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Bigger Austudy and carer allowance payments, higher Medicare safety net thresholds and mandatory corporate reporting on climate also in 1 Jan changes

Tens of thousands attend display in capital while much of the country faces issues with heavy rain and high windsThe UK has welcomed 2025 with fireworks and celebrations in London, but many events across the country were cancelled due to bad weather.Tens of thousands of people attended the annual event in the capital, with millions more tuning in on television. Continue reading...

Admissions for vitamin or iron deficiencies up by more than 10% year on year and as much as tenfold on 1998-99The number of people admitted to hospital in England because of a lack of vitamins or minerals is soaring, according to analysis of NHS figures.In 2023-24 there were 191,927 admissions where the main reason was a lack of iron, up 11% on 2022-23. The figure is almost 10 times the 20,396 hospital admissions for lack of iron in 1998-99. Continue reading...

PM says in his new year message that 2025 will be a year of rebuilding, comparing the task to that Attlee faced in 1945Keir Starmer has promised to rebuild Britain as Labour did after the second world war as he enters a pivotal year for his premiership.The prime minister said in his prerecorded new year message that 2025 would be a year of rebuilding, with his government looking to turn the corner after a turbulent first six months in power. Continue reading...

Supermarket chain says it will help customers celebrate the day' by selling flag-themed items

Sixteen air force personnel who apprehended boys being held in custody as inquiry into deaths continuesEcuador's attorney general's office has confirmed that incinerated bodies found on Christmas Eve belong to the four children missing since early December, in a case posing a severe challenge to President Daniel Noboa's war on drugs".The four boys - all black, aged between 11 and 15, and residents of Las Malvinas, a poor area in the country's largest city, Guayaquil - were returning from a football game on 8 December when they were apprehended by 16 air force soldiers. Continue reading...

Detectives launch inquiry into incident reported at 11.35am on Tuesday, at address in Poole, DorsetA man and woman in their 70s have been found dead at an address in a seaside town, police said.Detectives have launched an investigation into the incident, which happened at a property in Anthony's Avenue, Poole, Dorset, and was reported at 11.35am on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Nine tonnes of fireworks set off around the harbour, but parts of Queensland again hit by heavy rain and flooding

Police say lone wolf' in one of Britain's biggest burglaries escaped with his haul in a rucksack on his backThe burglar who stole 10m worth of jewellery in one of Britain's biggest ever heists broke into a London mansion through a bathroom window and escaped with his haul in a rucksack on his back.Police are hunting for the suspect, described as a lone wolf", after the theft in Avenue Road, north London, just after 5pm on 7 December. Continue reading...

MoD reveals incidents involving 10 soldiers are under investigation after trying to keep figures secretNine special forces troops are facing prosecution over alleged war crimes committed in Syria, the government has revealed, with another member of the armed forces under investigation over their actions in Afghanistan.The Ministry of Defence has said the prosecuting authority for the armed forces - known as the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) - has been considering the cases of the 10 individuals over at least three separate incidents, though it would not say what those were. Continue reading...

Exclusive: warning that lack of NHS dentists and soaring cost of private work puts essential care out of reach for manyHow soaring fees for private care are deepening England's dentistry crisisPrivate dentists are cashing in on the scarcity of NHS treatment by hiking their charges for fillings, checkups and extractions to eye-watering" levels, research has found.Patients are paying as much as 775 for root canal work, 435 to have a tooth out and 325 for a white filling due to fees for common dental procedures soaring since 2022.A white filling has gone from 105 to 129 - up 23%.An extraction has risen from 105 to 139 - 32% more.A half-hour scale and polish is now 75, up from 65 - a 15% jump.An initial consultation for a new patient is up 23% from 65 to 80. Continue reading...

Ever growing numbers of people find themselves unable to get NHS treatment or pay for the alternativeExclusive: patients unable to get dental care after eye-watering' rise in private feesThe inability of millions of patients to access an NHS dentist is one of the longest-running injustices in the history of the health service. The misery and the harm it causes is profound and well documented. The scandal is not new.Going private is often the only alternative. If it means getting a checkup, a scale and polish, a filling, an extraction or if necessary a root canal, many will pay. Anything to keep your teeth in good nick. Continue reading...

The manager of the Lough Neagh Partnership made the recommendation amid a crisis caused by pollution, agricultural runoff and invasive speciesThe introduction of water rates in Northern Ireland could address crumbling wastewater infrastructure and the impact on waterways, it has been suggested.It comes as the Stormont executive works to halt an environmental crisis at Lough Neagh, where noxious blooms of blue-green algae have covered the surface of the water across the past two summers. Continue reading...

Revealed: lorry with 400 kegs of the Irish stout onboard disappeared from Northamptonshire depot, sources sayIn the days leading up to Christmas, stout-lovers were left reeling from a nationwide shortage of Guinness so severe that some pubs were forced to ration pints of the black stuff" as taps began to run dry.Supermarkets remain at risk of running out due to customers' stockpiling, according to reports, while the maker of the popular stout, Diageo, has even sent for back-up Guinness reserves from Ireland. Continue reading...

Pioneering presenter was best known for hosting Sounds of the 70s and the Radio 2 Rock Show

Experts hope flight recorders will provide answers to key questions surrounding crash in which 179 diedAs investigators set to work unpicking the cause of Sunday's devastating plane crash in South Korea, the black boxes carried on the aircraft will be of prime importance, with retrieval of data from the cockpit voice recorder under way.All but two of the 181 people onboard died in the disaster, with the victims aged from three to 78. The Korean airline's chief executive, Kim E-bae, said he wanted to bow my head and apologise", according to a statement on the company's website, adding it was difficult to determine the cause of the accident". Continue reading...

Jeju Air flight burst into flames when it hit barrier at end of runway after crash-landing at Muan internationalSouth Korean authorities seeking answers to the country's deadliest plane disaster are investigating the role of a hardened barrier at the end of a runway that was hit after the jet crash-landed on Sunday.The structure may only partly explain the sequence of events that led Sunday's Jeju Air flight to end in such a violent manner. Continue reading...

Peter Hain, a former Commons leader, laments news refurbishment plans will not be published until end of 2025Parliament could become the next Notre Dame inferno", a former Commons leader has warned, as it was confirmed proposals for a multi-billion restoration will not be published until the end of 2025.Lord Peter Hain, the former Commons leader who was a cabinet minister under Tony Blair, said the restoration of the Paris cathedral showed how fast work could be done when politicians acted decisively. Continue reading...

Jolie filed for divorce in 2016 after a flight in which she alleges Pitt was abusive to her and their childrenIt was a great Hollywood love story, and a very 21st century one at that: two of the most famous actors in the world star together in a movie, and go on to have a large brood of children, a magazine tie-in wedding and one of the defining celebrity portmanteau brands of the age: Brangelina.In September 2016, however, after 11 years and six children together and two years of marriage, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences. Continue reading...

GPs' peak body is concerned a proposed new medical test for older doctors could force them from the system

Matthew Muller, in prison for 2009 attack initially labeled a hoax, charged with two 15-year-old home invasionsA man who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a northern California woman in what became widely known as the Gone Girl" kidnapping has been charged with two 15-year-old home invasion sexual assaults, prosecutors announced on Monday.Prosecutors allege Matthew Muller, 47, broke into a woman's home in Mountain View, California, in September 2009, attacked her, tied her up and made her drink medications. He then told the woman in her 30s that he was going to rape her, but she convinced him not to, prosecutors said. Muller left after recommending the woman get a dog. Continue reading...

The Howard government sent military personnel to the Middle East well before officially authorising Australia's involvement

John Howard's government legislated that marriage must be the union of a man and a woman', but excluded any reference to birth gender

Cancellations include Blackpool, Newcastle, Isle of Wight and Ripon, with weather also causing travel problemsHigh winds and heavy rain battering the UK have caused travel problems and the cancellation of a swathe of new year events including firework displays and a bathtub race that takes place in Europe's largest natural harbour.The predicted strong winds led to the cancellation of displays heralding the arrival of 2025 in places including Blackpool, Newcastle's quayside, the Isle of Wight and Ripon, North Yorkshire, joining the already cancelled Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh. Continue reading...

Nuns mark opening of Druk Amitabha nunnery with performance, five years after Covid closureAbout a dozen nuns performed hand chops and high kicks, some of them wielding swords, as they showed off their martial art skills to hundreds of cheering wellwishers at the reopening of their nunnery in Nepal.The nuns of the hilltop Druk Amitabha monastery put on the show of strength to mark the institution's reopening five years after Covid forced it to close its doors to the public. Continue reading...

Colin Butcher and his dog Molly are increasingly in demand as bereft owners hunt for missing cats and dogsOn a chilly December morning, Colin Butcher and his dog, Molly, are on the streets of Haywards Heath in West Sussex. But Molly is not out for a walk - instead she is hard at work trying to track down a missing cat.Pet theft is on the rise across the UK. Data from the insurer Direct Line suggested dog thefts had increased by 6% between 2022 and 2023, with English and French bulldogs - regularly sold for about 3,000 - among the most frequently targeted breeds. Continue reading...

French aircraft carry out strikes on Islamic State positions, says French defence minister Sebastien LecornuA UN report has said Israel's attacks on hospitals in and around Gaza have led the area's healthcare system to the brink of total collapse".The report by the UN Human Rights Office, titled Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza, examines attacks between October 2023 and June 2024 and said successive attacks raise serious concerns" about the extent to which Israel is complying with international law. Continue reading...

South African dancer and choreographer died unexpectedly after a brief illness, her family saysThe dance world is mourning the internationally acclaimed South African dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo, who died in hospital at the weekend aged 39.Masilo died unexpectedly on Sunday after a brief illness, a spokesperson for her family said in a statement. Continue reading...

Martin Hibbert says his family were terrified after YouTuber who claimed they were crisis actors' covertly filmed themA survivor of the Manchester Arena attack is calling for greater legal protections from conspiracy theorists after a YouTuber with millions of viewers secretly filmed his family to try to prove they were crisis actors".Martin Hibbert and his daughter Eve, now 22, were left with life-changing injuries by the blast, which killed 22 people and wounded hundreds more at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. Continue reading...

Debbie Crosbie says more women take up flexible working to juggle work and childcare but it could block their promotion path

Some descendants are apprehensive but a historian says making 30m pages of records public is important step'For 80 years, details of their ancestors' collaboration with the Nazis have been buried in spotless rows of filing cabinets in The Hague. But thousands of Dutch families face having their relatives' history laid bare later this week when an archive opens on 425,000 people accused of siding with the occupier during the second world war.On Thursday, the central archives of the special jurisdiction courts (CABR), established after the allies liberated the Netherlands to bring collaborators to justice, will open under national archive rules. Continue reading...

Some of the 33 MPs elected in non-target seats have already made a big impression as they settle into unexpected rolesNeil Duncan-Jordan's new parliamentary office is at the top of a steep staircase in a maze of corridors just behind the speaker's house, with a sweeping view of the Thames. The space is decorated with mod posters and jazz vinyls; he has Miles Davis playing on the record player.I want it to be me," he said, gesturing around the room. Because this place isn't me, is it? Working-class people didn't come here very often in the past. Now there's many more of us and we bring our traditions. Somehow you've got to try and make this part of you." Continue reading...

Kennel Club finally recognises breed believed to be more than 1,000 years old that featured in Icelandic SagasA dog breed that was namechecked in one of William Shakespeare's plays and is believed to be more than 1,000 years old is to be finally recognised by the Kennel Club as a pedigree.The Icelandic sheepdog will be classified in the pastoral group on the imported breed register from 1 April. Continue reading...

Plea to partygoers comes as service struggles to handle ongoing critical incident' with patients facing delaysThe chief executive of the Welsh ambulance service has urged New Year's Eve revellers to drink in moderation and eat before they begin partying to help it cope with an ongoing critical incident".Jason Killens admitted people may already have come to harm because of delays in paramedics reaching them and said the crisis was likely to continue for the rest of Tuesday and into Wednesday.Consume alcohol in moderation, eating before they drink and alternating alcoholic beverages with soft drinks.Pre-arrange transport home, and never drive under the influence of drink or drugs.Avoid high-risk activities like fireworks - as well as burns, smoke inhalation from bonfires and fireworks can also irritate respiratory conditions, such as asthma. Continue reading...

Providing an opportunity for people to apply for a visa that will probably never come seems both cruel and unnecessary', review says

Police rushed to Edensor Park after two armed men were allegedly seen trying to break into a home

Exclusive: Care Quality Commission did not act on evidence casting doubt on care provider's version of events, ruling saysThe NHS ombudsman has criticised the service's care regulator for failing to properly investigate the death of a five-year-old boy in a specialist unit.The boy's foster mother - an NHS doctor - has accused the care provider that looked after him of instigating a cover-up" of how he died and frustrating her efforts to get to the truth. Continue reading...

Events including limitless drinks in ticket prices also see huge increase' on one of the year's biggest nights outWhether New Year's Eve is spent watching fireworks, celebrating at a pub, club or party, or eating grapes for good luck, more and more people across the UK are dining out for the occasion as trends shift from club nights to experiences.Eating in restaurants on New Year's Eve is on the rise. It increased in 2023 by 17% year on year, according to the online booking platform OpenTable, making it one of the most popular days to eat out after Mother's Day. Continue reading...

Physical release sales increased to 17.4m but the BPI says AI copyright exemptions put UK music industry at riskCharli xcx's Brat summer may have given way to cold winter, but the success of albums by female artists helped arrest a two-decade-long decline in sales of physical music.Women led the way in recorded music this year, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), topping the singles chart for 34 out of the 52 weeks and accounting for half of the top 20 albums for the first time. Continue reading...

Chris Stride leads project that gives insights into UK society - such as statues of Lester Piggott outnumbering those of womenThere are more statues of Lester Piggott in the UK than there are of sporting women," said the statistician Chris Stride with dismay. It is really bad ... there are hardly any at all."In fact, there are a fewer than a handful of sporting women celebrated with public statues. They include the pentathlete Mary Peters on the outskirts of Belfast; the 1930s Wimbledon champion Dorothy Round in Dudley; and the trailblazing footballer Lily Parr at the National Football Museum in Manchester. Continue reading...

RMT action on New Year's Eve and 2 January over rest day working will mean significantly reduced' timetablePassengers on the London to Glasgow main line face disruption to services in the coming days because of strikes by train managers at Avanti West Coast.Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) at the company are due to strike on New Year's Eve and 2 January in a dispute over enhanced pay for rest day working, including voluntary overtime to cover staff absences such as those caused by vacancies, sickness, annual leave and training. Continue reading...

Friends last saw missing man Hadi Nazari, 24, descending the Hannels Spur Trail on Thursday

Risk of east coast showers to continue on New Year's Day, BoM says, while parts of NSW and Queensland set to stay dry and Victoria temperatures easing

Pradeep Dissanayake forced members to give him money and send hourly messages of praise before he sexually abused two girls, court of appeal says

People living near the Murray River or adjacent regions urged to take extra precautions to avoid disease transmitted by mosquitoes

The warrant was sought over Yoon's controversial and short-lived decision to impose martial law early in DecemberA South Korean court has approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on 3 December, investigating authorities said.The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) confirmed a Seoul court approved the warrant requested by investigators examining Yoon's short-lived imposition of martial law. Continue reading...

Cabinet was split over east European countries joining in 2004, with some extremely concerned' by its implicationsSenior figures in Tony Blair's government, including John Prescott and Jack Straw, urged the then prime minister to delay opening the UK labour market to eastern European nationals shortly before they became EU citizens, newly released documents reveal.Papers released to the National Archives in Kew, west London, showed Prescott and Straw warned of a surge in immigration unless some controls were put in place. Continue reading...

Singer urged Tony Blair not to appoint African co-chair to commission on aid, UK government papers showThe Live Aid campaigner Bob Geldof urged Tony Blair not to appoint an African co-chair to the UK-led organisation working to overhaul international aid to the continent because he thought African leadership was very weak" on the issue, newly released government documents suggest.The singer was scathing about the ability and worthiness of virtually all African leaders" before the establishment in 2004 of Blair's Commission for Africa, which would produce a report, Our Common Interest, and prompt a landmark pledge by rich nations to boost aid and write off debt. Continue reading...

A senior US official said the president needed a dose of reality' to deal with Iraqi insurgents, documents revealTony Blair's advisers privately questioned if the US had proper political control" of military operations in Iraq after a senior US official confided that George W Bush believed he was on a mission from God" against Iraqi insurgents, newly released documents reveal.Blair needed to deliver some difficult messages" to the then US president for a more measured approach" in April 2004, following a US military operation to suppress a major uprising in the city of Falluja, according to papers released to the National Archives in Kew, west London. Continue reading...