Fans started gathering from 8.30am and by late afternoon the crowd had swelled to fill the outdoor space, which has a capacity of about 8,000

Revellers left disappointed after false reports of display in social mediaThousands of people gathered in the centre of Birmingham on New Year's Eve despite a police warning that the announcement of a fireworks display was false.Police and the city council had urged revellers not to travel after false reports there would be a spectacular show in Centenary Square. Continue reading...

Specialists raise alarm over companies such as Moneyful promoting easy money' in exchange for personal detailsConsumers struggling to pay bills over the festive season have been urged not to sign up with companies that offer money in exchange for personal details in order to open multiple betting accounts in their name.Fraud prevention and consumer specialists raised the alarm after the Guardian highlighted one such company, Kent-based Moneyful Ltd, which promoted the chance to make easy money" over the festive period. Continue reading...

Ex-security minister says assassination ordered by Trump set off chain of events that led to revolution in SyriaDonald Trump's decision to sanction the assassination of an elite Iranian commander triggered a chain of events that has revealed Iran as a paper tiger and led to the overthrow of Basher al-Assad, a former UK security minister has said.Tom Tugendhat, now on the Conservative backbenches and intending to focus on foreign policy, also predicted the Iranian regime would collapse in a few years. He said that if handled properly, Syria could become the economic powerhouse of the Middle East within a decade. Continue reading...

More than a third of 15-year-old girls and less than a quarter of boys in UK say they repeatedly get drunk, OECD saysTeenage girls are outdrinking their male peers in the UK at a greater rate than in any other European country, according to research.More than a third of 15-year-old girls in the UK report getting repeatedly drunk, compared with less than a quarter of boys the same age, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found. Continue reading...

Night skies will light up on New Year's Eve to welcome in 2025. Here's your guide to child-friendly shows plus what time and where to see the fireworks in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country

Trial conducted solely against teenager's parents as their son could not be criminally prosecuted due to his ageA Belgrade court has jailed the parents of a 13-year-old boy after he shot dead nine students and a security guard at an elementary school in Serbia's capital last year.The killings, on 3 May 2023, deeply shocked the Balkan nation, where mass shootings have been rare despite high levels of gun ownership. Continue reading...

Hill, imprisoned for 16 years for 1974 pub bombing, set up organisation helping other victims of miscarriages of justicePaddy Hill, one of six men wrongly convicted for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings who went on to set up an organisation dedicated to helping others facing miscarriages of justice, has died aged 80.Cathy Molloy, the recently retired chief executive officer of the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation (Mojo), which Hill founded, said he died peacefully at his home in Ayrshire, cared for by his wife, Tara, on Monday morning". Continue reading...

For years reporters at Syria's state news agency had to toe the line. As life in Syria grew harder, so did the their workAfter 21 years, the day Farouk feared had finally come. An envelope sealed with red wax made its way through the faded hallways of Syria's national news agency, Sana, and landed on his desk. Inside was what employees called a penalty, the contents of which could range from a reprimand from the editors to a summons to one of Syria's brutal security branches.I found a mistake before the article was published and I brought it to the editors' attention. I thought this would be a good thing but they punished me," Farouk, a journalist on Sana's foreign news desk, said under a pseudonym. Continue reading...

Warsaw's return to the European mainstream with presidency of the EU Council may not be quite what it seemsGermany's chancellor appears to be heading for defeat; France's president is mired in crisis. But while Europe's traditional power duo are in the doldrums, there is a strong, stable and pro-EU leader east of Paris and Berlin - Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk.For European officials, it's a helpful gift of the calendar that Poland takes charge of the EU Council rotating presidency from 1 January. Continue reading...

Authorities plan to question Yoon on allegations of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion after his short-lived declaration of martial lawSouth Korean law enforcement officials have requested a court warrant to arrest impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, as they investigate whether his short-lived martial law decree amounted to rebellion.The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities into the power grab that lasted only a few hours on 3 December, confirmed it requested the warrant from a Seoul court. They plan to question Yoon on allegations of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion. Continue reading...

The country has recorded 32 reported drowning deaths in December, according to Royal Life Saving Australia data

Newly released Irish archives include leaks from UK government and RUC's attempts to undermine Sinn FeinParts of the British government and disgruntled members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary were responsible for a series of major leaks during and after the establishment of the 1998 Good Friday agreement in Northern Ireland, according to claims in newly released Irish government archives.An Irish department of foreign Affairs official focusing on justice and security created a report and list of the leaks in October 2002. They included attempts to undermine Sinn Fein, the republican political party linked to the IRA, and expose the position of the then Northern Ireland secretary, Mo Mowlam. Continue reading...

Two men from Victoria and South Africa are charged with trafficking the drug into Australia

Incident at Gelan bridge in Bona Zuria Woreda claimed lives of 66 people so far', says Sidama health bureauMore than 60 people have died after a road accident in southern Ethiopia, the local health authority said on Sunday.Sidama state is in the south of Ethiopia, about 300km south of the capital Addis Ababa. Continue reading...

Temporary air restrictions in place for remainder of day because of low visibility, says air traffic control providerDisruption caused by dense fog was expected to continue at Gatwick airport until the end of Sunday - its busiest day of the holiday period.Nats, the UK's main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions were in place for the remainder of the day because of low visibility in airfields affected by fog. Continue reading...

This blog is closed. Read more on the plane crash here:

Team from NTSB, FAA and manufacturer Boeing to assist investigation of Jeju Air crash that killed 179The US is sending air accident investigators to South Korea to help determine what went wrong with the Jeju Air plane that crash-landed at Muan airport and skidded in a barrier early on Sunday, killing 179.The team of investigators includes the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing, which manufactured the 17-year-old aircraft. Continue reading...

Mike Lawler says Mike Johnson should remain speaker as cracks appear between Trump's team and far rightThe US House member Mike Lawler attempted on Sunday to tease out two pressing issues facing the new Congress beginning in 2025, telling an American political talkshow that this was not the moment for his fellow Republicans to have a food fight" over leadership in Capitol Hill and that the country needs an immigration system that works".Both issues have dominated political headlines in recent days, as potential policy splits become apparent between far-right congressional Republicans and the executive team being assembled for their party leader Donald Trump's second presidency beginning in January. Continue reading...

Order triggers new wave of displacement and there are reports of damage to two more Gaza hospitalsIsrael has issued new evacuation orders for all remaining civilians to leave Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza as part of a blistering three-month-old campaign that Israel denies is aimed at depopulating a third of the Palestinian territory, amid reports Israeli attacks have damaged two more struggling hospitals in Gaza City.The Israeli army forcibly evacuated Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia on Friday, leaving the northern third of the strip, which is cut off from the rest of Gaza, with just one small functioning medical centre, al-Awda, in nearby Jabalia. On Sunday, everyone remaining in Beit Lahia was ordered to leave after Palestinian militants launched five rockets from the area that targeted Israeli territory. Continue reading...

Flight data and cockpit voice recorders recovered from wreckage of Jeju Air flight 2216 at Muan airportDistraught family members gathered at Muan international airport in South Korea on Sunday after a plane carrying 181 people from Bangkok crashed, killing all but two people onboard, in the country's worst domestic civil aviation disaster.Officials said all 175 passengers and four of the six crew members were killed when the Boeing 737-800 attempted an emergency landing, smashed into a wall and burst into flames at 9am local time at the airport, about 185 miles south-west of Seoul. Continue reading...

Analysts say measurable, lasting outcomes' require long-term planning after Tory cuts of up to 78% in some casesThe Treasury needs to rethink public spending to focus on prevention of the UK's health, crime and homelessness problems after cuts of up to 78% under the Tories, a report from Demos and the Health Foundation has found.It said prevention spending should be carved out and protected just like capital spending was from the 1990s onwards so that departments are better able to preserve budgets with long term benefits. Continue reading...

Four 17-year-old boys held on suspicion of murder and others detained on suspicion of assisting an offenderSeven people have been arrested after a murder investigation was launched into the fatal stabbing of an 18-year-old man in Derbyshire, police said.East Midlands ambulance service contacted police at 8.20pm on Saturday to report that a man had been stabbed on Rose Avenue in the town of Ilkeston. Continue reading...

Travel disruption expected as forecaster issues weather warnings for almost all of UK from Monday to ThursdayRevellers could see their New Year's Eve plans curtailed or cancelled as heavy rain, snow and strong winds are forecast to hit the UK, causing travel disruption for most of this week.The Met Office issued multiple yellow weather warnings for Monday to Thursday, with almost all of the country affected by at least one alert. Continue reading...

Experts say bird strikes are relatively common and should not have been enough to cause landing gear failure

Exclusive: Frank Cottrell-Boyce says Conservative funding freeze over 14 years has created enormous' equality gapThe poor state of school buildings is exposing pupils to irreparable" harm, the UK's children's laureate has said, after a Guardian investigation revealed that more than 1.5 million students in England were being taught in dilapidated schools.The award-winning screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce said the Conservative party's decision to freeze funding per pupil in England for 14 years had left the country with an enormous" equality gap. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Full structural surveys to be carried out on representative sample of about 100 system-built blocksMinisters have ordered intrusive structural surveys of a group of ageing, postwar school buildings in England amid mounting concern about hidden defects that could lead to structural failures.After the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) crisis, which closed schools and prompted mass inspections, the government is concerned about thousands of system-built" school structures that could pose a safety risk. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Josh Babarinde pushing for change in law after some abusers were part of autumn early release from prisonOfficials are examining whether to change the way domestic violence crimes are recorded after a campaign by an MP who says the lack of a specific offence allows abusers to be freed early from jail.Josh Babarinde, the Liberal Democrats' justice spokesperson, said a change would also help highlight the prevalence of domestic violence, which he said was still too often hidden. Continue reading...

President Aliyev says Moscow must admit its guilt' after downing plane, albeit unintentionally, with loss of 38 livesAzerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally, and criticised Moscow for trying to hush up" the issue for days.We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia ... We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done," he told Azerbaijani state television. Continue reading...

Collapse of chains such as Homebase and Body Shop contributed to big rise, and another tough year is on the cardsAlmost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs during another challenging year for the UK high street, data suggests.The collapse of big chains such as Homebase and The Body Shop put thousands of jobs at risk and contributed to 169,395 retail jobs disappearing during 2024 - a 42% rise on 2023 levels. Continue reading...

Prolific US hip-hop artists have used the track Watermelon Fantasy, created in 2018 by Daylight StudioSnoop Dogg has worked with artists including Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry and Mariah Carey - and now a small London charity for people with learning disabilities has joined that list.The rapper, with Dr Dre, sampled the song Watermelon Fantasy, released by the charity Daylight Studio in 2018, for the single Outta Da Blue from their new album, Missionary, which was released on 13 December. Continue reading...

Birmingham airport and Liverpool Street station are among hubs where visits are up, says office providerAfter working from home, now comes working on the go. The post-pandemic surge in hybrid working has prompted increasing numbers of professionals to carry out some work while on the move, logging in from airports and railway stations across the UK, according to research.Footfall at transport hub-based workspaces has soared by 31% on average since 2022, according to figures from International Workplace Group (IWG), one of the world's largest providers of serviced offices, whose brands include Regus. Continue reading...

Cecilia Sala, 29, was detained in Tehran three days after US warrant used to hold Swiss-Iranian businessman in MilanThe arrest of a renowned Italian journalist in Iran is reportedly in retaliation for the detention of a Swiss-Iranian businessman and suspected arms dealer in Italy three days earlier, according to media reports quoting the US state department.Cecilia Sala, 29, a war correspondent and reporter who works for the Italian newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained on 19 December while reporting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and held in solitary confinement for a week. Continue reading...

Sources close to Tory leader reject report amid tensions over Badenoch's claim Reform faked membership numbersAllies of Kemi Badenoch have dismissed as nonsense" claims that she asked GB News to cut airtime for Nigel Farage.It follows a row in which the Tory leader accused Reform of faking its membership numbers. Farage said Reform surpassed the Tories in membership on Boxing Day and has called on Badenoch to apologise for her accusations that the figures are manipulated. Continue reading...

Two years after Netflix introduced ads, streaming advertising is 30% of the size of traditional TV ad marketA little more than two years after Netflix moved to further disrupt the TV industry by introducing commercials, galvanising already fierce competition to grab budgets targeted at traditional TV, the market for streaming advertising in the UK will pass the 1bn milestone.For the first decade of the streaming revolution the received wisdom, most fervently espoused by Netflix, was that the days of the TV commercial were numbered, with consumers willing to pay in return for an uninterrupted viewing experience. Continue reading...

Salome Zourabichvili tells protesters she will leave presidential palace as far-right successor Mikheil Kavelashvili takes powerGeorgia's pro-western president, Salome Zourabichvili, has said she will leave the palace but remain the country's legitimate officeholder, after refusing to hand over the keys to her successor in the wake of a controversial general election.Zourabichvili spoke as thousands of protesters gathered in the capital, Tblisi, to demonstrate against the inauguration of Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former football player turned far-right politician backed by the ruling pro-Moscow and increasingly authoritarian Georgian Dream (GD) party, who was sworn in as president at a parliamentary ceremony. Continue reading...

The deaths make 2024 the deadliest year on record for small boat Channel crossingsThree people have died after falling from an overcrowded small boat trying to cross from France to the UK, as 2024 became the deadliest year on record for perilous sea crossings.The boat ran into trouble at about 6am on Sunday near Bleriot-Plage, a public beach in Sangatte close to the French Channel port of Calais, emergency services said. Several people fell into the water trying to board the overcrowded vessel. Continue reading...

Several MPs preparing to suggest amendments on key concerns including coercion and role of medicsUp to 30 MPs who backed assisted dying could withdraw support at the next parliamentary vote, MPs have said, as several prepare to suggest amendments on coercion and the role of medics.The committee that will examine the next stage of Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying bill will begin hearings in the new year, with MPs coalescing around several demands for changes to the legislation. Continue reading...

New powers come amid concerns that cyber-attacks and outages could put the country's financial stability at riskCity regulators will begin cracking down in the new year on tech firms providing critical" services to UK banks amid concerns that cyber-attacks and outages at companies such as Google or Amazon could put the country's financial stability at risk.From 1 January, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority will be handed powers to regulate companies that are becoming a crucial part of the day-to-day operations of the increasingly digital banking and payments sector. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Force reaches out-of-court settlement with Xanthe Wells, who was accused of being at pro-Palestine demonstrationScotland Yard has paid 5,000 in an out-of-court settlement after allegedly unlawfully imprisoning a 17-year-old who was wrongly accused of being at a pro-Palestine protest where a building was spray-painted.The case is said by civil liberties campaigners to be compelling evidence of a heavy-handed approach by the Met to the policing of demonstrations over the last year. Continue reading...

Footage appears to show Boeing 737-800 skidding along runway at Muan airport before hitting wall and catching fire

Incident highlights potential risks posed to disaster response by instability at highest level of government

Exclusive: UK teenagers placed in temporary housing until they are adults as there are fewer obligations to support them if they are not care leaversCouncils are treating teenagers like homeless adults and placing them in unsuitable temporary housing rather than taking them into care, new research has shown.Local authorities are waiting out the clock" when assessing vulnerable 16- and 17-year-olds until they can be classed as adults. The teenagers were kept in the dark about their rights after escaping harrowing" family situations involving physical and emotional abuse, addiction and mental health problems, according to research by the Coram Institute for Children charity. Continue reading...

Speakers banned after criticising government in social media postsThe information watchdog has been asked to investigate authoritarian" government vetting that caused speakers to be banned from official events for criticising ministers.Two experts, who discovered that civil servants had combed through years of social media posts to judge them unsuitable" to address conferences, believe the practice was covert and unlawful. Continue reading...

More walkouts planned in 2025 at V&A, Natural History and Science museums as workers demand living wageThree of the UK's biggest museums face the threat of strike action in 2025 by security guards over pay and conditions.Guards at the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum are in dispute with the external contractor, Wilson James. They want a basic pay rate of 16 an hour to cope with the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

As 2025 dawns, we look back at the star players over the last 12 months of economic drama, mishap and scandalThe end of the year is a time for pausing, reflection and exhaustion. But before throwing ourselves into 2025, it's worth sifting through the remnants of 2024 to see who in the business world has done something worth remembering.So, once more with gusto, the Observer Agenda page brings you its awards for the brightest - or perhaps most glaring - lights in the business world this year. Continue reading...

BoM says light winds are expected to temper the fire danger despite high temperatures, especially inland

Dangerous practice was supposed to be phased out but new data reveals thousands of incidents every yearMental health patients are being pinned face down by staff thousands of times a year, despite ministers and health experts repeatedly warning that it is dangerous.Prone restraint, in which someone is held chest down to defuse an incident, has been a source of controversy for years and been involved in the death of a number of people with mental health problems. Continue reading...

Sixty-year-old pilot dies but surviving passenger stable in hospital

The actor announced on social media that the legal wedding' was officiated by her sister