Ukraine has halted Russian gas supplies to European customers through its pipeline network, almost three years into Moscow’s all-out invasion. The move comes after a prewar transit deal expired during the final hours of 2024 and as the continent braces itself for a plunge in temperatures that could hasten the drain on gas reserves. Ukraine’s…
Thousands of people gathered in the centre of Birmingham on New Year’s Eve despite a police warning that the announcement of a fireworks display was a hoax. Police and the city council had urged revellers not to travel after false reports there would be a spectacular show in Centenary Square. Images from the scene indicated…
An Australian man has been sanctioned by the US treasury department over his alleged involvement in the global narcotics trade. Australian David Jonathan Thackray and New Zealand national Ho Kai Leung were among 12 individuals and eight entities sanctioned by the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) in an action it said was being…
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature We’ve been hearing from New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell and Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick at a press conference. We’ll bring you the main lines from both and any further details on the incident as soon as we can. Share Louisiana governor condemns…
Police on Merseyside have admitted they were surprised when they caught up with an erratically driven scrambler bike on a public road to find the rider was a seven-year-old boy. The budding Steve McQueen, who was by himself, explained to officers that he had been given the bike as a Christmas present. The boy was…
The breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria has cut heating and hot water supplies to households after Russia stopped supplying gas via Ukraine. “There is no heating or hot water,” an employee of local energy company Tirasteploenergo said by phone from Tiraspol, Moldova’s main city. She said she did not know how long the situation would…
Former 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, Melania, at the Palm Beach, Florida club. “[Happy New Year] 2025 from Mar-a-Lago,” the post said. The annual…
Experts 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 first-time buyers was scheduled to end in…
Masses 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 noctiluca scintillans, a pink-coloured algae that experts say was beautiful to look at, but considered bad news…
A woman has died in a New Year’s Day scuba diving accident at a popular Gold Coast swimming spot. Meanwhile, another woman was found dead on Wednesday after an extensive search following a water tubing accident north-west of Brisbane on New Year’s Eve. Emergency services were called to Wave Break Island, in Biggera Waters, at…
