- Thursday, 25 December 2025
BBC
Planes grounded as mass worldwide IT outage hits airlines, media and banks
A raft of Australian institutions - including major banks, media outlets and an airline - have reported being hit by a mass IT outage. Jetstar has been crippled at Sydney airport, supermarkets are experiencing checkout chaos, and broadcast networks have been left scrambling on air as autocue and graphics failed.
Thousands of rare bird eggs worth $500,000 seized in Australia
A collection of 3,404 eggs have been seized in Australia after a European operation into the illegal bird trade. Investigators discovered the haul - believed to be worth $400,000 to $500,000 (£207,000 - £259,000) - at a property in Granton, Tasmania on 9 July.
Biden under new pressure from top Democrats as Covid halts campaign
President Joe Biden faces new questions over his candidacy in the November election - with his campaign events currently on pause due to a Covid-19 infection. The top two Democrats in the US Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are both reported to have met him individually to express concerns over his bid for the White House.
Thailand expands visa-free entry to 93 countries
Thailand has expanded its visa-free entry scheme to 93 countries and territories as it seeks to revitalize its tourism industry. Visitors can stay in the South-East Asian nation for up to 60 days under the new scheme that took effect on Monday.
Four killed in shooting near Oman mosque
Four people have been killed in a shooting near a mosque in Oman's capital Muscat, the country's police say. In a brief statement, they say "a number" of people were also injured in the al-Wadi al-Kabir area.
Argentina beat Colombia to win 16th Copa America
Argentina beat Colombia to win a record 16th Copa America but the game was marred by the kick-off being delayed by 80 minutes because of trouble outside the ground in Miami.
Trump shot in ear in rally assassination attempt
Former US President Donald Trump was rushed off stage after gunshots erupted at a rally in Pennsylvania in an apparent assassination attempt.
Australian dad charged with killing his children in fire
An Australian father has been charged with murdering three of his children and attempting to kill the rest of his family in a house fire. A five-month-old girl, a two-year-old boy and a six-year-old boy died in the blaze. Three boys and a girl - aged between four and 11 - survived, along with their mother.
Messi leads Argentina into Copa America final
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to the Copa America final with a 2-0 win over Canada. The 37-year-old scored six minutes into the second half to double Argentina's lead when he deflected an effort from Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez past Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
Floods kill six rhinos in India national park
More than 130 wild animals, including at least six rare rhinos, have died in flooding at a national park in north-eastern India, officials say. The Kaziranga National Park in Assam is experiencing its worst deluge in recent years.
French far right seeks vote win but deadlock looms
France is voting in one of its most significant elections in years, with the far right hoping for a historic victory, but with political stalemate the more likely result.
Reformer Massoud Pezeshkian elected Iran's president
Reformist Massoud Pezeshkian has been elected Iran's new president, beating his hardline conservative rival Saeed Jalili. The vote was declared in Dr Pezeshkian's favour after he secured 53.3% of the more than 30 million votes counted. Jalili polled 44.3%. The run-off came after no candidate secured a majority in the first round of the election on 28 June, which saw a historically low voter turnout of 40%.
Labour's Keir Starmer becomes UK prime minister
Sir Keir Starmer has become the UK's first Labour prime minister since 2010 after his party's landslide general election victory. Labour is returning to power with a huge parliamentary majority of 174, following a collapse in support for the Conservatives.
Samsung expects profits to jump by more than 1,400%
By João da Silva, July 5: Samsung Electronics expects its profits for the three months to June 2024 to jump 15-fold compared to the same period last year.An artificial intelligence (AI) boom has lifted the prices of advanced chips, driving up the firm's forecast for the second quarter.The South Korean tech giant is the world's largest maker of memory chips, smartphones and televisions.The announcement pushed Samsung shares up more than 2% during early trading hours in Seoul.The firm also reported a more than 10-fold jump in its profits for the first three months of this year.In this quarter, it said it is expecting its profit to rise to 10.4tn won ($7.54bn; £5.9bn), from 670bn won last year.That surpasses analysts' forecasts of 8.8tn won, according to LSEG SmartEstimate."Right now we are seeing skyrocketing demand for AI chips in data centres and smartphones," said Marc Einstein, chief analyst at Tokyo-based research and advisory firm ITR Corporation.Optimism about AI is one reason for the broader market rally over the last year, which pushed the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq in the United States to new records on Wednesday.The market value of chip-making giant Nvidia surged past $3tn last month, briefly holding the top spot as the world's most valuable company."The AI boom which massively boosted Nvidia is also boosting Samsung's earnings and indeed those of the entire sector," Einstein added.Samsung Electronics is the flagship unit of South Korean conglomerate Samsung Group.Next week, the tech company faces a possible three-day strike, which is expected to start on Monday. A union of workers is demanding a more transparent system for bonuses and time off.
Bodies of 89 migrants retrieved from Atlantic
Coastguards in Mauritania have recovered 89 bodies of migrants from a boat that capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. Nine people - including a five-year-old girl - were rescued, but dozens more are missing.
