Millions of people are facing travel troubles on the roads and at airports as they head home from their holidays. More than 90 per cent of travellers will be on the road, where drivers will be facing headaches beyond just major congestion. Heavy rain, flooding and dense fog are creating hazardous conditions in many parts of the country. More than 7,000 flights from the US were delayed on Wednesday. By Thursday, hundreds of flights were already behind schedule.

Oscar-nominated British actor Tom Wilkinson has died, aged 75. A statement shared by his agent on behalf of his family said the actor 'died suddenly at home on December 30 while surrounded by his 'wife and family.' Mr Wilkinson was best known for his character Gerald Arthur Cooper in the 1997 comedy ‘The Full Monty,’ for which he received a BAFTA. Throughout his career, he received an Emmy, two Oscar nominations and many other accolades. Mr Wilkinson appeared in dozens of other movies including the 1998 romcom 'Shakespeare In Love', the 2005 Christopher Nolan blockbuster 'Batman Begins', and starred alongside Dame Judi Dench, Dame Penelope Wilton, and Bill Nighy, in the all-British ensemble cast of the 2011 comedy-drama 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'.

Firework fanatics are already camped out at Sydney's most popular vantage points, as one million people prepare to descend on the Harbour for New Year's Eve. There are fewer ticketed places this year so competition for the best spots is expected to be tough. There are 49 official vantage points, 38 of which are free on a first come first serve basis. The Sydney Opera House will open at 7am. Sydneynewyearseve.com/vantage-points will provide live updates as spots fill up.

Ferocious winds, giant hail and intense rain has smashed parts of southern Queensland, bringing down trees and powerlines. Severe storm warnings remain in place for residents further north. Thousands of households remain without power. It follows a week of intense scrutiny of the bureau, with the government announcing a review into possible gaps in the nations emergency warning system. More dangerous weather is predicted over the first few days of 2024.

South East Queensland told to brace for more wild storms, 81 councils have cancelled citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, Anthony Albanese says cost of living is the government's top priority in 2024, a father is in critical condition following a crash in Bali, a Tesla cyber-truck involved in its first accident in the U.S., and iconic British Actor Tom Wilkinson passes away aged 75. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

The Douglas Shire region has restored drinking water after authorities in parts of flood-devastated Far North Queensland raced to find a solution for the residents. Towns like Mossman, Newell and Cooya Beach lost access because of damage to the water treatment plant as a result of the large flooding emergency. Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr joined Sky News Australia to discuss the latest update on the region’s water situation. “The latest situation is we have got water flowing through all our pipes, through the region,” he said. “Which is great news for everyone, especially those tourists that are here at the moment.”

Fireworks fanatics are already camped out around Sydney’s most popular vantage points to witness the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Over 1 million people are set to descend on Sydney Harbour on Sunday night. With fewer ticketed places this year, competition for the best spots will definitely be hot. There are 49 official vantage points and 38 of those are free on a first come first served basis. The Opera House will open at 7am to allow for the high number of people expected to attend.

Pro-Palestinian activists have attacked the US Consulate on Melbourne’s St Kilda Road. The activists smashed glass doors and sprayed graffiti at the scene. Reportedly, it is believed they are the same group who gatecrashed ‘Carols by Candlelight’ and disrupted Boxing Day shoppers too. A curated video, shot by the protesters themselves, was uploaded to social media on Friday night. Federal and Victorian Police are investigating the criminal damages.

A theatre company in London is set to revamp a Shakespearean classic. The company has chosen William Shakespeare’s famous play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. The performance is helping change the lives of young people from challenging backgrounds. The production will blend the 400-year-old language with modern themes, providing a fresh twist. The theatre production is called ‘Taming Who’.

Australian retailers are reporting this year’s Boxing Day sales have recorded lower-than-usual levels of trading. Shoppers could see sales extended into the new year as retailers look to shift their stock. Retail bosses say the Boxing Day crowds have generally met their expectations. This is after accounting for cost of living pressures. Customers are encouraged to take advantage of the discounted stock with some retailers cutting prices beyond 50 per cent.

A massive 7.1 kilogram baby boy has been born in southwest Chile. The huge newborn is the largest ever to be born in the South American nation. The birth passes the previous record of 6 kilograms. A hospital spokesperson said the child had to be transferred to another hospital due to health complications. Reportedly, the boy is now in a stable condition and his mother remains in the hospital she gave birth in and is receiving treatment.

Adelaide Oval has switched on a $5 million upgrade to its tower lighting system. It is now the only major stadium in Australia to boast white sports lighting. It also has striking light show capabilities. The lighting upgrade will debut at a BBL game on New Year's Eve. The lights will shine as the Adelaide Strikers take on the Melbourne Stars.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should “show spine” and “show leadership” by reinstitute a Morrison-era policy forcing councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, says Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan. More than 80 local councils across Australia have cancelled the traditional Australia Day citizenship ceremonies out of respect for Indigenous Australians. The Morrison government introduced rules that forced councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day or be stripped of their right to hold citizenship ceremonies, but Mr Albanese abolished the policy when he took office. “We want to put it back and we see no reason the Albanese Labor government shouldn’t do exactly the same thing,” Mr Tehan told Sky News Australia. “Their policy is undermining Australia Day. “Anthony Albanese should do the right thing – he should show spine, show leadership and reinstitute a policy that meant future citizens had that right to have their citizenship ceremony on Australia Day.”

Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese allowing councils to cancel Australia Day citizenship ceremonies is a “spineless way” of making councils do “all the dirty work” for him. More than 80 local councils across Australia have cancelled the traditional Australia Day citizenship ceremonies out of respect for Indigenous Australians. The Opposition has accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of “laying the groundwork” for Australia Day’s abolition. “The Prime Minister made a decision over a year ago to allow councils to do this, and he knew exactly what he was doing when he did it,” Mr Tehan told Sky News Australia. “It was a spineless way of making councils do all the dirty work, do all the groundwork for him in either moving or abolishing Australia Day. “At the time, when he made this decision, we warned that this is exactly what would happen.”

Bondi Partners Senior Advisor Peter McGauran says the “gloss has come off” the Albanese government after several “colossal blunders” by his ministers in 2023. Newspoll says Labor was leading the two-party preferred 56-44 in April before it fell to 50-50 in November, but it recovered slightly earlier this month, with Labor ahead at 52 to the Coalition’s 48. Similarly, Newspoll has the Albanese government’s primary vote falling from 38 per cent at the end of June falling to 33 per cent in December. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s leader net satisfaction has fallen from 33 last December to minus eight this month. “The gloss has come off it politically, there’s no doubt about it,” Mr McGauran told Sky News Australia. “It was in a stellar, impregnable position at the start of 2023; it’s finishing 2023 level-pegging with the Dutton Opposition, marginally ahead, [but] would probably form government if an election was held today. “A lot of that is because cost of living has dented their political fortunes – Albanese was not seen to be empathetic enough or doing enough – he was too distracted by the Voice referendum. “Then there were some colossal blunders by ministers that just dragged on unnecessarily: the decision not to give Qatar extra flights; the release into the community of 120 potentially dangerous detainees – all of those issues weren’t politically managed by Albanese.”

Four koala ‘super joeys’ have been born in South Australia’s Cleland Wildlife Park and are being hailed as a potential saviour for the species. They were bred from a colony of Kangaroo Island female koalas, which survived the Black Summer bushfires, as well as four Strzelecki Ranges males in Victoria. The program, run by not-for-profit Koala Life and the South Australian government, aims to produce genetically diverse koalas free from disease to support their conservation, particularly in the eastern states. Koalas are officially endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. They face major threats from disease, drought, bushfires, and habitat destruction.

The New York Times suing OpenAI and Microsoft over copyright infringement is an “incredibly complex problem”, says Sydney University Digital Innovation Lecturer and AI expert Dr Mike Seymour. The New York Times has recently sued OpenAI and Microsoft over the use of its content to train generative artificial intelligence and large language model systems, in a move that could see the company receive billions of dollars in damages. “It’s pretty significant, though it’s an incredibly complex problem because it kind of really hits at the heart of what we think these things are versus what they actually are in terms of both perception and use,” Dr Seymour told Sky News Australia. “There’s this whole notion that when you’re using a search engine, it’s sort of throwing up facts. “The thing about these generative AI programs like ChatGPT is that they’re not actually meant to be throwing up facts, they’re meant to be – in terms of the way that they’re built – just producing a plausible result.”

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley showed “weakness” this week, and she needs to “retool her talking points” to understand she is now facing all 50 states, says University of California Professor of Political Science Louis Desipio. According to a Fox Business poll of Iowa GOP caucus-goers, Mr Trump is polling at 52 per cent, Ron DeSantis at 18 per cent, Nikki Haley at 16 per cent, Vivek Ramaswamy is at seven per cent and Chris Christie is at three per cent. “I think … we’ll see a little starburst; I think she’ll do better than expected in Iowa – that doesn’t mean she’ll win by any means – and she could come very close or even win in New Hampshire,” Mr Desipio told Sky News Australia. “Even if she does well or better than expected, at least initially, my suspicion is that former president Trump has more support in the Republican electorate and certainly a better campaign infrastructure in all of those states that come after the first couple. “I think she showed her weakness this week in that she reacted to a question as she would have as running for governor of South Carolina … instead of as a candidate for president. “She needs to retool her talking points to understand that the electorate she’s facing now is all 50 states and not just a southern state.”

A US Space Force aircraft has taken off from Florida on a secret mission which could last years. The reusable plane is carrying classified experiments on board. The vessel was delivered into orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon rocket. The launch was delayed by more than two weeks following technical issues and poor weather. The nine-metre-long craft is unmanned and will conduct a number of experiments including how the conditions of space affect plant seeds.

Red Cross National Spokesperson Cath Stone says 1,200 blood donations are needed across Australia each day to prevent a shortage in Australia. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has issued its final call for the festive season, asking people to make a life-changing blood donation as the year draws to a close. “1,200 donors are needed each day across the country, particularly to take us through to the 2nd of January,” Ms Stone told Sky News Australia. “We’ve got a few spaces at the moment, so that’s what we’re asking for. “Our regular donors go on holiday during this time of year and every day … we ship out 9,000 units across hospitals for patient need.”