Victoria fires live updates: emergency bushfire warnings and road closures in Grampians, Vic; dangerous fire conditions in South Australia and NSW

Fires burning in Grampians national park, Bullengarook, Creswick and at the Gurdies after residents of Bornes Hill, Moyston and Pomonal ordered to leave. Follow the latest updates live

Authorities 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.

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Boxing Day sales: crowds flock to stores around Australia in search of bargains

Shoppers expected to splurge on homewares and beauty products, with retail spending projected to top $1.3bn on Boxing Day

Shoppers 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.

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Melbourne stabbing: Man arrested after woman found dead at Langwarrin home on Boxing Day

Homicide squad detectives investigating after 59-year-old found dead at Wood Duck Court in Langwarrin

Police 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.

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Syrian forces suffer 14 fatalities in countryside clashes

Transitional administration said 10 police members also wounded by ‘remnants’ of Assad regime in Tartous

Fourteen 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.

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2004 Andamans tsunami: My boat was metres from the shore when the waves hit – BBC.com

  1. 2004 Andamans tsunami: My boat was metres from the shore when the waves hit  BBC.com
  2. In pictures: Remembering the deadliest tsunami in history  CNN
  3. ‘You learn to live with the pain’: 20 years after the Boxing Day tsunami, Australian couple remember son Paul  The Guardian
  4. On 20th anniversary of world’s worst tsunami, experts warn of complacency  Al Jazeera English
  5. 20 years after the massive Indian Ocean tsunami  The Hindu
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Biden condemns Russia’s ‘outrageous’ Christmas attack on Ukraine – The Hill

  1. Biden condemns Russia’s ‘outrageous’ Christmas attack on Ukraine  The Hill
  2. Russia Attacks Ukraine Energy Network in Christmas Assault  Bloomberg
  3. Zelenskyy denounces Russia's Christmas Day missile and drone attack on Ukraine as "inhumane"  CBS News
  4. Biden reaffirms support for weapons surge to Ukraine after Russia's Christmas attack  Reuters
  5. Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure on Christmas Day  The New York Times
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‘We can’t believe it’s real’: Luca Bennett’s parents mourn loss of ‘perfect son’ swept off rocks at NSW beach

Search operation for 15-year-old moves into ‘recovery phase’ after he went missing at North Avoca Beach on the Central Coast

Tributes are flowing for 15-year-old Luca Bennett as rescue crews scale back a search for the teenager after he was swept off rocks at a popular beach.

Luca went missing about 3pm on Christmas Eve off North Avoca Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast.

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Five journalists killed in Israeli strike near hospital, authorities say – Al Jazeera English

  1. Five journalists killed in Israeli strike near hospital, authorities say  Al Jazeera English
  2. LIVE: Israel kills five journalists in Gaza as babies freeze to death  Al Jazeera English
  3. Five Journalists Killed in Gaza Strike, Palestinian Media Says  The New York Times
  4. Precise strike in Gaza: IAF strikes vehicle with Islamic Jihad terrorists  Arutz Sheva
  5. Man Moderately Wounded in West Bank Car Ramming  Haaretz
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Defra scraps England deadline to register thousands of miles of rights of way

Campaigners jubilant after government heeded warning 2031 cutoff would mean loss of precious footpaths

A deadline for registering historic rights of way is to be scrapped after a warning that the looming cutoff date could result in the loss of thousands of miles of footpaths.

The last government set a deadline of 2031 for all rights of way in England to be added to an official map, after abandoning a previous commitment to scrap the policy.

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Mozambique unrest: Hundreds flee Maputo jail amid poll protests – BBC.com

  1. Mozambique unrest: Hundreds flee Maputo jail amid poll protests  BBC.com
  2. In Mozambique, Dozens Are Killed in Clashes Over Disputed Election Ruling  The New York Times
  3. Mozambique police commander says 33 dead, 1,500 escaped in Maputo prison riot  CNN
  4. Dozens killed in Mozambique prison riot on Christmas Day  The Guardian
  5. Constitutional Council Decision on Mozambican Elections  Department of State
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Finland-Estonia power cable hit in latest Baltic Sea incident – The Guardian

  1. Finland-Estonia power cable hit in latest Baltic Sea incident  The Guardian
  2. Finland investigates outage of undersea power link to Estonia, Finnish PM says  CNN
  3. Electrical link down between Estonia and Finland  YLE News
  4. Undersea power cable suffers outage as Baltic Sea countries on edge over series of disruptions  Sky News
  5. Finland to probe outage in power cable link to Estonia  DW (English)
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Deadly clashes in Assad stronghold as loyalists defend former regime personnel – FRANCE 24 English

  1. Deadly clashes in Assad stronghold as loyalists defend former regime personnel  FRANCE 24 English
  2. Syrian forces suffer 14 fatalities in countryside clashes  The Guardian
  3. Nine reported killed in Syria clashes amid attempt to arrest Assad prison official  The Times of Israel
  4. 17 killed in 'ambush' by loyalists of ousted Syrian President Assad  The Times of India
  5. Syria Says 14 'Interior Ministry Personnel' Killed In Tartus Province 'Ambush'  Barron's
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