‘You could see bones’: Families’ anguish over coastal erosion threat to Norfolk graves 31. December 2025 (06:00) Bereaved relatives say delays over risks at village churchyards are causing distress and call for council actionFamilies of people buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say indecision over how to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.North Norfolk district council (NNDC) has identified three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man dead and teenage boy feared missing after boat capsizes off northern Sydney beach 31. December 2025 (05:42) One man rescued by helicopter after accident near Barrenjoey headland on Palm beachGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has died, a 14-year-old boy is feared missing and another man has been rescued after a boat capsized in waters off a northern Sydney’s beach on Wednesday.In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, NSW police said emergency services were called about 11.35am to Palm beach, after reports that a boat had capsized near Barrenjoey headland, about 40km from the Sydney CBD. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Key viewing spots for Sydney fireworks reach capacity as city urged to celebrate first New Year’s Eve since Bondi attack 31. December 2025 (04:57) NSW premier Chris Minns encourages Sydneysiders to ‘puff out your chest’, stating police on ‘high alert’ as more than 1 million people expected to celebrate in the cityGuide to New Year’s Eve fireworks and events in Australia’s capital citiesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThousands of people have taken up key vantage points for New Year’s Eve fireworks, with Chris Minns asking Sydneysiders to “square your shoulders, puff out your chest and walk out” to celebrate as a show of defiance after the Bondi attack.Key viewing sites, including at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and other areas in the Royal Botanic Garden, were already at capacity on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration freezes childcare funding to Minnesota in wake of fraud scheme allegations 31. December 2025 (04:05) Officials claim to find ‘rampant fraud’ in childcare funding, but prosecutions began in Biden era and Tim Walz says ‘we’ve spent years cracking down on it’ The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it is freezing federal funding for childcare programs in Minnesota after allegations of fraud – first exposed and prosecuted during the Biden administration – recently became the focus of conservative influencers and media outlets.Jim O’Neill, the deputy secretary of health and human services, said in a video statement that the funding freeze was in response to what he called “blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country … We have turned off the money spigot and we are finding the fraud.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Coral Adventurer passengers return with diverging accounts of cruise ship drama 31. December 2025 (03:41) One passenger tells the ABC it was ‘chaos’ and she felt her life was in danger, but others shrug off the incidentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA passenger onboard the Coral Adventurer has told the ABC she won’t travel with the luxury cruise liner again, after it was grounded on a reef off Papua New Guinea at the weekend.Ursula Daus alleged her life was in “danger” as a result of the incident. But other passengers told the ABC their experience was more positive, after landing at Cairns airport on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Tonga is not a threat’: anger as small Pacific nation falls under Trump visa restrictions 31. December 2025 (02:30) Community leaders raise alarm over study links and Polynesian ties, with Tonga to face restrictions from January as US says too many overstayThe small Pacific nation of Tonga is one of more than a dozen countries to be hit with visa and entry restrictions on 1 January as the Trump administration tightens its crackdown on immigration.In December, the US said it would further restrict and limit the entry of foreign nationals to protect the country from “national security and public safety threats”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tilting at windmills: Trump laments death of bald eagle in the US … which was really a falcon in Israel 31. December 2025 (01:42) A pity that Trump, or one of the 18 intelligence agencies reporting to him, did not trace the image back to its sourceEven while on holiday at his Florida resort, Donald Trump has refused to take a break from his unrelenting war on wind energy.Late Tuesday, the US president posted an image of a dead bird beneath a turbine on social media, accompanied by the lament: “Windmills are killing all of our beautiful Bald Eagles!” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Huge rise in number of people in England’s A&Es for coughs or hiccups 31. December 2025 (01:01) Lack of prompt access to primary care blamed for rise in hospital cases of minor ailments including blocked nosesMillions of people are turning to A&E departments in England for minor ailments including coughs, blocked noses and hiccups, according to data that health leaders say lays bare a failure to give patients prompt access to primary care.Emergency wards are designed for serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies only. But many are becoming swamped with patients whose health concerns should be dealt with elsewhere, including a near tenfold increase in people seeking help for a cough. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge me on what I do, says new EHRC chair after transgender groups’ criticism 31. December 2025 (01:01) Mary-Ann Stephenson says she must build relationship with LGBTQ+ sector amid debate over single-sex spacesThe new chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has asked campaigners who raised doubts about her appointment to “judge me on what I do”.In one of her first media interviews since her appointment at the start of December, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson pledged to “uphold the rights of everybody across all protected characteristics”, after the UK government overruled the objections of parliament’s women and equalities committee about her suitability for the job. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California snowpack gets a boost from series of December downpours 31. December 2025 (00:53) Water stored as snow during the winter months feeds waterways in the summer and supplies cities and farmsA series of December storms delivered a welcome boost to California’s snowpack, scientists said on Tuesday in a closely watched assessment of the state’s water resources for the year ahead.The snowpack survey recorded a snow depth of 24in (61cm), said Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, state hydrometeorologist at the California department of water resources’ snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit. The survey was conducted at the Phillips station in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range that covers the eastern part of the state. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
