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...

Exclusive: Sales via intermediary companies appear to continue despite Michelin's attempts to cut off tradeRussia has continued to use intermediary companies, including one apparently based in the UK, to import aviation tyres made by the French firm Michelin despite attempts to stop the trade, customs records suggest.Despite sanctions on the sale of civilian and aviation tyres to Russia, which is critically dependent on foreign suppliers, an analysis of records indicates that a significant number are continuing to get through. Continue reading...

CEO of Britain's biggest household energy supplier says technology arm could float in the medium term

Coral Adventurer, separately being investigated for allegedly leaving behind passenger who died on Lizard Island, ordered not to leave PNG waters

Zia's archrivalry with Sheikh Hasina defined the country's politics for a generationKhaleda Zia, the first female prime minister of Bangladesh whose long rivalry with Sheikh Hasina defined the country's politics for a generation, has died aged 80.Zia was one of the most significant and divisive political figures in the country since Bangladesh independence 50 years ago. Her death was announced on Tuesday morning by the Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP). Continue reading...

MP Anneliese Dodds made a dame and former head of Labour Together thinktank Jonathan Ashworth a CBETwo of Keir Starmer's closest allies have been named in the new year honours list.The former international development minister Anneliese Dodds, who resigned in February this year, has been named a dame and Jonathan Ashworth, who led the Labour Together thinktank until July, a CBE. Continue reading...

Syal becomes a dame, Last of the Summer Wine writer Roy Clarke gets knighthood and Paul Elliott awarded MBEThe creator of some of British television's most beloved sitcoms, a Match of the Day presenter and a Chuckle Brother are among the figures from the arts and media to be recognised in the new year honours list.Roy Clarke, who created some of the most popular BBC shows of the previous century, has been honoured with a knighthood. He has had a huge impact on British television, creating shows including Last of the Summer Wine, Keeping Up Appearances and Open All Hours. Continue reading...

Simon Roberts, credited with helping to turn around grocer, made CBE along with former BAE Systems boss Ian KingThe boss of Sainsbury's who helped turn around the grocer's fortunes is among leading figures from the business world to be recognised in the new year honours list.Simon Roberts, who has been chief executive of the UK's second largest supermarket since 2020, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the retail industry. Continue reading...

Much attention was paid to the problem of misogyny, but focus was also placed on issues such as paternity leave and mental healthThe prime minister said it was a really hard watch", while a British police force said it should be a wake-up call for parents". The Netflix drama Adolescence - which tells the story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for killing a female classmate - was hailed from the school gates to the Houses of Parliament for shedding a spotlight on the toxic influence of the manosphere.But the national conversation did not end with the final episode of the much-discussed drama. A series of high-profile campaigns, conversations, policy shifts and research have resulted in a sense that 2025 has been the year of the boy. Continue reading...

Taipei condemns exercise that Chinese army calls a stern warning' against separatist and external forcesChina has launched live-fire military drills around Taiwan, simulating a blockade of major ports, attacking maritime targets, and fending off international interference", in what it calls a warning to separatist" forces in Taiwan.The People's Liberation Army (PLA) - the military wing of the ruling Communist party in China - sent its navy, air force, rocket force and coastguard to surround Taiwan on Monday morning for a surprise exercise called Justice Mission 2025", which began less than an hour after it was announced. Continue reading...

A sober observer assessing the US president's claim may react the same way as Zelenskyy - with shock and disbelief

Children's father tried to break into bedroom from outside to rescue them but was beaten back by flamesA woman and two children aged seven and four were killed in a fire in the early hours of Boxing Day after their father, a serving police officer, desperately tried to save them.The officer smashed his way out of the stone cottage in the Cotswolds and tried to break into his children's bedroom from the outside to rescue them but was beaten back by the flames. Continue reading...

In documentary I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not, the actor and his family revealed that doctors told them to prepare yourselves for the worst'Chevy Chase suffered near fatal" heart failure which led to him being placed in an induced coma during the pandemic in 2021, according to a new film about the American actor and comedian.As documented in I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not, the star of films such as Caddyshack and the National Lampoon movies, who hosted the Oscars twice, spent a total of five weeks in hospital. Continue reading...

Yellow warning for parts of Scotland and amber cold health alert in place for north-east and north-west EnglandHeavy snow showers are on the way across parts of the UK as a weather warning has been issued by the Met Office.A yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for parts of Scotland from 6am on New Year's Day until midnight on 2 January. Continue reading...

Bears are becoming a growing problem in some of Japan's urban areas as they are forced to venture further in search of foodIt came as no surprise, least of all to the residents of Osaki, that bear" was selected as Japan's kanji character of the year earlier this month.The north-eastern town of 128,000 people is best known for its Naruko Onsen hot springs, autumn foliage and kokeshi - cylindrical dolls carved from a single piece of wood. But this year it has made the headlines as a bear hotspot, as the country reels from a year of record ursine encounters and deaths, with warnings that winter will not bring immediate respite. Continue reading...

Isobel Wallace, from Doncaster, described as happiest, smiliest, most adventurous little girl'A two-year-old girl who died after falling into a garden pond on Christmas Day was the happiest, smiliest, most adventurous little girl", her family has said.Isobel Wallace was discovered during festive celebrations at her parents' new home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Ageing populations and falling birthrates have left ever fewer workers to support growing number of retireesIt has played a starring role in one of the worst periods of political turmoil in France since the 1960s. In Germany, it threatens the future of the coalition government. In Spain, thousands have taken to the streets to demand change.The right to a decent state pension has been a central plank of the European social contract for decades, but people are living longer, birthrates are falling, and the continent's pension systems are, increasingly, unsustainable. Continue reading...

YouGov survey finds many say payments are too low and oppose reforms such as raising retirement age or cutsMost Europeans believe their country's state pension system will soon become unaffordable - but they also think the current scheme is not generous enough, and do not support options for overhauling it such as raising the retirement age.As populations age and fertility rates decline, Europe's pay as you go" state pension systems, cornerstones of the welfare state that have always relied on people in work paying the retirees' pensions, are coming under increasingly heavy pressure. Continue reading...

Spring-like weather experienced by many Americans to end, while heavy snow in Japan brings deadly conditionsA week of extremes in the US as Arctic air plunges southwards across many states, sweeping away record-breaking warmth from last weekend. With low pressure in the west drawing up warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, much of the south and midwest basked in spring-like weather this weekend with temperatures widely an extraordinary 15-20C above normal for late December.This week, however, most people will ditch their summer clothes for hats and scarves as a ridge pressure builds across the west, allowing for a polar air mass to dive southward, bringing freezing temperatures and the risk of snow. Continue reading...

US president said thorny' questions over territory have yet to be resolved and expressed sympathy with Russia not wanting a ceasefireDonald Trump has said a deal to end the war in Ukraine is closer than ever" but has admitted that thorny" questions over the future of the eastern Donbas region have yet to be resolved, after a two-hour meeting on Sunday with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.Trump said a draft agreement to end the war was nearly 95% done". I really think we are closer than ever with both sides," he said, adding that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, also wants to see it happen". Continue reading...

Hinata Goto reportedly fell as he was trying to get off the 30-metre-long walkwayA five-year-old boy has died after becoming trapped in a moving travelator at a ski resort in northern Japan, local media have said.The victim, Hinata Goto, died on Sunday after his right arm became trapped in the walkway's winding mechanism during a family skiing trip to Otaru, a city on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido. Continue reading...

Emma Johnston AO became first woman to lead the 172-year-old institution in February 2025

Survivors urge government to stop using suppliers cited in public inquiry into fire in which 72 people diedSurvivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have called on the government to stop companies implicated in the disaster from receiving public contracts, after it was revealed several were still in receipt of multimillion-pound deals.New analysis found at least 87 contracts across the public sector in the government's own database involve companies criticised in the phase 2 report into the Grenfell fire, published in September 2024, though some contracts may have since expired. Continue reading...

Sadiq Khan's office blames delay on lack of government guidance on links between gambling ads and harmGambling companies have spent nearly 5m to advertise on the London transport network since Sadiq Khan pledged to stop them from doing so, amid a prolonged impasse between the mayor's office and the government.Khan said during his 2021 mayoral election campaign that he would order Transport for London (TfL) to extend a ban on junk food ads to cover online casinos and bookmakers as well, citing the devastating" impact of addiction. Continue reading...

Labor defends plan for faster, narrower review despite Jewish leaders and families of 11 victims demanding full national royal commission

This blog is closed. Read the full story hereThe Ukrainian military said on Sunday that it hit the Syzran oil refinery in Russia's Samara region in an overnight drone attack.The strike caused a fire and damages were still being assessed, Kyiv's General Staff said. Continue reading...

Emergency services say intense fire' spread throughout semi-detached property in Hamstreet near AshfordA child has died after a house fire in Kent, emergency services have said.Another child and an adult were taken to hospital after the blaze occurred in White Admiral Way in the village of Hamstreet, near Ashford, on Sunday. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron leads tributes to actor who became an international sex symbol and later embraced animal rights and far-right politics

David Darke sustained fatal injuries in incident outside the Crown Inn in Appleby Magna, police sayThe relatives of a 66-year-old man who died days after being punched outside a village pub have paid tribute to the devoted family man".David Darke, who died in hospital on Saturday, was injured outside the Crown Inn in Appleby Magna, Leicestershire, on 21 December. Continue reading...

Dissident was freed by Egypt after campaign by successive UK governments but offensive posts have surfacedThe decision by successive UK governments to campaign for the release and return of British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been called into question after past violent and offensive social media posts came to light.The dissident's historical remarks - in which he appeared to call for violence towards Zionists" and the police - have prompted a widespread backlash since his return from detention in Egypt on Friday. Continue reading...

UKHSA warns vulnerable and elderly people may be at risk with temperatures to drop severely overnightAmber cold health alerts have been issued for northern England, with low temperatures predicted to cause a rise in deaths" among vulnerable and elderly people.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued two amber warnings for north-east and north-west England, which will be in place between 8pm on Sunday until midday on Monday 5 January. Continue reading...

Model turned actor never lost the poise from her dancing days - but she also made gingham and leopard print her own

Latest suit claims the billionaire film-maker subjected actor Mario Rodriguez to repeated unwanted sexual advancesTyler Perry has been hit with a $77m sexual assault lawsuit by a man claiming the US entertainment mogul used his Hollywood power to make sexual advances after he dangled a part in the 2016 comedy Boo! A Madea Halloween.The lawsuit claims Perry subjected Mario Rodriguez to repeated unwanted sexual advances. That allegedly included sexual battery and assault at Perry's Los Angeles home, according to the lawsuit, which claims film studio Lionsgate ignored the misconduct. Continue reading...

Turnout appears low for vote in which most candidates seen as allies of junta and large areas excluded by warPolls have closed in conflict-racked Myanmar, ending the first phase of an election that has been widely condemned as a sham designed to legitimise the military junta's rule.The military has touted the vote as a return to democracy almost five years after it seized power in a coup, ousting the country's then de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and sparking a spiralling civil war. Continue reading...

Big names can attract audiences as venues struggle with fallout from pandemic, austerity and high costs, Rebecca Dawson saysCasting big stars in stage productions is sometimes needed because theatre is in an undeniably challenging" moment and must compete with streaming services for people's time and money, the incoming director of the Bristol Old Vic has said.Rebecca Dawson will start as executive director and joint chief executive on 6 January, leading the oldest continually operating theatre in the English-speaking world into its 260th anniversary year. Continue reading...

In towns such as Northampton, in-person help with finances is a promise many customers still depend upon