Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 1 Jan 2019

1. New year welcomed with fireworks displays

People around the world have welcomed in 2019 with pyrotechnics displays and street parties. Auckland in New Zealand was the first major city to set off its fireworks, followed by the famous display in Sydney, Australia. In London, 100,000 ticket-holders lined the banks of the Thames last night to watch eight tonnes of fireworks light up the sky while Big Ben chimed.

2. In 2019 the UK will ‘turn corner’, says May

Theresa May has used her new year’s message to urge MPs to help the UK to “turn a corner” by approving her Brexit deal, ahead of the rescheduled vote on her plans. Should MPs approve her deal later this month, the prime minister said the UK will “move forward together” and be able to concentrate on other issues such as housing and health.

3. Three people stabbed at Manchester station

Three people were stabbed last night by a man wielding a knife at Manchester Victoria station. The attacker injured a man and a woman, both in their 50s, as well as a police officer who was stabbed in the shoulder, Manchester Police said. The victims’ injuries were said to be “serious” but not life-threatening.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Kim Jong Un warns of nuclear change in direction

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned he will change direction on his country’s denuclearisation efforts if US sanctions on Pyonyang remain in place. The comments were made during Kim’s annual new year's address, and would reverse the rapprochement between North Korea and the US that followed the young leader's meeting with Donald Trump in June 2018.

5. Germany adopts third legal gender identity

German parliament has approved plans for the introduction of a third gender option on official documents allowing people to be registered as “intersex”. The new category will be included on all state documents including driving licences and birth certificates and will allow people who do not identify as either male or female to record themselves as “divers” – which translates as “miscellaneous” or “other”.

6. Nasa probe attempts most distant space flyby

Nasa scientists believe they have successfully guided a probe to the most distant flyby in history after the New Horizons space probe sailed past a diant rock called Ultima Thule at the edge of the solar system. The probe is thought to have passed the icy body at 5.33am GMT and snapped thousands of photographs of the object as it passed.

7. Trump ‘ready to make a deal’ to end shutdown

Donald Trump has said that he is “ready, willing and able” to make a deal with Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi to end the partial government shutdown that began 11 days ago. Trump said the pair “can come over right now” and “could’ve come over anytime” to try to end the impasse over funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border.

8. Venice to charge up to €10 to enter city

Holidaymakers will be charged up to €10 (£9) to visit Venice after the Italian parliament approved an entry tax as part of its 2019 budget. The city’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the levy would help fund clean up rubbish the tens of millions of day-trippers leave behind each year. “The arrival tax is now law,” he said. “We will establish a balanced and shared regulation that protects those who live, study and work in the territory.”

9. Energy firms ‘axe cheap tariffs ahead of price cap’

Thousands of people could miss out on the cheapest electricity and gas prices as Theresa May’s energy price cap comes into force today, the UK’s foremost consumer group has warned. According to Which? some of the cheapest tariffs have been vanishing from the market as suppliers change their offering in the run-up to the cap coming in.

10. Briefing: What is Dry January and is it actually worth it?

This January will see thousands of adults in the UK take part in Dry January. Starting on the first day of the month, participants vow to go 31 days without alcohol in a New Year tradition that has been endorsed by Cancer Research UK and Alcohol Concern.

Reasons for taking part vary, but most people are focused on the health benefits, including weight loss, decreased risk of cancer and improvements to mental health. But what do we know about the origins of this modern tradition - and is it worth it?

Dry January: is it worth it?