The rail union has dropped eight of its planned industrial actions from a proposed strike that could have derailed New Year’s Eve in Sydney.

Mostly clear. Slight chance of a shower. The chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe. Winds northerly 20 to 25 km/h shifting southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h in the evening. Sun protection recommended ...

On the slow journey to northern Sweden, landscapes flicked from festive cities to farmland and then snow-blanked Arctic forests ...