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Known as ‘one of the jet set’s most outrageous characters’, Wildenstein died in Paris hotel aged 84The Swiss socialite and cosmetic surgery aficionado Jocelyne Wildenstein, sometimes known as “Catwoman” due to her extensive plastic surgery, has died, her partner said on Wednesday.“It is with heavy heart and with great sadness that Mr Lloyd Klein announces the unexpected death of his beloved fiancée and longtime...

Police identified the attacker as 45-year-old Aco Martinović, who they say opened fire in bar after a fightAt least 12 people, including two children, were killed and four others were wounded in a shooting on Wednesday that followed a bar brawl in a western Montenegrin city, officials said.Police identified the attacker as Aco Martinović. The country’s interior minister, Danilo Šaranović, later told the state...

Small vessel tilted after taking in water, according to seven survivors who reached Italian island of LampedusaTwenty people are missing after falling into the sea from a tilting boat after it started to take in water in rough seas about 20 miles off the coast of Libya, according to survivors.Carrying 27 passengers, the six-metre boat had left Zuwara in Libya at 10pm on Monday....

Ukraine president hails ‘one of Moscow’s biggest defeats’ as deal’s end brings power cuts in breakaway Moldovan regionRussian gas has stopped flowing to Europe via Ukraine, ending a major energy route that goes back to Soviet times and had even survived three years of full-scale war between the two states.Ukraine cut off the transit route after an agreement signed in 2019 expired in the...

Officials say most of the victims were women and children as Israel’s war against Hamas continues into the new yearIsraeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on New Year’s Day, mostly women and children, officials said, as the nearly 15-month war ground on into the new year.One strike hit a home in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, the most...

Genetic analysis of Roman soldier or gladiator buried in York reveals 25% of his ancestry came from ScandinaviaPeople with Scandinavian ancestry were in Britain long before the Anglo-Saxons or the Vikings turned up, researchers have found after studying the genetics of an ancient Roman buried in York.The arrival of the Anglo-Saxons brought an influx of Scandinavians to ancient Britain in the fifth century, with...

World’s most expensive artist, who is exhibiting at the Alhambra in Granada, sees his work as embedded in biology His hands-off approach to the production of his famous balloon dogs and stainless steel rabbits has been criticised in the past but Jeff Koons, the world’s most expensive artist, has drawn a red-line: “I wouldn’t – for my own base work – be looking at...

Leila de Lima enraged Rodrigo Duterte when she began investigating killings carried out during his ‘war on drugs’Leila de Lima, one of fiercest critics of the former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” who was jailed for more than six years on baseless charges, will try to return to politics in 2025.De Lima was one of the few politicians who criticised Duterte...

Ex-security minister says assassination ordered by Trump set off chain of events that led to revolution in SyriaDonald Trump’s decision to sanction the assassination of an elite Iranian commander triggered a chain of events that has revealed Iran as a paper tiger and led to the overthrow of Basher al-Assad, a former UK security minister has said.Tom Tugendhat, now on the Conservative backbenches and...

North-west England bearing brunt of weather with chance of more than 10cm of rain in some places2025’s tempestuous start also grips Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire on January 1st.Both regions are seeing heavy rain and strong winds today with three “danger to life” weather warnings in place. Continue reading...

A total of 36,816 people made journey last year compared with 29,437 who arrived in 2023, Home Office saysThe number of people arriving in the UK in 2024 after crossing the Channel in small boats was up by a quarter on the previous year, figures show.A total of 36,816 people made the journey in 2024, a jump of 25% from the 29,437 who arrived...

Former Australian prime minister posted a photograph with himself, his wife Jenny and Donald and Melania Trump on XGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has spent New Year’s Eve with US president-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort.Morrison posted a photo on X featuring himself and his wife, Jenny, alongside Trump and his wife,...

From cheaper energy to recyclable packaging and phasing out Australia Post motorbikes – here’s what has and hasn’t been achievedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian republic, renewable-powered supermarkets, recyclable packaging and the phasing out of Australia Post motorbikes.These are just some of the promises, targets and predictions that years ago were set for 2025 – which is now...

This live coverage has ended now, thanks for following along. And there are many events are taking place around the world ahead of the midnight celebrations.There is already a massive crowd in Chongqing in western China ahead of midnight. Continue reading...

Authorities hope for vital clues as contents of cockpit recorder are converted into audio formatInvestigators in South Korea have extracted data from one of two black boxesretrieved from a Jeju Air plane that crashed shortly after landing on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people aboard.The country’s deputy minister for civil aviation, Joo Jong-wan, said initial data had been retrieved from the...

More than 800 African-Caribbean families in Derbyshire were not sent results of tests for genetic blood disordersAn error by the NHS led to hundreds of families with African-Caribbean heritage being left unaware of whether their babies may be carriers of certain genetic blood disorders, the Guardian has learned.More than 800 families in Derbyshire were not sent the results of a heel prick test given...

‘Cautious optimism’ forecast despite end to key stamp duty relief and fears of higher taxes and interest ratesExperts have predicted a “buyer’s market” for house hunters in the year ahead, giving them greater negotiating power as the mood of the housing market shifts to “cautious optimism”.However, even the more hopeful expectations for 2025 were met with caution, as an important stamp duty relief for...

Influential Commons committee calls for government to take action to prevent justice being further delayedThe Post Office needs to be removed from running redress schemes for victims of the Horizon scandal to prevent justice from being further delayed, an influential parliamentary committee has said.In a report published on Wednesday, one year to the day since the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office...

Five entire families can be killed, totalling 30 wolves, in move campaigners say is illegal under EU lawSweden’s wolf hunt starts on Thursday, with the country aiming to halve the population of the endangered predator.The Swedish government has given the green light for five entire wolf families, a total of 30 wolves, to be killed in a hunt campaigners say is illegal under EU...

Phenomenon known as ‘sea sparkles’ or ‘red tide’ is caused by masses of noctiluca scintillans, a pink-coloured algaeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMasses of glittering algae have returned to Tasmania’s coastline in a spectacular bloom of bioluminescence that experts say is the largest seen in years.The phenomenon, known as “sea sparkles” or “red tide”, was caused by masses of...

Western European population has risen 25% with ban and some UK sites have seen promising increasesThere are signs of hope for the turtle dove, one of the most endangered birds that has been plummeting towards extinction in Britain.After a temporary ban on the annual shoot of the migratory birds as they pass through France, Spain and Portugal, which began in 2021, there has been...

Gabriela Montero asks promoters to cut ties with El Sistema on 2025 Europe tour, after alleged theft of electionOne of Venezuela’s most celebrated musicians, the pianist Gabriela Montero, has called on concert halls and music promoters to cut ties with her country’s world-renowned youth orchestra as a result of Nicolás Maduro’s alleged theft of this year’s presidential election.The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela...

These nocturnal events are more spectacular from dark country sky, but they can still be seen from a light-polluted city – and for many, no telescope is neededGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEach night an annual parade of constellations passes above our heads but there are always exciting, less frequent events to look out for in the sky. The...

Criminal penalties for employers who deliberately underpay workers have come into effect, including up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $7.8mGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAdrian Thoen, a Commonwealth Bank call centre worker was devastated when he found out he was among thousands of workers at the nation’s biggest bank being underpaid to the tune...