News Corp Columnist Louise Roberts says the situation in Far North Queensland is a “national problem”. Clean-up efforts have begun in the region after ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper wreaked havoc in the area causing major flooding and damage. “Bruce Highway – roughly 1,600 kilometres stretching from Brisbane … up to Cairns itself,” she told Sky News contributor Gary Hardgrave. “Infrastructure Australia has identified that at least 17 parts and 17 points of this highway need urgent review and urgent work on them. “So that’s roughly every 100 kilometres, you’ve got a major issue on that highway – and people are sending goods up there not knowing if they’re actually going to reach their destination.”

Nationals Leader David Littleproud says it is “more profitable” for Australian farmers to export their products. Mr Littleproud told Sky News contributor Gary Hardgrave that Coles and Woolworths are “too difficult to deal with”. “We will be importing food, you’ll be eating second-class food coming from another country rather than our own. “Because these supermarkets are trying to drive down farmers' costs. “When the costs do come down, they’re keeping the prices up. “We just need transparency, we need fairness.”

Universities are becoming increasingly hostile to the concept of free speech, says Sky News senior reporter Caroline Marcus. Ms Marcus’s comments come after it was revealed one professor is taking Melbourne’s RMIT University to the Fair Work Commission over claims of bullying and unlawful dismissal. Professor Andrew Timming was a professor of human resource management and at one stage a deputy dean at RMIT but was fired after getting involved in an online feud on X (formerly twitter) between Andrew Tate and Greta Thunberg. “We've seen a disturbing trend in universities here and around the world where free speech is simply not appreciated,” said Ms Marcus. “You would think that universities should be grounds for free, intellectual speech, even challenging speech, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. “The irony is that some of the universities – top universities, both in the US and here in Australia - seem to only be fiercely protective of free speech when that free speech involves anti-Semitism.”

Sky News contributor Teena McQueen says it is “disgraceful” that pro-Palestinians are protesting during Christmas time. Ms McQueen told Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus that people want to have a “joyous” time. “But I’m happy to say they are getting very little response. “It’s so frustrating and I’m just sick of the Palestinian flags everywhere. “It has to come to a stop.”

Dominic West who plays King Charles in the hit Netflix series ‘The Crown’ has revealed he and Prince Harry are no longer acquaintances. Reportedly, the pair are no longer friends after Mr West said during a press conference that he and Harry while “on a bender”, drank from someone’s prosthetic leg, according to The Australian’s Media Writer Sophie Elsworth. “Isn’t this ironic that the man who demands privacy doesn’t like it when people reveal things about him,” Ms Elsworth told Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus. “The very thing that he has done to his own brother, his own father, his entire family – he’s trashed them in the media. “He doesn’t like it when the shoe is on the other foot … what comes around, goes around. “So little sympathy from me for him.”

Australian Retailers Association Fleur Brown says people are looking to “get a bargain” at the Boxing Day sales. Ms Brown told Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus that people are feeling “pressure” on their household budgets. “And trying to reduce the overall cost of their shopping. “Many Australians have saved up purchases for that period. “To try and get the necessary household items off their shopping list.”

IDF Reservist Nimrod Vromen says the central Gazan refugee camps are one of the “last few areas” the IDF needs to “assert control”. Mr Vromen sat with Sky News host Caroline Marcus to discuss the IDF’s approach to combat Hamas for the ongoing war in Israel. “Now the way that the IDF is doing it is sort of like an area by area approach, and therefore it always seems like it’s expanding,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the Gaza Strip is a finite piece of land and I predict that once this part of the process will be over then the next phase will begin. “Which will be a far more surgical phase and it will optically be less destructive but I do hope it will continue to be destructive for Hamas specifically.”

Tens of thousands of Western Sydney residents are stuck in a festive stink as a dispute with waste collectors causes a major disruption to the Christmas bin schedule. Blacktown garbage truck drivers are taking industrial action and demanding more pay. Blacktown City Council services more than 395,000 residents across 54 suburbs. More than 20 of those have been affected, including Schofields, The Ponds, Quakers Hill, Eastern Creek and Mount Druitt. The council says the New South Wales Industrial Commission directed Blacktown garbage truck drivers not to strike over the Christmas period, but it was ignored.

A nine year old girl has died in Queensland storms, three men have died after their boat capsized in Moreton Bay, police say speed and alcohol were factors in NRL recruit Troy Dargan's death, a man carjacks a family at a Logan service station, floods tear through southern Germany, thousands protest against Serbia's election result, and a six year old child catches the wrong flight in the U.S. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

The United States Navy has shot down three ballistic missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis over the Red Sea. Over a 12-hour period, the Navy has also destroyed 12 one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack missiles fired by the Houthis. The Houthi group has also taken credit for a drone attack on Israel’s port city of Eilat, in an attempt to put pressure on Israel to end its war on Gaza. Israel's growing military presence in Gaza has seen a rise in attacks in the Red Sea. The Mediterranean Shipping Company had one of their vessels attacked by the Houthis - with no reports of injuries. Denmark giant Maersk has decided to avoid the Red Sea entirely, instead sending their vessels around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope.

Tens of thousands of people in rural areas of the United Kingdom have gathered to witness an old tradition – the Boxing Day hunt. Activists claim trail hunting – where a scent is laid for hounds to follow – is being used to conceal illegal fox hunting activities. Fox hunting was banned in 2004 by the then-Labour government. “There are people called hunt monitors who watch hunts and their activities, and they’ve seen, repeatedly, over 300 incidents in the last year alone,” League Against Cruel Sports Chair Dan Norris said. The Ministry of Defence has been accused of turning a blind eye to illegal hunts occurring on their land. “We take our duty of care for all users of the Defence estate seriously, to ensure that those who choose to frequent our land for recognised legal pursuits do not encounter intimidation or have their safety compromised,” a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.

Thousands have gathered at Serbia's electoral commission in Belgrade to protest the latest election. Protestors say the result of the election is unfair. The Serbia Against Violence Party claims it lost the election to the Progressive Party earlier this month because of widespread voter fraud. International election monitors say the election was unfair due to media bias and potentially purchased votes. The Opposition has organised daily protests over the results – which on Sunday saw 38 people arrested.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has urged Queenslanders to check on their neighbours, particularly those who are vulnerable following destructive storms. In a press conference on Wednesday, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate gave an update on the damage Mr Tate said storms on Wednesday are potentially at a lot lower risk and recovery efforts are continuing. He said around 800 homes in the city, including the Logan area, needed assistance in the aftermath of the storms. "They're working very hard, they’ve got 15 teams on the ground, 13 rural fire trucks deployed, and central Queensland teams are coming down to join to build up the numbers," he said.

New footage has emerged of the jam-packed crowd at Bronte Beach on Christmas which sparked outrage from locals. The footage supplied to skynews.com.au shows the thousands of people celebrating Christmas at the popular Sydney beach. Backpackers and tourists have been blamed for trashing Bronte Park, which is located right next to the summer hotspot. Several images emerged showing large amounts of rubbish scattered on the grass. Bronte Surf Life Saving Club said it was a challenging day for its volunteers.

Pickleball is becoming the fastest-growing sport in the United States. The game is a mixture of ping pong and tennis, and its popularity is being linked to a long list of celebrity fans, but with less ground to cover and a slower pace. Eight-time major tennis champion Andre Agassi has not only switched sports, but he also now co-owns a pickleball paddle company and competes in the biggest tournaments in the world. “Tennis is sort of the most nuanced kind of racquet-demand sport that exists, but that being said, when you trickle down into a sport like pickleball, it’s such a great equaliser,” Mr Agassi said. “It’s on such a smaller dimension, so the community aspect is really fun and engaging.”

The Iowa GOP caucus has a reputation of “going its own way” with candidates who successfully appeal to the “evangelical Christian base”, according to Seattle University Associate Professor of American Politics Dr Patrick Schoettmer. Iowa Republicans will be the first to vote for a presidential candidate in the 2024 US election on January 16. Former US president Donald Trump is heavily favoured to win, holding a 34-point lead, according to a Fox Business poll. According to the 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. “Iowa has a reputation of going its own way, in particular, candidates who do a good job of appealing to the evangelical Christian base tend to outperform expectations in the state,” Dr Schoettmer told Sky News Australia. “I think that is what the DeSantis campaign has been banking on since it launched last year.”

Tens of thousands remain without power after severe storms hit south-east Queensland. In a press conference on Wednesday, Queensland Energy Minister Mick De Brenni gave an update on the power system. Mr Brenni said around 85,700 homes and businesses in south-east Queensland are still without power. “The good news though is overnight they [power system crews] were able to restore 45,000 premises, so they are making progress,” he said. “Our focus today … is on addressing what they call priority feeders, so that’s getting power to critical infrastructure.”

Support for the Albanese government has declined among female voters. The latest NewsPoll shows Labor has lost ground in the key 35 to 49-year-old demographic which has been considered to be the swing group that decides elections. The Coalition has overtaken Labor in Primary votes by a margin of 36 per cent to 30 per cent however, Labor does lead the Opposition among male voters by a slim one per cent. Overall, on a two-party preferred basis, Labor has dipped four per cent but still maintains a lead over the Coalition 52 to 48 per cent. Anthony Albanese remains the preferred Prime Minister leading Peter Dutton by 11 per cent.

Indian authorities are investigating a huge blast that occurred near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed there were no causalities or injuries. Following the incident the Israel Embassy in New Delhi has increased its security. Israel has urged its citizens in India, specifically in New Delhi, to exercise caution. Israeli missions around the world are on high alert following an increase in attacks since Israel launched its ground offensive in Gaza.

The death toll from the wild storms in Queensland has risen overnight. The latest victim is a nine-year-old girl who was believed to have jumped a fence in Logan last night where surging waters swept her away in a storm drain. In Gympie, search operations continue to look for two people missing in the Mary River. Authorities think they went underwater near a stormwater drain after severe weather.