What happened while you were on holiday Reg Mombassa helped create Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks. For those who have found themselves back in front of their work computers today after the Christmas break, here is quick rundown of what happened while you were playing cricket on the beach. In Australia While Reg Mombassa gave Sydney the best fireworks show in town to welcome in 2014, the new year was marred by street violence and bashings, including that of Daniel Christie, who is still fighting for his life after being king-hit on New Year's Eve just metres from where Thomas Kelly was punched in Kings Cross. Medics at St Vincent's hospital were kept busy that night. They reported treating a patient who had been knocked unconscious every 30 minutes. Mr Kelly's family spoke out last week, calling for tougher sentencing laws on drunken violence. Thousands of ticketholders were left with nowhere to go on New Year's Eve after a party at Wet "n" Wild was cancelled due to "technical issues," six hours before it was meant to start. A torrent of abuse over social media prompted festival organiser One Cube to offer refunds and postpone the party to Australia Day. But the owners of Wet "n" Wild found themselves facing questions over their decision to hire out the theme park to an inexperienced outdoor concert promoter. The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that 2013 was Australia's hottest year on record, just as forecasts predicted more hot weather into the new year. Temperatures in some parts of the country were tipped to peak just shy of 50 degrees. In the United States, the northern part of the country was hit by a severe storm that left 11 dead and grounded thousands of flights. Tony Abbott came under fire over decisions he made when he was John Howard's health minister that will soon cause a blowout in healthcare costs, dwarfing potential savings from a touted $6 fee for GP visits. Swimmers take a rough dip at The Bogey Hole in Newcastle. Photo: Simone De Peak And now for the good news (for those few people who missed it): Australia crushed England in the Ashes, beating them by 281 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday afternoon to win the series 5-0. The only other news that threatened to steal the team's glory on Sunday night was Lleyton Hewitt's victory over Roger Federer in the final of the Brisbane International - a feat achieved with a surgically fused big toe. Around the world In Antarctica, nothing seemed to go right for a trio of ships carrying tourists and scientists. On New Year's Day, the Aurora Australis was ploughing its way to rescue the stricken Russian ship Akademik Shokalski, which first became stuck in thick sea ice on Christmas Day. Plans to fly the 52 passengers to the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long, before transferring them to the Aurora Australis, were thrown into disarray first by bad weather and then when the Xue Long also became trapped in the ice. A day later, there were tears of joy when the final passengers safely boarded the Aurora. Meanwhile, with the Aurora and its extra passengers back in open water, a US ship is now on its way to Antarctica to try to free the two remaining vessels. The Akademik Shokalskiy sits stuck in Antarctic ice on New Year's Eve. Photo: Andrew Peacock/www.footloosefoto Kim Jong-un used his New Year's message to warn of a nuclear disaster if war broke out on the Korean peninsular and said the US would not be safe in the event of a conflict. A protest by garment workers in Phonm Penh turned violent when workers wanting a pay rise hurled rocks, bottles and petrol bombs at police, who opened fire. The shooting came at a time of heightened tensions as tens of thousands of opposition party supporters have taken to the streets to protest against last July's elections, which they claim were fraudulent. Nigella Lawson made a brief appearance on television after giving evidence in the trial of the Grillo sisters, during which she faced claims she was a habitual drug user. To cope with the "mortifying" experience, she told Good Morning America, she had eaten a lot of chocolate. British television chef Nigella Lawson arrives at Isleworth Crown Court in west London. Need a few more minutes of procrastination? Take a look at the photo gallery of the fireworks over Sydney Harbour on New Year's Eve and catch up on the photos of the week ending January 2. America's first retail stores selling marijuana opened for business in Colorado on January 1, putting the state in the vanguard of the country's evolving attitudes on legalising the drug. The year of Miley Cyrus controversies got the world talking about "twerking," so much so that it made the most annoying words list. Also notable was the term "selfie." Planning on expanding the brood this year? Here are the most popular baby names for 2013. For a rundown on the entire year's news, these were the most-read stories of 2013. If you have over-indulged over the holiday period, here are the biggest fitness lessons we learnt last year. And finally, if you are already counting down the days till your next break, here are some of the best hotels opening later this year.