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Foreign affairs department statement says Australia opposes any actions that increase the risk of accident, miscalculation or escalation'

Investigation established by UDR party to look at neutrality, workings and financing' of state TV and radioThe French public broadcaster is at the centre of a political row as a parliamentary inquiry examines the neutrality, workings and financing" of state TV and radio, while the media are expected to play a significant role ahead of the 2027 presidential election.The rightwing UDR party, an ally of Marine Le Pen's far-right the National Rally (RN), set up the inquiry amid far-right claims that public TV and radio has a bias against them. Le Pen, whose party is expected to reach the final round of the presidential race, has said there is a clear problem with neutrality in the public service broadcasting" and that she would like to privatise it. Continue reading...

Rent rises likely to slow after rapid increases in recent years, lenders and estate agents forecastFirst-time buyers are expected to drive the UK housing market in 2026, with further interest rate cuts likely to improve stretched affordability.The for-sale market should accelerate moderately, with prices rising by 2% to 4%, while rent rises are likely to slow from the rapid increases of recent years, according to lenders and estate agents. Continue reading...

Retailers say appetite for alcoholic drinks that are about half the strength of the traditional versions is soaringChristmas and New Year's Eve celebrations often used to result in a hangover the next day, but with moderation now the order of the day the new drinks industry buzzword is coasting".This involves choosing a white wine, lager or even a cocktail that is about half the strength of the traditional version of the drink - meaning you can have the same number of drinks without feeling the worse for wear. Continue reading...

Fire chief says summer, the UK's hottest on record, was one of the most challenging for wildfires that we've ever faced'Ten English fire services tackled a record number of grassland, woodland and crop fires during what was the UK's hottest spring and summer on record, figures show.In total nearly 27,000 wildfires were dealt with by fire services in England during the prolonged dry weather of 2025, according to analysis by PA Media. Continue reading...

One passenger tells the ABC it was chaos' and she felt her life was in danger, but others shrug off the incident

Community leaders raise alarm over study links and Polynesian ties, with Tonga to face restrictions from January as US says too many overstayThe small Pacific nation of Tonga is one of more than a dozen countries to be hit with visa and entry restrictions on 1 January as the Trump administration tightens its crackdown on immigration.In December, the US said it would further restrict and limit the entry of foreign nationals to protect the country from national security and public safety threats". Continue reading...

Mary-Ann Stephenson says she must build relationship with LGBTQ+ sector amid debate over single-sex spacesThe new chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has asked campaigners who raised doubts about her appointment to judge me on what I do".In one of her first media interviews since her appointment at the start of December, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson pledged to uphold the rights of everybody across all protected characteristics", after the UK government overruled the objections of parliament's women and equalities committee about her suitability for the job. Continue reading...

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Engineers still struggling to restore full rail service on Tuesday evening as car passengers face seven-hour delaysA power outage in the Channel tunnel has disrupted thousands of journeys ahead of the new year celebrations, with all passenger and vehicle trains suspended for several hours while engineers raced to repair the fault.As Eurostar foot passenger departures for the continent were first delayed, then cancelled, the halls of St Pancras International station in London filled with stranded travellers awaiting updates. At Folkestone in Kent, tailbacks formed as drivers hoping to catch the shuttle faced seven-hour delays. Continue reading...

RNLI tells people to consider their health, cold water effects and weather conditions after disappearance of two swimmers on Christmas DayPeople planning on welcoming the new year by braving the British weather for a swim in the sea have been warned of the dangers after the disappearance of two swimmers on Christmas Day.The Royal National Lifeboat Institution said the effects of cold-water shock combined with weather conditions pose a risk to anyone entering water that is 15C or below. At this time of year, the average sea temperature around the UK and Ireland is 6C to 10C. Continue reading...

President calls for talks with leaders of demonstrations caused by decline in currency and living standardsIran's government has called for dialogue with protest leaders after the country's largest demonstrations in three years over a plunging currency and declining living conditions.Protests started on Sunday after Iran's currency fell to a record low against the US dollar, causing traders and shopkeepers to close their stores in downtown Tehran. This was accompanied by mass protests in the capital as well as in major cities, including Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad. Continue reading...

Aaron Anderson, a cheeky chappie' with amazing work ethic', died after incident involving John Deere GatorThe family of a 14-year-old boy who died after a collision on a farm in which an off-road utility vehicle overturned has paid tribute to him.Police said Aaron Anderson sustained life-threatening injuries after a John Deere Gator was in a collision at the farm in Burnopfield, County Durham, on the evening of 21 December. Continue reading...

Dispute has potential to create civil war in south of Yemen and spill over into neighbouring countriesTensions between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia over the future of Yemen and the imminent possibility of the declaration of an independent southern state have reached boiling point with Saudi Arabia in effect accusing the UAE of threatening its future security.The dispute has the potential to create a civil war within the south of Yemen and also spill over into other disputes including in Sudan and the Horn of Africa where the two countries often find themselves backing opposite sides. Yemen could yet become only one theatre in which the two vastly wealthy Gulf states vie for political influence, control of shipping lanes and commercial access. Continue reading...

Clothing chain acquired by China-based backers out of 2019 insolvency has deadline to renegotiate debt pile

The attack was aimed at what Riyadh called a shipment of weapons for separatists from the UAEThe United Arab Emirates has said it will withdraw its remaining forces in Yemen after Saudi Arabia bombed what it said was a shipment of weapons for separatists which had arrived from the UAE.The Emirati defence ministry announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon, citing recent developments and their potential repercussions on the safety and effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations", without saying when the withdrawal might happen. Continue reading...

Struggling company, which has run more than 100 outlets, has been criticised by MPs over claims it failed to pay locum pharmacists

Spanish woman's attempted restoration of church artwork was widely mocked but became lucrative tourist attractionCecilia Gimenez, the woman who achieved unwanted international fame for her botched Monkey Christ" restoration of a 19th-century mural in Borja, north-east Spain, has died aged 94.In 2012, Gimenez, an amateur artist, decided to restore Ecce Homo, a mural by a local artist, Elias Garcia Martinez, that hung in the Santuario de Misericordia church in Borja. However, her talent as an artist was not equal to her good intentions and she produced what was described as the worst restoration in history. Continue reading...

Isaac Herzog's spokesperson says he has not spoken to Trump since US president wrote to urge him to stop court cases against Israeli PMThe office of Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, has denied a claim by Donald Trump that Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under trial on corruption charges, would soon receive a pardon.Speaking shortly before his meeting in Florida with the Israeli prime minister on Monday night, Trump said he had been told by Herzog that a pardon was on its way". Continue reading...

Moment of maximum danger will come in May's local and regional elections and PM is already plotting his comebackKeir Starmer will begin his second full year in Downing Street as one of the least popular ever prime ministers - a spectacularly rapid reversal from his landslide election win of just 18 months ago.Yet Starmer believes this will be the year things start to improve for his beleaguered premiership and fractious Labour party. Continue reading...

Labour urges Conservative leader to reveal whether she knew David Wolfson was to represent Russian oligarch in legal caseKemi Badenoch is under pressure to act on the revelations that her shadow attorney general is representing the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, despite UK sanctions against him.David Wolfson, a Tory peer, is part of the legal team representing Abramovich as he attempts to recover billions in frozen assets he owns in the Channel islands. Continue reading...

Seyed Araghchi claims US president's Arab allies now view Israel's recklessness as a threat to us all'

Changes include the Victorian government expanding land taxes and Queensland introducing a child sex offender register

Applications to build battery storage drive boom as offshore wind projects given go-ahead jump sevenfold year on yearA record number of renewable energy projects were given the go-ahead in Great Britain in 2025, after planning approvals almost doubled year on year, according to an analysis.The energy capacity of new battery, wind, and solar projects that received approval climbed to 45GW this year, 96% higher than in 2024, according to data from Cornwall Insight. Continue reading...

General secretary of party's main union backer says it must change course or risk sowing seeds of its own destructionUnite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, has told the government it must do more for workers in 2026 or risk sowing the seeds of its own destruction.Graham accused Labour of being preoccupied with its failing leadership" and described the debate about who might replace Keir Starmer as inevitable. Continue reading...

US president says Chinese leader did not notify him of drills that have involved live missile launches into Taiwan strait

Exclusive: One Nation senator travelled on mining magnate's Gulfstream 700 in October and stayed at Rinehart's US$66m Palm Beach mansion

Foreign secretary says due diligence procedures were inadequate amid storm over activist's past tweetsYvette Cooper has launched a review looking into serious information failures" around the case of a British-Egyptian activist welcomed to the UK despite his past tweets now called abhorrent" by the government.Keir Starmer said he was delighted" by Alaa Abd el-Fattah's arrival on Friday but a political storm erupted after social media posts from a decade ago were unearthed including some in which the activist had called for Zionists to be killed. Continue reading...

Police allege a 16-year-old and 20-year-old were in the car with firearms and a dedicated encrypted phone

New M&S salads, breads, yoghurt bowls and chicken dinners come as more Britons turn to Mounjaro and Wegovy

Coral Adventurer, being investigated for allegedly leaving behind passenger who died, ran aground with 124 people on board on Saturday

Archives reveal options considered by Tony Blair's government for dealing with Zimbabwean dictator in 2004The Foreign Office cautioned against UK military intervention to overthrow the former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in 2004, advising it was not a serious option", recently released documents show.Policy papers show Tony Blair's government weighed up options on how best to handle the depressingly healthy" 80-year-old dictator, who refused to step down while the country descended into violence and economic chaos. Continue reading...

Average property price in city rose by 12.6%, while Stafford and Wigan also had double-digit growthUK house prices rose fastest in Plymouth this year as investment in shopping and amenities lured buyers to the south-west city, a survey of 2025 housing hotspots shows, as the central London market struggled with weaker demand.The average property price rose by 12.6% in Plymouth during 2025, the steepest rise anywhere in the country, taking the typical home price to 278,808. The data, from Lloyds Banking Group, showed Stafford and Wigan also had double-digit growth. Continue reading...

Minutes of travel expenses of former Duke of York as UK trade envoy withheld from National Archives

Then PM wrote on note from aide in 2005 that case must not' be dealt with in civil court, archives reveal

Australian federal police are reviewing security camera footage from the duo's month-long trip to Davao in November

Newly released UK cabinet papers from 2005 provide an insight into how the Blair government worked to flatter the Australian PM to influence his decisionTony Blair's government discussed how to influence" John Howard when it came to committing Australian troops to Iraq after the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime, newly released files in the UK show.They also reveal that one of Howard's own defence ministers told a Downing Street official that the Australian prime minister was not keen" on sending troops to Afghanistan and privately advised the British leader should raise the issue with Howard to get him focused on the need for Australia to contribute". Continue reading...

Former PM's team suggested initial less-politicised drafts seemed patronising and appealed to fuddy-duddy Britain'

Tony Blair was told that tensions with his then chancellor would need to be carefully managed, files reveal

Emergency medicine specialist says improved social care and efficiency would help crisis in NHSEmergency departments across the UK are in big trouble" owing to the way corridor care has been normalised", a leading medic has warned.Dr Ian Higginson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), said there should be howls of outrage" over deaths linked to long emergency department waits, with just a few hospitals around the UK managing to avoid caring for patients on trolleys in corridors. Continue reading...

Meera Syal also made dame while England women's football and rugby winners feature prominentlyThe actors Idris Elba and Meera Syal have been made a knight and a dame in the new year honours list, with top awards also going to the ice skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.The former head of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, was also made a dame and there were knighthoods for Patrick McCabe, a former UN official responsible for clearing unexploded bombs in Gaza; Tristram Hunt, the former Labour MP and now director of the V&A, for services to museums; and Roy Clarke, creator of the sitcoms Last of the Summer Wine, Open All Hours and Keeping Up Appearances. Continue reading...

Former Brazilian president underwent a phrenic nerve block while temporarily released from prison for surgeryJair Bolsonaro underwent a second phrenic nerve block procedure" on Monday to treat persistent hiccups.The treatment went well and the former Brazilian president's condition is stable, according to his medical team. Continue reading...

Strictly and Traitors presenter and true national treasure' will front The Claudia Winkleman Show from springShe has ruled the Traitors castle and waltzed out of the ballroom on Strictly Come Dancing. Now Claudia Winkleman is taking up residence in one of television's most traditional settings - on the chatshow sofa.The BBC has confirmed that the presenter, who has become one of its most prized assets after fronting two of its most successful programmes, is to host The Claudia Winkleman Show in the spring. Continue reading...

Russia's claim it foiled drone attack on Putin residence shows they do not want to finish this war', Ukrainian president saysVolodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of trying to sabotage peace talks and preparing to bomb government buildings after the Kremlin said it had foiled a Ukrainian drone attack on Vladimir Putin's residence.Zelenskyy described the claim as typical Russian lies" following his two-hour meeting on Sunday with Donald Trump in Florida. He said Russia was at it again" and using dangerous statements" to undermine diplomatic efforts" with the US to end the conflict. Continue reading...

Israel's PM travels to Mar-a-Lago as US administration reported to be running out of patience over Gaza ceasefireBenjamin Netanyahu met Donald Trump at the US president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday amid growing fears Israel could launch new offensives against regional enemies, potentially plunging the Middle East further into instability.High on the agenda will be the ceasefire in Gaza, which in October halted the devastating two-year-long war. Though the terms agreed for an initial phase have been largely completed, with Israel's forces pulling back to new positions and Hamas releasing all living and all but one of the dead hostages, immense challenges face the implementation of the second phase of the president's 20-point plan. Continue reading...

The actor said privacy laws protecting children from paparazzi were a key factor in the family's decisionGeorge Clooney has been granted French citizenship, along with his wife Amal Clooney and their two children, according to an official decree in France's government gazette.The publication confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to early in December when he praised French privacy laws that keep his family shielded from paparazzi. Continue reading...

Man in his 60s, believed to be a driver involved in two-vehicle collision in Thetford, shot after leaving sceneThe police watchdog has launched an investigation after a man in his 60s was shot dead by officers in Norfolk.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was examining what led police to fire twice after two vehicles crashed into each other in Thetford on Sunday evening. Continue reading...

Train accident in Oaxaca is likely to raise criticisms about public works projects from the previous administrationAt least 13 people were killed when a train derailed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, in an accident which is likely to revive opposition criticisms of the speed and dealings with which the country's government builds its flagship public works projects.The incident took place on the Interoceanic Train, which was built to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the narrowest part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, creating an alternative rail cargo route to the Panama canal intended to drive development in the region. Continue reading...

Activist was entitled to UK passport but for a rising number of voters Britishness is something you are born withWhat does it mean to be British? That question is increasingly at the heart of our national political debate. And it has become a more urgent one this week as the Conservatives and Reform UK call for the British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah to be stripped of his UK citizenship over racist and offensive tweets he published 10 to 15 years ago.Abd el-Fattah's social media activity was thrust into the spotlight after he was finally allowed to arrive in the UK last week following a decade spent as a political prisoner in Egypt. The tweets unearthed were vile: they included calls to kill all Zionists" and to burn down Downing Street during the 2011 riots. Abd el-Fattah has apologised for those remarks. Continue reading...