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The vehicle was set alight and the blaze spread to flats above the premises, emergency services sayPolice are investigating a suspected arson attack in Birmingham that led to five people being evacuated in the early hours on Monday morning when a car was driven into the front of a shop and set on fire.Nobody was injured in the blaze, which police said began shortly before 4.50am on Stratford Road in Sparkhill in the south of the city. Continue reading...

Ras Desta Damtew's solid gold Imperial Order of the Star of Ethopia failed to sell on auction site this monthThe descendants of a hero of Ethiopia's resistance against European imperialism are seeking to retrieve a gold medal taken from him by Italian troops, after the artefact's current holder failed to sell it at an online auction earlier this month.The solid gold Imperial Order of the Star of Ethiopia used to be in the possession of Ras Desta Damtew, a son-in-law of Emperor Haile Selassie and a guerrilla army commander whose capture and execution in 1937 spelled the end of Ethiopia's resistance to fascist Italy's occupation. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Artwork offering fresh perspective on queen's relationship with courtier to go on display at Kenilworth CastleThe intimate relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and her courtier Robert Dudley, the 1st Earl of Leicester, has fascinated people for centuries.Though she never married (and famously declared herself the Virgin Queen"), the last Tudor monarch maintained a close bond with the earl for decades - one that has inspired a score of literary and screen depictions including Elizabeth (starring Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes) and Elizabeth I (starring Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons). Continue reading...

Department stores saw a rise in sales of almost 7%, though clothing and accessories were down 2%

Foreign minister says China denied request for prosecutor to investigate onboard Yi Peng 3, which sailed over cablesSweden has accused China of denying a request for Swedish prosecutors to board a Chinese ship that has been linked to the cutting of two undersea cables in the Baltic despite Beijing pledging cooperation" with regional authorities.The Yi Peng 3 left the waters it had been anchored in since last month on Saturday - despite an ongoing investigation. Continue reading...

Anne Longfield urges government to act on early intervention and support for children with complex needs

Exclusive: Efforts to eradicate American mink help boost population of river-residing mammal in 11 areas of countryWater voles continue to decline in their distribution across Britain but there are signs of recovery in some regions, with populations bouncing back in 11 key areas, according to a report.The river-residing mammal, which inspired Ratty in the Wind in the Willows, has revived in number in parts of Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and East Anglia thanks to targeted conservation work. Continue reading...

Treasury minister denies claims by Bangladesh that she helped broker corrupt deal with Russia to build nuclear plantThe Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq has been questioned by the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team after Bangladesh's anti-corruption commission accused her and family members of embezzling billions for a nuclear power plant.The Labour MP, who denies allegations that she helped broker a deal with Russia to build the energy project, reportedly told a government official that she was the victim of a political hit job". Continue reading...

Tory leader says she does not believe Tesla and X boss will give Nigel Farage's party a multimillion-pound sum

NSW premier insists he is not trying to be bloody minded' as government holds out against pay rise demand

Pedro Sanchez has remained a rare bulwark of social democracy in an increasingly right-leaning continentAs Labour's electoral honeymoon slips into distant-memory territory and Keir Starmer attempts to reboot his premiership, the party and its leader might find a southward glance instructive.For the past six years, the Spanish Socialist Workers' party (PSOE), led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has defied expectations by remaining in power during some of the most turbulent times in recent Spanish and European history, making it a rare bulwark of social democracy in an increasingly right-leaning continent. Continue reading...

Insurance takeover is likely to cast a pall of uncertainty over Christmas for many staff of combined group

Multiple crews were called after three girls - aged 13 and 14 - sought refuge in tree in flooded Barron River near Mareeba

Home to vivid 16th-century frescoes, the Ermita de San Jorge is on the brink of being saved from centuries of decayA mysterious, dilapidated and exquisitely painted Spanish chapel into which knights on horseback may have ridden centuries ago to receive a wet and most unusual blessing could be on the verge of salvation after a decades-long campaign by local heritage groups.No one knows much about the crumbling and semi-subterranean Ermita de San Jorge, which sits in a hollow 7 miles (12km) from the city of Caceres in Extremadura, south-west Spain. Local experts believe it may have been built in the 14th century close to the defensive line erected to guard against possible Muslim incursions after the Christian reconquest, while the only definitively recorded date in its first centuries comes courtesy of Juan de Ribera who decorated the inside of the chapel with vivid biblical frescoes in 1565. Continue reading...

NGOs urge authorities to enforce child-protection measures, citing violence and alarming living conditionsGreece is facing a refugee children's emergency" as the number of unaccompanied minors reaching the country rises and concern grows over a lack of safe zones" to host them.Large numbers of children arrived in 2024 along a new trafficking route from Libya to Crete, prompting NGOs to urge Greek authorities to take emergency measures that would allow children to be transferred to protected shelters or other EU member states Continue reading...

Multiple allegations of sexual misconduct made against bosses of title billed as safe space for journalistsAs it nears its 20th anniversary next year, PinkNews should be celebrating a period that has seen remarkable progress for some but not all LGBTQ+ people in Britain.Instead, the future of the world's largest LGBTQ+ website looks uncertain after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James, the couple who run the outlet. Continue reading...

Belfast-based Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey won landmark victory that PSNI's surveillance was unlawfulTwo investigative journalists who a tribunal ruled were unlawfully spied on by police have said that they are in no doubt" reporters continue to be targeted in the UK.In a landmark judgment, the investigatory powers tribunal (IPT) found last week that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Metropolitan police unlawfully carried out covert surveillance on Belfast-based journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey. Continue reading...

State hospitals face exodus of 150 specialists amid standoff with government over pay

Authorities warn travellers and tourists to be alert to emergency warnings with extreme fire danger forecast over much of NSW, Victoria, WA and SA

Daisy Cooper says party shocked and angry over Labour government's refusal to spend up to 10bn on payoutsThe Liberal Democrats could force a Commons vote on compensation for Waspi women, the party's deputy leader has said, capitalising on unease among Labour MPs over the government's decision to rule it out.Daisy Cooper suggested the Lib Dems were open to using one of their upcoming opposition day debates in the House of Commons to call for a vote on the issue, which could test the strength of feeling among Labour backbenchers. Continue reading...

Government to shut 150m community ownership fund despite millions of pounds remaining unallocated

Uncertainty over the disappeared is forcing many to confront the brutal reality of Assad's military prisonsThe last time Alaa Qasar saw her father, in 2013, he studied her face as if he was trying to memorise it. Moutaz Adnan Qasar had returned to her after his release by Bashar al-Assad's security forces, who had arrested and questioned him after he had led his family out of the besieged Damascus suburb of Ghouta. Back with his family, he lined up his three children and stared at them hard. The next day he was re-arrested and he was not seen again.They told us he would come back to us the next day but he didn't. They said he was talking to terrorists, but he wasn't talking to anyone. He would just go to work and then come home," said Qasar, 29, a secretary in Damascus and the eldest of her siblings. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Daniel Evans-Smith tells of transformative effect of operation using technology that could cut waiting listsSurgeons have performed a double-lung transplant using a novel machine which revives donor organs and keeps them alive and breathing outside the human body. The operation marked the first time the machine has been used in the UK.The pioneering device consists of a bubble-like chamber which contains a series of pumps and filters that repair, recondition and revitalise the lungs before they are transplanted into patients. Continue reading...

Dfat making inquiries about footage showing man who identifies himself as Oscar Jenkins, PM confirms

State opposition leader in the crosshairs as party splits over desperate' backflip on Moira Deeming readmission

Family devastated' as attorney general confirms Australian pilot will be surrendered to face potential 60-year prison term if convicted

Pay TV channel sells along with the streaming services Kayo and Binge, subject to regulatory approval

About 100,000 people expected to travel on 25 December, up from 60,000 in 2019More UK buses and coaches are expected to operate on Christmas Day than at any time since figures were first collected five years ago.The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), an industry body, estimates that the number of people catching a bus on 25 December this year will hit 100,000. Continue reading...

Comedian and Strictly Come Dancing winner will appeal for an end to discrimination against disabled peopleThis year's alternative Christmas message on Channel 4 will be an impassioned appeal by the comedian Chris McCausland calling for an end to discrimination against disabled people.Earlier in the month McCausland became the first blind person to win Strictly Come Dancing while being hailed as a saviour of the troubled programme, and will now give the alternative to monarch's annual televised address, which was first initiated in 1993. Continue reading...

Knightsbridge heads list with average home at 21.4m, 60 times the typical UK house price

Royal College of Emergency Medicine issues Christmas safety flash' over danger to children who ingest beadsDoctors have issued a warning over tiny beads that can expand up to 400 times their original size when exposed to liquid, amid reports linking them to serious harm and deaths among children.The water beads are marketed for various purposes, including for use as toys, in crafting, as home decor or in floristry, and are especially popular at Christmas. They are sold under a variety of names including jelly balls, water balls, sensory beads and water crystals. Continue reading...

Chocolate maker one of 100 previous suppliers to royal household to be stripped of accolade under King CharlesIt famously once had a glass and a half of milk in every bar, but one thing that Cadbury's no longer has is royal approval, after it has been dropped from King Charles's list of warrants.The chocolate was first given royal endorsement in 1854 by Queen Victoria, and was reportedly a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II until her death in 2022. Continue reading...

British Chambers of Commerce asks for policy reset' after poll finds companies want greater flexibilityMany exporters are still struggling with post-Brexit trading rules, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said, as it urges the government to press ahead with an EU reset" in the new year.In a survey of more than 1,000 of its member companies, the BCC found just 15% said the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) with the EU, signed by Boris Johnson on Christmas Eve 2020, had helped them to grow sales with the EU. Continue reading...

Crash in Gramado kills all passengers and crew onboard, with more than a dozen people also injured on the groundA small plane crashed into a Brazilian town popular with tourists on Sunday, killing all 10 passengers on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, Brazil's Civil Defense Agency said.In a post on X, the agency said the plane hit the chimney of a home and then the second floor of a nearby building before crashing into a mobile phone shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado. More than a dozen people who were on the ground were taken to hospital with injuries including smoke inhalation. Two were said to be in critical condition. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Councils win just 1.2% of tribunals, as experts see signs provision is becoming a battle with desperate families

No quick fix for a system that is failing children and parents and pushing councils into insolvency

Stephen Cottrell admits situation could have been handled differently' as pressure mounts over David Tudor scandalThe archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has come under increased pressure after reports that he twice reappointed a priest at the heart of a sexual abuse case.A BBC investigation found Cottrell renewed David Tudor's contract as area dean in Essex on two occasions while Cottrell was bishop of Chelmsford. Continue reading...

Charity says thousands of children separated from one of their parents this Christmas are hidden victims of visa rulesThousands of children are facing Christmas with one of their parents stranded abroad due to the Home Office's restrictive visa policies, prompting charities to call the UK one of the worst countries for family reunion.Under family immigration rules, a British citizen or settled resident has to earn a minimum of 29,000 before an application can be made for a visa for a non-UK spouse to live here. Continue reading...

Comments come after Vladimir Putin threatens more destruction' in response to Kazan drone attackVolodymyr Zelenskyy has told Ukraine's diplomats the country will have to fight to persuade allies to allow it to take up Nato membership, but has described the goal as achievable" as it searches for security guarantees to protect it from Russia.The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has vowed to bring more destruction" to Ukraine after a devastating drone attack on the central Russian city of Kazan and met the Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit of an EU and Nato leader to Moscow. Continue reading...

Kim Darroch says Trump's second term will be like a 24/7 bar-room brawl' and UK diplomat needs thick skin'Peter Mandelson will need to make his the most important voice" in Donald Trump's ear when the US president-elect returns to the White House next month if he is to best represent Britain's interests with the potentially chaotic administration, one of his predecessors has said.Kim Darroch, who was the UK's ambassador to Washington for four years from 2016, said Lord Mandelson would also need a thick skin" to weather regular attacks such as that by a key Trump campaign adviser calling him an absolute moron" after his appointment. Continue reading...

German government to investigate whether more could have been done to prevent car attack that killed fiveThe German government has vowed to investigate whether a Christmas market car attack that killed five people and injured 200 could have been prevented, after it emerged that authorities had received multiple warnings about the suspect.Amid mounting criticism of Germany's security apparatus, the interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said on Sunday that the heads of the domestic and foreign intelligence services would be questioned by two parliamentary committees next week. Continue reading...

More than 100 Heathrow flights cancelled, along with ferry services between Northern Ireland and ScotlandThousands of people in the UK are facing a Christmas travel nightmare after strong winds led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and ferries.A Met Office yellow weather warning was in place until 9pm on Sunday from John o'Groats to Land's End, with gusts of up to 60mph widespread and some as strong as 70mph on hills and around exposed coasts. Continue reading...

Every day we see people scavenging through trash looking for food or material to burn for warmth,' says UN agency spokespersonTurkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, has met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al Sharaa - also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golan - in Damascus, Turkey's foreign ministry has said. No further details were provided. Fidan said yesterday that Turkey will do whatever it takes" to ensure its security if the new Syrian administration cannot address Ankara's concerns about US-allied Kurdish groups it views as terrorist groups (see post at 10.32 for more details). Fidan also said that the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by al Sharaa and which swept into Damascus to topple Assad early this month, had excellent cooperation" with Ankara in the battle against Islamic State and al-Qaeda in the past through intelligence sharing.Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the newswires from Gaza: Continue reading...

Venue's return after delays and soaring costs will usher in exciting phase' in Scottish theatre, says artistic directorThe long-awaited reopening of the Citizens theatre in Glasgow will mark a turning point for Scottish drama in 2025, with new artistic leadership across venues, including the Hollywood star Alan Cumming at Pitlochry Festival theatre, and a renewed determination to champion work beyond London.The Citizens will return to its historic Gorbals home after the first major refurbishment of the category B listed building since it began life as a working theatre in 1878. Continue reading...

Top prize, known as El Gordo or the Fat One, won by ticket holders in the northern city of LogronoPlayers with winning tickets in Spain's huge Christmas lottery draw celebrated with sparkling wine, cheers and hugs on Sunday in a 200-year-old tradition that marks the beginning of the festive season.The total prize pot in the state-run national lottery event reached 2.71bn (2.25bn) this year, slightly more than last year's 2.59bn Continue reading...

Sales of Christmas cards are down as soaring price of stamps means many people opt for digital festive greetingsThe soaring price of stamps has cast doubt on the future of Christmas cards, but despite the money and time involved it seems gen Z want to keep the festive tradition likened to sending a long distance hug".This year, sales of boxed cards are down 23%, and individual Christmas cards 15%, according to John Lewis's annual shopping trends report, but people have embraced Instagram or WhatsApp to share festive greetings, or sent e-cards. Some send a combination. Continue reading...

Guards at Silverwater deliberately turned off the water to Simon Cartwright's cell to punish him and joked it was entertaining'

Items in special exhibition displayed for first time include copy of David Copperfield taken by Scott to AntarcticaA seal blubber-stained copy of David Copperfield which survived Captain Robert Falcon Scott's 1910 expedition to Antarctica and a draft of Charles Dickens's public letter announcing his separation from his wife will form part of an exhibition marking the centenary of the opening of the writer's former London house as a museum.Hundreds crammed inside the Georgian terrace in Bloomsbury in 1925, spilling on to the pavement, as 48 Doughty Street was saved from demolition 55 years after the death of its most famous resident. Continue reading...

Vui government seeks to stop unrest over Novi Sad canopy collapse spreading to secondary education sectorSchools across Serbia will close for the winter holidays a week earlier than planned this year as the government of the nationalist president, Aleksandar Vui, seeks to stop anti-corruption protests that have gripped universities from spreading to the secondary education sector.The education minister, Slavica uki Dejanovi, announced on Friday that primary and secondary schools across the country would close from Tuesday, rather than Monday 30 December, citing concerns over the safety and quality of children's education amid the stop, Serbia" protests. Continue reading...

Diageo also reportedly puts shipments for North America on standby for potential diversion to keep up with thirstGuinness is raiding its reserves in Ireland to boost shipments to the UK, where a social media-fuelled surge in demand has left some pubs facing shortages.The reserves - known as security stocks - are usually earmarked for Irish customers but are now being used to ease pressure on publicans in the UK who have struggled to keep up with new fans after a marketing push in recent years. Continue reading...