World news | The Guardian

Fire killed about 40 people who were celebrating at a New Year's Eve party in the ski resort of Crans-Montana at the town's Le Constellation barCrans-Montana is popular with international visitors, especially French and Italian, but it is also home to about 11,000 residents.The Guardian's Angela Giuffrida has shared this report from Crans-Montana this morning:A fire that tore through a crowded bar at a New Year's Eve party in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana has killed about 40 people and injured 115.The fire broke out at 1.30am on Thursday in the town's Le Constellation bar, but it's not yet clear what set off the blaze. Some witnesses said it started after sparklers or flares were put into champagne bottles. Continue reading...

BPG hopes to find buyer for Grade II-listed structure by the 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 monthsThe UK's blue-chip share index has broken through the 10,000-point level for the first time, as global shares are lifted by a late Santa rally".The FTSE 100 jumped on Friday morning to a high of 10,046, a new peak for the index, before easing slightly back. Continue reading...

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

Reports say actor, 34, found unresponsive in corridor of Fairmont hotel in early hours of New Year's DayVictoria Jones, the daughter of the actor Tommy Lee Jones, has been found dead in a San Francisco hotel.Jones, 34, was discovered in the early hours of New Year's Day according to TMZ, which cited law enforcement sources. Continue reading...

Wintry weather likely to continue into the weekend across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandTravel disruption is expected on Friday, with snow and ice forecast across the UK.Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for parts of the UK, and amber snow warnings for northern Scotland will begin at midday. Continue reading...

Artist's daughter Marguerite features in most of the pieces, kept in the family until complete surprise' donationThe Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris has received an extraordinarily generous" donation of 61 works by Henri Matisse that have been kept in the artist's family.Most of the donated art - which includes paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs and a sculpture - features the painter's daughter Marguerite. Continue reading...

British military doctors and therapists provide support at base where innovative treatments aid recovery of those who have lost limbsAt a specialist treatment centre in Ukraine, as other amputees play volleyball nearby, Vladislav shows a video on his phone of how he lost his left leg. He found the footage - of a drone closing in rapidly on a buggy, Vladislav standing exposed at its rear - on a Russian military social media channel.The 31-year-old, an arbitration lawyer before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, makes a double whistling noise to describe the drone's ominous progress. That's me," he says, pointing at the video, filmed from a fibre optic drone, chasing him down with terrifying ease as the vehicle slows for a corner. Then the screen goes blank. Continue reading...

NHS to administer combined immunisation in move in line with approach in US, Canada, Australia and GermanyChildren in the UK are to be immunised against chickenpox at the same time as measles, mumps and rubella.The NHS across the UK's four home nations will administer a combined vaccine to young children to protect them against all four diseases from Friday. Continue reading...

Ukraine rejects claim, saying its forces exclusively targeted Russian military or energy sitesA Ukrainian drone strike killed 24 people and injured at least 50 more as they celebrated the new year in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine's Kherson region, Russian officials said, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks.Three drones struck a cafe and hotel in the resort town of Khorly on the Black Sea coast, the region's Moscow-installed leader, Vladimir Saldo, said in a statement on Telegram on Thursday. He said one of the drones was carrying an incendiary mixture that sparked a blaze. Continue reading...

A woman has also died after being swept into the ocean in Sydney on New Year's Day, while the body of a man was found near Palm beach

Police have ruled out an attack on Le Constellation bar as investigation starts into cause of fireOfficials at the press conference are asking for prudence" from those in the town, reminding them not to make unnecessary demands on hospitals, which are overwhelmed.Please leave investigators to do their work, they say. Continue reading...

9,500-year-old pyre uncovered in Malawi offers rare insight into rituals of ancient African hunter-gatherer groupsA cremation pyre built about 9,500 years ago has been discovered in Africa, offering a fresh glimpse into the complexity of ancient hunter-gatherer communities.Researchers say the pyre, discovered in a rock shelter at the foot of Mount Hora in northern Malawi, is thought to be the oldest in the world to contain adult remains, the oldest confirmed intentional cremation in Africa, and the first pyre to be associated with African hunter-gatherers. Continue reading...

New year party at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana turned into tragedy as flames shot across the ceilingThe new year had passed its first hour and the party in Le Constellation was in full swing with revellers dancing to thumping hip-hop. Dawn was far off and the teenagers and twenty-somethings were in no hurry to leave the bar. It was, after all, New Year's Day.Outside, darkness draped Crans-Montana, a ski resort in the Swiss Alps with a reputation for posh luxury. Le Constellation, however, had few pretensions: a cavernous venue with TV screens on the top floor to watch sport, and a basement with low lighting, loud music and a dancefloor. Continue reading...

Hundreds of people gather in Centenary Square to see in 2026 after false claims online promise dazzling' displayThe new year got off to an anticlimactic start for hundreds of people in Birmingham who were tricked into attending a non-existent New Year's Eve fireworks display. Again.Crowds of revellers gathered in the city's Centenary Square, hoping to catch a glimpse of a pyrotechnics display to welcome in 2026. Continue reading...

Second highest annual number of irregular arrivals on record reached British shores in 2025More than 41,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats last year, figures branded shameful" by the Home Office have revealed.The government said 41,472 people arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in 2025 - the second highest number on record after 45,774 made the journey in 2022. Continue reading...

New Labour advertising guru Chris Powell says urgent plan needed to wage and win the daily war for attention'

Investigators say no indication of terrorism or arson after 40 people die and 115 are injured in blaze

British charitable trust that draws on OxyContin-maker fortune says it exempted names to protect reputationsTwo charities that received a combined total of more than 1.1m from the British charitable trust run by the Sackler family were kept out of its latest accounts to protect their reputations from serious prejudice".The trust, which draws on the Sackler fortune that came out of the US opioid crisis, gave 3.8m to arts, eduction and science bodies in 2024, according to its latest accounts, filed on New Year's Eve. Continue reading...

Harsher penalties and a reshaping' of the sector predicted when Financial Conduct Authority takes over as regulatorUK law firms are bracing themselves for a money-laundering crackdown as ministers race to improve the City's reputation ahead of a fresh financial crime review.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been designated as the new anti-money laundering watchdog for the legal sector, in a move that experts warn could result in sharper" penalties and ultimately reshape the industry. Continue reading...

Analysts attribute increase to kingdom's war on drugs' as authorities kill 356 people by death penaltySaudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year.Analysts have largely attributed the increase in executions to Riyadh's war on drugs", with some of those arrested in previous years only now being executed after legal proceedings and convictions. Continue reading...

While last year's 8.6% increase isn't likely to be repeated, economists expect growth across the country as demand continues to outstrip supply

Polling indicates strong public backing for a much less permissive approach to promotion, including sponsorshipMinisters will come under mounting pressure to introduce curbs on gambling advertising this year, as MPs and campaigners latch on to polling that indicates widespread public support for tougher restrictions.Policies affecting gambling have been the subject of fierce debate over recent years, leading to stricter regulation of the 12.5bn-a-year sector and higher taxes announced in November's budget, despite intensive lobbying by the industry. Continue reading...

Tom Shearman cannot begin to describe anguish' of Boxing Day house blaze in which his wife, Nu, children aged four and seven and dog diedA police officer whose wife and two children died in a fire on Boxing Day morning has paid tribute to three of the greatest humans to ever grace our presence" and asked for everyone to tell those close to them that they are loved.Tom Shearman, a serving Gloucestershire officer, said he was humbled beyond comprehension" by the response of his local community and the general public, who have so far donated more than 300,000 to support him. Continue reading...

Country's largest women's health organisation says case of Marius Borg Hoiby encouraging people to seek helpStaff at Norway's largest women's health organisation have seen a rise in the number of women reporting abuse and sexual assault at the hands of their partners ahead of the rape trial of a member of the royal family, saying they hope the case helps to break taboos".Marius Borg Hoiby, the 28-year-old son of the Norwegian crown princess, is due to stand trial in February on 32 charges including four counts of rape, the domestic abuse of a former partner and the illegal filming of a number of women without their knowledge or consent. Continue reading...

New mayor, 34, was sworn in by state attorney general Letitia James in old beaux-arts city hall subway stationZohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City soon after midnight in a private ceremony in an abandoned beaux-arts subway station - a prelude to daylong celebrations set to include a second, public swearing-in and a block party outside city hall.Mamdani, 34, was sworn into office by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, surrounded by wife, Rama Duwaji, members of his immediate family, including Mira Nair, his mother and a film-maker, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a professor of African studies at Columbia University. Continue reading...

Up to 400 homes face demolition under a 90m regeneration scheme that promises only 230 replacement propertiesHundreds of families in one of England's poorest neighbourhoods will be evicted under a 90m plan described by critics as a mass dispersion" of vulnerable people.Four hundred homes in Blackpool will be bulldozed this summer and replaced with 230 new properties under levelling up proposals signed off by Rishi Sunak's government. The area has more than 800 people - about 250 of them children - who are in the poorest 10th of the population of England, according to official documents. Continue reading...

Sources say generators and tent poles restricted from humanitarian bodies but commercial shipments allowed inIsrael is running a parallel system of controls for shipments into Gaza, allowing commercial traders to bring goods into the territory that are barred for humanitarian organisations.Basic life-saving supplies including generators and tent poles are on a long Israeli blacklist of dual-use" items. The Israeli government says entry of these items must be severely restricted because they could be exploited by Hamas or other armed groups for military ends. Continue reading...

Police show the Guardian around hotspots for a rural crime that has links to international gangs - and is on the riseA cold, bright afternoon in the Vale of Pewsey and a couple of brown hares were nibbling away in a field of winter barley. It was a tranquil scene in this tucked-away corner of the English West Country but tyre tracks cutting through the crop were a sign of the violence that takes place when night falls.This is one of the hotspots in Wiltshire for hare coursing, in which criminal gangs set dogs - usually greyhounds or lurchers - on the mammals. Continue reading...

Australia's foreign affairs department seeking to verify reported death of Russell Allan Wilson on 12 December

Levy on beef exceeding quotas to begin immediately as Beijing seeks to protect domestic industry

Exclusive: Pilot scheme launches as one in five start primary school with no protection against deadly diseasesHealth visitors will be sent door-to-door to deliver vaccines to children in England amid alarm that one in five start primary school with no protection against deadly diseases, the Guardian can reveal.The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that at least 95% of children should receive vaccine doses for each illness to achieve herd immunity. However, not a single one of the main childhood vaccines in England hit the target in 2024-25. There were also sharp differences in uptake across the country. Continue reading...

PM to highlight energy bill and interest rate cuts, plus end to two-child benefit cap, and to invite his MPs to ChequersKeir Starmer will attempt to rescue his relationship with disillusioned voters and his own fractious MPs in a new year push to reduce the cost of living.The prime minister will give a speech in the coming days focusing on how his government is bringing down living costs, highlighting recent cuts to energy bills and interest rates and the end of the two-child benefit cap. Continue reading...

Terror attack victims remembered with menorah projected on to Harbour Bridge before dazzling display

Green party leader says he could see potential for political partnership with Labour under Andy BurnhamThe Green party leader, Zack Polanski, has said he would refuse to work with Keir Starmer but could work with Andy Burnham, Starmer's potential rival for the Labour leadership, to keep Reform out of power.Polanski said he would not enter a political partnership with Labour under the current prime minister, but would consider it if the mayor of Greater Manchester took the helm. Continue reading...

Judge said newly unsealed government documents show some evidence' of vindictive prosecution by DoJA newly unsealed order in the criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia reveals that high-level justice department officials pushed for his indictment, calling it a top priority", only after he was mistakenly deported and then ordered returned to the U.S.Abrego Garcia, originally from El Salvador, has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Tennessee to charges of human smuggling. He is seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution is vindictive - a way for the Trump administration to punish him for the embarrassment of his mistaken deportation. Continue reading...

Food Standards Agency issues product alert for still and sparkling 750ml bottles of Waitrose No 1 Deeside mineral waterWaitrose customers are being urged to return and not drink large bottles of Deeside mineral water over fears they could contain shards of glass.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a consumer alert over the still and sparkling 750ml bottles of Waitrose No 1 Deeside mineral water because of the possibility of glass fragments, making them unsafe to drink. Continue reading...

Fifty-two black bears were killed in three-week hunt state officials said was necessary to reduce ursine populationWildlife officials in Florida say the slaughter of dozens of black bears during a controversial three-week hunt this month was a success, despite the opposition of protesters who condemned the heartbreaking, bloody spectacle".The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) on Tuesday announced that 52 bears were killed between 6 and 28 December, and promised to release a full harvest report" in the coming months that will provide details about where and how the animals died. Continue reading...

Passengers told to expect knock-on impacts after power supply problem and broken down train halted services on TuesdayRail traffic through the Channel tunnel slowly resumed on Wednesday with more cancellations and delays after an electricity failure on Tuesday stranded thousands of passengers and trapped some for a night in a powerless train.Two London-Paris trains were cancelled and most trips were delayed in both directions as Eurostar warned of knock-on impacts" on New Year's Eve. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Greater Manchester police ignored claim Offender J' among men who had abused 12-year-old, paperwork showsA grooming gang suspect who had escaped investigation because of a string of police failings went on to attempt to murder his wife, a Guardian investigation can reveal.The man, named only as Offender J in paperwork seen by the Guardian, is alleged to have taken part in the gang-rape of 12-year-old Samantha Walker-Roberts in Oldham, Greater Manchester, in 2006.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

National inquiry on grooming gangs will look at how police ignored girls while officials feared fuelling the far rightIn 2003, long before the term grooming gang" entered the lexicon, social workers in Oldham noticed a disturbing pattern: girls from local children's homes were repeatedly going missing. Often, they were found in the same locations, being harboured by the same men. Each time the authorities thought they had got a grip on the problem, it reared its head again. By 2006, there were concerns that groups of offenders were targeting children at high schools. One girl, later referred to in court as Child X, fell into their clutches while truanting when she was 12 years old. By 14, she had been abused by 300 men and was addicted to crack cocaine and heroin.Unless you scratch below the surface you do not realise the enormity of the problem," Ruth Baldwin, then the executive director for young people and families at Oldham council, said in December 2006. We are not talking about teenage relationships. These are men in their 20s, 30s, and beyond."Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Draft bill to be submitted for legal checks as France aims to follow Australia's world-first ban on platforms including Facebook, Snapchat and YouTubeFrance intends to follow Australia and ban social media platforms for children from the start of the 2026 academic year.A draft bill preventing under-15s from using social media will be submitted for legal checks and is expected to be debated in parliament early in the new year. Continue reading...

Document said to be most secure ever' has anti-forgery holographs and depicts beauty spots from all four nationsA new British passport, claimed to be the most secure ever produced and featuring King Charles's coat of arms on the front cover, has come into use.Pages inside depict beauty spots from the four nations of the UK: Scotland's Ben Nevis; England's Lake District; the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland and Three Cliffs Bay in Wales. Continue reading...

Artwork by one of the most influential artists of 20th century raffled to fund Alzheimer's researchHis work is consistently ranked among the world's most expensive art, with paintings fetching more than a $100m at auction. But you no longer need to be a multimillionaire to own a Picasso - for 100, anyone in the world has the chance to walk away with a painting by one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.The French charity Alzheimer's Research Foundation announced recently it was raffling Picasso's 1941 portrait, Tete de femme, which is worth more than 1m, to a single winner. Proceeds from the tickets will help fund Alzheimer's research, one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Continue reading...

Reunification is unstoppable', says Chinese president, a day after the conclusion of intense military drillsChina's president, Xi Jinping, has vowed to reunify China and Taiwan in his annual New Year's Eve speech in Beijing.Speaking the day after the conclusion of intense Chinese military drills around Taiwan, Xi said: The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Met figures thought to reflect national picture with Covid, poverty and more people seeking help possible factorsThe number of violent offences involving an adolescent attacking their parents or step-parents has increased by more than 60% in the past decade, according to figures recorded by the UK's biggest police force.Data released by Scotland Yard reveals that there were 1,886 such offences recorded in 2015 but this increased to 3,091 in the first 10 months of 2025 alone. Continue reading...

Data shows 366 pubs have been demolished or converted for other uses this year as cost pressures take toll on sectorOne pub a day disappeared for good in England and Wales during 2025 as sustained cost pressures continued to weigh heavily on the sector.Analysis of government statistics shows that 366 pubs were demolished or converted for other uses over the year to December. Continue reading...

Despite reviews of the district as a raucous tourist trap, improved policing has restored safety and an eclectic vibeWhen Ireland redeveloped a swathe of central Dublin in the 1990s, the idea was to create a version of Paris's Left Bank, a cultural quarter of cobbled lanes, art and urban renewal.Planners and architects transformed the run-down Temple Bar site by the River Liffey into an ambitious experiment that drew throngs of visitors and won awards. Continue reading...