Membership of the single market and customs union expired at 11pm - four and a half years after the in-out referendum which sought to settle the issue but sparked political turmoil.

The Mayor of London kept the firework display secret to avoid crowds gathering during the pandemic at Greenwich where rockets were fired from a barge in the river and 300 drones flew above the O2 Arena.

Since 2007 foreign criminals have only been considered for removal from Britain if they were jailed for a minimum of 12 months.

New rules to safeguard privacy require all drones fitted with cameras to be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority. Any owner who fails to do so could be slapped with a £1,000 fine.

Scott Morrison has announced changes to the Australian national anthem after critics claimed 'we are young and free' was disrespectful to Aboriginal history.

China, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Korea are among the countries who have already greeted the dawn of 2021, with the rest of the planet set to join in the coming hours.

Docherty managed more than a dozen clubs including Chelsea, Villa and QPR. His four-and-a-half years at United saw him take them back to the old First Division and to successive FA Cup Finals.

JAN MOIR: There were times when all the days blurred into one - Blursday - and when Covidiots roamed the country, annoying everyone. Here is my list of heroes and villains of 2020.

Three people left hospitalised as London saw its first two stabbings of 2021 in a night of carnage which also saw officers break up an anti-lockdown protest in the capital.

PROF MARTIN MARSHALL: As the new year begins, the vaccination programme provides genuine hope that the disease could be conquered.

Hollywood superstar Gary Oldman portrays one of Hollywood's most infamous drinkers. He speaks to BAZ BAMIGBOYE about his own battle with alcoholism.

Britain has bid a triumphant good riddance to 2020 with a New Year's Eve like no other as back-garden fireworks erupted across the country to welcome a brighter 2021.

The duo both shared sweet clips to Instagram showing highlights from the past 12 months which included their brood clapping for the NHS and son Brooklyn's engagement.

Debbie Hicks wandered around Gloucester Royal Hospital on Monday saying it was 'shut down' and 'dead' and was arrested by two officers who visited her home in Stroud 24 hours later.

Justin Welby has layed out his reasons to be hopeful for 2021. Drawing on his experience working at St Thomas' Hospital, London, during the pandemic, he said the crisis shows us how 'fragile we are'.

President Trump returned to Washington D.C. on New Year's Eve amid a fight with Congress over $2,000 stimulus checks, the defense bill and the upcoming certification of the electoral college vote.

London and the South East could be first to enter a touted 'Tier 5' - forcing schools and universities to bolt their doors - leading experts have warned today amid spiralling coronavirus infections across the UK.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research has predicted a huge boon for the UK economy fuelled by vaccines, the Brexit deal and Donald Trump's departure from the White House.

JOHN HUMPHRYS: Some weeks ago I thought it might be helpful to paint a picture in these pages of what this country could look like in a few years' time.

Gavin Williamson said yesterday that he is 'absolutely confident' there will not be further delays to schools reopening, amid anger and confusion over his chaotic plans.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: The Palace refuses to say if Her Majesty or Prince Philip have been given the Covid vaccine, insisting that it's a 'private' matter.

A grim assessment from SAGE says the new variant appears so much more contagious that the brutal blanket restrictions imposed in November would be 'highly unlikely' to contain the spread.

Fondly remembered for his generosity and kindness as well as for his award-winning work, he passed away peacefully in St Thomas' Hospital in London on Wednesday night.

No premieres, film festivals, fashion weeks or glittering parties . . . If you reckoned last year was tough, then spare a thought for those poor celebrities.

Although the typical litter lout is a man in his twenties, children are getting away with the crime by escaping fines. Clean Up For Britain says it is an unpunishable crime for youngsters.

TOM UTLEY: Explains why New Year resolutions are a waste of time. Whether there is a pandemic or not, you probably still won't accomplish your goals.

Jane Garvey signed off her final Woman's Hour broadcast yesterday after 13 years - declaring that the 'show needs to move on and now it can'.

With health workers set to start giving people a second jab developed by Oxford University on Monday, less than a month into the vaccine drive, serious problems are already starting to emerge.

The Isles of Scilly is the only part of England under the most-relaxed level of Covid restrictions - meaning pubs, bars and restaurants are open for sit-in customers.

Japan's capital reported a daily record of 1,337 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday and the nationwide figure was 4,515. As a result, there are growing fears over the Olympic Games.

Professor Marcel Levi revealed the 550-bed hospital now has 220 Covid patients, with numbers increasing by 5 per cent a day. He added the 'real pressure' is on intensive care.

Walking home from a spot of Christmas shopping, former Heathrow Airport workers Arti Dhir and Kaval Raijada looked like they hadn't a care in the world.

Britain would have a price tag of more than £10trillion if the entire country and everything in it went up for sale, official figures have revealed.

As a result of an administrative error, when the newly-knighted Dave Lewis (pictured) was chief executive, some 78,000 Tesco staff were paid below the minimum wage for part of 2017.

Even before the pandemic struck, Astra's chief executive Pascal Soriot was being hailed for leading the successful transformation of the British drugs giant from laggard to industry leader.

Alexander Wang, 37, was accused this week of sexual assault and drugging drinks with MDMA. Multiple accusers claim his 'predatory' behavior has been an open secret.

The final day of 2020 brought bitterly cold conditions for much of the UK and more snow - with a low of -7.5C (-18.5F) recorded in Topcliffe, near Thirsk in North Yorkshire.

Twitter users across the UK today shared hilarious memes as they bid farewell to 2020, a year blighted by the global Covid pandemic and lockdown curbs on liberty.

US and UK researchers analysed the number of deaths from COVID-19 in 175 countries during the opening months of the pandemic.

Ariel Burdett, 38, from Leeds, who left judges speechless with her audition on the X Factor in 2008, lay dead in her bed for days after cutting her neck, an inquest heard today.

SAGE sub-group SPI-B said that 'enhanced mitigation measures' might be needed to control the UK's new variant of coronavirus which now makes up a majority of cases in some areas.

In a joint statement on the homepage of the updated Archewell website, Harry and Meghan say: 'I am my mother's son. And I am our son's mother. Together we bring you Archewell.'

GP Dr Ross Perry and wellbeing expert Janey Lee Grace told FEMAIL what to expect when you quit booze for a month during Dry January, including better sleep and clearer skin.

Thomas Senderovitz, director of the Danish Medicines Agency, said he feared the UK approved the jab 'too fast', as European and American bodies said they would delay approval.

The body of Silhesha Sunderland, 22, was discovered by her partner Marc Stott on December 27 at their home in Bolton, Gtr Manchester.

Pictures show the asylum seekers being led ashore by Border Force officials in Dover after being intercepted in the English Channel this morning.

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NSW Police pulled over a Toyota van at the intersection of Pacific Highway and Myocum Road, Ewingsdale,in the northern part of the state, at 7.30pm on Wednesday.

Israel is set to run out of Pfizer /BioNTech doses amid fears that the slow pace of the vaccination programme and supply shortages will sabotage the global recovery.

Andy Cohen blasted Bill de Blasio in a drunken on-air rant on New Year's Eve after the embattled mayor was seen dancing and celebrating in New York City following a tumultuous year for the city.

Hello 2021, and goodbye 2020! The year of the pandemic has officially ended as the ball dropped in an empty Times Square while millions of Americans watched the annual event from home..

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Thursday for an attack that killed nearly 40 soldiers in Syria the day before when jihadists ambushed a bus in eastern Syria.

Rance, 31, retired from football in December, 2019, after 200 games to spend more time with his family and focus on his faith as a Jehovah's witness.

Royal Caribbean crew locked up Sydney air conditioning technician Daniel Rawlings, 32, for six days of a 10 day 'schoolies' cruise around the Pacific in November 2016.

The patriotic tattoo Matt Hill got after four months backpacking across Europe when he was just 18 is now awkwardly outdated thanks to the Prime Minister's anthem lyric switch.

The Wagga Wagga local checked her ticket about an hour after the clock struck midnight and realised she held the only division one winning entry across Australia.

Three men, all aged 22, remain under investigation by police in relation to the alleged rape and sexual assault of two minors.

The US is on pace to reach 20 million total coronavirus cases by the end of the weekend as 221,444 new infections were confirmed on Thursday, bring the tally to 19,715,030.

Thousands of travelers spent New Year's Day trapped in a mad traffic dash from New South Wales trying to cross the Victorian border before midnight.

The NSW Premier accused her Victorian counterpart of 'wasting resources' about hard border closures as both states battle to control fresh coronavirus outbreaks.

The swimmer, 20, had wading in waist-deep water in the Mary River with a group of mates near Gympie in south-east Queensland when he disappeared.

Shoppers who visited the Culture Kings clothing store in Sydney have been told to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested if they appear as other venues across NSW are put on alert.

While 140 Republicans are planning to vote against the certification on January 6, their efforts are likely to only delay the process and have little chance of overturning the 2020 result.

Forecasters are also warning of further chaos, because the same conditions behind the 'Beast from the East' in February 2018 are forming again high up in the atmosphere.

A luxury apartment owned by the family of Australia's favourite biscuit brand is officially on the market.

Stunning pictures comparing Australian life in 2019 to the upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic show why 2020 will go down in history as one of the most unforgettable years in decades - for all the wrong reasons.

Miya Taylor Ponsetto, 22, was identified on Thursday as the woman wanted by police for tackling a 14-year-old black boy who she falsely accused of stealing her iPhone at a Manhattan hotel.

Older Australians are likely to be the worst hit as unemployment benefits are scaled back by $100 a fortnight for more than 1.3 million people. 

Champion swimmer Emily Seebohm has opened up about her battle with an eating disorder and negative body image.

Victoria's testing chief, Jeroen Weimar said 170 close contacts of the coronavirus patients have been identified and are in self-isolation.

Frightening images have emerged of the moment locals find a deadly red belly black snake in a popular beachside suburb. 

Officers are appealing for information about a suspect who was seen on CCTV before and after an attack on a 27-year-old woman in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday at around noon.

The Prime Minister used a newspaper column to offer hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic was behind Britain thanks to the arrival of new vaccines being rolled out by the NHS.

Joe and Jill Biden's 2020 sendoff took an awkward turn on Thursday night after the couple's confetti cannon turned out to be a dud and failed to go on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

As President Donald Trump returned to Washington D.C. amid his battle with Congress, his friends and family members have gathered at his Mar-a-Lago estate for his annual NYE party.

Andre Hill, a 47-year-old black man who later died after being shot on December 22 by Officer Adam Coy, was still alive while officers were securing the area in Columbus on Dec. 22.

Security camera recorded Caipirinha, a dog saved by an Argentine family in Brazil after she was abandoned, save the family's blind pit bull, Luna, from possibly drowning in a pool.

A 27-year-old woman was raped inside her New York City apartment on Wednesday morning by a man posing as a delivery driver.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly made the declaration in a conference call with his GOP colleagues on Thursday morning.

Kentucky police have found 'no evidence' of explosives after they evacuated the downtown area of Lexington after reports of a bomb threat involving an RV.

Alexander Rechits danced with Hilaria, then Hillary, between 2006 and 2009. 'It was always her desire to be considered Spanish,' he said. The dance partners are pictured main.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant also revealed concerning news that two infected Victorians visited several venues in Eden and Bermagui on the NSW far south coast.

The Florida Department of Health confirmed the diagnosis on Thursday night. Officials said the man is in his 20s, lives in Martin County and has no history of travel.

Indigenous boxer Anthony Mundine has blasted Scott Morrison's 'tokenistic' change to the national anthem claiming Advance Australia Fair is still a 'white supremacy song'.

Revellers splashed their way into the New Year at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, on Friday morning after the city rung in January 1 with a shortened fireworks display on a vacated harbour.

A desperate search is underway for a 20-year-old man who went for a New Year's Eve dip in a river and vanished.

Geovanni Valle, of Corona, Queens, was released from a juvenile detention center on Thursday after he was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and rioting in connection to the attack.

Hundreds of thousands of eager Sydneysiders and tourists typically pack the harbour from the early hours of December 31, to ensure they can snatch the perfect spot for the fireworks.

The eight new Covid-19 cases in Melbourne could be more worrying than the 173 cases in Sydney, according to a disease expert.  

Before losing the election to President-elect Joe Biden, President Donald Trump pointed a finger at Jared Kushner and said it would be his son-in-law's fault if November 3 didn't go well.

The greenback soared to a three-year high of 102.99 against a basket of currencies in March, before ending the year at 89.96, down 6.77 percent on the year and 12.65 percent from its high.

A riot squad was called in to stop an illegal firework display while police issued $32,000 in fines and made more than 200 arrests during a statewide crackdown on New Year's Eve. 

Matt Gaetz, 38, proposed to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club on Thursday night. Fox TV analyst Jeanine Pirro broke the news in a tweet.

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse said he'll take no part in the Trump-backed plan to object to Electoral College vote counts on January 6 and said GOP members don't believe the president's fraud claims.

'This January, I'm starting a new challenge - preparing myself for my 40th birthday,. 'I'm going to be 40 and FABULOUS.'

A British security firm has been accused of tipping off American security forces so they could assassinate Iran's top security commander.

Alexander Wang addressed the sexual misconduct claims against him for the first time on Thursday calling them 'grotesquely false'.

It comes as hundreds of Australians rushed to get back into the state from New South Wales before the hard border closure comes in at midnight.

Soaring numbers of families are struggling to pay electricity bills, research has found. A total of 777,000 customers owed money to their suppliers between July and September last year.

The Royal College of Midwives said the pandemic has 'exposed the fault lines' in staffing gaps - particularly in England.

Cheaper electricity bills, changes to government payments and new takeaway alcohol rules. Daily Mail Australia looks at the changes that will affect Australians' back pockets in 2021.

Taiki Kano was found dead in a dam south of Ballina, northern NSW, on November 26 after his car was found abandoned.

Bank balances Down Under have grown by and average of about $8000 in recent months with more people eyeing less opportunities to spend during the coronavirus crisis.

A New Year's Eve McDonald's run allegedly turned violent after a woman stepped out of her vehicle and tried to choke a police officer.

Notorious bikie leader Shane Bowden, 48, was shot in the head and chest in an execution-style killing outside his Gold Coast home in October.

Times Square is at the center of the world's New Year's Eve celebrations, with tens of thousands of people packing in every December 31st to watch the ball drop at midnight.

A wild brawl broke out between Mississippi State and Tulsa players following the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. Coaches from both teams struggled to contain the fight.

At least 145 employees at a Union Gap, Washington Costco have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Tuesday and they expect even more cases this week.

Emergency services were called to Brunker Road, Newcastle, 162km north east of Sydney, at 1.30am on New Year's Day.

An Australian swim instructor believes he is the victim of discrimination after being barred from a number of venues due to his distinctive body tattoo.

Rebecca Grossman, 57, kept her head down as she left court Wednesday after pleading not guilty to murder charges for a car accident that killed two young brothers.

After the FDA received reports of the 28 dog deaths - in addition to eight reports of dogs falling ill - Sportmix makers Midwestern Pet Food recalled multiple production lots of the food.

Steven and Nancy Iscowitz, who own a condo at Palmetto Place in Mizner Park in Boca Raton, Florida, filed the lawsuit against their condo association on December 28.

As of New Year's Eve, roughly 12.4 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been distributed to states, and only 2.8 million of those doses have actually been administered,

The mayor said 'vaccination hubs' would be created to help with the program. He noted that meeting the target would require dramatically increasing access.

Caleb Burczyk, 29, was charged with one count each of burglary and terrorizing - both felonies - on December 29, following an incident in Williston, North Dakota, that occurred three days prior.

Samuel Little died one day before the 50th anniversary of his first known killing - Mary Brosley, a 33-year-old mother-of-two.

Emergency services were called to a street in Belmore, south west Sydney, at 1.10am on New Year's Day.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell killed yet another Democratic effort to pass a stand alone bill that would increase stimulus checks to $2,000.

The nation's top health experts who have been at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic waded into the vaccine rollout chaos Thursday.

Miya Ponsetto was named Thursday in connection with the incident involving a 14-year-old black boy she falsely accused of stealing her iPhone.

Authorities in Argentina have been going over Paula Giménez's death after the 21-year-old rapper was found hanging in her home on Christmas Day.

Walter Mitchell, 59, was arrested in Arizona on Tuesday and charged with 28 counts of unlawful discarding of human remains after he 'scattered human limbs and skulls in a two remote areas.'

Sarah Boone, of Wickenburg, Arizona, was arrested on December 26 - the second time this year - after she allegedly assaulted her children because they weren't wearing face masks.

A total of 42 people were given the antibody cocktail at a vaccination clinic in Boone County in the southwestern part of the state this week.

The three neighboring properties on an exclusive cul-de-sac, which sold for a combined $40.9 million, all closed between December 21 and 22.

In the year in which the UK faced a pandemic, the everyday heroes who helped their communities in the face of the Covid-19 have been honoured in the New Year's Honours list for 2021.

Greater Manchester Police officers were called to a report of a blast at the property, in Wythenshawe, at 12.20am on Wednesday morning. Clinton Parren, 43, was charged by police with causing the blast.

Security camera footage shows the majestic beast walking down the snow-covered empty street in Xinjiang, China, before pausing to look around, seemingly enjoying a leisurely stroll.

It is safe to say that America is quite happy to flip the calendar to 2021 when the clock strikes midnight late on Thursday night and put 2020 in its rearview mirror.

The 27-year-old male driver of the car was pronounced dead at the San Ysidro Port of Entry last Tuesday. A wheelchair bound woman, described as a vendor, also died.

Video captured the moment Lee Meason, from Springville, Utah, saw colors he had never seen before when he tried on the pink glasses.

The Secret Service will reorganize the presidential detail as Joe Biden takes office next month over fears current agents who guard President Donald Trump could be too politically aligned.

CBS Studios will suspend filming of five of its shows, including two from the NCIS franchise, due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles as other production companies are expected to follow suit.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have flocked to the UAE in December after the two countries normalized ties in a breakthrough U.S.-brokered deal.

NHS chiefs at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel have emailed staff admitting they are so overwhelmed with cases 'we are no longer providing high standard critical care, because we cannot'.

Joe Biden's inauguration will include a tribute to those who lost their lives to the coronavirus with church bells ringing across the nation and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool illuminated. 

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT: Rebecca Bingham said her two-year-old cat Spider 'didn't stand a chance' after a hound from the High Peak Hunt caught her in Bakewell, Derbyshire.

Deciding when to lift lockdown rules will be a political decision based on how much risk ministers will accept, because the UK's current vaccination programme will not drive Covid out completely.

The Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust employee, 35, pleaded guilty to giving the baby the laxative at Southampton Crown Court and was handed a suspended prison term.

Graeme Biggar (pictured), head of the National Crime Agency's National Economic Crime Centre, told how the agency is combating a surge in fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sir Rodney Aldridge and his wife Lady Carol have said that the proposed mansion in Oxshott, Surrey, 'will overlook neighbouring properties' and 'seems overly large for the size of the plot'.

Natalie Bird, 15, (pictured) was last seen leaving her home in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire on December 30 at 5.40pm.

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT The educator can be seen grabbing the boy's hair while savagely smacking his face, watched by a full room of pupils at a middle school in western China's Xinjiang.

Samia Hussein, 25, who joined the Islamic State in 2015, was smuggled out of Syria earlier this year. In an interview she refused to condemn the bombing at a concern in Manchester Arena in 2017.

MailOnline analysis reveals that should the NHS keep vaccinating Britons at a rate of 300,000 a week, it will take until December 2022 to give everyone over 50 their first dose.

Retired Chicago Bears cornerback and NFL All-Pro Michael Richardson has been arrested for murder following Tuesday's shooting death of a 47-year-old Phoenix man.

The video shows the woman suddenly run at Keyon Harrold Jr., grab him by the waist and tackle him to the ground in the Arlo Hotel on Saturday.

Britain is seeing infections and death rates soar as hospitalizations climb to their highest levels on record. Now the US must try to curb the same mutant strain.

Police officer Diogo Gomes drowned at a beach in São Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday after he attempted to save the life of his nine-year-old son and was swept away by a strong current.