their treatment

A young boy has a bald head and a breathing tube under his nose. He wears a yellow vest with black edges and has his hands up in front of him as if in prayer of greeting. His mouth is open as if he is speaking. There is a large gold balloon next to him

Khalil was made to cry and recite lines from a script in his video.

A little boy with no hair faces the camera. "I am seven years old and I have cancer," Khalil says. "Please save my life and help me." One year after Khalil took part in what his mother was told was a fundraising video, he died. The family say they never received any funds. Khalil was one of several seriously ill children who appear to have been exploited by an online scam campaign which saw them feature in fundraising adverts, but never receive any of the $4m (£2.9m) raised in their names.