WA bushfire downgraded while Queensland and NT brace for monsoonal rain and flooding 27. December 2025 (02:14) Conditions ease south-west of Perth but residents evacuated from Boddington fire on Christmas Day have been told the threat remainsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia is bracing for two extremes over the next week with parts of the west facing days of extreme fire danger and a cyclone and flood watch issued for parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory.Residents who evacuated their homes ahead of an out-of-control bushfire near Boddington, 130km south-east of Perth, were still unable to return home on Saturday, Western Australian fire authorities said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
King Charles and Prince William expected to visit US in 2026 to revitalise trade deal 27. December 2025 (01:16) Royals are expected to make separate trips after Donald Trump paused implementation of agreementKing Charles III and the Prince of Wales are expected to make separate trips to the US in 2026 as part of a campaign to revitalise a trade deal with Donald Trump, it has been reported.Advanced talks on a visit by the king are said to be under way, the Times reported. The paper suggested that Charles’s visit to the US was likely to take place in April. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Call for citizen scientists to monitor threatened turtle species on NSW beaches 26. December 2025 (23:47) Beachgoers from the Tweed to Batemans Bay have been asked to be on the lookout – and every nest reported to TurtleWatch NSW will be protectedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe first sea turtle nest discovery of the breeding season has led to a rescue mission and kicked off a campaign to protect an endangered species.The nest, found recently on the New South Wales north coast, was too close to the water’s edge and the eggs needed to be moved to save them from being inundated by waves and the tides. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for the Cure, dies aged 65 26. December 2025 (22:06) Starting as a roadie and guitar tech, Bamonte joined the band in 1990 after its breakthrough album DisintegrationPerry Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboard player for the Cure, has died aged 65.The musician, known affectionately as Teddy, passed away after a short illness over Christmas, the band announced on their website. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Foreign medics shunning NHS because of anti-migrant rhetoric, says top doctor 26. December 2025 (21:00) Exclusive: UK an ‘unwelcoming, racist’ country for overseas health workers, according to medical colleges leader‘The NHS would collapse within hours’: BME staff say Britain fails to appreciate their rolesForeign doctors and nurses are increasingly shunning the NHS because anti-migrant rhetoric and rising racism have created “a hostile environment”, the leader of Britain’s medics has warned.The health service is being put at risk because overseas health professionals increasingly see the UK as an “unwelcoming, racist” country, in part because of the government’s tough approach to immigration, Jeanette Dickson said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three people missing after Boxing Day house fire near Stroud 26. December 2025 (20:36) Emergency services were called to property in Brimscombe Hill in Gloucestershire at about 3amThree people are missing after a house fire in the early hours of the morning on Boxing Day, police have said.Emergency services were called to a report of a fire at a property on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud, Gloucestershire at about 3am on the 26 December. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UN experts raise ‘grave concern’ over treatment of Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers 26. December 2025 (19:03) Special rapporteurs say handling of prisoners raises questions over UK’s obligations under human rights lawsUN experts have expressed “grave concern” for the wellbeing of Palestine Action-affiliated hunger strikers and warned their treatment raises questions about the UK’s compliance with international human rights laws.Eight prisoners have been on hunger strike while awaiting trial for alleged offences relating to Palestine Action before the group was banned under terrorism legislation. Qesser Zuhrah, 20, and Amu Gib, 30, who are being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, were on hunger strike from 2 November to 23 December. Heba Muraisi, 31, who is at HMP New Hall, joined the pair on 3 November. The group also includes Teuta Hoxha, 29, Kamran Ahmed, 28, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, who is refusing food every other day because he has diabetes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three men who escaped Georgia jail hijacked Lyft to Florida, records show 26. December 2025 (18:59) Stevenson Charles, Yusuf Minor and Naod Yohannes, all incarcerated for murder, recaptured on TuesdayThree men who escaped from a Georgia jail for three days hijacked a Lyft rideshare as part of a brazen attempt to flee to south Florida, according to newly released federal court documents.Stevenson Charles, 24; Yusuf Minor, 31; and Naod Yohannes, 25, are accused of escaping from the DeKalb county jail, located 15 miles (24km) outside Atlanta, on Sunday before being recaptured in Florida on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah arrives in UK after travel ban lifted 26. December 2025 (18:57) Family say campaigner, who has a son in Brighton, will be able to travel freely between UK and Cairo months after his release from Egyptian jailThe British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah has arrived in London after the Egyptian government lifted a travel ban that it had imposed on him despite releasing him from jail in September.Abd el-Fattah had been held in jail nearly continuously for 10 years, mainly due to expressing his opposition to the treatment of dissidents by the Egyptian government. He had been detained in jail two years beyond his five-year sentence as the Cairo authorities refused to recognise the period he held in pre-trial detention as part of his time served. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bari Weiss defends decision to pull 60 Minutes episode on El Salvador prison 26. December 2025 (18:55) CBS News editor-in-chief argues in memo that network’s priority was ‘comprehensive and fair’ coverageWho is Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News?CBS News’ editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, defended her decision to pull a 60 Minutes episode on allegations investigating a notorious prison in El Salvador, arguing that the network’s priority was to ensure its coverage was “comprehensive and fair”.In the memo sent to staff on Christmas Eve, Weiss said news organizations needed to do more to win back the trust of the American public and vowed that “no amount of outrage” would “derail us”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
