Former Australian Test cricketer Damien Martyn in induced coma 31. December 2025 (00:03) 54-year-old admitted to hospital on Boxing Day with meningitisMartyn played 67 Tests for Australia between 1992 and 2006The former Australian Test cricketer Damien Martyn has been admitted to hospital and placed in an induced coma after being diagnosed with meningitis.The 54-year-old “is in for the fight of his life”, according to the former AFL player Brad Hardie, who revealed Martyn’s condition on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three hikers found dead on southern California’s Mount Baldy 30. December 2025 (22:30) One person had made an emergency call after companion fell 500ft, but rescue copter couldn’t land due to high windsA man and two of his companions are dead after high winds prevented rescue crews from responding to a report of an injured hiker near a southern California mountain trail, the San Bernardino county sheriff’s department announced on Monday.The three bodies were discovered Monday evening along the Devil’s Backbone trail at Mount Baldy, which rises more than 10,000ft and sits just east of Los Angeles, according to a statement from the San Bernardino county sheriff’s department. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minutes of latest Federal Reserve meeting reveal deep divide over interest rates 30. December 2025 (21:12) In an unusual turn, the central bank’s board debated over monetary policy before the latest quarter-point cutThe US Federal Reserve agreed to cut interest rates at its December meeting only after a deeply nuanced debate about the risks facing the US economy right now, according to minutes of the latest two-day session.Even some of those who supported the rate cut acknowledged “the decision was finely balanced or that they could have supported keeping the target range unchanged”, given the different risks facing the US economy, according to the minutes released on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of JFK, dies after leukemia diagnosis 30. December 2025 (20:36) Schlossberg, 35, revealed in November diagnosis of rare mutation of cancer of blood and bone marrowTatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of the 35th US president, John F Kennedy, died on Tuesday after revealing in November she had been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. She was 35.Her passing was announced in a social media post by the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,” the post said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge says Trump administration must continue funding consumer watchdog 30. December 2025 (20:17) Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is at risk after Donald Trump vowed to shutter it since his return to officeA federal judge has ordered that the Trump administration must allow funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to continue.The watchdog, which supporters say protects US consumers from financial harm by powerful banks, lenders and corporations, is at risk of collapsing after Donald Trump vowed to shutter it since he returned to office this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alaa Abd el-Fattah ‘will not be stripped of British citizenship’ over past tweets 30. December 2025 (20:17) Government sources say social media posts by British-Egyptian activist do not meet legal bar for such sanction The Home Office will not strip the British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah of his citizenship because his “abhorrent” past social media posts do not meet the legal bar for such a sanction, government sources have said.Abd el-Fattah, who landed in London from Egypt on Boxing Day, has been at the centre of a political storm over social media posts he published more than a decade ago, including tweets in which he called for Zionists to be killed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia claims to have moved nuclear-capable missile system into Belarus 30. December 2025 (19:15) Assertion comes after the Kremlin accused Ukraine of attacking Vladimir Putin’s palace in NovgorodDid Ukraine target Putin’s residence or is Russian claim a ploy to sway Trump?Russia said its latest nuclear-capable missile system has been deployed in Belarus, a day after Moscow claimed that Ukraine had carried out a large-scale drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s residence.Footage released by Russia’s ministry of defence showed the new Oreshnik missile trundling through a snowy forest. Soldiers were seen disguising combat vehicles with green netting and raising a flag at an airbase in eastern Belarus, close to the Russian border. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Astronaut Amanda Nguyen says backlash from Blue Origin flight left her depressed 30. December 2025 (19:03) In a statement shared on Instagram, Nguyen says she faced a ‘tsunami of harassment’ after the all-female spaceflightAmanda Nguyen, the Vietnamese-American astronaut who was part of the all-female Blue Origin spaceflight, has opened up about her depression after she experienced a “tsunami of harassment” after the trip, in which she became the first Vietnamese woman to go to space.Nguyen, 34, was part of April’s historic 11-minute flight, whose crew included pop star Katy Perry, broadcast journalist Gayle King, and journalist and wife of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez. The flight was heavily criticized for its environmental impact and critics questioned its purpose and use of resources. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Absolutely frightening’: surge in ketamine cases hits UK urology wards 30. December 2025 (19:00) Young adults and teenagers prevalent in ‘skyrocketing’ admissions linked to class B drug, say doctors in northern EnglandExperts have warned that urology departments across the UK could be close to breaking point as ketamine-related hospital admissions have “skyrocketed” in the past few years.Ketamine, a class B dissociative drug used for pain relief and sedation, is increasingly used recreationally in the UK. It is one of only three drugs, alongside magic mushrooms and hallucinogens, to have become used more regularly since 2015. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sea swimmers urged to be cautious about taking new year dips off British coast 30. December 2025 (18:57) RNLI tells people to consider their health, cold water effects and weather conditions after disappearance of two swimmers on Christmas DayPeople planning on welcoming the new year by braving the British weather for a swim in the sea have been warned of the dangers after the disappearance of two swimmers on Christmas Day.The Royal National Lifeboat Institution said the effects of cold-water shock combined with weather conditions pose a risk to anyone entering water that is 15C or below. At this time of year, the average sea temperature around the UK and Ireland is 6C to 10C. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
