Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher has reminded Australians of the hope Christmas brings in his annual message. The Archbishop reflected on the difficult times seen in 2023, including war and cost-of-living pressures. “Christmas can seem like a fairytale – a nice story we tell our children and ourselves but one not based in reality,” he said. “But the Christmas story is true – the God who created the universe really did come from Heaven as a newborn. “God became one of us to share in our humanity, not just our joys but our sorrows as well – not just our hopes but our fears and anxieties.”

Slovakia’s police have arrested a man who threatened to carry out a massacre similar to the fatal shooting in Prague, which killed 14 people. The 64-year-old was arrested after calling emergency services, suggesting he intended to do “what happened in Prague”. He now faces a maximum of two years imprisonment for spreading general alarm. This comes after last week, more than 10 people were shot dead in Prague at the Faculty of Arts building of Charles University by a student who then killed himself. The first two victims were identified as a student and a professor.

Severe storms forecast for Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, pro-Palestine activists ambush Melbourne carols, teenager dies in Queensland water-tubing accident, the ICC rejects latest Usman Khawaja peace protest, 13 killed after explosion at an Indonesian plant, 'Santa' detains drug traffickers in Peru. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

A live broadcast of Melbourne’s Carols by Candlelight event has been disrupted by a pro-Palestinian protest. Activists were seen ambushing the stage interrupting the family show, causing chaos on Christmas eve. The moment a protester ambushed the stage was captured during the live television broadcast and has been slammed by viewers online as an ‘utter disgrace’. Carols by Candlelight is an annual Christmas celebration run by the Vision Australia charity. The broadcaster of the event, Channel Nine, cut away from the scenes of the protest in the live broadcast but the audio was still transmitted.

Santa Claus is taking time away from his busy schedule in the skies for some flippers in a Brazilian aquarium. Every year the AquaRio aquarium puts on a show for visitors by having father Christmas swim with the sharks. Apart from swimming with marine life, scuba-Santa also swims around an underwater Christmas tree. Santa Claus is still making final preparations for his annual globetrotting gift-giving Christmas trip. His helpers are working around the clock to get things ready at Santa’s Village in the north pole.

Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra Australians are set to spend $23.9 billion on Boxing Day. Mr Zahra sat with Sky News Australia to discuss the difference between Christmas shopping and Boxing Day spending. “We do think that this is obviously a time for Australian households to save, so as a result we do believe the Boxing Day sales will still be exceptionally popular,” he said. “This is a very different event to Black Friday, Black Friday is about buying gifts for others, and getting your Christmas gift list done. “Boxing Day is really about buying for yourself and your household.”

Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra says consumer spending close to Christmas has gone “quite considerably down”. Mr Zahra sat with Sky News Australia to discuss the drastic difference between Black Friday spending and Christmas shopping. “Australians will spend around $646 each this year on gifting for others compared to $700 last year,” he said. “But what we didn’t anticipate so much is that Black Friday would be such a record sale event. “So Black Friday was forecasted to be 3 per cent up on last year, $6.36 billion will be spent over that Black Friday weekend and by all accounts, whilst we don’t have any hard numbers, retailers have said it’s either matched or exceeded their expectations.”

For many Australians, it’s tradition to have seafood as the centrepiece of a Christmas lunch. But while some of us are preparing for an indulgent couple of days, we’re being reminded there are more people than ever feeling the pinch. There has been a surge in demand for emergency relief ahead of Christmas. In the first two weeks of December more than 1,700 people I Western Australia called the Emergency Relief line for help. This marks a 52 per cent increase compared to the same time last year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used his Christmas message as an opportunity to appreciate the selflessness of the Australian spirit. Mr Albanese thanked the country’s volunteers and emergency services and wanted to give a message of hope to those suffering in the midst of hardship and natural disasters. The PM said Christmas is a “chance to rest” and spend time with family and friends. “I’d like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, for so many Australians this is a chance to rest, to spend time with our family, catch up with friends, and to cherish the memories of those no longer with us,” he said. “In this time of celebration and reflection we express our gratitude to everyone who is giving up their Christmas for the sake of others.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pleaded with Australians to slow down on the roads this Christmas. The nation’s road toll has surged to a seven-year high, prompting pleas to prevent further tragedy this holiday season. “Already we’ve seen too many lives tragically lost on our roads these holidays,” Mr Albanese said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Our hearts are with those families grieving. “With unpredictable weather forecast across the country, please drive safely. “For yourself, your family and everyone on the road.”

Australian Test Batsman Usman Khawaja has had his latest attempt to display a message for peace in the Israel-Hamas conflict rejected by cricket's governing body. The ICC denied the opener permission to display a peace symbol and reference the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on his bat during the Boxing Day Test. Khawaja met Cricket Australia officials multiple times in the last couple of days to find an appropriate message to display as a compromise. The International Cricket Council forbid Khawaja from wearing the words 'freedom is a human right' and 'all lives are equal' on his shoes during the first test in Perth. Khawaja wore the sticker on his bat during today's final training session before the Boxing Day Test.

Wayside Chapel’s annual Christmas Day Street Party in Sydney is back this year. Tomorrow, Hughes Street in Kings Cross will be transformed to host a free seated Christmas lunch complete with all the trimmings for those people with nowhere to go this Christmas. “It has begun in earnest, probably weeks, even months ago, as hundreds of volunteers have descended to put together all the food and the trimmings and preparations and the decorations and the trees and invitations and all the applications it takes to shut down a street nowadays in Sydney,” Wayside Chapel Chief Executive and Pastor Jon Owen told Sky News Australia. “It’s been a beautiful outpouring of love, generosity and compassion – it’s really warmed all of our hearts with what’s been a particularly rough few years. “We’re getting up towards our 50th street party now … I think everyone had the wisdom to realise that on Christmas Day not necessarily everyone has an invite from a family member or a place they can go to.” “So, nearly 50 years ago, they said this is the place we bring everyone together, so let’s have a big celebration.”

Santa Claus is busy making final preparations for his annual globetrotting gift-giving Christmas trip. His helpers are working around the clock to get things ready at Santa’s Village in the north pole. Children from across the world are sending their last-minute wish lists. They are hoping they’ll reach Santa’s elves in time. The village’s post office receives about 30,000 letters a day in December.

A fire has engulfed a garage in Hurstville on Sunday morning. At least 20 people were evacuated from the unit block in southwest Sydney. It is believed garbage and household items were set alight on the Hudson Street block. The fire occurred just before 6am. No one was injured.

Thousands are descending on Sydney’s Fish Markets for last-minute Christmas food purchases ahead of the big day tomorrow. Around 150,000 shoppers are expected to file through the precinct across the weekend to purchase their seafood. Vendors will finish their 36-hour marathon at 5pm on Sunday night. It’s expected that 350 tonnes of seafood will be sold on Christmas Eve. Sydney Fish Market New Building Operations and Quota Management Gus Dannoun says Sydney is “quite fortunate” to have six of the largest seafood retailers available to them.

One man has died and multiple people have been injured after a shooting in the US. The shooting took place at a mall in Florida – while the suspect is believed to have fled. Police believe the shooting was a ‘targeted act of violence’ and that the dead man was the target. Police in the region are currently searching for the assailant. As they continue to search for the suspect, police are also making sure everyone evacuated or is safe within the shopping centre where the shooting happened.

Christmas has come early for animals at a French zoo. Pandas and Orangutans at France’s Beauval Zoo opened presents containing treats. Zookeepers also built a snowman made of ice with a carrot for a nose to the delight of the red pandas. The treats are part of the zoo’s enrichment program. The program is designed to stimulate captive animals’ cognitive abilities by sparking curiosity and creating variability in their daily routines.

A merchant ship with ties to Israel was attacked by a drone in the Arabian Sea off India’s coast on the weekend. The attack caused parts of the tanker to erupt in flames. The fire was later extinguished without any injuries. The chemical products tanker had been carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia. The incident follows drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthi Rebels who say they are supporting Palestine.

Laura Lynch, a founding member of the Dixie Chicks, has passed away at the age of 65 in a car crash. Lynch founded the band with Martie Maguire, Emily Strayer and Robin Lynn Macy in 1989. Local police said she was driving when a car travelling in the opposite direction attempted to overtake another car, resulting in a collision with the singer. The 65-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. Her former band released a statement saying, "her infectious energy and humour gave a spark to the early days of our band."

Two Australian brothers are central figures in a global fight over the future of video games. The two formed the company ‘Immutable’ which is now valued at more than $2.5 billion. Their company recently signed two major deals to become arguably the biggest player in ‘Web 3 gaming’. ‘Web 3’ games use crypto-currencies and NFTs. Players can buy and sell gear like guns, costumes and cards which can be used across multiple Web 3 games.