2 hours ago Vanuatu hit by another earthquake as hundreds of Australians return home

Magnitude 6.1 quake shakes country’s main island as RAAF flights carrying 144 passengers land in Brisbane and SydneyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVanuatu has been hit by another earthquake after hundreds of Australians landed on home soil from the islands and the federal government announced a new round of financial assistance.The latest magnitude 6.1 quake shook buildings on the country’s main island at 2.30am on Sunday after it struck 30km west of the capital, Port Vila. Continue reading...

Events

4 hours ago Victoria bushfire fight continues in Grampians as flood warnings persist in parts of Queensland

Firefighters battle to contain out-of-control blaze ahead of hotter conditions on Boxing DayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFirefighters battled to contain an out-of-control bushfire in Victoria’s west on Sunday before temperatures spike in the region on Boxing Day.The fire in Grampians National park, about three hours west of Melbourne, grew to 34,000 hectares on Sunday after it was ignited by a series of lightning strikes almost a week ago.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

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4 hours ago TALK OF THE TOWN: Must be something in the water! Emma Raducanu seems to be taking her health VERY seriously with exotic twist to her water

The 2021 US Open champion was spotted with a water bottle filled with what look like goji berries in Chelsea, West London , last week.

Politics

5 hours ago Christmas getaway disruption as some flights cancelled due to high winds

The Met Office has announced yellow warnings are expected to remain in place until 9pm on Sunday.

Politics

10 hours ago ‘Resistance was not a choice’: how Syria’s unlikely rebel alliance took Aleppo

An Islamist commander retraces his brigade’s march to seize the Syrian city Abu Obeida, the commander of the Northern Storm Brigade, left his mud-camouflaged Toyota running as he got out to inspect the dirt road running through the no man’s land that separated his rural base north west of Aleppo from a Hezbollah position 200 metres away.A month ago, this front against the Lebanese group was where the Islamist rebel offensive that changed Syria for ever began. The 25-year-old’s unit was supposed to sweep for landmines and unexploded ordnance among the olive groves in the aftermath of the opposition’s stunning 12-day rout of Bashar al-Assad and his Russian, Iranian and Lebanese allies. It quickly became apparent that, amid many other more pressing tasks, his people hadn’t been thorough enough. Continue reading...

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10 hours ago West Ham pay emotional tribute to academy goalkeeper, 15, who tragically died of cancer this month, ahead of Premier League match with Brighton

The Premier League side played their first home match at the London Stadium since Fairs' passing, with the club offering a series of tributes around the fixture against Brighton.

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12 hours ago Kudus pegs back misfiring Brighton but West Ham desperate for Christmas lift

On the shortest day of the year, a game that burst only briefly into life. In the space of seven second-half minutes, from nothing and nowhere, things started to happen. Brighton took the lead. West Ham equalised. And then things stopped happening again.There were, to be fair, some rousing moments in the closing stages. Crysencio Summerville, a second-half substitute, robbed the ball off Jan Paul van Hecke and sprinted towards the area, but his shot was blocked; Yankuba Minteh, another, was played through on the right and eventually slid the ball across goal where Vladimir Coufal, a third, running back to defend his goal, deflected it into the foot of the far post. And finally, in the fourth minute of stoppage time and with Brighton finishing strongly, Evan Ferguson, a fourth, set up Yasin Ayari, a fifth, for a shot that was well saved. But the primary impression will be of two teams that started a hectic rush of festive fixtures as if their primary motivation was to preserve energy...

Politics

13 hours ago Voices: Whatever the aim, the German Christmas market attack will surely make the West more divided

The confounding picture of Taleb A. makes his aims while behind the wheel on Friday night all the more muddy. But for too many people and politicians, the identity of the perpetrator as an Arab will be enough, Mark Almond writes

Events

14 hours ago Some flights and ferries cancelled due to high winds amid Christmas getaway

Roads and public transport could be disrupted by strong gusts after the Met Office announced yellow warnings for parts of the country.

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