It’s time to get serious about stamp duty on shares, a terrible advert for London

The number of listed companies fleeing can’t be ignored – cutting or abolishing the tax could revive the capital market

Last year was another depressing one for departures from the London stock market. Back in January, it was Flutter heading for the exit. The owner of Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet got itself a secondary listing in the US and said it would quickly convert it into the primary one, which it did in May.

When December arrived, we were still on the same theme. Ashtead Group, the £27bn construction rental company that has been listed in London since 1986, announced plans to shift its primary listing to New York. Other escapers include Just Eat Takeaway, which is off to Amsterdam.

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South Korea plane crash investigators extract data from Jeju Air black box – The Guardian

  1. South Korea plane crash investigators extract data from Jeju Air black box  The Guardian
  2. How the Jeju Air Plane Crashed in South Korea: Timeline, Maps and Photos  The New York Times
  3. Aviation expert suggests ‘sinister’ cause of South Korea’s Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179  New York Post
  4. Jet crash disaster in South Korea marks another setback for Boeing  The Associated Press
  5. New year but no end to mourning as South Korea crash victims are identified  The Washington Post
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Five killed and emergency workers targeted as firework chaos mars Germany’s New Year celebrations – CNN

  1. Five killed and emergency workers targeted as firework chaos mars Germany’s New Year celebrations  CNN
  2. Germany: Police and doctors urge national fireworks ban  DW (English)
  3. Five killed by fireworks across Germany after New Year's Eve chaos  Euronews
  4. Berlin police arrest 390 on New Year's Eve but deem night a success  Yahoo! Voices
  5. Five killed on night of fireworks chaos in Germany  The Telegraph
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Israeli strikes kill at least 12 Palestinians in Gaza on New Year’s Day

Officials say most of the victims were women and children as Israel’s war against Hamas continues into the new year

Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on New Year’s Day, mostly women and children, officials said, as the nearly 15-month war ground on into the new year.

One strike hit a home in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the territory, where Israel has waged a major operation since early October. Gaza’s health ministry said seven people had been killed, including a woman and four children, and at least a dozen had been wounded.

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Prisons in England and Wales record rapid rise in drones delivering drugs

Exclusive: tenfold increase in drone incidents since 2020 leads MPs to call for urgent action over security concerns

Prisons will need more money to combat the rapid rise in drones delivering drugs, the head of an influential Commons committee has said, as figures showed the number of aerial incursions predicted to have tripled in two years.

A freedom of information request by the Guardian found there were 1,296 drone incidents at prisons in England and Wales in the 10 months to the end of October 2024, a tenfold increase since 2020.

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Scandinavians came to Britain long before Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, finds study

Genetic analysis of Roman soldier or gladiator buried in York reveals 25% of his ancestry came from Scandinavia

People with Scandinavian ancestry were in Britain long before the Anglo-Saxons or the Vikings turned up, researchers have found after studying the genetics of an ancient Roman buried in York.

The arrival of the Anglo-Saxons brought an influx of Scandinavians to ancient Britain in the fifth century, with the first major Viking raid – which targeted the monastery at Lindisfarne – occurring in AD793.

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Israeli strikes kill at least 12 Palestinians in Gaza on New Year’s Day – The Guardian

  1. Israeli strikes kill at least 12 Palestinians in Gaza on New Year’s Day  The Guardian
  2. Israeli strikes kill 12 in Gaza, including children, as war grinds into the new year  The Associated Press
  3. Gaza Residents Endure Harsh Conditions as Israel-Hamas War Continues Into 2025  The New York Times
  4. Israelis celebrate the new year while their army kills Palestinians in Gaza  Al Jazeera English
  5. West Bank Rescue Services: Three Palestinians Wounded by Gunfire in Clashes With IDF  Haaretz
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Thousands throng central Birmingham amid false rumour of New Year’s Eve fireworks

Revellers left disappointed after social media reports of display turn out to be a damp squib

Thousands of people gathered in the centre of Birmingham on New Year’s Eve despite a police warning that the announcement of a fireworks display was false.

Police and the city council had urged revellers not to travel after false reports there would be a spectacular show in Centenary Square.

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Pro-Palestinian activists lambasted Biden and Harris. Trump will be an even bigger dilemma. – POLITICO

  1. Pro-Palestinian activists lambasted Biden and Harris. Trump will be an even bigger dilemma.  POLITICO
  2. Fight for Palestine will intensify in 2025, peace activists vow  Morning Star Online
  3. Pro-Palestinian Movement Faces Steeper Challenges as Trump Returns to Power  Motorcycle Sports Australia
  4. Challenges for Pro-Palestine Activism in 2025  CodePink
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Most Puerto Ricans have power restored after massive New Year’s Eve blackout – Axios

  1. Most Puerto Ricans have power restored after massive New Year's Eve blackout  Axios
  2. Power is restored to nearly all of Puerto Rico after a major blackout  NPR
  3. Puerto Rico Power Outages Plunge Many Into Darkness on New Year’s Eve  The New York Times
  4. News Wrap: Most of Puerto Rico in blackout could take 2 days to repair  PBS NewsHour
  5. Puerto Rico Power Outage Leaves Almost Entire Island in Dark  Bloomberg
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