Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 31 Dec 2016

1. Donald Trump praises 'smart' Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump has praised Vladimir Putin after the Russian president ruled out retaliation to the expulsion of diplomats in a row over hacking. The US President-elect tweeted: "Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!" Putin had earlier said Moscow would not stoop to "irresponsible diplomacy" after Washington expelled 35 diplomats.

2. 'Selfish' revellers put 'National Hangover Service' under strain

The National Health Service is under intolerable strain from "selfish" partygoers getting "blotto", its chief executive has warned. Simon Stevens said the NHS was being treated as the "National Hangover Service" as international research found Britain has one of the worst records for binge drinking, drug taking and sexually transmitted diseases. He said it is "really selfish" to get "so blotto" that you need the under-strain service.

3. Mo Farah, Ken Dodd and Anna Wintour in honours list

Olympians Andy Murray, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill are recognised in a New Year Honours list. The Kinks singer Ray Davies and opera star Bryn Terfel receive knighthoods. Senior comic Ken Dodd said he felt "highly tickled" to receive a knighthood at the age of 89. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is made a dame for services to fashion and journalism.

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4. Planet 'vulnerable' to major flu pandemic says Gates

Health organisations are unprepared for a major flu pandemic, Bill Gates has warned. The billionaire philanthropist said the world was "a bit vulnerable right now" – and would probably remain so for at least a decade. Gates said the Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks which have struck the globe in the past three years exposed serious weaknesses in our ability to swiftly tackle health emergencies.

5. Security tightened at UK's outdoor New Year events

Security at New Year's Eve events has been "modified" following the lorry attacks in Berlin and Nice this year, says the BBC. More armed officers will be deployed and concrete barriers will be in use in London, where 100,000 tickets have been sold to watch fireworks. Greater Manchester Police has said it will step up crowd protection in the wake of the Berlin attack.

6. China says it will ban ivory sales next year

China will outlaw the domestic sale and processing of ivory by the end of next year, a move that increases pressure on Britain to remove loopholes in its own ban on the trade. Campaigners said that the announcement was "a game-changer for Africa’s elephants", more than 100,000 of which have been killed by poaching in the past decade. Beijing is the world’s largest ivory market.

7. George Michael post-mortem is 'inconclusive'

A post-mortem into the cause of George Michael's death has proved "inconclusive", according to police. The 53-year-old pop legend was found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day. His partner Fadi Fawaz said he found the star dead in bed when he arrived to wake him. Michael’s spokesman said there were no suspicious circumstances around the death.

8. Salmond says government must end 'military obsession'

Alex Salmond has called on the government to "abandon military obsession" in its foreign policy. In his new year message, the former SNP leader said Theresa May’s administration should adopt an "ethical and effective" approach instead of arms sales and "knee-jerk militarism". May has rejected calls to stop the sale of British bombs to Saudi Arabia’s armed forces in Yemen.

9. Beatles manager Allan Williams dies at 86

The Beatles' first manager, Allan Williams, has died at 86. Williams took the fledgling act to Hamburg in Germany in 1960 where they learned many of the skills that helped them to stardom. Sir Paul described Williams in The Beatles Anthology as "a great guy, a really good motivator". Williams parted ways with the band in 1961.

10. Rail misery resumes as Southern conductors walk out

Rail passengers face yet more agony as Southern conductors begin a further three-day strike at midnight. Southern’s parent firm Govia Thameslink has encouraged people to check travel information because some New Year's Eve services will finish early. The rail operator is in dispute with the RMT and Aslef unions over changes to the role of guards on new trains.