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• Victoria fires live updates: emergency bushfire warnings and road closures in Grampians, Vic; dangerous fire conditions in South Australia and NSW
  by Kate Lyons (now); Elias Visontay and Mostafa Rachwani (earlier) on December 26, 2024 at 6:16 am

  Follow the latest updates liveFull report: Firefighters warn Victorians against travel in ‘critical part of the day’ as extreme conditions developAuthorities in Victoria have issued an emergency warning for a bushfire at Mafeking in the state’s west.Locals have been told to take shelter immediately. Continue reading...

• Two women fighting for life after suspicious house fire in Townsville
  by Australian Associated Press on December 26, 2024 at 6:04 am

  Investigators appealing for information after blaze erupted around 3am on Boxing DayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo women are fighting for life following a house fire authorities consider suspicious.Detectives were investigating the cause of the Boxing Day blaze, which erupted shortly after 3am in Gulliver, a suburb of Townsville. Continue reading...

• UK churchyards are havens for rare wildlife, finds conservation charity
  by Helena Horton Environment reporter on December 26, 2024 at 6:00 am

  Caring for God’s Acre mapped out 20,000 cemeteries and recorded 10,000 speciesChurchyards are vital havens for rare wildlife including dormice, bats and beetles, according to an extensive audit of burial grounds around the UK.The conservation charity Caring for God’s Acre mapped out 20,325 cemeteries, with 800,000 wildlife records submitted and more than 10,800 species recorded. Continue reading...

• Calls for Labour to honour pledge to toughen anti-hunt laws
  by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on December 26, 2024 at 5:00 am

  Government urged to ban trail hunting as data suggests illegal foxhunting is still widespread in England and WalesAnimal welfare campaigners are calling on ministers to keep to a pledge to toughen anti-hunt laws, as figures suggest illegal foxhunting remains widespread in England and Wales.Almost 20 years since the Hunting Act 2004 was brought in by Tony Blair’s government, the League Against Cruel Sports (Lacs) – the animal welfare charity that was the driving force behind the original ban – says its data evidences how stronger legislation is required to close loopholes and prohibit trail hunting, which campaigners say has been used as a smokescreen for illegal foxhunting. Trail hunting is where dogs follow an animal-based scent. Continue reading...

• UK shoppers expected to spend £3.7bn on Boxing Day
  by Sarah Butler on December 26, 2024 at 5:00 am

  High streets predicted to be less busy as people buy beauty and technology deals onlineShoppers are expected to spend £3.7bn, this Boxing Day, up only 1.3% on 2023, with high streets less busy as shoppers snap up beauty and technology bargains online.The ability to click for bargains from the sofa means post-Christmas discounts actually begin before most families have touched a sprout or a slice of turkey as it is now possible to begin spending in the sales from midnight on Christmas Eve. Continue reading...

• Boxing Day sales: crowds flock to stores around Australia in search of bargains
  by Australian Associated Press on December 26, 2024 at 4:17 am

  Shoppers expected to splurge on homewares and beauty products, with retail spending projected to top $1.3bn on Boxing DayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastShoppers have flooded stores to make the most of Boxing Day bargains.Australians are projected to spend $1.3bn on Boxing Day and a further $2.4bn during the last days of December, Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan research shows.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

• Melbourne stabbing: Man arrested after woman found dead at Langwarrin home on Boxing Day
  by Kate Lyons on December 26, 2024 at 4:06 am

  Homicide squad detectives investigating after 59-year-old found dead at Wood Duck Court in LangwarrinGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice have arrested a 63-year-old man in relation to the death of a woman in Langwarrin in Melbourne’s south-east.The 59-year-old woman was found about 6:30am on Boxing Day, after emergency services responded to reports that a woman had been stabbed at an address at Wood Duck Court. Continue reading...

• Syrian forces suffer 14 fatalities in countryside clashes
  by Guardian staff and agencies on December 26, 2024 at 3:51 am

  Transitional administration said 10 police members also wounded by ‘remnants’ of Assad regime in TartousFourteen security personnel from Syria’s new authorities and three armed men were killed in clashes in Tartous province when forces sought to arrest an officer linked to the notorious Sednaya prison, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The Observatory said the clash broke out in Tartous, a stronghold of ousted president, Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority, and was sparked by the attempted arrest of the former Sednaya prison official. Continue reading...

• Revisited: The birdwatcher fighting racism in public spaces – podcast
  by Presented by Hannah Moore with Christian Cooper; produced by Lucy Hough and Solomon King; executive producer Homa Khaleeli on December 26, 2024 at 3:00 am

  A Central Park birdwatching incident went viral after Christian Cooper filmed a white woman threatening him. Now he is using his platform to share his passion for natureThis week we are revisiting some of our favourite episodes from 2024. This one was first broadcast on 01 April.In May 2020, Christian Cooper was in an area called the Ramble in Central Park in New York. It’s a beautiful place, he says, and vital to the local bird population. So when he saw a dog off its leash, which is not permitted in the Ramble to protect the birds, he confronted the owner. Continue reading...

• Victorian bushfires: fire services warn against travel in ‘critical part of the day’ as extreme conditions develop
  by Mostafa Rachwani, Petra Stock and Australian Associated Press on December 26, 2024 at 2:35 am

  Boxing Day evacuations in central and western Victoria with dangerous fire conditions due to move up to NSW – and SA on alert despite cool changeVictoria fires live updates and dangerous fire conditions in South Australia and NSW – follow the latest bushfire newsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAuthorities have been evacuating people from areas in central and western Victoria as dangerous fire conditions grip several states across the south-east.Damaging winds were due to fan extreme fire danger on Thursday as hot and dry weather envelops large parts of Victoria, south-west New South Wales and much of eastern South Australia.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...