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Vicar praises stonemasons' rapid restoration of fictional gravesite, seen in 1984 adaption of Charles Dickens' A Christmas CarolA gravestone for Ebenezer Scrooge in Shrewsbury that was smashed to bits has been repaired for free, in what the vicar has described as a really heartwarming" Christmas story.The gravestone for Scrooge, a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his 1843 A Christmas Carol, was used as a prop during filming for a 1984 adaptation of the novella. Continue reading...

A prostitute's caution', unlike other cautions, does not require a person to admit an offence or agree to itPolice must be banned from issuing a draconian" caution that exclusively targets sex workers, both politicians and campaigners have said.A prostitute's caution", unlike other police cautions, does not require a person to admit to an offence or agree to accept it. Police canissue them to anyone they have reasonable cause" to believe has broken prostitution laws, meaning little evidence is required. Continue reading...

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Dramatic walkout by members of Yoon Suk Yeol's party leads assembly speaker to declare vote invalid South Korea crisis - latest updatesA motion to impeach the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, over his ill-fated declaration of martial law this week has failed after members of his party boycotted the vote.The walkout on Saturday meant the national assembly did not have the 200 votes needed to begin the process of forcing out the embattled Yoon. Continue reading...

Prince of Wales to hold meetings with US president-elect and Jill Biden as heads of state attend Paris eventThe Prince of Wales will meet Donald Trump in Paris when he joins world leaders for the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame.William will travel to Paris on Saturday at the request of the French government for the high-profile event celebrating the restoration of the cathedral, the soul of France", after a devastating fire in 2019. Continue reading...

Vicky Ball expressed delight on X at selling two novels at an event - then catapulted up Amazon's book chartsAn aspiring author who went viral after selling two books at an event has described seeing her novel climb up Amazon's bestseller charts as amazing" and unbelievable".Vicky Ball, a 48-year-old from Colchester, showcased her two novels, one titled Powerless and the other Abandoned, at an authors' event on Tuesday at Galleywood Heritage Centre in Chelmsford. Continue reading...

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani says there is work being done to get things back on track'Momentum has returned to the Gaza peace talks and an agreement is possible before Donald Trump's inauguration in January, Qatar's prime minister has said.Speaking at the annual Doha forum, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said the two key issues were whether there was willingness to have a prisoner hostage exchange, and whether there was a desire to end the war. Continue reading...

Family members describe renewed hopes after decades-long searches for political detainees in Kingdom of Silence'Moammar Ali has been searching for his older brother for 39 years.In 1986, Syrian soldiers arrested the university student Ali Hassan al-Ali, then 18, at a checkpoint in north Lebanon. Moammar has not heard from him since. Continue reading...

Exclusive: AG Recruitment found not to have acted in a fit and proper manner' by labour exploitation watchdogA British recruitment agency that brought Indonesian farmworkers to the UK owing debts of thousands of pounds to foreign brokers has had its licence revoked by the labour exploitation watchdog.AG Recruitment was once the largest supplier of international labour to British agriculture, bringing more than 1,450 Indonesians to pick fruit to supply British supermarkets in 2022. Continue reading...

Far right's election victory has breathed new life into the male and non-binary squad FearleadersDressed in short shorts and tight T-shirts, they bounded on to the gymnasium floor. After the female roller derby teams had pushed, pounded and smashed into each other, the men and their pompoms were now on the same court in Vienna, ready to offer up the exact opposite: a hip-shaking, acrobatic half-time show.We wanted to play with the stereotypes," said Andreas Fleck, one of the founders of Austria's Fearleaders, believed to be Europe's first squad of male and non-binary cheerleaders. We have this idea of heroic, strong male players on the field and on the sidelines these very sexualised female cheerleaders. We wanted to turn this around." Continue reading...

Yoon Suk Yeol tells nation he will face legal consequences and will not try to impose martial law for a second timeThe South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has apologised for his short-lived attempt to impose martial law this week, promising to face any legal or political consequences hours before parliament is due to vote on his impeachment.In a two-minute televised address to the nation, his first public appearance since he rescinded the martial law order on Wednesday, Yoon said he was very sorry" for the decision, which he said was born of desperation, and promised not to attempt to impose martial law a second time. Continue reading...

Ken McCallum says service must make uncomfortable choices' as it faces more aggression from Russia, China and IranMI5 has had to pare back" its counter-terrorism focus because of the growing threat from Russia and other hostile states, the security agency's boss has said.Ken McCallum, the director general of MI5, said the agency has to look at its finite" resources and make uncomfortable choices". Continue reading...

Deal would result in France's Suez Group being brought in to manage restructure of water company

Members stunned as LNP dumps Indigenous truth-telling inquiry on first day of new parliament

Public petition calls for motion by VVD party in ruling rightwing coalition to be withdrawnProtests are planned in the Netherlands in response to a motion accepted by the Dutch parliament to keep details of cultural and religious norms and values of Dutch people with a migration background".A public petition is calling for the motion to be withdrawn and anti-racism campaigners are planning to demonstrate next Saturday against the direction of the government, in which the largest party is run by the anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders. Continue reading...

More than half of this week's Top 40 is Christmas-themed, as classics by Wham! and Mariah Carey eye a potential No 1 positionThe race for Christmas No 1 is hotting up as over half of the songs in this week's Top 40 are Christmas-themed.After only reaching No 45 in its first week of release, Band Aid's 40th anniversary version of Do They Know It's Christmas? has performed much better in its second week, reaching No 8. The improvement is due in part to the release of vinyl and CD editions (under chart rules, each physical sale counts for at least 100 streams). Continue reading...

Public and Commercial Services union joins FDA in criticising PM for the comments in his speech on ThursdayHere is the family photo' from today's British-Irish Council (BIC) summit in Edinburgh. The BIC was set up 25 years ago, after the Good Friday agreement, and today's summit is the 42nd it has held.In an interview on LBC this morning Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, was asked about Keir Starmer's criticism of civil servants in his speech yesterday. (See 11.22am.) He would not endorse Starmer's claim that some civil servants are comfortable with decline.We've also got to do government differently. I was asked on a couple of other programmes this morning about the construction capacity problems that we're facing in terms of building those million and a half. We've got to do government differently. That isn't an MHCLG problem. That cuts across the Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business. We've got to break down silos in government.And I think therefore, we have got to say to the civil service, we want to do things a bit differently, and you'll have to come on that journey with us.I haven't experienced any particular civil servants in a tepid bath of declinism. They share our ambition. They are working absolutely flat out to make the changes to the planning system that we've already taken forward, and they'll continue to do that. Continue reading...

Charities and politicians praise increase to 56 days but press for move to be made permanentCharities and politicians have welcomed a Home Office trial that will doublethe number of days refugees have to find a home before being evicted from asylum accommodation.The government has faced persistent calls to increase the move-on period, the amount of time people granted the right to remain in the UK are given to find a home and an income before being kicked out of hotels and other forms of asylum accommodation, after soaring rates of refugee homelessness. Continue reading...

Woman who lost unborn baby after Stuart Worby's callous' actions tells court: This pain will never leave me'A callous" and selfish" man who gave abortion drugs to a pregnant woman without her knowledge, causing her to lose her unborn baby, has been jailed for 12 years.Stuart Worby, 40, crushed a tablet into orange juice that the woman drank in 2022. Continue reading...

Official data paints bleak picture of justice system, with large backlog of cases and record numbers on remand

Courts logjam in England and Wales contributes to doubling in five years of victims pulling out of prosecutions

Exclusive: FDA general secretary urges PM to rethink Trumpian' language about Whitehall

Attempt to have case dismissed refused as Soldier F accused of killing James Wray and William McKinneyA former soldier accused of two murders on Bloody Sunday has pleaded not guilty as he was formally returned for trial after an attempt to get the case thrown out was refused.Ex-paratrooper Soldier F, who cannot be identified, is accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney when members of the Parachute regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Londonderry in January 1972. He is also charged with five attempted murders. Continue reading...

UN body highlights only 78 out of 12,000 patients recently requiring evacuation have managed to leave

While some say political turmoil has harmed country's cultural reputation, others say it proves resilienceIn the global battle for soft-power supremacy, a clear winner has emerged in recent years: South Korea. Spearheaded by the boyband phenomenon BTS, the Korean Wave has turned a country that few knew much about into a cultural behemoth.But just days ago, as anticipation grew over the start later this month of the second season of Squid Game - the first season of which is Netflix's most-watched show - real-life dystopia intervened when the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, announced he was imposing martial law to root out anti-state forces" and overcome political opponents who were obstructing his policy agenda. Continue reading...

Fault at telecoms hub near Stoke fixed after login error caused widespread delays and cancellations

Exposure to these toxic compounds, found in everyday items, could be elevating cancer risk in young womenMore than 400 chemicals regularly used in everyday plastic products are linked to breast cancer, and the dangerous compounds could be a driver of increasingly elevated cancer rates in young women, new research finds.Many of the toxic chemicals - such as PFAS, phthalates, parabens and aromatic amines - are added to food packaging, personal care products and single-use plastics, making exposures nearly ubiquitous. Continue reading...

Head of the People Power party claims there is a significant risk that president could order extreme actions'The South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, could put citizens in great danger" if he is not suspended, the head of the ruling party said on Friday, increasing the likelihood that parliament will vote to impeach Yoon over Tuesday's failed martial law declaration.[If] President Yoon continues to hold the office of the presidency, there is a significant risk that extreme actions similar to the martial law declaration could be repeated, which could put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger," the head of the People Power party, Han Dong-hoon, told an emergency party leadership meeting. Continue reading...

Flash flooding and widespread disruption on Greek islands, while Australians experience unusually wet start to summerGreece was hit hard by Storm Bora last weekend, with torrential rain, gale-force winds and intense thunderstorms affecting the islands of Rhodes and Lemnos in particular.The storm formed on Friday 29 November and rapidly intensified by Saturday, with wind speeds reaching up to 80mph (129km/h). Rhodes had 300mm of rain, which caused flash flooding and widespread disruption. Three people were killed and power outages, school closures, overturned vehicles and collapsed bridges were reported. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereOur community team would like to hear from you how your train journey has been affected by the nationwide fault that has hit the British rail network this morning. You can find out how to get in touch with them here.Nigel Harris, a former managing editor at Rail magazine, and contributor to the Green Signals podcast, has told Sky News this morning that this type of fault is very rare". Continue reading...

Majority of 19,162 penalties issued by private enforcement companies contracted by councilsOn-the-spot penalties issued for offences including swearing, shouting, idling, loitering and begging, known as busybody" fines, jumped 42% in 2023, according to a new report.The majority of the 19,162 penalties in England and Wales - up from the previous record high of 13,433 in 2022 - were issued by private enforcement companies contracted by councils, the research found.Harrow issued 3,919 penalties, with fines for amplification, feeding the birds, failing to produce a dog fouling bag, drinking and handing out leaflets.Redbridge issued 3,550 penalties, including 3,016 penalties for spitting, 142 for drinking alcohol in public, eight for leaflet distribution and three for gambling.Hillingdon issued 3,060 penalties, including 2,335 penalties for idling" (leaving the engine running for more than two minutes), 342 for spitting and 115 for motorised electric vehicles. Continue reading...

Prime minister says problems in health, housing and education will take years to rebuild UK politics live - latest updatesKeir Starmer has told voters not to expect rapid public service improvements as he seeks to relaunch his faltering government with long-term targets on housebuilding, living standards, energy, policing, education and the NHS.In interviews broadcast on Friday morning, the prime minister said he could not promise immediate change, blaming the previous Conservative government for leaving behind problems which could take years to solve. Continue reading...

Scott Trust will become a key shareholder and take a seat on both the editorial and commercial boards of the companyThe sale of the Observer, the world's oldest Sunday newspaper, to Tortoise Media has been agreed in principle.The announcement by the Scott Trust, the ultimate owner of the Guardian and Observer, came as it also revealed that it would invest in Tortoise to become a key shareholder and take a seat on both the editorial and commercial boards of the media company. Continue reading...

Search teams suspect two Americans and one Canadian fell while trying to climb 3,724m-high Mount AorakiThree mountain climbers - two from the US and one from Canada - missing for five days on Aoraki, New Zealand's tallest mountain, are believed to have died in a fall.The bodies of the men have not been found. But based on footprints seen in the snow on Aoraki during an aerial survey, and items believed to belong to them retrieved from the slopes this week, the search for them has ended, police area commander inspector Vicki Walker told reporters. Continue reading...

Leanne McDonnell, 32, of Stratford, charged over death of 42-year-old man on WednesdayA woman has been charged over the death of a 42-year-old man fatally injured by a dog in east London.Officers were called to Shirley Road in Stratford at 4.53am on Wednesday, after reports that the man had been seriously wounded, Scotland Yard said. Continue reading...

Fair Work finds United Workers Union's industrial action had affected employees who wanted to return to the work site

BoM issues warning over severe slow-moving thunderstorms set to reach just north of Sydney. Follow today's news headlines live

Front-page campaign, paid for by the gas industry, has been labelled propaganda'. Plus: InDaily layoffs delivered to staff in fancy dress

Supermarkets slash the cost of vegetables to lure Christmas shoppers - but are low prices taking too great a toll on Britain's farmers?Ten years ago, marketing executives at Britain's biggest supermarket had a brainwave: might slashing the price of basic vegetables tempt shoppers to do their Christmas shop with them?Tesco, under chief executive Dave Lewis, was trying to revive a business reeling after falling sales, five profit warnings and an accounting scandal. That promotion in December 2014, dubbed its Festive Five, offered bags of carrots, potatoes, brussels sprouts, parsnips and a cauliflower for 49p each. Continue reading...

Tabberer's family said they would dearly miss their beautiful mother and Nanna'

Adelaide city councillor Henry Davis, who parodied the lord mayor this week by dressing in drag, to challenge Alex Antic-installed frontrunner

Comedians go public over money owed by Junkyard Artist Management, which they say has gone to ground

Official blast Trump's national intelligence director pick for lack of experience and for embracing conspiracy theories

A choice will be announced within days'. Here are five possible candidates whose names are circulating in French mediaFrance's president, Emmanuel Macron, has said that he will name a new prime minister within days" to replace Michel Barnier, who officially resigned on Thursday, a day after opposition lawmakers voted to topple his government.Here are some of the possible candidates: Continue reading...

Incident comes after indictment of senior police officers on drug trafficking charges sparks debate over corruptionChaotic scenes have broken out in the Bahamas parliament after the indictment of senior police officers on drug trafficking charges sparked a heated debate over corruption, in which the deputy opposition leader tossed a ceremonial mace out a window.During the incident, Shanendon Cartwright of the opposition Free National Movement approached the speaker, Patricia Deveaux, after she did not allow him to speak, grabbed the parliamentary mace, and tossed it out of a nearby window. Continue reading...

French president says he intends to stay on until his term ends in 2027 in televised address to the nation

President says he will remain in power until 2027, amid political turmoil following collapse of governmentThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, has ruled out resigning, saying he will stay in power until the end of his term in 2027 and will appoint a new prime minister in the coming days, after the government's historic collapse plunged France into political turmoil.You have given me a democratic mandate of five years and I'll carry it out fully until its term," he said in a televised speech to the French people late on Thursday. Continue reading...

The popular hospital-set sitcom is set to return with the original cast being targeted for rolesHit sitcom Scrubs is scheduled to return with a reboot in early development at ABC.Series creator Bill Lawrence is working on a new version of the hospital-set comedy with the original cast being targeted for a return. The show starred Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke and John C McGinley. Continue reading...

But local branch of rights group says serious crimes' were potentially taking place that needed investigationAmnesty International's Israel branch has distanced itself from the rights group's allegation that Israel was committing genocide" in Gaza, but said serious crimes" were potentially taking place that needed investigation.While the Israeli section of Amnesty International does not accept the accusation that Israel is committing genocide, based on the information available to us, we are concerned that serious crimes are being committed in Gaza, that must be investigated," it said in a statement. Continue reading...

Five sets of ancestral remains seized in 19th century handed over by museums in Berlin and Lower SaxonyFive sets of ancestral remains from Australia that had been held in German museum collections since the 19th century were handed back at a ceremony on Thursday that a community representative described as a sad but very joyful" moment.The restitution is part of efforts by German museums and authorities to return human remains and cultural artefacts that were taken during the colonial era. Continue reading...