Top News Stories –

Nudists rescue sinking yacht at start of Sydney-Hobart race –
A group of struggling sailors in Sydney were given a surprising rescue when they found themselves being hauled to shore by a nudists. A small wooden boat had sailed out to watch the start of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, which sees 100 vessels set out on Boxing Day every year. But as spectators were walking back along the coast, they saw a boat get in to trouble near Lady Bay Beach – a popular site for nudists. “The boat came angling into the shore, which was a bit weird,” said Chris Pearce, a photographer with Getty agency. Mr Pearce said that a crowd of people swimming in the sea came to their rescue, in waters around three feet deep. After the woman and child were rescued from the boat, those left on board started to see the funny side of the situation. Photographs of the rescue show at least one man on board grinning as nude men surrounded the boat, ready to lend a hand. [Daily Telegraph]

Twitter is winning war on trolls and extremists, says its Europe chief –
The social media giant, which is 10 years old in March, has amassed 320 million users and a valuation of more than $33bn (£22bn). But it desperately needs to turn back waves of negative headlines and to find ways to engage more deeply with the margins of its audience. But Twitter is fighting back. Boosted in October by the return of its founder Jack Dorsey, now permanent chief executive, it believes it is winning its war on trolls and clearing its decks of violent extremists. Speaking to The Independent ahead of the company’s tenth anniversary, Bruce Daisley, head of Twitter in Europe, said: “We have spent longer and put more effort into user safety than any other issue. The measures we’ve taken correlate directly with a reduction in the amount of bad behaviour on the platform.” [The Independant]

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• At least one person is injured and another is arrested after a machete attack at Intu Bromley shopping centre in the United Kingdom during the busy annual Boxing Day sales. A motive or possible link to terrorism has not yet been established. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• 2015–16 Australian bushfire season
  • A bushfire in Victoria state has destroyed 116 homes. The 2200-hectare Jamieson Track blaze razed 98 homes in Wye River and 18 at Separation Creek. The fire stopped just 500 meters short of Kennett River. A dousing of rain on Saturday was unlikely to do much in the long term as this blaze could continue into January or February, says emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley. No injuries are reported. (Sky News) (BBC) (The Guardian)
• 2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season
  • Storm Eva
    • Heavy rain from the fifth officially named storm of the season leads to serious flooding across Lancashire and Yorkshire in northern England. (BBC)
• Tornadoes of 2015
  • The death toll in the spring-like, tornado-laden storms that began Wednesday in the American South has risen to 18 with additional tornadoes hitting north-central Alabama Friday and one outside of Dallas, Texas, today. (NBC News) (USA Today)
• December 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake
  • Officials report at least four people died and more than 100 were injured, most in Pakistan, after Friday night’s 6.3 magnitude earthquake in northeast Afghanistan. Casualty numbers may change since rescue teams have not reached all affected areas.(Latin American Herald Tribune)

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