The Guardian

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 :

Authorities say they arrested a man, 23, for kidnapping teen in a Houston suburb as she walked her dog on ChristmasA Texas father used the parental controls on his teenage daughter’s cell phone to find and help rescue her after she was kidnapped at knifepoint while walking her dog on Christmas, authorities allege.The 15-year-old girl at the center of a case, which quickly gained national attention in the US over the weekend, was reportedly kidnapped in the Houston suburb of Porter. Her parents said she took her dog for a walk and had not returned by the time she was

Crisis intervention training helps police recognize substance use disorders and connect people with treatmentOverdoses have been declining nationally since the fall of 2023, and public health experts have been unable to agree as to why. The decline has been uneven across states, and West Virginia, long known as the epicenter of the opioid crisis, is also among the states that have most reduced overdose fatalities, as noted in a recent Guardian analysis.One little explored factor is the increased adoption of crisis intervention training (CIT) for law enforcement. Early research that compares jurisdictions that have CIT programs to those that do

Ukrainian president will meet US president at his Mar-a-Lago home later today for their first in person meeting since OctoberUkraine’s leading private energy provider said on Sunday it had restored power to nearly 750,000 households in Kyiv after a Russian drone and missile barrage killed at least one person and left hundreds of thousands of people facing freezing temperatures.DTEK said consumers on Kyiv’s right bank were back to planned power cuts but that the situation remained “more difficult” on the left bank, where emergency outages were still in force.On December 27, the Russian army struck the city of Chuguiv. The

As young men face new rules forcing them to indicate their readiness to serve, the Bundeswehr drums up support at a trade showSitting in the cramped interior of a Panzerhaubitze 2000 armoured vehicle, Tom, 20, hangs on every word coming from Achim, an officer with the German military, as he breathlessly talks students through the workings of “the most modern tank in the world”.“What damage would you expect its ammunition to inflict?” Tom asks. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/28/germany-military-recruits-bundeswehr-new-rules-young-men Author : Kate Connolly in Essen Publish date : 2025-12-28 07:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Man spotted at beach in Newcastle on Wednesday with tattoos linked to white supremacist ideologyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man who allegedly displayed Nazi hate symbols by showing off his tattoos at a popular beach in New South Wales has been charged.Ben Parsons was at Bar beach in Newcastle on 24 December with his children, when he noticed a man with tattoos linked to white supremacist ideology, including symbols associated with the Nazi SS. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/28/man-charged-with-displaying-nazi-hate-symbol-after-showing-off-tattoos-at-nsw-beach-ntwnfb Author : Cait Kelly Publish date : 2025-12-28 00:36:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs

Livestock at risk as some areas expected to receive up to 500mm in the coming week, according to the Bureau of MeteorologyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLarge parts of north Queensland are set to be battered by days of heavy rain, with some areas expected to receive up to 500mm in the coming week, according to the weather bureau.The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall in the gulf region, and is expected to issue another for the coastal region around Townsville later today.Sign up: AU Breaking News email Continue

Police called to Quakers Hill on Sunday morning after reports of disturbanceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has been arrested after a woman and a man – both aged in their 30s – died in an alleged double fatal stabbing in Sydney.Police said emergency services were called to the home in Quakers Hill just before 5am on Sunday, responding to reports of a disturbance. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/28/man-arrested-after-woman-found-dead-at-sydney-home-and-another-man-critically-injured-from-stab-wounds-ntwnfb Author : Jordyn Beazley Publish date : 2025-12-27 23:03:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

The 70-metre-long cloth about the Norman invasion has not been seen in England since it was created in 11th centuryThe Bayeux tapestry will be insured for an estimated £800m when it returns to the UK in 2026 for the first time in more than 900 years. The Treasury will insure the 70-metre embroidered cloth, which depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and Battle of Hastings, for damage or loss during its transfer from France and while it is on display at the British Museum from September. It will back the cover under the Government Indemnity Scheme, an alternative to commercial insurance

More than 17in of rain fell in Ventura county, with trees knocked down and hundreds of car crashes throughout regionSouthern Californians are facing an epic clean-up operation after the region’s wettest Christmas holiday in recent history turned areas of the state into a panorama of mud and debris.A year ago, record wildfires scorched the dry neighborhoods of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. But now, in what scientists call “hydroclimate whiplash”, the picture is reversed after an atmospheric river off the Pacific brought the elemental opposites of winds and rain. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/27/southern-california-cleans-up-after-the-wettest-christmas-season-in-recent-history Author : Edward Helmore Publish date

Deputy defence minister says new air defence systems will be completed in 24 monthsPoland plans to complete a new set of anti-drone fortifications along its eastern borders within two years, a top defence official has said, after a massive incursion of unmanned Russian aerial combat vehicles into Polish airspace earlier this year.“We expect to have the first capabilities of the system in roughly six months, perhaps even sooner. And the full system will take 24 months to complete,” the deputy defence minister, Cezary Tomczyk, told the Guardian in an interview in Warsaw. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/27/poland-anti-drone-fortifications-eastern-borders-cezary-tomczyk Author :

Mysterious donors gave a fleet of 10 of the vehicles – which have had a number of recalls – to the police earlier this yearThe Las Vegas police department rolled out a new fleet of tactical vehicles to city streets last month: all Tesla Cybertrucks. The steel cars, wrapped in black-and-white vinyl, come decked out with warning lights and flashing sirens on the roof. They seem to be heftier, more angular versions of a traditional police car. Las Vegas is the first city in the US to grant its officers access to a battalion of the futuristic trucks, which have

Pilot programme for under-25s will offer paid placements aimed at introducing participants to military lifeYoung people in Britain will be offered a gap year-style scheme by the Ministry of Defence, in an effort to introduce citizens to military life early as part of a new “whole of society” approach to defence.After initially announcing plans to implement this scheme earlier this year, the government has now confirmed that about 150 under-25s will be recruited for the pilot programme, which is due to start in March 2026. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/27/ministry-of-defence-to-offer-gap-year-style-scheme-to-young-people Author : Aneesa Ahmed and agencies Publish date :

Attack on Kyiv injures five, says mayor, amid flurry of weekend diplomacy that will see Ukrainian president meet Trump in FloridaEuropean leaders are to take part in a call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump on Saturday as part of a growing push for a peace deal that will see the Ukrainian president head to Florida on Sunday.The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is to join a call on Saturday, a commission spokesperson told Reuters, ahead of the Ukrainian president’s trip to Florida for a Sunday meeting with Trump that Zelenskyy said would focus on some of the

Two countries pledge in joint statement to halt all forms of attacks and further troop deployments in long-running dispute over contested territoryThailand and Cambodia have agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire, pledging to end weeks of deadly border clashes that have killed more than 100 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides.In a joint statement, the two south-east Asian neighbours said the ceasefire would take effect on Saturday at noon local time and involve “all types of weapons, including attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all

Diplomatic breakthrough criticised by African Union, which said it could have ‘far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent’Israel has become the first country to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state, a breakthrough in its quest for international recognition since it declared independence from Somalia 34 years ago.The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced on Friday that Israel and Somaliland had signed an agreement establishing full diplomatic relations, which would include the opening of embassies and the appointment of ambassadors. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/26/israel-first-country-to-recognise-somaliland-sovereign-state Author : William Christou in Beirut Publish date : 2025-12-27 02:14:00 Copyright for

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... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/27/king-charles-prince-william-expected-to-visit-us-in-2026-to-revitalise-trade-deal Author : Olivia Lee Publish date : 2025-12-27 00:16:00 Copyright for syndicated content

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... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/26/perry-bamonte-guitarist-the-cure-dies Author : Olivia Lee Publish date : 2025-12-26 21:06:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

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... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/26/people-missing-after-boxing-day-house-fire-near-stroud Author : Olivia Lee Publish date : 2025-12-26 19:36:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

New conviction over plunder of state fund substantially increases six-year term in separate case Jailed former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has been sentenced to an additional 15 years after he was found guilty of abuse of power, in the biggest trial yet in the multibillion-dollar fraud scandal related to state fund 1MDB.Najib’s conviction substantially increases the six-year prison term he is already serving for a separate case related to the 1MDB graft scandal, one of the world’s biggest financial frauds, which saw billions plundered from the now defunct sovereign wealth fund. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/26/former-malaysian-pm-najib-razak-found-guilty-of-abuse-of-power-in-latest-1mdb-trial Author :

Mudslides, big waves and atmospheric rivers slam state after LA’s wettest Christmas season in 54 yearsA strong storm system that has brought relentless winds, rain and snowfall to California was expected to ease on Friday, but there was still a risk of high surf along the coast, flash flooding near Los Angeles and avalanches in the Sierra Nevada.Waves near the San Francisco Bay Area could reach up to 25ft (7.6 meters) on Friday, parts of southern California were at risk of flooding, and avalanches could hit the Lake Tahoe area, officials warned. Residents were told to be ready to evacuate

Yusuf Tuggar says strikes against group accused by Donald Trump of attacking Christian communities will be an ‘ongoing process’The US president, Donald Trump, ranted about Jeffrey Epstein in a Christmas Day social media post, claiming that he had dropped links with the disgraced financier and sex offender “long before it became fashionable” and calling the outcry for the release of the documents referred to as the Epstein files a “Radical Left Witch Hunt”.The Trump administration is facing increasing scrutiny after its handling of the government files related to Epstein. Many political figures are placing pressure on Trump to give more

Russian state has tolerated parallel probiv market for its convenience but now Ukrainian spies are exploiting itRussia is scrambling to rein in the country’s sprawling illicit market for leaked personal data, a shadowy ecosystem long exploited by investigative journalists, police and criminal groups.For more than a decade, Russia’s so-called probiv market – a term derived from the verb “to pierce” or “to punch into a search bar” – has operated as a parallel information economy built on a network of corrupt officials, traffic police, bank employees and low-level security staff willing to sell access to restricted government or corporate databases.

Letter from 19 organisations says a cap would help to protect democracy, weeks after £9m donation to Reform UKMinisters should legislate to cap political donations to “rebuild voter confidence” in democracy, campaigners have said before the introduction of a landmark elections bill.The government is being urged to show more ambition as it prepares to publish legislation early next year that will extend the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/26/uk-ministers-urged-to-cap-political-donations-to-rebuild-voter-confidence Author : Eleni Courea Political correspondent Publish date : 2025-12-26 07:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.