Police say 18-year-old detained over death of Michelle Sadio outside church in BrentAn 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a north-west London church.Shots were fired in Gifford Road, Brent, at about 9.15pm on 14 December, killing 44-year-old Michelle Sadio, who was standing among mourners outside the church after a wake, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...
Organization said paper's refusal outrageous attempt to sidestep the truth', choosing silence over accountability'The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization that advocates for peace, said on Monday the group cancelled a planned advertisement in the New York Times in response to the paper refusing to allow it to refer to Israel's actions in Gaza as a genocide.The refusal of The New York Times to run paid digital ads that call for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza is an outrageous attempt to sidestep the truth," said Joyce Ajlouny, general secretary for the AFSC, in a press release. Palestinians and allies have been silenced and marginalized in the media for decades as these institutions choose silence over accountability. It is only by challenging this reality that we can hope to forge a path toward a more just and equitable world." Continue reading...
MP tells parliament he believes justice has not been done after hearing experts' concerns over former nurse's murder convictionsFundamental flaws in the criminal trial system led to the former nurse Lucy Letby being convicted of murder in a clear miscarriage of justice", David Davis has said in parliament.In a parliamentary debate, the former cabinet minister detailed the mounting concerns of leading experts about the convictions and said there should quickly be a retrial. He said he believed Letby would be cleared in it. Continue reading...
Policy change by Blaenau Gwent council means teachers will no longer change nappies or pull-ups unless there is a medically recognised need'Parents in Blaenau Gwent, Wales, have been told they have to come to school to change nappies if their children are not toilet trained.The local authority told parents that it was their responsibility to ensure children knew how to use a toilet before sending them to school. Continue reading...
Fourteen-year-old died after he was stabbed on 472 bus to Abbey Wood in south-east of capital on Tuesday afternoonA 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a London bus has been named by his mother as Kelyan Bokassa.Kelyan was travelling on a 472 bus to Abbey Wood when he was attacked at about 2.30pm on Tuesday as the bus was on Woolwich Church Road. Paramedics treated him at the scene but he died shortly after they arrived. Continue reading...
Marion Marechal, Jean-Marie's grand-daughter, has positioned herself further to the right of her aunt Marine Le Pen, who has attempted to de-demonise' the National RallyThe death of Jean-Marie Le Pen looked likely to reignite rivalries in his family over who is the rightful heir to the far-right political dynasty, as the French government condemned as simply shameful" crowds of people who took to the streets to celebrate the politician's demise.Marine Le Pen, daughter of the National Rally co-founder and leader of the far-right party she has rebranded as the anti-immigration National Rally, on Wednesday paid tribute to her father, who died the previous day at the age of 96. Continue reading...
Geir Pedersen tells security council the HTS administration has great opportunities but also risks making misstepsA credible process leading to a new transitional government involving all strands of Syrian society is the best way for the country's caretaker administration to secure a smooth lifting of sanctions, the UN special envoy Geir Pedersen has told the UN security council.Giving his assessment of how the government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was meeting its commitment to inclusiveness, Pedersen said it had tremendous opportunities but also risked making missteps. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Role as permanent undersecretary comes amid return of Donald Trump and wars in Ukraine and Middle EastThe former Brexit negotiator Oliver Robbins has been appointed as the UK Foreign Office's most senior civil servant, taking over from Sir Philip Barton.Robbins, who was on the shortlist last year to take over as cabinet secretary but failed to get the civil service's top job, was believed to be David Lammy's favoured candidate for the role of permanent undersecretary in the Foreign Office (FCDO). Continue reading...
A new amber warning for snow has also been issued for the south-west of England, joining those for northern Scotland and Northern IrelandA new amber warning for snow has been issued in the south-west of England as temperatures are expected to plummet as low as -20C in parts of the UK in the coming nights.Yellow warnings for snow are in place across northern Scotland, Northern Ireland and the south coast of England for Wednesday and Thursday, with an additional warning across the west and north of Wales on Thursday that also encompasses Merseyside and Chester. Continue reading...
by Patrick Wintour, Kim Willsher, Miranda Bryant and on (#6TDJR)
Olaf Scholz says borders are inviolable after president-elect talks of using US military or tariffs to take control of islandGermany and France have warned Donald Trump against any attempt to move borders by force" after the incoming US president said he was prepared to use economic tariffs or military might to seize control of Danish-administered Greenland.In a hastily called televised statement, Germany's chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said Trump's remarks had triggered incomprehension" among European leaders. The principle of the inviolability of borders applies to every country - regardless of whether it is east of us or to the west - and every state must respect that, regardless of whether it is a small country or a very powerful state." Continue reading...
Prime minister told Commons any new inquiry into child abuse would delay progress however spokesperson says he has not ruled one outReform UK has also tabled a reasoned amendment to the children's wellbeing and schools bill motion tonight. It says:That this house declines to give a second reading to the children's wellbeing and schools bill because the secretary of state for the Home Department has not launched a UK-wide public inquiry into grooming gangs and has not committed to updating Members of this House every quarter on the progress of the inquiry.The Conservatives are using the victims of this scandal as a political football.The Conservatives alongside Reform, goaded along by Elon Musk will be voting for a motion which will not secure a national inquiry for victims of child sexual abuse, but instead it would kill these crucial child protection measures completely. Continue reading...
President is considering whether to grant pre-emptive presidential pardons to Liz Cheney and Anthony FauciJoe Biden said he told Donald Trump not to follow through on his campaign vows to pursue retribution against his political adversaries once he returns to the White House.Talking to USA Today, Biden said he proffered the advice when he hosted Trump at the White House in November after his election victory over Kamala Harris. The president-elect did not respond directly but did not reject the suggestion, Biden said. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordics correspondent on (#6TDY9)
US president elect has refused to rule out military force to take control of Greenland, but why is it so important? And what do Greenlanders think about it?Hours after his son Donald Trump Jr touched down in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, on Tuesday in a Trump-branded plane, the US president-elect, Donald Trump, held a press conference in Mar-a-Lago, Florida where he refused to rule out using military force to make Greenland part of the United States, and threatened to impose very high" tariffs on Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, if it gets in his way. Continue reading...
by Caroline Davies (now) and Amy Sedghi (earlier) on (#6TDMN)
Met Office warns of travel disruption as sub-zero temperatures expected nationwide, with lows of -16CMore than 60 schools in northern Scotland are closed as snow and ice warnings remain in force across much of the country.According to the PA news agency, forecasters also predict that further rain, sleet and snow showers could lead to some disruption to travel on Wednesday, with longer journey times possible.Sleet and snow showers will continue for the rest of Wednesday and Thursday, before dying out by the end of Thursday evening.North-west Scotland and the Northern and Western Isles will see the most frequent showers on Wednesday, before extending to the north-east on Thursday. Continue reading...
Results could limit governor's conservative agenda and give Democrats a boost before Trump takes office againDemocrats in Virginia preserved their majority in the state legislature late on Tuesday in the first statewide elections since Donald Trump's presidential victory in November.In special elections for open seats, Kannan Srinivasan, a Democratic state representative, defeated Republican Tumay Harding in a race for an open state senate seat in Loudon county, Virginia, just outside of Washington DC. Continue reading...
Met says incident stood down' after shoppers in Regent Street area evacuated because of suspicious vehicleA series of controlled explosions have been carried out in central London after Britain's busiest shopping area was evacuated.Bomb disposal teams carried out the detonations after a cordon was put up around the scene in the Regent Street area of central London. Continue reading...
Stays from July next year will be subject to 5% visitor levy in first mandatory city-wide scheme in UKHotels, short-term lets and campsites in Edinburgh will start charging a visitor levy on all overnight stays in May, in a phased introduction to the scheme.The levy, the first mandatory city-wide scheme in the UK, will be payable on all stays from July next year that are booked from 1 May onwards. Continue reading...
Airline seeking 15,000 in damages over inexcusable' behaviour it says forced plane to divert to PortugalRyanair is suing a passenger it claims disrupted a flight between Dublin and Lanzarote, seeking 15,000 (12,500) in damages to cover expenses incurred when the plane was diverted to Portugal.The airline said on Wednesday it had filed proceedings in Dublin's circuit court against the passenger, whose behaviour on the flight last April it described as inexcusable" and completely unacceptable." Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6TDSC)
Marcus Meade, 39, was shot in his home after five-hour standoff with officers while in possession of knifeThe family of a man killed by police on Christmas Eve are seeking answers about his death, saying he was unjustifiably taken away from all of us".Marcus Meade, 39, was shot by police in his Redditch home after a five-hour standoff with officers while in possession of a knife. Continue reading...
MEPs say enforcement of Digital Services Acts has been too slow', as Musk plans livestream with German far-right politicianThe EU executive has been too slow" in enforcing a major law intended to ensure good behaviour of social media companies, MEPs have said, amid growing concern about the aggressive forays of Elon Musk into European politics.Pressure on the European Commission to act is growing as Musk, the X owner and world's richest man, prepares to host a livestream conversation on the platform on Thursday with the leader of the far-right Alternative for Deutschland, Alice Weidel. Continue reading...
The president-elect's intervention in Mike Johnson's speakership win was a sign of his power over the party - but it was only the first test of manyDonald Trump to the rescue.With Mike Johnson's bid for re-election as speaker of the House of Representatives teetering, the US president-elect interrupted a golf game to talk by phone to two Republican holdouts. In short order the art of the deal prevailed: Johnson won on the first ballot. Continue reading...
Internal inquiry into two complaints will seek to establish if there were any missed opportunities or failures'Two complaints from victims about the Met police's handling of allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed in 2008 will be investigated by the force's directorate of professional standards to establish whether there were any missed opportunities or failures", the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.The investigation would be carried out under the direction of the IOPC, the watchdog said. Continue reading...
Film largely praised by international critics but Mexicans ridiculed idea that it represents their countryA musical about a Mexican cartel boss who fakes their death, transitions and is reborn as a heroine searching for the forcibly disappeared is sweeping international film awards, but prompted amusement and outrage in Mexico.Emilia Perez, directed by Jacques Audiard, has been largely praised by international critics, though some noted it risked trivialising extremely sensitive issues. It scooped the jury prize at Cannes before winning four Golden Globes on Sunday, including those for best musical or comedy and best non-English language film. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The owner of X, who previously said civil war is inevitable' in Britain, has stoked online unrest with incendiary comments about the UKGood morning. What is a news story in the UK? Whatever Elon Musk says it is. That is the conclusion you might draw, anyway, from the influence of the billionaire Trump adviser's posts on X claiming that a quarter-million little girls were - still are - being systematically raped by migrant gangs in Britain", and demanding a new public inquiry into historic child sexual exploitation in Oldham, Rotherham, Rochdale and elsewhere.There is no reliable basis for the quarter-million figure. In any case, Prof Alexis Jay, the chair of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in England and Wales that looked extensively at grooming gang scandals and published a series of recommendations in 2022, said yesterday that we've had enough of inquiries, consultations and discussions", and urged the government to instead implement more of her proposals. But the political energy is still around the idea of a new inquiry as some sort of panacea, and the Conservatives will try to force a vote on one in parliament today.Social media | Meta will get rid of factcheckers, dramatically reduce the amount of censorship" and recommend more political content on Facebook and Instagram, founder Mark Zuckerberg has said. The suite of changes was met with dismay by critics, who described them as a full bending of the knee to Trump".British army | Afghans who were killed by members of the SAS in Afghanistan were described dismissively as having been flat packed", according to a former member of the elite force's sister unit. The soldier, known only as N1799, was giving evidence to an inquiry into the deaths of 80 civilians in Helmand province.California | A fast-moving wildfire erupted in Los Angeles on Tuesday, quickly consuming nearly 3,000 acres and destroying homes in an affluent community along the Pacific Ocean. Amid a significant windstorm across much of southern California, a second unrelated blaze also forced evacuations in a different part of Los Angeles.France | Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's far-right National Front party, who sent shock waves through the country when he made it to the second round of the presidential election in 2002, has died at 96.Drugs | Ketamine could be reclassified as a class A drug by the Home Office after illegal use reached record levels last year. Ministers are seeking expert advice" on reclassification - it is currently a class B substance - after an estimated 299,000 people reported use of the drug in 2024. Continue reading...
Diminutive bird breeds in Alaska and Arctic Canada and sightings in Britain are rare enough to attract a crowdIf you'd asked me which rare bird I might see in Somerset in early January, the least sandpiper would have been very low on my list. Yet on a fine, bright, chilly morning here it was: running along the edge of the water like a clockwork toy, probing the mud for food with its stubby bill.This species is well-named. It is the world's smallest wading bird, just 13-15cm long and weighing less than 30 grams - about the same as a house sparrow. Even its scientific name, minutilla, is Latin for very small". Standing next to a dunlin and a teal, it made them look enormous. Continue reading...
Steve Reed to announce focus on making farming more profitable and sustainable' at Oxford Farming ConferenceThe government is aiming to reset its relationship with farmers with what it describes as a new deal" for the industry.Farmers have protested in their tens of thousands after controversial changes were made to agricultural inheritance tax and the EU-derived subsidy scheme. Continue reading...
A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire on the dual Cambodian-French national as he arrived in Thai capital from Cambodia's Siem ReapA former Cambodian opposition MP and French citizen was shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle in Bangkok on Tuesday, according to Thai media.Lim Kimya... died at the scene. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Bureau have launched a manhunt for the assassin," the Bangkok Post reported, adding that the deceased was a dual Cambodian-French national. Continue reading...
From Georgia, body of late ex-president brought to US capital nearly 44 years after he left in humbling defeatNearly 44 years after Jimmy Carter left the country's capital in humbling defeat, the 39th president returned to Washington DC for three days of state funeral rites starting on Tuesday.Carter's remains, which had been lying in repose at the Carter Presidential Center since Saturday, left the Atlanta campus on Tuesday morning, accompanied by his children and extended family. Special Air Mission 39 departed Dobbins air reserve base north of Atlanta and arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. A motorcade carried the casket into Washington for a final journey to the Capitol, where members of Congress will pay their respects. Continue reading...
Selling body parts without consent and billing desperate parents $97,599 for air transport among worst examplesThe 2024 winners" of the annual Shkreli awards, given each year to perpetrators of the most egregious examples of profiteering and dysfunction within the healthcare industry, have been released from the Lown Institute, an independent healthcare thinktank.The recipients are chosen by a panel made up of health policy experts, clinicians, journalists and advocates. The awards are named after Martin Shkreli, the infamous pharma bro" who rose to international notoriety after increasing the price of lifesaving anti-parasitic drug Daraprim 50-fold. Continue reading...
One of US's youngest municipal mayors charged with drug transactions and solicitation of sex work, police sayOne of the US's youngest municipal mayors was arrested on Tuesday morning in connection with a drug trafficking investigation by authorities in his home state of Louisiana.The charges against Tyrin Truong, who was 23 when he was elected as mayor of the city of Bogalusa in 2022, include engaging in transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses and the illicit solicitation of sex work. Continue reading...
Laken Riley Act, named for nursing student murdered by Venezuelan, is resurrected after failing in Senate last yearThe US House of Representatives approved the Laken Riley Act on Tuesday, marking the first bill passage of the new Congress, as Donald Trump and fellow Republicans turn their attention to immigration after heavily campaigning on the issue in the November elections.The vote was 264 to 159, as 48 Democrats joined 216 Republicans in supporting the bill. It now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate, which is expected to consider the proposal in the coming days. Continue reading...
Message came after Ghent, a city in the country's northern region, posted tips for recycling the conifer as a dishAt a time when most people have probably polished off their holiday leftovers, Belgium's food agency has issued a surprising seasonal health warning: don't eat your Christmas tree.The message on Tuesday came after the city of Ghent, an environmentalist stronghold in the country's northern Flanders region, raised eyebrows by posting tips for recycling the conifers on the dinner table. Continue reading...
California ex-congresswoman would run in a special election to replace Sheng Thao, who was recalledBarbara Lee, the California congresswoman who recently retired after serving nearly three decades in the US House of Representatives, has filed paperwork to run for mayor of Oakland.The 78-year-old represented the San Francisco Bay Area city in Congress from 1998 until this year. She opened a campaign account to run for mayor with the California secretary of state on Monday, and a spokesperson for the veteran lawmaker told media she would make an announcement about her decision this week.The Associated Press contributed to this report Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot, Eleni Courea, Aamna Mohdin and Chri on (#6TD6J)
Shadow justice minister accused of xenophobia and toxifying' Conservative brand with immigration commentsConservative MPs have privately raised concerns about Robert Jenrick's comments on British Pakistanis with the party leader, Kemi Badenoch.Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has been accused of stoking community divisions to fuel his own leadership ambitions with his remarks about people from alien cultures". Continue reading...
Boy was treated at the scene in Woolwich but died shortly after medics arrived, police sayA 14-year-old boy has been stabbed to death on a bus in Woolwich, south-east London, in the middle of the afternoon.Paramedics treated the teenager at the scene but he died shortly after they arrived, police said. Schools in the area had returned on Monday after the Christmas break. Continue reading...
MP for Clacton declares payments on register of MPs' interests after spending four hours a month working for gold bullion firmAt the end of last week Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary and runner-up in last year's Tory leadership contest, said the child abuse grooming scandal started with mass migration" and importing hundreds of thousands of people from alien cultures, who possess medieval attitudes towards women". In response Samuel Kasumu, a former Tory adviser on race issues, said that comments like that could lead to people being killed, while Kemi Badenoch defended her colleague.In an inteview on the Today programme this morning, asked if Kasumu's comments made him reconsider his views, Jenrick replied:That's complete nonsense. MPs have been killed in this country in recent times by a jihadist and by a neo-Nazi. They were killed because of the views of those individuals, not what anything an MP has said. We have to fight extremism in this country, wherever we find it, and you fight that by standing up to the extremists, you don't fight it by shying away, by turning a blind eye, by looking the other way.I'm not going to tiptoe around this issue. Millions of people in our country are listening to your programme this morning, and they are appalled by what is happening to young girls, and they are shocked that there might be girls in that situation today. We have to stop this.I think some people who come from that country do. I'm not saying everybody.NR: Did Sajid Javid's family [the former Tory chancellor] come with a medieval culture to this county?RJ: I'm saying some people do.Robert Jenrick's attempt to exploit this appalling scandal for his own political gain is completely shameless. He didn't lift a finger to help the victims when a minister, now he's jumping on the bandwagon and acting like a pound shop Farage.Kemi Badenoch should sack him as shadow justice secretary and condemn his divisive comments, instead of letting him run a leadership campaign under her nose. Continue reading...
Nationwide say use of coins and paper money is thriving' with budgeting trends such as cash stuffing' on the riseThe pandemic was supposed to usher in a cashless society, and many businesses have gone card-only - but Britons are finding it hard to let go of notes and coins.Cash is enjoying an unexpected comeback, reflecting the fact that, for many people, physical money remains the ultimate budgeting tool in tricky financial times. Continue reading...
Herbert Kickl's move could pave way for anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Freedom party to govern countryThe leader of Austria's anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Freedom party has said he intends to invite the mainstream centre-right party for coalition talks, potentially paving the way for the far right to rule the country for the first time since the second world war.Herbert Kickl, whose party won the most votes in September's election, was tasked with building a ruling coalition by the Austrian president on Monday following the collapse of talks between mainstream parties aimed at forming an alliance that would have blocked the Freedom party (FPO). Continue reading...
Renowned drama school says unprecedented funding challenges' make degrees unviable from September 2025One of the UK's most celebrated drama schools, which counts the Oscar-winners Olivia Colman, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jeremy Irons among its alumni, is to scrap its undergraduate degrees due to a range of financial challenges.Bristol Old Vic theatre school, founded in 1946, said its undergraduate training model was now financially unsustainable". Continue reading...
Polar vortex chilled central US, downing trees, blasting snow, shuttering schools and causing traffic pile-upsThe next round of bitter cold enveloped the southern US on Tuesday, after the first significant winter storm of the year blasted a huge swath of the country with ice, snow and wind as far south as Florida and Texas.The immense storm system brought disruption over the weekend and on Monday to much of the mid-Atlantic region, triggering the announcement of states of emergency in several states. It even hit areas of the country that usually escape winter's wrath, downing trees in some southern states, threatening a freeze in Florida and causing people in Dallas to dip deep into their wardrobes for hats and gloves. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent and agencies on (#6TCQZ)
President-elect's son says visit is personal day trip' as Danish PM says autonomous territory is not for sale'Donald Trump Jr touched down in Greenland on Tuesday, hours after his father reiterated his interest in taking control of the Arctic autonomous territory, pledging to make Greenland great again".After arriving in the Greenlandic capital in a Trump-branded plane, he told a waiting crowd in the Nuuk airport arrivals hall - some wearing red Make America Great Again caps - that he was very excited to be here". It was, he said, a little colder here than it is in Florida", adding that the US president-elect says hello to everyone in Greenland". Continue reading...
Magistrate remands Kyle Shaw of Birkenhead on bail ahead of appearance in Liverpool crown courtA man has been charged with stalking the Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas.Kyle Shaw, 37, appeared at South Sefton magistrates court, Merseyside, on 3 January, the courts service confirmed. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6TCV4)
Shadow justice minister backs up previous remarks on immigration by telling BBC not all cultures are equal'The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, should sack Robert Jenrick for divisive comments," the Lib Dems have said, after the shadow justice minister doubled down on his comments about immigrants with alien cultures".Jenrick was challenged repeatedly on Tuesday morning for having failed to act on the outcome of an inquiry into grooming gangs while he was in the Home Office, despite now demanding one, and for rarely mentioning the issue in the House of Commons until this year. Continue reading...
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