The Guardian

Fire chief says summer, the UK’s hottest on record, was ‘one of the most challenging for wildfires that we’ve ever faced’Ten English fire services tackled a record number of grassland, woodland and crop fires during what was the UK’s hottest spring and summer on record, figures show.In total nearly 27,000 wildfires were dealt with by fire services in England during the prolonged dry weather of 2025, according to analysis by PA Media. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/31/record-number-wildfires-2025-tackled-by-10-english-fire-services Author : Mark Brown Publish date : 2025-12-31 05:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

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... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/31/coughs-hiccups-accident-and-emergency-hospitals-nhs-england Author

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... Source link :

Emergency request by several of the country’s nationals and an immigrants rights group was granted by the courtA federal judge on Tuesday blocked plans by the Trump administration to end temporary protections from deportation that had been granted to hundreds of South Sudanese nationals living in the United States.US district judge Angel Kelley in Boston granted an emergency request by several South Sudanese nationals and an immigrant rights group to prevent the temporary protected status they had been granted from expiring as planned after 5 January. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/30/south-sudan-tps-end-halted Author : Reuters Publish date : 2025-12-30 19:38:00

Frigid temperatures in Great Lakes, north-east and midwest as tens of thousands face power outages and icy travelA wild winter storm brought strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and north-east on Tuesday, a day after a bomb cyclone barreled across the midwest and left tens of thousands of customers without power.The storm hit parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday with sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain, leading to treacherous travel. Forecasters said it intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a

Move could feasibly allow Russian missiles to reach European targets faster from Belarus, its neighbouring ally that also shares a border with Nato countries Poland, Lithuania and LatviaGermany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has echoed Donald Tusk’s optimistic tone regarding talks on ending the war in Ukraine.He posted to X to confirm there had been “another round of consultations” with “European and Canadian partners”. It is not clear who was in the meeting.Peace is on the horizon, there is no doubt that things have happened that give grounds for hope that this war can end, and quite quickly, but it is still

Aspirant Americans tell of exclusions from ceremonies by sudden policy introduced on ‘security’ groundsThe occasion should have been marked by the joy of reaching the destination of US citizenship following the long odyssey of immigration.Instead, the ceremony at Boston’s Faneuil Hall – renowned as a “cradle of liberty” for its role as a protest hub in the run-up to the American revolution – felt like a nightmarish end of the road for some aspirant new Americans who had turned up full of hope. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/30/us-citizenship-immigration-trump Author : Robert Tait in Washington Publish date : 2025-12-30 12:00:00

Species that is critically endangered in Britain is spotted in Mersey, Bollin and Goyt rivers in north-westYoung Atlantic salmon have been seen in three rivers in north-west England for the first time since 2015, marking a “significant environmental turnaround”.The salmon species was declared critically endangered in Britain in 2023 but fish have been spotted in the Mersey, Bollin and Goyt rivers, meaning they have successfully travelled from the Arctic Circle to spawn. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/30/young-atlantic-salmon-english-rivers-mersey-bollin-goyt Author : Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent Publish date : 2025-12-30 09:27:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Archives reveal options considered by Tony Blair’s government for dealing with Zimbabwean dictator in 2004The Foreign Office cautioned against UK military intervention to overthrow the former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in 2004, advising it was not a “serious option”, recently released documents show.Policy papers show Tony Blair’s government weighed up options on how best to handle the “depressingly healthy” 80-year-old dictator, who refused to step down while the country descended into violence and economic chaos. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/30/foreign-office-military-overthrow-robert-mugabe-zimbabwe Author : Caroline Davies and Ben Quinn Publish date : 2025-12-30 07:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the

US president says Chinese leader didn’t notify him of the large-scale military drills, which continued with live missile launches into the Taiwan StraitDonald Trump has said he is not worried by China’s live-fire military drills surrounding Taiwan and that he has a great relationship with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who “hasn’t told me anything about it”.The US president made the comments one day into the surprise attack simulation launched by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday, and which continued into Tuesday with live missile launches into the Taiwan Strait. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/30/trump-not-worried-china-military-live-fire-drills-taiwan Author : Helen

Two men killed in Hegseth-led attack on boat suspected of carrying drugs in international waters, Pentagon saysThe US military announced the killing of another two men in “a lethal kinetic strike”on a boat suspected of carrying drugs in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday.The Pentagon released video of the strike, which brings the total number of known naval attacks on suspected drug smugglers to 30 since September, and raises the death toll to at least 107 people, according to US military figures. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/29/military-deaths-boat-strike-pacific Author : Robert Mackey and agencies Publish date :

Israeli prime minister said he will award Trump with Israel prize, highest civilian honor, while visiting Mar-a-LagoUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has warned that Hamas will have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm while offering full-throated support to Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting with the Israeli prime minister in Florida.In a bravura display of mutual admiration, Netanyahu announced that the US president would be awarded the Israel prize, the country’s highest civilian honour, which since its inception in the 1950s has never before been given to a non-Israeli person. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/29/gaza-ceasefire-hinges-return-last-israeli-hostage-netanyahu-trump Author

Gaza not covered in announcement and will be handled on separate track, says US state department officialThe United States on Monday pledged $2bn in assistance to tens of millions of people facing hunger and disease in more than a dozen countries next year, part of what it said was a new mechanism for the delivery of life-saving assistance following major foreign aid cuts by the Trump administration.The US slashed its aid spending this year, and leading western donors such as Germany also pared back assistance as they pivoted to increased defense spending, triggering a severe funding crunch for the UN.

Kash Patel claims $250m scheme that stole Covid aid is ‘tip of iceberg’ and alleges state’s Somalia population is to blameThe FBI has deployed additional personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs”, director Kash Patel said on social media on Sunday.Amid the Trump administrations attacks on the state and its Somali immigration population, the FBI director said the agency had already dismantled a $250m fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during the Covid pandemic in a case that led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions. Continue reading... Source

Greene gives lengthy interview with New York Times days before stepping down as congresswoman for GeorgiaMarjorie Taylor Greene, now just days away from stepping down as a congresswoman for Georgia, has said in her latest mea culpa interview that she “was just so naive” for believing that Donald Trump was a man of the people.In a lengthy interview with the New York Times that examines her break with the president after years of devotion, Greene explained that a series of minor ruptures with the president culminated in a total breach after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed in September. Continue

Future of Donbas region remains unresolved after Ukrainian president’s talks with Donald Trump in FloridaUkraine war – latest updatesVolodymyr Zelenskyy says the US has agreed to offer “strong” security guarantees to Ukraine for 15 years, but acknowledged that the future of the country’s eastern Donbas region was unresolved after his two-hour meeting on Sunday with Donald Trump in Florida.Speaking on his way back to Europe, Zelenskyy said the US Congress and Ukraine’s parliament would jointly vote on American pledges. These were a key part of a 20-point peace plan discussed with the US president at his Mar-a-Lago residence, he said.

Ukrainian leader had sought up to 50 years of security guarantees at Florida meeting with TrumpVolodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed this morning that control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s biggest – remained unresolved.Donald Trump said the status of the Russian-occupied plant was discussed “at length” yesterday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/dec/29/ukraine-war-russia-us-zelenskyy-trump-security-guarantees-latest-news-updates Author : Yohannes Lowe Publish date : 2025-12-29 10:34:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Campaigner recently released from prison makes statement after PM’s support is questioned by Tory MPsAlaa Abd el-Fattah, the British-Egyptian human rights campaigner, has unreservedly apologised for what he accepted were shocking and hurtful tweets that he wrote more than 10 years ago in what he described as heated online battles.He said he was shaken by the criticism that has rained down on him since the tweets were highlighted by shadow ministers challenging Keir Starmer’s support for him since he was released by the Egyptian government to travel to the UK after his release from more than 10 years in prison.

‘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

Police are expanding aerial searches near where the abandoned car of 41-year-old Trisha Graf was foundGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSouth Australian police hold grave fears for a woman missing in the outback for 16 days and have renewed search efforts near where her car was found abandoned.Trisha Graf was last seen in the early hours of Friday 12 December in the Roxby Downs area, 510km north of Adelaide. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/29/woman-missing-outback-australia-search-renewed Author : Australian Associated Press Publish date : 2025-12-29 02:03:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Open letter to Anthony Albanese calls antisemitism ‘a national crisis that demands a powerful national response’Ten minutes of terror: how the Bondi mass shooting unfolded in real time – videoFamilies of Jewish Australians killed in the Bondi shooting have demanded that Anthony Albanese call a commonwealth royal commission to investigate antisemitism and questions about law enforcement issues surrounding the terror attack that claimed 15 lives.In an open letter to the prime minister, relatives of 11 of the victims killed at the Bondi beach Hanukah event on 14 December say Jewish families feel unsafe at schools, at work, at home and

Snowy holiday season in the upper midwest and north-east comes as a cold front is expected to hit the southA powerful winter storm was sweeping east from the Plains on Sunday, driven by what meteorologists describe as an intense cyclone that is expected to impact much of the US with a mixture of snow, ice, rain and strong winds.“Part of the storm system is getting heavy snow, other parts of the storm along the cold front are getting higher winds and much colder temperatures as the front passes,” said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service (NWS)

Emergency services say ‘intense fire’ spread throughout semi-detached property in Hamstreet near AshfordA child has died and a second has been taken to hospital after a house fire in Kent, emergency services have said.The blaze occurred in White Admiral Way in the village of Hamstreet, near Ashford, on Sunday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/28/house-fire-kent Author : Nadeem Badshah Publish date : 2025-12-28 19:30:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Dissident released by Egypt was welcomed back to UK by Keir Starmer but offensive social media posts have since surfacedSuccessive UK governments are facing questions over their decision to campaign for the release and return of British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah after past violent and offensive social media posts came to light.The dissident’s historical remarks – in which he appeared to call for violence towards “Zionists” and the police – have prompted a widespread backlash since his return from detention in Egypt on Friday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/28/successive-uk-governments-face-questions-over-support-for-activist-alaa-abd-el-fattah Author : Pippa Crerar Political editor Publish date :