diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 8ed1bd3..85d5fdc 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 Type: Package
 Package: forrel
 Title: Forensic Pedigree Analysis and Relatedness Inference
-Version: 1.5.3
+Version: 1.6.0
 Authors@R: c(
     person("Magnus Dehli", "Vigeland", , "m.d.vigeland@medisin.uio.no", role = c("aut", "cre"),
            comment = c(ORCID = "0000-0002-9134-4962")),
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index ac7f178..8384dff 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,3 +1,20 @@
+# forrel 1.6.0
+
+## New features
+
+* New function `writeFam()`.
+
+* `readFam()` gains argument `fallbackModel` to be applied if the function encounters unrecognisable mutation models in the .fam file.
+
+## Other
+
+* Remove use of `packageVersion()` (thereby sidestepping CRAN issue).
+
+* Use `pedtools::setMutmod()` instead of `pedprobr::setMutationModel()`.
+
+* Update version requirements for imported packages.
+
+
 # forrel 1.5.2
 
 ## New features