CATEGORIES

Starmer declines to condemn jailing of Hong Kong activists

Keir Starmer has twice declined to directly condemn the jailing of dozens of Hong Kong's pro-democracy figures after meeting China's president at the G20 summit in Brazil.

You're having a larf? Fake accents fool Londoners, study shows

It seems Londoners, and southerners more broadly, are among the worst at spotting people mimicking their accents, with northerners, Scots and the Irish performing better.

Knife crime 'blighting lives of too many children', says report

Serious youth violence in England is widespread and not restricted to particular ethnic or demographic groups, according to investigators who were told that children as young as 11 were carrying knives for protection.

Cock-a-doodle-don't: man is fined over his noisy cockerel

A man has been fined after his pet cockerel subjected neighbours in a quiet street to \"torture\" by repeatedly crowing as early as 3am.

Constitution Hill 'defeat' a twist before return

As Nicky Henderson said one thing about Constitution Hill after his exercise gallop at Newbury yesterday morning, the betting markets said another. That just added another twist in the buildup to his muchanticipated return to action at Newcastle in 10 days, time.

Chelsea criticise homophobic abuse of Kerr and Mewis

Chelsea's captain Millie Bright and manager Sonia Bompastor have strongly condemned homophobic abuse aimed at Sam Kerr, after the Chelsea striker and her partner, West Ham's Kristie Mewis, shared news that they are expecting a baby.

ONS may have 'lost' a million workers from job figures since the pandemic

Policymakers have been \"left in the dark\" by omcial jobs figures since the pandemic which may have \"lost\" almost a million workers, according to a Resolution Foundation report.

Conor McGregor accuser will be 'a marked woman', Dublin jury told

A woman who alleges the Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor brutally raped her after a Christmas party six years ago in Dublin will \"always be a marked woman,\" simply because she had the courage to stand up to the fighter, a jury has been told.

Nuclear power Attacks on grid 'raise the risk of catastrophe'

Ukraine's power network is at \"heightened risk of catastrophic failure\" after Russia's missile and drone attack on Sunday, Greenpeace has warned, raising fears about the safety of the country's three operational nuclear power stations.

Baltic Sea Germany 'assumes cable damage was sabotage'

Germany has said it has to assume that damage to two undersea fibreoptic cables in the Baltic Sea since Sunday was an act of sabotage.

Pension fund loses more than £350m on incinerator power plants

One of the UK's biggest pension funds has lost more than £350m on a series of \"calamitous\" investments in incinerator power plants which are expected to go bust in the coming days.

Google may be forced to sell off Chrome browser

US Department of Justice officials plan to ask a judge to force Google to sell its Chrome browser to dismantle the monopoly it has over the internet search market, in a major intervention against one of the world's biggest tech companies.

Being fit could lower risk of dementia and delay its onset, study suggests

Being physically fit could lower the risk of dementia and delay the development of the disease by almost 18 months, research has found. Exercise could even help people who are genetically more predisposed to dementia to cut their risk by up to 35%.

Starmer denies waging class war as farmers talk of being 'betrayed'

Keir Starmer has denied that he is mounting a class war by targeting wealthy landowners and private schools, after the head of the National Farmers' Union accused the government of an extraordinary \"betrayal\" over inheritance tax changes.

Manifest's destiny: Cambridge names it the word ofthe year

\"Manifest\", meaning to dream or will something into existence, has been named the word of 2024 by Cambridge Dictionary, after a surge of celebrity-inspired popularity on social media.

Compassionate assisted dying bill backed by health minister

The health minister Stephen Kinnock has said he will Vote in favour of the assisted dying bill next week, arguing that it is the \"compassionate\" thing to do and will not automatically place NHS palliative care services under extreme pressure.

Romanian court finds flaws in case against Tate

A court in Romania has ruled that one of the public prosecutors' cases brought against the self-styled misogynist influencer Andrew Tate contains irregularities and ordered them to amend or withdraw it within five days.

Top police chief calls for major shake-up in England and Wales

Police are \"wasting valuable time and money by doing things in 43 different ways\", with huge and urgent changes needed to end a postcode lottery for victims, the leader of Britain's police chiefs has said.

Health experts call for ban on sugary snacks provided with school lunches

Schools in England should be banned from giving pupils cakes or biscuits as part of their lunch because they contain so much sugar, food campaigners say.

Nadal Ends peace before curtain falls on legendary career

Spaniard to bow out in team event after confirming his retirement last month

Yorkshire town may bring UK's first legal case over 'forever chemicals'

Residents in the town with the UK's highest identified concentration of \"forever chemicals\" have instructed lawyers to investigate the possibility of a first-of-its-kind legal claim, against a firefighting foam manufacturer in the centre of Bentham.

Stop chasing lost emu, say police in Lincolnshire

Attempts to recapture an on-the-run emu are being hampered by members of the public chasing the bird in 4x4 vehicles, police have said.

Phillipson set to Vote against bill on assisted dying as PM warns cabinet to remain neutral

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, indicated yesterday she was likely to Vote against the bill to legalise assisted dying, as Keir Starmer issued a veiled warning to cabinet ministers such as Wes Streeting to remain neutral on the issue.

Mortgages Rate rises not down to Labour's budget, insists Starmer

Keir Starmer has conceded he was disappointed in the UK growth figures last week, but denied that Labour's budget was responsible for a recent uptick in mortgage rates.

Australian gold miner to pay Mali $160m after employees detained

An Australian gold mining company has agreed to pay US$160m (£126m) to Mali's government, after the west African country's junta detained its chief executive and two other employees.

Disappointing rise in household energy bills forecast for new year

Consumers have been told to expect a \"disappointing\" rise in energy bills in January, adding pressure to household finances, despite previous hopes that prices may ease early next year.

Tax rises may tip more firms over the edge, says insolvency practitioner

Higher employment costs as a result of the budget may push more businesses into financial difficulty, according to the UK's largest insolvency practitioner.

Shipping out Cruise offers escape from next four years

As Donald Trump prepares to begin his second four-year term, a cruise company is giving Americans the choice to opt out and escape.

After years of writing about political correctness gone mad, surely this was Allison's moment

In all her interactions, there is only one victim. Herself. It's possible she has more in common with the wokerati than she imagines

'More than one in three children in poverty'

More than one in three children and a quarter of adults are in poverty in the UK after deprivation levels have risen to their highest in the 21st century, according to a report.