France plans social media ban for under-15s from September 2026 31. December 2025 (14:33) 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...(The Guardian)
New year revellers told to wrap up warm with snow expected across UK 31. December 2025 (14:02) Near-freezing temperatures likely but clear, dry skies will be perfect for viewing fireworks, says Met OfficeSnowfall is expected across much of the UK in a chilly start to the new year, forecasters have said, as revellers were advised to wrap up with near-freezing temperatures expected on New Year’s Eve.Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations are expected to go ahead after last year’s cancellation due to high winds, despite yellow warnings for snow across northern Scotland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Finnish police seize vessel suspected of damaging underwater cable 31. December 2025 (13:59) Border guards find boat with its anchor down after telecoms link between Helsinki and Tallinn targeted A ship suspected of damaging an underwater cable running between Helsinki and Tallinn has been seized by police.Finnish officials say the vessel is suspected of being “responsible for the damage to the cable” owned by the telecoms group Elisa and located in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS under ‘extraordinary pressure’ as amber cold alerts issued for all England 31. December 2025 (13:58) Hospitals brace for new year surge in sick patients as temperatures plummet and with 95% of beds fullThe NHS is under “extraordinary pressure” and braced for a new year surge in sick patients as amber cold health alerts were issued for the whole of England.While the number of patients in hospital with flu is levelling off, according to data published on Wednesday, health leaders said the NHS was “not out of danger yet” with temperatures expected to plummet. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South Yorkshire train passengers face delays after theft of signalling cables 31. December 2025 (13:36) Rail services between Sheffield and Doncaster affected on New Year’s Eve after incident at ConisbroughTrain passengers in South Yorkshire are facing disruption on New Year’s Eve after the theft of signalling cables, Network Rail has said.The rail body said services between Sheffield and Doncaster would be affected all day after the theft in Conisbrough. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Life is pain without you’: Cary Elwes and Martin Scorsese pay tribute to Rob Reiner as autopsy reports sealed 31. December 2025 (13:25) As a judge puts a security hold on Rob and Michele Reiner’s cases and Joe Rogan criticises Donald Trump’s comments about Reiner’s death, collaborators continue to pay tributeMore than two weeks after the deaths of the film director Rob Reiner and his photographer wife, Michele, friends and colleagues continue to pay tribute to the couple.Writing on Instagram, Cary Elwes, who starred in Reiner’s 1987 classic The Princess Bride, said he only now felt able to post publicly about his loss. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Violent crimes against parents by children up 60% since 2015, shows London data 31. December 2025 (13:00) 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...(The Guardian)
US executions surged in 2025 to highest level in 16 years 31. December 2025 (13:00) Forty-seven men killed by states operating death penalty – almost double last year’s numberUS executions have surged in 2025 to the highest level in 16 years, as Donald Trump’s campaign to reinvigorate judicial killings, combined with the US supreme court’s increasing refusal to engage in last-minute pleas for reprieve, have taken a heavy toll.A total of 47 men – they were all male – have been killed by states operating the death penalty in the course of the year. That was almost double the number in 2024, amounting to the greatest frenzy of capital punishment bloodletting in America since 2009. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One pub a day closed permanently in England and Wales in 2025 31. December 2025 (12:39) 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...(The Guardian)
‘It’s not a hen party hellscape’: Dublin’s Temple Bar strives to shake off its bad reputation 31. December 2025 (12:00) 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...(The Guardian)
