New Year's Eve events across the UK have been cancelled as the country braces for high winds, heavy rain and snow.

Most parts of the UK are covered by at least one Met Office weather warning until Wednesday.

Transport delays are "likely" as strong winds may reach speeds of up to 70mph in parts of England and Northern Ireland, forecasters warned.

Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh have already been cancelled over public safety concerns, as have fireworks displays in Blackpool, Newcastle, the Isle of Wight and Ripon in North Yorkshire.

Hogmanay organisers, Unique Assembly, have apologised to international tourists who travelled to Edinburgh for the street party and midnight fireworks display.

Scotland's Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said cancelling the festival was "undoubtedly" the correct decision.

"I'm truly sorry for everybody who has travelled but I think given the extent of the weather forecast - it's really, really bad in some parts of the country - it's not the right thing to proceed," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The fireworks display in Blackpool was cancelled because of the expected high winds. The town's other events will go ahead, including a projection show to mark the start of 2025.

A spokesperson for London's mayor said the capital's firework display would go ahead at midnight despite concerns over the weather.

Darryl Fleming, who runs the company in charge of the display, said his team was "looking forward to delivering a full show".

Celebrations in Manchester will also go ahead as planned, after its fireworks display was moved to the top of the city's central library.

Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester City Council's designated New Year spokesperson, said: "Mancunians know that when it's a bit cold and wet you have to wrap up warm, but we're looking forward to seeing everyone tonight.

"All you need is your dancing shoes, party spirit and your nearest and dearest. Grab hold of those and we can't wait to see you in St Peter's Square for the last party of 2024."

Some parts of the country may get to welcome the new year with nature's own fireworks display - the Northern Lights.

Its colourful auroras may be visible in Scotland, Northern Ireland and possibly northern England "depending on the cloud cover", the Met Office said.

The weather warnings in place across the UK include:

• On New Year's Eve, an amber warning for rain is in force in the Highlands and Moray until 17:00 GMT
• A yellow warning for snow and rain covers the Highlands and Moray until 04:00
• Parts of central and southern Scotland and northern England are covered by a yellow warning for wind from 07:00 until 23:00, with a separate wind warning covering much of Northern Ireland from 06:00 until 14:00
• A yellow warning for rain for much of Wales and north-west England is in force until 11:00 on Wednesday
• A yellow warning for snow is in place until midnight in Orkney and Shetland

In the Highlands, forecasters warned "blizzard conditions are possible", especially in the far northern regions of Sutherland and Caithness.

The Environment Agency (EA) issued a flood warning for the River Rothay at Grasmere, White Bridge and Stock Lane in the Lake District. It is the only flood warning in England.

The poor weather conditions were expected to cause travel disruption in parts of the country.

Transport for Wales and London North Eastern Railway warned some services could be delayed or cancelled at short-notice.

Northern Ireland's Translink advised passengers to check online before travelling.

A number of routes in Scotland have been impacted because of speed restrictions, including Inverness services to Perth and the Kyle of Lochalsh; Perth to Stirling; and Edinburgh to Inverness.

The EA warned those travelling or celebrating on New Year Eve to be "especially careful".

Stefan Laeger, the agency's flood duty manager, urged people to "stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through floodwater as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car".

Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine are to end on Wednesday, when a five-year deal between Ukraine's gas transit operator Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom expires.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would not allow Russia to "earn additional billions on our blood" and had given the EU a year to prepare.

The EU has significantly reduced imports of gas from Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a number of eastern member states still depend largely on the supplies, making Russia about €5bn ($5.2bn; £4.2bn) a year.

The European Commission said the continent's gas system was "resilient and flexible" and that it had sufficient capacity to cope with the end of transit via Ukraine.

Russian gas made up less than 10% of the EU's gas imports in 2023, according to figures from the bloc, compared to 40% in 2021.

But several EU members, including Slovakia and Austria, continue to import significant amounts of gas from Russia.

Austria's energy regulator said it did not forecast any supply disruption as it had diversified sources and built up reserves.

But Ukraine's decision has already caused serious tensions with Slovakia, which is now the main entry point of Russian gas into the EU and earned transit fees from piping the gas on to Austria, Hungary and Italy.

On Friday, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico - who had just made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin - threatened to stop the supply of electricity to Ukraine.

This prompted Mr Zelensky to accuse him of helping Mr Putin "fund the war and weaken Ukraine".

"Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia's attempts to cause more suffering for Ukrainians," the Ukrainian president said.

Poland has offered to support Kyiv in case Slovakia cuts off its electricity exports - supplies that are crucial to Ukraine, whose power plants come under regular attack from Russia.

Moldova - which is not part of the EU - could be seriously affected by the end of the transit agreement. The gas fuelled a power plant on which Moldova relies for most of its electricity needs. It also supplied the Russia-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, a small sliver of land sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine.

Moldova's energy minister, Constantin Borosan, said the government had taken steps to ensure stable power supplies to the country but called on citizens to save energy. A 60-day state of emergency in the energy sector has been in place in Moldova since mid-December.

President Maia Sandu accused the Kremlin of "blackmail" possibly aimed at destabilising her country ahead of a general election in 2025. The Moldovan government also said it had offered aid to Transnistria.

Russia has transported gas to Europe through Ukraine since 1991.

As the EU has reduced its dependence on Russian gas, it has found alternative sources in liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar and the US as well as piped gas from Norway.

Once the Ukrainian transit route is cut off, the Black Sea's TurkStream - which reaches Turkey, Hungary and Serbia - will be the only Russian gas supply to European countries.

In December, the European Commission laid out plans it said would enable EU member states to entirely replace gas transiting through Ukraine.

Under the EU's contingency plans, affected countries will be supplied with Greek, Turkish and Romanian gas from the Trans-Balkan route, while Norwegian gas will be piped through Poland. More supplies will also reach central Europe through Germany.

Three people have been seriously injured in a suspected gas explosion.

Cumbria Police said emergency services were called to an address in Hugh Street in Whitehaven at 16:23 GMT.

Two men and a woman have been taken to hospital with serious injuries, the force confirmed.

Crews from Cumbria Fire and Rescue and the North West Ambulance Service are at the scene, as well as engineers from Northern Gas Networks (NGN).

The emergency services are urging people to avoid the area.

They also said "all known persons" were accounted for but work to confirm this was "ongoing".

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Police in New York City have named the woman who was set on fire and burned to death on a subway train in Brooklyn.

Authorities on Tuesday identified Debrina Kawam, 61, of New Jersey as the victim of the seemingly random 22 December attack that burned her body beyond recognition.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is accused of starting the blaze with a lighter while Ms Kawam was asleep. He allegedly fanned the flames with a shirt and then watched the fire grow from a bench outside the subway car.

Last week, a grand jury indicted Mr Zapeta, who claims to have no memory of the incident, on four counts of murder and one count of arson.

It took authorities more than a week to fully identify the body.

Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn district attorney, said at a press conference early in the investigation that authorities had worked to collect DNA evidence and fingerprints from Ms Kawam's remains.

"It's a priority for me, for my office, for the police department to identify this woman, so we can notify her family," Mr Gonzalez said.

False and unverified information about her, including a fake AI-generated picture, circulated online as authorities worked.

There was also an outpouring of support, including a vigil held for the then-unidentified victim last week.

Police say that Ms Kawam was motionless, apparently asleep, on a stationary subway train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn early on 22 December when Mr Zapeta allegedly approached her with a lighter.

The pair never interacted, and police believe they did not know each other.

Video appears to show the suspect waving a shirt at her in an apparent effort to fan the flames, rather than douse them. He then exits the subway car and watches the blaze from a bench on the platform.

Jessica Tisch, New York police commissioner, said that the smell of smoke drew police officers and Metropolitian Transit Authority personnel to the fire where they extinguished the flames.

"Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car," Ms Tisch said.

Authorities declared Ms Kawam dead at the scene.

Ms Tisch described the incident as "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being".

In a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, prosecutor Ari Rottenberg said Mr Zapeta told investigators that he had been drinking and did not remember the incident, but did identify himself in photos and surveillance video showing the fire being lit.

Mr Zapeta, who is originally from Guatemala, was deported from the US in 2018 and later re-entered the country illegally, immigration authorities said.

He is due back in court on 7 January, prosecutors said.

Puerto Rico was plunged into darkness early Tuesday morning by a nearly island-wide blackout.

The cause of the blackout is under investigation, but preliminary findings pointed to a fault in an underground line, according to Luma Energy, the island's main power distributor. Fully restoring service could take between 24-48 hours, the company said on X.

Only 13% of the island's 1.4 million customers had power as of about 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT), according to the New York Times.

An hour later, power had been restored to some areas, as well as San Juan's municipal hospital, Luma said.

The New Year's Eve blackout prompted renewed calls from elected officials and residents to address the unincorporated US territory's ongoing power issues, which have persisted since Hurricane Maria in 2017.

The island cannot continue to put up with an energy system that fails its citizens so often, Jenniffer González-Colon, Puerto Rico's current US congressional representative and the incoming governor of Puerto Rico, wrote on X.

Blackouts continue to affect Puerto Rico's economy and quality of life, she said.

On Facebook, the current governor, Pedro Pierluisi, demanded answers and solutions from the two main power companies, Luma and Genera.

Hundreds of thousands of residents at a time have been affected by power outages this year. A June outage left about 350,000 customers without power as temperatures climbed, and more than 700,000 customers lost electricity after Hurricane Ernesto in August.

As they awoke to another day without power, Puerto Ricans expressed frustration to US media.

"They're part of my everyday life," Enid Núñez, 49, said of the outages to the Associated Press.

Puerto Rico's power grid was strained even before Hurricane Maria devastated the island. US government funding helped shore up the grid, facilitate recovery projects from other natural disasters, and make other important infrastructure improvements.

But the implementation has been incomplete due to a variety of factors, such as issues starting construction and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's requirements to authorise use of some of the funds, according to a February 2024 report from the US Government Accountability Office.

"Inexcusably the power grid has still not recovered from damage in Hurricane Maria," Mark Levine, New York City's Manhattan borough president, wrote on X.

New York City is home to the largest Puerto Rican community in the mainland US.

"This is 3.5M American citizens," he wrote. "We owe them so much better."

Radio presenter Johnnie Walker has died at the age of 79, two months after calling time on his 58-year career because of ill health.

DJ Bob Harris, who took over BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 70s show after Walker's retirement, announced his former colleague's death live on the station on Tuesday.

Walker had pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of the lungs, a condition which makes breathing difficult.

He stepped down from presenting Sounds of the 70s and The Rock Show, also on Radio 2, at the end of October.

Walker had announced live on air earlier in October that he would be hanging up his microphone to retire.

He explained the reason he was retiring after reading out a letter from a listener whose dad had loved the show, but had passed away in 2022 due to pulmonary fibrosis.

"Now, that leads me to be making a very sad announcement," he said.

"The struggles I’ve had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult, hence my little jokes about Puffing Billy, so I’ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end."

Walker's last episode of The Rock Show aired on 25 October, and his final episode of Sounds of the 70s was broadcast on 27 October.

At the end of his final show, Walker said: "[It's] going to be very strange not to be on the wireless anymore. Also, by the same token, life will be slightly less of a strain really, trying to find the breath in order to do the programmes."

"Thank you for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. God bless you."

With Harris taking the helm for Sounds of the 70s, Shaun Keaveny took the reins for Walker's Rock Show.

Walker began his radio career in 1966 on Swinging Radio England, an offshore pirate station, before moving to Radio Caroline.

He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1969, and joined Radio 2 in 1997 where he remained until his retirement.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Nine members of UK special forces could face prosecution over alleged war crimes linked to at least two separate incidents in Syria, according to Ministry of Defence (MoD) data seen by the BBC.

The data, which was originally obtained via a Freedom of Information request by The Times newspaper, shows that two cases are being reviewed by the Service Prosecuting Authority (Spa), the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service.

One case involves one individual, while another involves eight individuals.

The MoD did not disclose details of the cases, or whether they involved singular or multiple incidents.

UK Special Forces have been deployed on operations against Islamic State (IS) in Syria during the past decade - but the MoD does not comment on operations or the whereabouts of special forces troops.

An MoD spokesperson said: "Our UK personnel are respected worldwide for the highest standards and action will be taken against anyone that fails to meet these standards, including dismissal from service, where appropriate.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further on ongoing investigations."

In March 2024, it emerged that five serving SAS soldiers were under investigation over an incident involving allegations of potential war crimes in Syria more than two years ago.

According to the Daily Mail, the incident related to an operation involving the killing of a suspected jihadist, whose body was found near to a primed bomb vest - but he was not wearing the vest when killed.

The SAS soldiers involved are alleged by superiors to have used excessive force and should have arrested the man instead of killing him, the Mail reported. The soldiers are said to have claimed he posed a threat and intended to carry out a suicide attack.

It is unclear if this earlier-reported case is the same as the one involving eight individuals.

In addition to the cases in Syria, the MoD data reveals that the Spa is also considering a case in relation to a special forces individual in Afghanistan. Again, details were not provided of this case.

A public inquiry is being held into the activities of the SAS during their time in Afghanistan.

The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan - launched in the wake of reporting by the BBC and other media outlets - is investigating whether UK Special Forces killed civilians and unarmed people on night raids in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.

The style of play: 'He tried to be progressive, but it didn't work'

The players: 'He was popular, there was no loss of the dressing room'

The media: 'One of the most easy-going managers I've had to deal with'

The fans: Rooney was 'absolutely brilliant' with supporters

The reality: 'It's tricky keeping Plymouth in the Championship'

What next: 'He will think 'is this really for me?''

Police in New York City have named the woman who was set on fire and burned to death on a subway train in Brooklyn.

Authorities on Tuesday identified Debrina Kawam, 61, of New Jersey as the victim of the seemingly random 22 December attack that burned her body beyond recognition.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is accused of starting the blaze with a lighter while Ms Kawam was asleep. He allegedly fanned the flames with a shirt and then watched the fire grow from a bench outside the subway car.

Last week, a grand jury indicted Mr Zapeta, who claims to have no memory of the incident, on four counts of murder and one count of arson.

It took authorities more than a week to fully identify the body.

Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn district attorney, said at a press conference early in the investigation that authorities had worked to collect DNA evidence and fingerprints from Ms Kawam's remains.

"It's a priority for me, for my office, for the police department to identify this woman, so we can notify her family," Mr Gonzalez said.

False and unverified information about her, including a fake AI-generated picture, circulated online as authorities worked.

There was also an outpouring of support, including a vigil held for the then-unidentified victim last week.

Police say that Ms Kawam was motionless, apparently asleep, on a stationary subway train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn early on 22 December when Mr Zapeta allegedly approached her with a lighter.

The pair never interacted, and police believe they did not know each other.

Video appears to show the suspect waving a shirt at her in an apparent effort to fan the flames, rather than douse them. He then exits the subway car and watches the blaze from a bench on the platform.

Jessica Tisch, New York police commissioner, said that the smell of smoke drew police officers and Metropolitian Transit Authority personnel to the fire where they extinguished the flames.

"Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car," Ms Tisch said.

Authorities declared Ms Kawam dead at the scene.

Ms Tisch described the incident as "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being".

In a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, prosecutor Ari Rottenberg said Mr Zapeta told investigators that he had been drinking and did not remember the incident, but did identify himself in photos and surveillance video showing the fire being lit.

Mr Zapeta, who is originally from Guatemala, was deported from the US in 2018 and later re-entered the country illegally, immigration authorities said.

He is due back in court on 7 January, prosecutors said.

Arguably the modern era's biggest A-list couple, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married for two years - but it has taken eight years since announcing their divorce to finally reach a deal. Why did it take four times as long as the marriage itself to settle?

One part of the answer is that the divorce is one strand in a set of bitter legal disputes, some of which still need to be resolved in what Jolie's lawyer has called "a long ongoing process".

We take a look back at how it all started and the legal wranglings the pair have been caught up in since they split in 2016.

Romance blossoms

The couple got together after meeting on the set of the film Mr & Mrs Smith, which was released in 2005.

"Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened," Jolie told Vogue in 2007.

She had already won a best supporting actress Oscar for 1999 movie Girl, Interrupted, but was better known for playing Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider films.

Pitt had starred in hit films including Twelve Monkeys, Fight Club and Ocean's 11.

Both had been married before - Pitt to Friends star Jennifer Aniston, and Jolie to actors Jonny Lee Miller (1996 to 2000) and Billy Bob Thornton (2000 to 2003).

Expanding family

Jolie and Pitt share six children together.

Jolie adopted Maddox from Cambodia in 2002 a few months after he was born. Pitt later adopted him after he and Jolie had begun their relationship.

In 2005, the pair adopted daughter Zahara from Ethiopia when she was a few months old.

The couple's first biological child, Shiloh, was born in Namibia in 2006. Earlier this year, it was reported that Shiloh had submitted a petition to a court to drop Pitt from her name.

Their son Pax was adopted at the age of three from Vietnam in 2007, and twins Knox and Vivienne were born in 2008.

Beginning of the end

The couple made their final red carpet appearance together in November 2015 for a film they both starred in, By the Sea. It was about an unhappily married couple, and was written and directed by Jolie.

The couple rarely discussed their relationship but when promoting the film, Jolie told The Telegraph: "Brad and I have our issues.

"We have fights and problems like any other couple. We have days when we drive each other absolutely mad and want space, but the problems in the movie aren't our specific problems."

The news that Jolie was filing for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences", came as a shock to many in September 2016.

Plane allegations and custody battle

It emerged that she filed for divorce a day after an incident on board a private plane.

Pitt was initially alleged to have hit son Maddox, then 15, on the flight from France to Los Angeles. The FBI and social workers examined the claims, but neither took any action. Pitt denied wrongdoing.

Then in 2022, legal papers from a separate dispute revealed that Jolie accused Pitt of drunkenly attacking her and two children during the flight.

At the time, a source close to the actor told the BBC that her claims were false.

Speaking to Vogue in 2020, Jolie said she left Pitt for the "wellbeing" of her family.

"It was the right decision," she said. "I continue to focus on their healing."

In an interview with GQ in 2017, Pitt spoke about his decision to quit drinking and smoking marijuana, saying the split had been a "huge generator for change".

Regarding the divorce, Pitt said he and Jolie had decided to abandon a path of "vitriolic hatred" and work together to sort out their issues, adding that they were committed to resolving matters amicably and privately.

Vineyard drama

Their attempts to reach agreements over the divorce and custody of their children appeared to be acrimonious and protracted.

In 2019, a judge declared that the couple were officially single, but that the divorce still needed to be finalised.

They reached a custody deal in 2018, but that appeared to fall apart. In 2021, Pitt was granted joint custody after a court battle, but the private judge who oversaw the case was later removed because he did not disclose his business relationships with Pitt's lawyers.

That raised the prospect of a fresh custody case, but nothing has been made public.

And while the divorce saga may now be drawing to a close, there is another legal battle still ongoing to do with a French vineyard.

Pitt and Jolie bought Chateau Miraval together in 2008 and got married in its small chapel in 2014.

But Jolie sold her share to a spirits manufacturer owned by a Russian oligarch, according to Pitt's lawsuit. He is suing his ex-wife for selling her stake in the estate, saying they agreed not to sell their shares without the permission of the other. Jolie has not publicly commented.

Why has divorce settlement taken so long?

The legal wrangles and family considerations added extra complications to the divorce, and celebrity lawyer Chris Melcher told BBC News the settlement had taken an unusually long time.

"This is much longer than any divorce we typically see, but they initially had fights over custody and then it revolved around this winery they own together, and that's been the focus of their fight over the last few years," he said.

Many celebrities want to divorce quickly and move on, he explained.

"A lot of these high-profile cases... we want to keep this quiet, it's damaging to [a celebrity's] brand and their work, so a lot of times in a case of this magnitude we can settle it within six months, a year at the very most.

"Eight years is really a sign of something more going on. It's an inability to let go and a desire to really harm the other."

Few details of the divorce proceedings have been revealed. Private judges are often hired in the US to mediate disputes between divorcing celebrities for privacy reasons.

Kate Daly, co-founder of online divorce company Amicable, told the BBC that such a case was very different from an average divorce.

"It's an industry... [they can afford] lots of expensive lawyers," she said. "Most people couldn't afford for it to take eight years. It's an industry and it's a bad example - we have to distance [normal] people from that kind of narrative."

Their children are now all aged between 16 and 23, and showbiz journalist Jeanne Wolf emphasised the emotional fallout.

"It's been a very emotional and complicated divorce settlement. It's taken a big toll on the children and the couple involved," she said.

"They have tried very hard not to let too many details known about what went on in that marriage."

Jolie's lawyer highlighted the passage of time in his statement on Monday. "This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago," he said.

"Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."

Star Wars and River City actor Angus MacInnes has died at the age of 77.

The Canadian was best known for playing Y-wing fighter gold leader Jon "Dutch" Vander in Episode IV: A New Hope, but also had roles in Rogue One and Hollywood blockbusters including Hellboy and Captain Phillips.

He later appeared as Sonny Munro in River City, and Tostig in the History Channel series Vikings, but relocated to Edinburgh in the mid-1980s, where he established a successful pizza restaurant.

In a post on his official Facebook page, his family confirmed that he died "surrounded by friends and family" on 23 December.

In a statement, they said he was a "beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend."

Convention community

As Dutch, MacInnes portrayed a former Imperial pilot who had defected from the dark side to the Luke Skywalker-led rebellion when ordered to bomb part of his home planet.

He is one of the first to die during the initial assault on the Darth Vader's Death Star in the 1977 film, though he returned to the series in 2016 when archive footage was used in the franchise reboot.

His family said fans of the series had a "special place in his heart".

They wrote: "He loved meeting you at conventions, hearing your stories, and sharing in your passion for the saga.

"He was continually humbled, delighted, and honoured by the admiration and passion of the fans and convention community."

He also starred alongside Tom Hanks as one of the captured crew aboard the Maersk Alabama when it was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia in the 2013 film Captain Phillips.

He also played Council Judge Gerald Silver in the 1995 version of Judge Dredd, starring Sylvester Stallone, and Sgt Whiteman in the 2004 film Hellboy opposite Ron Perlman.

Away from the big screen, MacInnes opened Mamma's pizza in Edinburgh's Grassmarket during a hiatus from his acting career in 1985.

His family added: "Angus was more than an actor—he was a kind, thoughtful, and generous soul who brought warmth and humour into the lives of everyone who knew him.

"He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and fellow actors but also by his fans around the world - his family thank you all."

Radio presenter Johnnie Walker has died at the age of 79, two months after calling time on his 58-year career because of ill health.

DJ Bob Harris, who took over BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 70s show after Walker's retirement, announced his former colleague's death live on the station on Tuesday.

Walker had pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of the lungs, a condition which makes breathing difficult.

He stepped down from presenting Sounds of the 70s and The Rock Show, also on Radio 2, at the end of October.

Walker had announced live on air earlier in October that he would be hanging up his microphone to retire.

He explained the reason he was retiring after reading out a letter from a listener whose dad had loved the show, but had passed away in 2022 due to pulmonary fibrosis.

"Now, that leads me to be making a very sad announcement," he said.

"The struggles I’ve had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult, hence my little jokes about Puffing Billy, so I’ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end."

Walker's last episode of The Rock Show aired on 25 October, and his final episode of Sounds of the 70s was broadcast on 27 October.

At the end of his final show, Walker said: "[It's] going to be very strange not to be on the wireless anymore. Also, by the same token, life will be slightly less of a strain really, trying to find the breath in order to do the programmes."

"Thank you for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. God bless you."

With Harris taking the helm for Sounds of the 70s, Shaun Keaveny took the reins for Walker's Rock Show.

Walker began his radio career in 1966 on Swinging Radio England, an offshore pirate station, before moving to Radio Caroline.

He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1969, and joined Radio 2 in 1997 where he remained until his retirement.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

New Year's Eve events across the UK have been cancelled as the country braces for high winds, heavy rain and snow.

Most parts of the UK are covered by at least one Met Office weather warning until Wednesday.

Transport delays are "likely" as strong winds may reach speeds of up to 70mph in parts of England and Northern Ireland, forecasters warned.

Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh have already been cancelled over public safety concerns, as have fireworks displays in Blackpool, Newcastle, the Isle of Wight and Ripon in North Yorkshire.

Hogmanay organisers, Unique Assembly, have apologised to international tourists who travelled to Edinburgh for the street party and midnight fireworks display.

Scotland's Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said cancelling the festival was "undoubtedly" the correct decision.

"I'm truly sorry for everybody who has travelled but I think given the extent of the weather forecast - it's really, really bad in some parts of the country - it's not the right thing to proceed," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The fireworks display in Blackpool was cancelled because of the expected high winds. The town's other events will go ahead, including a projection show to mark the start of 2025.

A spokesperson for London's mayor said the capital's firework display would go ahead at midnight despite concerns over the weather.

Darryl Fleming, who runs the company in charge of the display, said his team was "looking forward to delivering a full show".

Celebrations in Manchester will also go ahead as planned, after its fireworks display was moved to the top of the city's central library.

Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester City Council's designated New Year spokesperson, said: "Mancunians know that when it's a bit cold and wet you have to wrap up warm, but we're looking forward to seeing everyone tonight.

"All you need is your dancing shoes, party spirit and your nearest and dearest. Grab hold of those and we can't wait to see you in St Peter's Square for the last party of 2024."

Some parts of the country may get to welcome the new year with nature's own fireworks display - the Northern Lights.

Its colourful auroras may be visible in Scotland, Northern Ireland and possibly northern England "depending on the cloud cover", the Met Office said.

The weather warnings in place across the UK include:

• On New Year's Eve, an amber warning for rain is in force in the Highlands and Moray until 17:00 GMT
• A yellow warning for snow and rain covers the Highlands and Moray until 04:00
• Parts of central and southern Scotland and northern England are covered by a yellow warning for wind from 07:00 until 23:00, with a separate wind warning covering much of Northern Ireland from 06:00 until 14:00
• A yellow warning for rain for much of Wales and north-west England is in force until 11:00 on Wednesday
• A yellow warning for snow is in place until midnight in Orkney and Shetland

In the Highlands, forecasters warned "blizzard conditions are possible", especially in the far northern regions of Sutherland and Caithness.

The Environment Agency (EA) issued a flood warning for the River Rothay at Grasmere, White Bridge and Stock Lane in the Lake District. It is the only flood warning in England.

The poor weather conditions were expected to cause travel disruption in parts of the country.

Transport for Wales and London North Eastern Railway warned some services could be delayed or cancelled at short-notice.

Northern Ireland's Translink advised passengers to check online before travelling.

A number of routes in Scotland have been impacted because of speed restrictions, including Inverness services to Perth and the Kyle of Lochalsh; Perth to Stirling; and Edinburgh to Inverness.

The EA warned those travelling or celebrating on New Year Eve to be "especially careful".

Stefan Laeger, the agency's flood duty manager, urged people to "stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through floodwater as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car".