Grenfell firms still receiving multimillion-pound public contracts, analysis finds 29. December 2025 (07:46) Survivors urge government to stop using suppliers cited in public inquiry into fire in which 72 people diedSurvivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have called on the government to stop companies implicated in the disaster from receiving public contracts, after it was revealed several were still in receipt of multimillion-pound deals.New analysis found at least 87 contracts across the public sector in the government’s own database involve companies criticised in the phase 2 report into the Grenfell fire, published in September 2024, though some contracts may have since expired. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Third of Reform UK’s council leaders have expressed vaccine-sceptic views 29. December 2025 (07:00) Health minister decries criticism of vaccinations by heads of four authorities as ‘dangerous and utterly irresponsible’A third of Reform UK’s council leaders across the country have expressed vaccine-sceptic views, openly questioning public health measures that keep millions safe.The leaders of four of the 12 councils where Reform is in charge or the largest party – Kent, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Durham – are among those in the party who have publicly criticised vaccinations. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Netanyahu to meet Trump in US amid fears of Israeli regional offensives 29. December 2025 (07:00) Israel’s PM travels to Mar-a-Lago as US administration reported to be running out of patience over Gaza ceasefireBenjamin Netanyahu is to meet Donald Trump at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday evening amid growing fears Israel could launch new offensives against regional enemies, potentially plunging the Middle East further into instability.The Israeli prime minister left Israel on Sunday on his fifth visit to see Trump in the US this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘My target was just to take the gun’: wounded hero Ahmed al-Ahmed speaks of saving lives at Bondi beach 29. December 2025 (06:03) ‘I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost,’ Ahmed tells CBS News of those who died in Bondi attack on 14 DecemberGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAhmed al-Ahmed, who disarmed one of the Bondi gunmen before being shot five times, says he knows his bravery saved many lives but is sad for those who were killed in the attack.In an interview with CBS News, Ahmed said he “didn’t worry about anything” except for the lives he could save as he disarmed Sajid Akram on 14 December. The act was caught on camera and shared around the world. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Freemasons seek injunction against Met policy requiring officers to declare membership 29. December 2025 (06:00) Exclusive: Organisation accuses Sir Mark Rowley of religious discrimination and ‘whipping up conspiracy theories’Freemasons have demanded an emergency injunction from the high court to halt the Metropolitan police’s new policy that orders officers to tell their bosses if they are members of the organisation.The Freemasons filed papers in London on Christmas Eve and claim the Met’s policy amounts to “religious discrimination” against Freemasons who are also police officers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New series of The Traitors is really, really brutal, says Claudia Winkleman 29. December 2025 (06:00) After the huge success of the celebrity version the producers added a twist – and host says it all gets ‘hardcore’With its cloak and dagger plots and gripping finale, The Celebrity Traitors became the biggest show of 2025 in the UK – but the new series of the regular version is even more brutal, the host Claudia Winkleman has said.And as Kate Garraway might put it, audiences are set to be flabbergasted by a new twist that the producers say has been introduced to “change the conversation” around the regular version of the hit reality gameshow when it returns for its fourth series on 1 January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 expected to resume on Tuesday 29. December 2025 (06:00) Marine robotics firm to renew its search more than decade after plane disappeared with 239 people onboardThe search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is expected to resume on 30 December, more than a decade after the plane disappeared with 239 people onboard in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.A renewed search by Ocean Infinity, a UK and US-based marine robotics company, had begun earlier this year but was called off in April because of bad weather. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
University of Melbourne’s pioneering vice-chancellor Emma Johnston dies aged 52 29. December 2025 (05:33) Emma Johnston AO became first woman to lead the 172-year-old institution in February 2025Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA transformative science researcher and the first woman to lead of one of Australia’s top universities has died.University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Emma Johnston died from complications with cancer, the university announced on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Albanese rejects calls for federal royal commission by families of Bondi beach terror attack victims 29. December 2025 (05:25) Labor defends plan for faster, narrower review despite Jewish leaders and families of 11 victims demanding full national royal commissionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government has rejected calls by families of Bondi beach terror attack victims for a federal royal commission, claiming it would “provide a platform for the worst voices” of antisemitism.The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said a royal commission would be too slow and was not the right vehicle to investigate the attack on a Hanukah festival that killed 15, standing by his preference for a shorter review of intelligence and law enforcement agencies – a move scorned as inadequate by leaders of the Jewish community and many federal MPs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China launches live-fire drills encircling Taiwan 29. December 2025 (04:49) Taipei condemns exercise that Chinese army calls ‘a stern warning against “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and external interference forces’China has launched live-fire military drills around Taiwan, in what it calls a warning to “separatist” forces in Taiwan and “external interference” by foreign parties.The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) – the military wing of the ruling Communist party in China – said it had sent naval, air force and rocket forces to surround Taiwan on Monday morning. Chinese coast guard vessels were also sent out to conduct “law enforcement inspections” at sea around Taiwan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
