ALT: a man with a beard and a black shirt is sitting in a dark room and says `` not amused '' .

Countries around the world are preparing to welcome the New Year. We'll bring you the latest updates throughout the day. Follow our live coverage - and watch a recap of the big stories of 2025 below.

Killer fungus becoming more infectious and spreading worldwide

Deputy defence minister says new air defence systems will be completed in 24 months Poland plans to complete a new set of anti-drone fortifications along its eastern borders within two years, a top defence official has said, after a massive incursion of unmanned Russian aerial combat vehicles into Polish airspace earlier this year. “We expect to have the first capabilities of the system in roughly six months, perhaps even sooner. And the full system will take 24 months to complete,” the deputy defence minister, Cezary Tomczyk, told the Guardian in an interview in Warsaw. Continue reading...

Algorithm performed task beyond capability of classical computers, although experts say real-world application still years away Google has claimed a breakthrough in quantum computing after developing an algorithm that performed a task beyond the capabilities of conventional computers. The algorithm, a set of instructions guiding the operation of a quantum computer, was able to compute the structure of a molecule – which paves the way for major discoveries in areas such as medicine and materials science. Continue reading...

Transport secretary says updated airports national policy statement (ANPS) will be published by next summer * UK politics live – latest updates Heathrow’s third runway plans will be fast-tracked so Britain can “experience the benefits sooner”, ministers said as they launched a key part of the government process required for the airport’s expansion. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said work had now started on a new airports national policy statement (ANPS), allowing a final decision by the end of this parliament to “realise the government’s ambition” of a runway by 2035. Continue reading...

Skygazers in the UK have the best chance this week to see a comet which will not make another close approach to Earth for another 1,300 years, astronomers have said.

Government’s plans in disarray before Trump talks as MSD, Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca moves prompt job fears Big pharmaceutical companies have ditched or paused nearly £2bn in planned UK investments so far this year, causing “suffering” to patients, as ministers gear up for discussions with Donald Trump amid a row over drug pricing. The government’s plan for the life science sector, a key pillar of the economy, has been thrown into disarray, after US drugmaker MSD’s shock announcement last Wednesday that it would scrap its £1bn London research centre. Two days later, AstraZeneca decided to halt a planned £200m expansion of its research facilities in Cambridge. Continue reading...

ALT: a man stands in front of a microphone with the words it 's about to go down behind him

Models for reconnaissance, rescue, interception and attack are changing the way both sides operate

A man in his 50s has died after a fatal shark attack in Australia, authorities have said.