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New Year’s Eve celebrations across the UK have been cancelled as the country braces for a wet and windy start to 2025. 

Outdoor events planned for 31 December as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay will not take place, while celebrations on the 30th were also cancelled.

A spokesperson said events in the city centre of the Scottish capital, including fireworks from the castle, are unable to go ahead “on the grounds of public safety” due to “high winds and inclement weather”.

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Meanwhile, organisers of a planned fireworks display in Blackpool said it has also been cancelled due to the weather.

Visit Blackpool said only the pyrotechnics have been affected, with the rest of the New Year’s Eve Family Party to continue as planned, including free ice skating and a projection light show.

31 December
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Weather warnings in place for 31 December. Pic: Met Office

Another fireworks event in Ripon, North Yorkshire, also succumbed to the weather, with the council posting on Facebook that the event planned to take place in the city’s Market Square could not go ahead due to high winds.

While a homemade boat race in Poole in Dorset, a sea dip in Lyme Regis in the same south coast county, as well as fireworks displays on the Isle of Wight and on Newcastle’s Quayside, were all cancelled on Tuesday morning.

In the capital, London’s City Hall said it is “monitoring the weather” ahead of tonight’s celebrations.

Preparations continue for the New Year's Eve fireworks display in central London. Pic: PA
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Preparations continue for the New Year’s Eve fireworks display in central London. Pic: PA

It is understood there are currently no plans to cancel any New Year’s Eve events in London, which includes the annual fireworks display at the London Eye on the South Bank of the River Thames.

Rain, wind and snow warnings

Four separate weather warnings cover Scotland on Tuesday alone, including an amber warning for rain covering the regions of Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.

The Met Office said showers are expected to continue into the afternoon, with an additional 50-70mm of rain to fall.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency did downgrade the risk of flooding in Highlands communities after less rain fell overnight than expected, but 31 warnings and 10 flood alerts remain in place at the time of writing on Tuesday morning.

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Hogmanay event cancelled

Flood warnings were also issued for parts of North Yorkshire, where high tides and strong winds are expected to cause large waves. A further 11 flood alerts have been issued in England by the Environment Agency.

Glasgow and Edinburgh are also under a yellow warning for wind until 11pm, which the Met Office said could bring delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.

Train operator ScotRail warned its services were being disrupted by speed restrictions due to “very heavy rainfall”.

At least 11 lines have been affected, according to the ScotRail website, and 18 trains were cancelled on Tuesday morning.

Network Rail said it closed the Highland Main Line at Kingussie because of “more extreme rainfall overnight”.

A yellow warning for rain and snow covering nearly the whole of the country is in place until midnight, while a warning for snow covers Orkney.

January 1
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1 January weather warnings. Pic: Met Office

Parts of northern England are covered by a yellow warning for wind from 7am until 11pm on New Year’s Eve, with a separate wind warning covering Northern Ireland from 6am until 2pm.

A 24-hour yellow warning for rain will also come into force across much of Wales and northwest England from 6pm on Tuesday.

‘Tricky couple of days’

As the clock strikes midnight in the UK, separate warnings for wind and rain are in place for Wednesday.

Winds of up to 60mph are forecast across much of England and Wales all day on 1 January, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.

January 2
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A warning for snow and ice is in place for 2 January. Pic: Met Office

The forecaster said the “whole of the UK will experience a change to colder conditions” on Thursday, with temperatures expected to fall below freezing, with the possibility of reaching minus double digits in some areas of Scotland.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice comes into force from midnight until 9am on 2 January across parts of the Scottish Highlands.

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Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “It will be a tricky couple of days and a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year.

“We’re encouraging anyone who is planning to travel to keep up to date with the weather forecast and news from their local authorities.”

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Donald Trump may be denied privilege of addressing parliament on UK state visit

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Donald Trump may be denied privilege of addressing parliament on UK state visit

Donald Trump may be denied the honour of addressing parliament on his state visit to the UK later this year, with no formal request yet submitted for him to be given that privilege.

It comes after President Macron’s successful state visit this week, in which he was invited to speak in front of both Houses of Parliament.

Sky News has been told the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, hasn’t so far received a request to invite the US president to speak in parliament when he is expected to visit in September.

It was confirmed to MPs who have raised concerns about the US president being allowed to address both houses.

Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, wrote to the speaker in April asking him to stop Mr Trump from addressing parliament, and tabled an early-day motion outlining her concerns.

“I was happy to see Macron here but feel very differently about Trump,” she said.

“Trump has made some very uncomfortable and worrying comments around the UK government, democracy, the Middle East, particularly around equalities and, of course, Ukraine.

“So, I think there are many reasons why, when we’re looking at a state visit, we should be looking at why they’re being afforded that privilege. Because, of course, it is a privilege for somebody to come and address both of the houses.”

But the timing of the visit may mean that any diplomatic sensitivities, or perceptions of a snub, could be avoided.

Macron addressing Parliament
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France’s President Emmanuel Macron addressed parliament during his state visit this month

Lord Ricketts, a former UK ambassador to France, pointed out that parliament isn’t sitting for much of September, and that could help resolve the issue.

In 2017, he wrote a public letter questioning the decision to give Donald Trump his first state visit, saying it put Queen Elizabeth II in a “very difficult position”.

Parliament rises from 16 September until 13 October due to party conferences.

The dates for the state visit haven’t yet been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or the government.

However, they have not denied that it will take place in September, after Mr Trump appeared to confirm they were planning to hold the state visit that month. The palace confirmed this week that the formal planning for his arrival had begun.

Donald Trump. Pic: Reuters
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Mr Trump has said he believes the trip to the UK will take place in September. Pic: Reuters

When asked about parliamentary recess potentially solving the issue, Ms Osborne said: “It may be a way of dealing with it in a very diplomatic way… I don’t know how much control we have over Trump’s diary.

“But if we can manoeuvre it in a way that means that the House isn’t sitting, then that seems like a good solution, maybe not perfect, because I’d actually like him to know that he’s not welcome.”

A message from the speaker’s office, seen by Sky News, says: “Formal addresses to both Houses of Parliament are not automatically included in the itinerary of such a state visit.

“Whether a foreign head of state addresses parliament, during a state visit or otherwise, is part of the planning decisions.”

The King and Mr Trump raising a toast in 2019. Pic: Reuters
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Mr Trump made his first state visit to the UK in June 2019 during his first presidency. File pic: Reuters

It’s understood that if the government agrees to a joint address to parliament, the Lord Chamberlain’s office writes to the two speakers, on behalf of the King, to ask them to host this.

It will be Mr Trump’s second state visit.

During his first, in 2019, he didn’t address parliament, despite the fact that his predecessor, Barack Obama, was asked to do so.

It was unclear if this was due to the fact John Bercow, the speaker at the time, made it clear he wasn’t welcome to do so.

However, it didn’t appear to dampen Mr Trump’s excitement about his time with the Royal Family.

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Speaking earlier this year, he described his state visit as “a fest” adding “it’s an honour… I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William; we have really just a great respect for the family. And I think they’re setting a date for September.”

It is expected that, like Mr Macron, the pageantry for his trip this time will revolve around Windsor, with refurbishment taking place at Buckingham Palace.

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Fuel to engines of Air India plane that crashed cut off moments after take-off, report finds

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Fuel to engines of Air India plane that crashed cut off moments after take-off, report finds

Fuel to the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last month appears to have cut off shortly after take-off, a preliminary report has found.

According to the report switches in the cockpit that controlled fuel moved to a “CUTOFF” position.

It said: “Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of one second.

“The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.”

The crash site. Pic: AAIB
Image:
The crash site. Pic: AAIB

There was then confusion in the cockpit. In the voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he “cut off”. The other pilot responds that he did not do so.

There were no conclusions as to how the switches were moved.

One of the engines was able to be restarted, but could not reverse the plane’s deceleration, the report found.

“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,” India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said in the report.

A diagram in the report showing how the plane crashed into a building. Pic: AAIB
Image:
A diagram in the report shows how the plane crashed into a building. Pic: AAIB

No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane’s flight path, the report said. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall, it added.

The plane plummeted into a busy area, killing 241 passengers and 19 others on the ground while incinerating everything around it.

The AAIB’s report is based on the initial findings of the probe, marking 30 days since the crash.

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Liverpool retires number 20 shirt at all levels in honour of Diogo Jota

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Liverpool retires number 20 shirt at all levels in honour of Diogo Jota

Liverpool have retired the number 20 shirt in honour of Diogo Jota – the first time it has made such a gesture.

The club said it was a “unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person” and the decision was made in consultation with his wife and family.

The number 20 will be retired at all levels, including the men’s and women’s first teams and academy squads.

A statement said: “It was the number he wore with pride and distinction, leading us to countless victories in the process – and Diogo Jota will forever be Liverpool Football Club’s number 20.”

The club called it a “recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds’ on-pitch successes over the last five years, but also the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters and the everlasting connections he built with them”.

Jota's wife joined Liverpool players to view tributes at Anfield on Friday. Pic: Liverpool FC
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Jota’s wife joined Liverpool players to view tributes at Anfield on Friday. Pic: Liverpool FC

Pic: Liverpool FC
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Pic: Liverpool FC

Newly-married Jota died alongside his brother when his Lamborghini crashed in northern Spain on 3 July.

Police said this week that all the evidence so far suggests Jota was the one driving the vehicle.

Liverpool teammates joined members of Jota’s family, including his wife Rute, at a huge memorial site outside Anfield on Friday.

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A fan looks at messages written onto a memorial wall created near Anfield Stadium. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A fan looks at messages on a memorial wall near Anfield. Pic: Reuters


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portug
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Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson were among players at the funeral. Pic: Reuters

The star’s funeral took place last weekend, with Liverpool colleagues and members of the Portuguese national team in attendance.

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk carried a shirt bearing the number 20 made from flowers.

Liverpool players returned to the club’s training ground for the start of pre-season on Tuesday.

Their first game since Jota’s death will be on Sunday when they play a friendly away against Preston North End.

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