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While the cause of the disaster is still under investigation, videos and photos suggest the blaze spread quickly

Medical director says NHS far from complacent' as cold snap bites, with average of 2,676 flu patients a day on wardsThe number of people in hospital with flu in England has fallen for the second week in a row, NHS figures show, as England's top doctor said the health service was far from complacent" as a cold snap takes hold.An average of 2,676 flu patients were in hospital each day during the week ending 28 December, down 13% from 3,061 the previous week. Continue reading...

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice in place, with latest warnings reaching into MondayBitterly cold weather is expected to grip the UK over the weekend with as much as 10cm of snow already in some areas.A number of yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place, with the latest warnings reaching into Monday, while amber snow warnings for northern Scotland are in place until midday on Saturday. Continue reading...

They're cosy, civilised and different without disturbing things too much. Let's do this!At last. I have been waiting a year for this moment. I must apologise to you all. Twelve months ago, in this very organ, nay in this very diary, I noted that we were now in the hazy, lazy, crazy days between Boxing Day and New Year and thus wished you all a happy Christmas perineum". It should have been, of course, Merryneum". It has been bothering me ever since. I can only put it down to post-turkey malaise. If it helps, it is only while Googling around this subject to write this entry that I have realised that the nickname taint" - for the fleshly rather than festive part under discussion - refers to the fact that 't ain't the front, t ain't the back." I think perhaps I knew this at some level but hadn't consciously made the connection. Anyway. I offer the knowledge to you here in some kind of twisted act of contrition. Continue reading...

Hundreds hospitalised in Indore after public toilet built above water pipeline appears to have let sewage into supplySewage-contaminated drinking water is being blamed for killing at least 10 people, including a baby boy, and sending more than 270 others to hospital in Indore, ranked India's cleanest city" for the last eight years.Residents of a congested, lower-income neighbourhood in Indore, Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital, had been warning authorities for months about foul-smelling tap water. Their complaints went unheeded, despite the city's much-lauded ranking for waste segregation and other cleanliness measures. Continue reading...

Elsewhere, area of low pressure off Iberian peninsula brings heavy rainfall to southern Portugal and SpainAfter a recent heatwave affected large parts of Australia before Christmas, Cyclone Hayley made landfall along the north-west coast on Tuesday night. Hayley formed on 28 December in the southern Indian Ocean and steadily intensified on a path south towards the north coast of Western Australia.The system became a category 2 storm at its peak on Wednesday, with sustained winds of 105mph. After some weakening, Hayley crossed the Dampier peninsula near the town of Lombadina, still bringing intense winds and heavy rainfall. Hayley prompted a series of weather warnings from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, noting the potential for flash flooding and damage to property. Continue reading...

Multinational boosts online chatter after social media users showcase product's widespread use in life hacksAs a product discovered more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline may not seem like an obvious target for social media algorithms.Yet the brand's emergence as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in traditional media. Continue reading...

BPG hopes to find buyer for Grade II-listed structure by summer after slump in profits and rising costsBrighton's historic Palace Pier has been put up for sale after a decline in tourist numbers, a drop in profits and increase in costs in recent years.The leisure group that owns the 126-year-old structure, which has appeared in famous films including Brighton Rock and Quadrophenia, said it hoped to find a new owner by the summer. Continue reading...

Average property price drops by 0.4% in December to 271,068 after forecasts of 0.1% month-on-month rise

Blue-chip share index, created in 1984, has risen by more than 20% over past 12 months

The 29-year-old was also charged with attempted murder after fire in Clyde North

Anti-racism groups warn some people are avoiding public transport or limiting their use of it for fear of abuseRacial and religious hate crime on public transport is on the rise according to new data obtained by the Guardian, as community groups report how people are restricting their daily journeys because they fear abuse or assault.Police forces across the country have recorded an increase in hate crimes over the past year, with a significant rise in racially motivated offences in Scotland as well as religious hate crimes targeting Muslims in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Critics say removing battery installation requirement will reduce amount homebuyers save on energy billsMinisters are poised to allow homes in England to be built without carbon-cutting technology in what experts have said is a climbdown after pressure from housebuilders.The future homes standard (FHS), due to be published in January, will regulate how all homes are built and is expected to enforce tough new regulations such as mandating solar panels on nearly all houses and high standards of insulation and heat pumps in most cases. Continue reading...

RMT estimates six cleaning, security and catering suppliers made 150m profits last yearRailway leaders should think afresh" about outsourcing contracts and try to run services better, the rail minister has said, as union research indicated six major private suppliers made 150m in profits last year.Rail unions are campaigning to end the widespread outsourcing of jobs such as cleaning, security and catering, arguing that staff employed by third-party companies have worse conditions and that profits could be reinvested in the railway. Continue reading...

Blaze that swept through crowded New Year's Eve bar in Crans-Montana also injured 115 people

Authorities warn that speeding was the biggest killer in 2025, a contributing factor in 134 deathsNew South Wales has recorded the deadliest year on its roads in eight years, with indications that there was no progress in curbing road fatalities nationwide in 2025.In 2025, 355 people died on roads in NSW, 28 more than in 2024, the state government announced on Friday. It is the highest annual death toll on the state's roads since 2017, when there were 392 deaths. Continue reading...

Kim Ju-ae has been making increasingly prominent appearances in state media over the past three yearsThe daughter of the North Korean ruler, Kim Jong-un, who is likely being prepared as his successor has accompanied her parents on her first public visit to the Kumsusan mausoleum to pay respects to former leaders, ahead of an event that could see her succession formalised.Photos from state news agency KCNA showed Kim Jong-un accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and senior officials on the visit on 1 January, with Ju-ae between her parents in the main hall of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun. Continue reading...

Man, 32, had been snorkelling at Ledge Point Beach when reported missing, while police also searching for two who went missing at Coogee Beach and Palm Beach, NSW

Australia's department of foreign affairs providing consular assistance to person injured at Crans-Montana and their family

Signatories to open letter include former Reserve Bank of Australia governors Philip Lowe and Glenn Stevens and billionaire James Packer

Nationwide protests against living conditions enter fifth day with security forces reportedly using live ammunitionThe largest protests in Iran for three years entered a fifth day on Thursday amid reports of deadly clashes between protesters and security forces, with state-affiliated media confirming at least two people had been killed.Although state media did not identify those killed, witnesses and videos circulating on social media appear to show protesters lying motionless on the ground after security forces opened fire. Continue reading...

Police say blaze tore through crowded bar where people were seeing in the new year

Met Office issues amber and yellow weather warnings as Arctic air blows in from ScandinaviaLarge parts of the UK will be blanketed with snow and ice as chilly Arctic air blows in a bitterly cold start to 2026.Snowfall is forecast for all four countries on Friday or Saturday, with blizzard conditions and thundersnow" expected in the Scottish Highlands. Continue reading...

Tragicomedy will be performed outdoors in Northern Irish countryside as part of new festival celebrating Irish playwrightBeneath a stark steel tree in a bleak upland bog, a literary masterpiece is set to assume a different linguistic mantle.Samuel Beckett's enigmatic tragicomedy Waiting for Godot will make its world premiere in Ulster Scots, a moment described as a coming of age" for the minority language, and the antithesis of the trend for celebrity Godots. Continue reading...

Concerning' disparities in access to continuous glucose monitors despite black and south Asian people being more likely to live with conditionPeople from ethnic minority backgrounds in England are less likely to have access to the latest diabetes technology, despite being more likely to live with the condition, according to analysis.Devices such as a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can help people check their blood glucose levels in order to better manage the disease. Continue reading...

Ador terminated the Australian-born singer's contract on Monday and is now suing her, a family member and the band's former producerThe K-pop record label Ador is suing a former member of megaband NewJeans for millions in damages, it has announced, a day after removing her from the group following a year-long dispute that saw the band allege mistreatment and attempt to leave their contract.The compensation suit against Danielle Marsh, a 20-year-old Australian-born singer, comes months after a Seoul district court ruled that NewJeans' five members must honour their contracts with Ador, whose parent company Hybe is also behind the K-pop sensation BTS. The band's contract runs until 2029. Continue reading...

Blaze on city's eastern fringe contained but not controlled on Thursday with firefighters warning of risk to lives and homes

BBC reveals latest cast, which also features cybersecurity expert, sweet shop assistant and personal trainerA retired police detective, a crime writer and a psychologist are among the next cohort of contestants to enter The Traitors' castle, as the BBC revealed details of the latest series of its smash-hit sleuthing show.A sweet shop assistant, a cybersecurity expert and a personal trainer are also among those to be divided into plotting traitors" and the faithfuls" tasked with unmasking them. Continue reading...

Demonstrations against deteriorating living conditions have widened to include criticism of how Iran is governedAlborz, a textile merchant in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, decided he could no longer sit on the sidelines. He closed his shop and took to the streets, joining merchants across Iran who shuttered their stores and students who took over their campuses to protest against declining economic conditions.The sudden loss of purchasing power pushed Alborz and tens of thousands of other Iranians into the streets, where protests are now entering their fourth day. Students have paralysed university campuses, traders have shut down their stores and demonstrators have blocked off streets in defiance of police. Protests have spread from the capital, Tehran, to cities across Iran. Continue reading...

Government should have appointed an envoy to carry out checks on activist in citizenship row, says Emily ThornberryThe government could have avoided embarrassing failures" in the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah by having a special envoy deal with complex cases involving Britons detained abroad, Emily Thornberry has said.The chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee criticised serious shortcomings" in information sharing, which she said could have been resolved by having a dedicated official carry out background checks. Continue reading...

Begum's lawyers argue she was child trafficking victim when she travelled to live under IS in Syria in 2015The European court of human rights has questioned the UK government over its 2019 decision to remove Shamima Begum's British citizenship.Lawyers in Europe have asked how Begum's treatment complies with the UK's responsibilities to victims of trafficking. Continue reading...

Border guards say they found ship with anchor lowered into sea after detection of fault in Helsinki-Tallinn telecoms linkFinnish authorities have boarded and seized a cargo vessel sailing from Russia on suspicion of sabotaging two underwater telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea, where a series of similar incidents have occurred in recent years.The vessel, the Fitburg, was on its way from St Petersburg to Haifa in Israel. Finnish coastguard officers boarded the ship at 11am, about six hours after disruption to the cables was first reported. Fourteen crew members, including several Russians, were taken into custody. Continue reading...

Bomb disposal specialists attend scene to assess items and several properties evacuated, says Lancashire constabularyA 16-year-old boy has been arrested after explosive material was found at an address in Blackpool.Lancashire constabulary said a number of properties had been evacuated as a precaution after officers found a quantity of items of concern" at about 11.30am on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Near-freezing temperatures likely but clear, dry skies will be perfect for viewing fireworks, says Met OfficeSnowfall is expected across much of the UK in a chilly start to the new year, forecasters have said, as revellers were advised to wrap up with near-freezing temperatures expected on New Year's Eve.Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations are expected to go ahead after last year's cancellation due to high winds, despite yellow warnings for snow across northern Scotland. Continue reading...

US president's assertions climate change is a hoax' and London has police no-go areas left unchallenged, say criticsBritain's media regulator Ofcom is under pressure to investigate a GB News interview with Donald Trump after complaints that it contained misleading and inaccurate claims that the network failed to challenge.The rightwing channel claimed a world exclusive sit-down interview" with the US president in November, in which Trump asserted that human-induced climate change was a hoax" and that London had no-go areas for police and that the capital had sharia law". Continue reading...

Can inflation be tamed without further interest rate hikes? And will the hot streak for gold and silver continue in 2026?

Officials warned of major economic, environmental and social disruption to Australia due to its dependence on coal

Alexander Downer told senior colleagues the H5N1 strain of bird flu could mutate into a pandemic with potentially devastating consequences' for Australia and the world

Hospitals brace for new year surge in sick patients as temperatures plummet and with 95% of beds fullThe NHS is under extraordinary pressure" and braced for a new year surge in sick patients as amber cold health alerts were issued for the whole of England.While the number of patients in hospital with flu is levelling off, according to data published on Wednesday, health leaders said the NHS was not out of danger yet" with temperatures expected to plummet. Continue reading...

Rail services between Sheffield and Doncaster affected on New Year's Eve after incident at ConisbroughTrain passengers in South Yorkshire are facing disruption on New Year's Eve after the theft of signalling cables, Network Rail has said.The rail body said services between Sheffield and Doncaster would be affected all day after the theft in Conisbrough. Continue reading...

As a judge puts a security hold on Rob and Michele Reiner's cases and Joe Rogan criticises Donald Trump's comments about Reiner's death, collaborators continue to pay tributeMore than two weeks after the deaths of the film director Rob Reiner and his photographer wife, Michele, friends and colleagues continue to pay tribute to the couple.Writing on Instagram, Cary Elwes, who starred in Reiner's 1987 classic The Princess Bride, said he only now felt able to post publicly about his loss. Continue reading...

Country's six-month stint at helm begins with defence, migration and Ukraine still at top of agendaCyprus says it will bring a new approach to the table" when it assumes the EU presidency on Thursday, as defence, migration and Ukraine continue to top the agenda at a time of acute geopolitical uncertainty.As one of the bloc's smaller member states, Cyprus will tackle its six-month stint at the EU's helm with discipline and dedication but also a different mindset", the Cypriot foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, said. Continue reading...

SES officer praised by police after entering crocodile-filled waters to retrieve body of man from submerged car

PM Sanae Takaichi joins petition asking for better facilities for women to match improved representationNearly 60 female lawmakers in Japan, including the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more toilets in the parliament building for women to match their improved representation.Japanese politics remains hugely male-dominated, although the number of women in the parliament rose at the last election - and Takaichi became the first female prime minister in October. This is reflected by there being only one lavatory containing two cubicles for the lower house's 73 women to use near the Diet's main plenary session hall in central Tokyo. Continue reading...

NSW premier Chris Minns encourages Sydneysiders to puff out your chest', stating police on high alert' as more than 1 million people expected to celebrate in the city

Report of a drone attack on a port facility signals new phase in US military campaign against Nicolas Maduro

Government sources say social media posts by British-Egyptian activist do not meet legal bar for such sanctionThe Home Office will not strip the British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah of his citizenship because his abhorrent" past social media posts do not meet the legal bar for such a sanction, government sources have said.Abd el-Fattah, who landed in London from Egypt on Boxing Day, has been at the centre of a political storm over social media posts he published more than a decade ago, including tweets in which he called for Zionists to be killed. Continue reading...

Assertion comes after the Kremlin accused Ukraine of attacking Vladimir Putin's palace in Novgorod

Exclusive: In letter declining proposed award, Tressa Burke, CEO of Glasgow Disability Alliance, accused government of fuelling hatred'The head of one of Scotland's foremost disability rights charities says she turned down an MBE in the recent new year honours because the UK government was fuelling hatred, blame and scapegoating of people with disabilities".Tressa Burke, chief executive officer of the Glasgow Disability Alliance, had been recommended by the prime minister for the honour for her services to people with disabilities. Over two decades, Burke has grown the organisation from seed into a nationally recognised voice for disabled people in Scotland's largest city, and supported more than 5,000 members through the pandemic. Continue reading...