International visitors are pouring in to see where Wonka walked and Herriot practisedSet-jetting - flying off to see where a favourite movie was filmed - has long been a small but important tourism niche.But while feature films such as Wonka and Napoleon are boosting visitor numbers in Bath and Blenheim, the growth of TV streaming is also fuelling a rise in screen tourism that is expected to transform the pastime into big business next year. Continue reading...
Robert Jenrick's resignation leads to reprieve until new year, as charities warn of more people being made homelessThe Home Office has been forced to pause its eviction of refugees from hotels on the eve of Christmas following evidence that unacceptable" numbers are ending up destitute and sleeping on streets.Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick had, according to sources, refused to countenance any pause as part of a hardline stance that saw him order the removal of cartoon murals at a children's asylum centre. Continue reading...
by Carmen Aguilar García, Viktor Sunnemark, Michael on (#6HC46)
Analysis of five decades of festive TV schedules shows that only one in eight films were Christmas-relatedThink of Christmas films and the chances are your mind is drawn towards snowmen, mistletoe and Jimmy Stewart.But analysis of five decades of Christmas TV schedules in the UK reveal that the most-aired films feature a magic car, a straw man and Kenneth Williams. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia Correspondent on (#6HC4B)
The 2019 attacks killed 269 people, but investigators say search for answers obstructed under ex-president Gotabaya RajapaksaAccusations are growing that the former Sri Lankan government, led by strongman president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, blocked an investigation into the country's worst terrorist attack amid claims that they had helped orchestrate the blasts in order to return to power.In the attacks on Easter Sunday in 2019, six suicide bombers targeted churches and luxury hotels across the country, killing 269 people, including eight British tourists. Continue reading...
Josep Borrell is concerned voters will be scared into choosing populist parties for European parliament because of nearby warsEuropean parliamentary elections in June could be as fateful as the US presidential race, the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has warned, saying he believes voters' fear of the unknown may lead them to back rightwing populist parties.I am afraid of fear, I am afraid Europeans vote because they are afraid. It's scientifically proven that fear in the face of the unknown and uncertainty generates a hormone that calls for a security response. This is a fact," Borrell told the Guardian. Continue reading...
Thunderstorm conditions extending from Mackay in Queensland to Melbourne, with BoM warning weather may change quicklyWidespread rain and cloudy weather affecting much of the east coast is expected to continue into Christmas Day, with revellers encouraged to prepare an indoor option for tomorrow's festivities.Queensland was lashed with severe thunderstorms on Sunday, with giant hail and huge downpours of up to 43mm in just 15 minutes recorded in northern Brisbane. Continue reading...
Drone attack follows the Pentagon openly accusing Iran of directly targeting ships for the first time since the start of Gaza warThe United States shot down four drones headed towards a US destroyer in the southern Red Sea and launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Saturday, US Central Command (Centcom) said.These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17," Centcom said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Continue reading...
Authorities say blaze south of the city is under control after homes were lost around KeysbrookA blaze that destroyed two homes south of Perth has been brought under control, but firefighters are urging people to remain vigilant for bushfire threats.Seven emergency-level bushfires have engulfed homes and torn through bushland, rural properties and suburbs on Perth's fringes in the past three days. Continue reading...
by Maya Yang (now); Amy Walker and Adam Fulton (earli on (#6HBNB)
This blog is now closed.See all our Israel-Gaza war coverageAn Israeli airstrike has killed 76 members of an extended family in Gaza, Associated Press reported rescue officials as saying on Saturday.Friday's strike on a building in Gaza City was among the deadliest of the Israel-Gaza war, Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza's civil defence department said. Continue reading...
Lynch, 65, who died following a car crash outside El Paso, played upright bass and sang on three albums in the early 1990sThe US country band the Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, have said they are shocked and saddened" by the death of founding member Laura Lynch following a car crash.Laura was a bright light ... her infectious energy and humor gave a spark to the early days of our band," the band said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band. Continue reading...
Home secretary said secret of a long marriage was sedating spouse on the same day a new policy on spiking was announcedJames Cleverly has apologised for joking about spiking his wife's drink with a date rape drug in comments made at a Downing Street reception.The home secretary's remarks came just hours after the Home Office announced plans to crack down on spiking, when someone puts drugs into another person's drink or directly into their body without their knowledge or consent. Continue reading...
London mayor had claimed law stopped him allowing vehicles beneath emissions standards to be donated to war effortSadiq Khan has pledged to send 4x4s and other vehicles to Ukraine that would otherwise be scrapped under the Ulez scheme.The mayor of London has asked the transport secretary, Mark Harper, to enable people to donate suitable vehicles to Ukraine through scrappage schemes. Continue reading...
Statistics reveal over 2,000 intimate partner homicides from 1989 to 2021, with three in four victims femaleMore than 60 women have been violently killed this year, many by intimate partners, and experts warn that the holidays are a particularly dangerous time.Counting Dead Women Australia - which is run by Destroy the Joint researchers - tracks every known death due to violence against women" and says the number this week reached 62. Continue reading...
Military production cannot remain on peacetime footing while war in Ukraine goes on, Radosaw Sikorski says after visit to KyivPoland's new foreign minister has called on European countries to boost long-term plans for military production after returning from his first foreign visit, to neighbouring Ukraine.Wars are not decided by tactical engagements but by industrial capacities, and we are behind the curve," said Radosaw Sikorski, in an interview in Warsaw, a few hours after returning from Kyiv on Saturday. Continue reading...
Artwork, potentially worth up to 500,000, was stolen an hour after it was confirmed as genuineDetectives arrested a man last night on suspicion of the theft of a Banksy street sign worth up to 500,000 that was stolen in London less than an hour after being confirmed as a genuine installation.The Metropolitan police said they had deployed detectives to investigate after a council in south-east London asked them to help find the stolen artwork. The piece - a red stop sign with three military drones on it - appeared on the corner of Commercial Way, Peckham, on Friday morning - with Banksy confirming its credentials just after midday. Continue reading...
This Christmas most people's thoughts are with the victims of the Prague gunmanJust one day before the Czech Republic was due to begin its Christmas celebrations, it held a national day of mourning for the victims of the worst mass shooting in its history.Flags flew at half mast and a minute's silence was held at noon for the 14 people killed by a lone shooter on 21 December in the arts faculty at Prague's Charles University. Images of students hiding from the killer on narrow ledges high above the street horrified the peaceful central European country, where mass violence is extremely rare. Continue reading...
The actor, who has played characters on both sides of the debate, says the UK needs a conversation about euthanasia and assisted suicideAbout a decade ago, Dame Harriet Walter, the 73-year-old star of stage and screen, decided to make a living will. The will, also known as an advance decision, informs family, carers and doctors of a person's wish to refuse specific treatments should they become too ill to communicate those choices. (It stops short of requesting help with end of life; euthanasia and assisted suicide remain illegal in the UK.) But, when it came to actually completing the details of her living will, Walter always found something else to do.I had the will sitting in my filing cabinet for about three or four years before I got round to it," says Walter, who made her name in the theatre but has recently had eye-catching roles in the TV shows Succession, Killing Eve and Ted Lasso. It's not something you really want to look at, it's not something you want to think about. But it will be good to know that there's something in place that you could use when the time comes. Then you close that filing cabinet." Continue reading...
Weather warnings issued for drivers and London's King's Cross and Paddington stations will be closedChristmas getaway travel disruption is expected to continue throughout the weekend, with millions of car journeys under way and major London railway stations due to close on Sunday.The AA estimated that 16.4m car journeys will take place on Saturday and warned of lengthy jams". Continue reading...
Samantha Halden-Evans and Jonathan Hill ran number plate checks to see if friends had been caught speedingTwo former police camera operators have been jailed for deleting speeding offence data to help friends avoid fines.Samantha Halden-Evans and Jonathan Hill conspired with each other between May 2019 and October 2020 while working as staff for Staffordshire police, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said. Continue reading...
The systems can learn the artists' style, choice of colours and where they buy their paintArtificial intelligence could become a crucial weapon to deter graffiti vandals from defacing churches, castles and monasteries, after historic sites experienced a dramatic increase in such attacks over the past year.Historic England is pursuing a pioneering project that could see AI identify culprits from their tags, track their movements by matching graffiti in different areas, and analyse paints to establish where they obtained their spray cans. Continue reading...
Flags fly at half mast and minute's silence observed two days after Charles University student killed 14 peopleBells rang out and flags flew at half mast on Saturday as the Czech Republic mourned the 14 victims of the country's worst mass shooting.The archbishop, Jan Graubner, said mass at the main St Vitus cathedral at Prague Castle and a minute of silence was observed at midday, with people stopping in streets amid heavy rain and snow, and in malls while Christmas shopping. Continue reading...
by Mattha Busby (now) and Hamish Mackay (earlier) on (#6HBNA)
Troops from both sides suffering as a result of mild autumn and abundance of food for rodents, says UK intelligenceSee all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageFinancial institutions that support the Russian military industrial complex are to be blacklisted in the US after president Joe Biden signed an executive order yesterday to deny banks under sanctions access to the American financial system.This announcement makes clear that those financing and facilitating the transactions of goods that end up on the battlefield will face severe consequences," deputy US treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo wrote in a Financial Times op-ed.What we're trying to do is go after materials that are key to Russia's ability to build weapons of war. In order for them to get those materials, they need to use the financial system, which makes the financial system a potential choke point and this is a tool that's targeted at that choke point.Our overall goal here is to put sand in the gears of Russia's supply chain, which we think is one of the most effective ways to slow Russia down. But in order for the Ukrainians to speed up frankly and go faster, they need our support and that's going to require Congress to act.Russia's recent advances near Avdiivka, as well as around other cities such as Kupiansk, Bakhmut and Marinka, are also further evidence that Russia has firmly seized the initiative on much of the battlefield.Currently, the situation on the front line is difficult and is gradually deteriorating," Yehor Chernev, the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament's committee on national security, defense and intelligence, said in an interview. Without American ammunition, we are beginning to lose territory that was hard won this summer." Continue reading...
Hayley Macfarlane, 39, enters no plea over death of five-month-old daughter Evelyn after incident in Woodhouse Moor parkA woman has appeared in court charged with murdering her five-month-old daughter, who was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital from a park.Hayley Macfarlane, 39, from Barnsley, was not required to enter a plea to the charge when she made a brief appearance before magistrates in Leeds on Saturday. Continue reading...
Met police appealing for information and looking to trace registered owner of vehicleA woman and two dogs have been killed in a hit-and-run crash in Chigwell, Essex.The 48-year-old woman was walking with two dogs on Manford Way when she was hit by a car, believed to be a white Seat Leon. Continue reading...
Charlie's Bar in Fermanagh has become a symbol of action against isolation. And on Christmas Day, as every year, it will open its doorsThe two-minute video is an unashamed tear-jerker: an elderly man walks from his house to a cemetery where he lays a bouquet on a grave, his face a picture of loss. He makes his way into town, raising his cap to passersby who blank him.He shuffles into a pub and sits alone by a fire. A young couple's dog wanders over and jumps onto his bench, giving some company. Then, to the soaring soundtrack of Birdy's People Help the People, the couple join the man at his table, shake hands, clink glasses and do that thing that makes us human - they chat. Continue reading...
Man charged with murder after woman was last seen in June on CCTV in Catford, south-east LondonA reward of up to 20,000 has been offered for information that helps police find the body of a woman believed to have been murdered.A murder investigation has been launched after Fiona Holm, 48, was reported missing by her family on 29 June. Continue reading...
Mother charged with murder of Kobi Macharia Dooly at address in HackneyThe father of Kobi Macharia-Dooly, the four-year-old who was found with knife injuries at an address in east London, has paid tribute to his son, saying the joy and laughter you brought to the world has been taken far too soon".Police were called to an address in Montague Road, Hackney, at about 11pm on Wednesday after concerns were raised about the welfare of a child. Continue reading...
Crowdfunding site IsraelGives allows US residents to donate millions to paramilitary groups, IDF units and settlersAn Israeli crowdfunding platform, IsraelGives, has allowed US residents to donate millions of dollars since 7 October to causes including illegal West Bank settlements, paramilitary groups, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units currently operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.Legal experts say that some of these campaigns may be illegal under US tax law, but that this is rarely enforced on donors to Israeli causes. Continue reading...
Latest figures show more than 230 schools affected by crumbling concrete, but many have yet to be told when rebuilding will beginSchools forced to evacuate children after finding crumbling concrete could face years in portable buildings and temporary classrooms as the government drags its heels on funding, experts have warned.The number of schools with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which the Health and Safety Executive has said is now life expired" and could collapse with little or no warning", has been steadily rising since the government announced the sudden closure of more than 100 schools at the end of August, just days before the start of the new academic year. Continue reading...
Rail experts say predicted passenger congestion north of Birmingham will mean ticket price rises to reduce demandNew plans to resolve the rail capacity issues created by the cancellation of HS2's northern legs are years away, the Observer has been told, amid claims that passengers will have to be priced off the railways to tackle congestion.Experts said the decision to cancel phase two of the project, which took it north of Birmingham, would have knock-on effects for the rest of the century. One said Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel was like taking a body and ripping out the backbone - you're left with a wobbly amoeba". Continue reading...
Ewe rescued from bottom of Highland cliffs after two years also helps promote mental health awareness among farmersA ewe known as Britain's loneliest sheep", which was rescued after being stranded for two years at the foot of a cliff north of Inverness, is being used to promote a festive campaign to reduce loneliness in the farming community.The three-year-old, now named Fiona, was rescued last month from a cave where she had sheltered from the harsh weather on the North Sea coast near Brora. Her fleece, which had grown so long it was dragging on the ground, was to be sold for charity. Continue reading...
As one in seven accused of offences keep working, Lib Dems call on home secretary James Cleverly for radical overhaul' of vettingMore than 1,100 police officers across England and Wales are under investigation for sexual or domestic abuse, prompting fresh calls for vetting and misconduct procedures to be radically overhauled.Of these, 180 - almost one in seven - have been allowed to carry on working as normal despite the severity of the offences. Of the 1,151 officers under investigation, 428 have been placed on restricted duties, with another 378 suspended. Continue reading...
NHS Confederation boss calls on government and unions to end dispute in England before six-day action beginsPatient safety will be put at risk in the next round of junior doctors' strikes in England, a health leader has warned while pleading for ministers and the British Medical Association (BMA) to end the dispute.Junior doctors have returned to work after a three-day strike, with the next spell of industrial action - the longest in NHS history - less than a fortnight away. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer has his eyes on the prize, Liz Truss looks serene and Boris Johnson lives down to expectationsNothing says Christmas more than a personalised card. If you didn't get any this year, fear not as the politicians have not disappointed.While some went all out, tinsel and all, others took a more subtle approach. Here is a list of a few you may not want to miss. Continue reading...
Decades after shared appreciation mortgage launch, case brought by law firm due to reach high courtIt was one of a list of millennium products" lauded by the then prime minister, Tony Blair, as an example of the very best of British innovation, creativity and design".But, almost 25 years later, the shared appreciation mortgage (Sam) is effectively going on trial at the high court, accused of ruining lives and leaving some people owing 10 or 12 times the sum they originally borrowed. Continue reading...
Online stores take biggest hit as overall takings this weekend likely to be 4.5% down on last yearRetailers are hoping a last blast from Christmas shoppers will save their festive season, with Saturday expected to be one of the UK's biggest spending days of the year.Almost 2.5bn is expected to be spent before Christmas Day over what some are calling the super weekend" - although that would be 4.5% down on last year and represent an even bigger fall in the volume of goods bought once inflation is taken into account. Continue reading...
Asylum seekers living on the vessel moored in Portland, Dorset say they expect another boring' day on the floating prison'As the final decorations are placed on Christmas trees across the country and families get together to exchange gifts and enjoy turkey with all the trimmings, asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge are expecting another boring" day on Monday - standing in long queues for food they say is inedible, in the cramped accommodation they describe as a floating prison".The controversial Home Office barge, moored in Portland, Dorset, is home to more than 300 asylum seekers. Officials insist it is necessary to use it to reduce the 8m per day hotel bill to accommodate those seeking refugee status. The government has said it will publish the cost per head of housing people on the barge in the New Year. Corporate Travel Management (CTM) have been awarded a 22,450,772 two-year contract to manage the barge. Continue reading...
It made us fight more,' says one former Fatah intelligence chief, among those warning strategy could prove counterproductiveA worldwide campaign of assassinations of Hamas leaders announced by senior Israel officials is likely to be counterproductive, impractical and ineffective, targets of previous such efforts have suggested.Benjamin Netanyahu first announced the new strategy two weeks after the 7 October attacks launched by Hamas into southern Israel which killed 1,200 people. Continue reading...
by Shaun Walker in Poznan and Ada Petriczko on (#6HBKS)
After Serhiy Sydorenko underwent corneal surgery in Poland last year, he saw his wife, children and a much-changed worldIt was a week before Christmas last year when Serhiy Sydorenko underwent corneal surgery on his right eye, a complicated operation that, if successful, would put an end to more than three decades of blindness for the 56-year-old Ukrainian.When the nurses first removed the bandages some hours after the operation, all he could see was light. Painfully bright light, as though someone was directing a beam right at his face. The nurses applied eyedrops and re-tied the bandages. Continue reading...
by Philip Oltermann European culture editor on (#6HBKR)
Landmark case over popular snowball candle holder design may open door to retrospective claims across blocOne of Sweden's longest-established glassmakers is facing what could be a landmark legal challenge over 1m in royalties it has allegedly failed to pay to the creator of one its most famous pieces, in a test of an EU-wide bestseller" right that was brought in to strengthen cultural creators against producers and publishers.Cloudy of hue and with a rustic texture that breaks the flickering tealight inside, the snowball" glass lantern is a classic item of Swedish household design, as ubiquitous in the Nordic country's homes as the Billy bookcase. With more than 15m sold worldwide, it has also been a reliable money-spinner for its manufacturer, Kosta Boda. Continue reading...
Supermarket says there have been no complaints and the New South Wales recall is being done as a precaution'The chance of metal contamination has led to supermarket giant Woolworths issuing a recall in New South Wales for a batch of a common Christmas treat.Woolworths said the affected product is Shortcrust Summer Berry Mince Pies, sold in six-packs, with a best before" date of 13 June 2024. Continue reading...
Seventeen-year-old has been speaking since returning to the UK. He appeared in southern France last week after going missing on holiday in Spain aged 11Teenager Alex Batty has said the worst thing about the six years he was missing abroad was not having a proper education", according to reports.Speaking to the Sun newspaper, the 17-year-old said he must have read the Harry Potter books at least 20 times" and his main pastime was reading as he could rarely access wifi. Continue reading...
NSW SES warns heavy rain may cause flash flooding with storms forecast across three states from Christmas Eve to Boxing DayResidents of Australia's eastern states have been warned to prepare for severe storms forecast over the Christmas weekend.Thunderstorms are expected between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day across a broad region, including much of New South Wales and south-east Queensland and spreading down into Victoria. Continue reading...
The weather bureau has issued an extreme fire danger warning for the Burrup district on SaturdayFirefighters on Saturday continued to battle multiple blazes across Western Australia as authorities warn of more difficult" days ahead.Seven emergency-level blazes have destroyed homes and torn through bushland, rural properties and suburbs on Perth's fringes in the past three days. Continue reading...
Piece showing three aircraft on stop sign in Peckham was confirmed as genuine by the artist on InstagramTwo men have been filmed taking an artwork created by Banksy from a south London street less than an hour after it was confirmed as a genuine installation.The artist confirmed the piece - a traffic stop sign covered with three aircraft said to resemble military drones - was his in a social media post shortly after midday on Friday. Continue reading...
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