Author: UK News

Summary of Western Mail Newspaper Western Mail front page this morning – summarisedThe back page of the Western Mail leads with reports Taine Basham is being linked with three English clubs ahead of his contract with the Dragons running out. Wales back-row Taine Basham is being linked with three English clubs ahead of his contract with the Dragons running out.His deal with the Rodney Parade side finishes at the end of the current campaign, having signed a new contract back in April.That came amid interest from Welsh and English clubs, including Saracens – with Basham ultimately penning a new deal alongside…

Summary of The National Newspaper The National front page this morning – summarised The front page of the Scottish newspaper The National reports on the Conservative Party joining Reform UK on an anti-migrant attack.  A SCOTTISH Tory motion “condemning” free bus travel for asylum seekers has been overwhelmingly rejected by MSPs.The Conservatives had faced criticism from the SNP, Greens, Labour, and LibDems after tabling the controversial motion, which saw them accused of a “dog whistle attack on asylum seekers”.The Tories’ condemnation of free bus travel for asylum seekers drew criticism from the First Minister and a joint intervention from the…

Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother were found guilty of murdering the 10-year-old British. Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, had subjected Sara to “horrific suffering” before her body was found at the family’s home in Surrey last year.

Thursday’s headlines are dominated by the conviction of a father and stepmother who killed 10-year-old Sara Sharif. Police said Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, had subjected Sara to “horrific suffering” before her body was found at the family’s home in Surrey last year.

As more details emerge about the life and death of the young British girl, the newspapers react with horror at the brutality Sara lived – and died – under. Many of the newspapers pick up on the state’s failure to save her, pointing the finger at the courts, police, social services and teachers, who reportedly missed at least 15 chances to save her life.

Several domestic political stories also find space on the front pages with reports on Labour’s plans to build new houses, potential strikes this winter and ongoing reactions to the October Budget.

The back pages cover last night’s Champions League action – including yet another loss for Manchester City and the news that Saudi Arabia has been confirmed as the 2030 World Cup hosts.

DWP benefits payments: December 2024 dates for Universal Credit and pensions Benefits and pensions going out as usual Universal Credit State pension Pension credit Child benefit Disability living allowance Personal independence payment Attendance allowance Carer’s allowance Employment support allowance Income support Jobseeker’s allowance Household support fund Other help may be available and you should ask the job centre representative to guide you. £348 if you’re single £464 if you’re part of a couple £812 if you have children. Will benefit rates be going up soon? Energy Price Cap: Will it go up or down again in 2024? DWP benefits payments:…

British energy firms told to offer zero standing charge Ofgem aims to provide choice as Martin Lewis describes daily fees as a ‘poll tax’ on gas and electricity bills as he has being championing on social media. Energy suppliers will have to offer customers a “zero” standing charge tariff by next winter to address criticism of the daily fees described by the consumer champion Martin Lewis as a “poll tax” on gas and electricity bills. Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, said the zero standing charge option will be offered by suppliers under its quarterly price cap, alongside existing…

The Metro Front Page 12/12/2024

The Guardian Front Page 12/12/2024

Dublin Airport has been told by its neighbouring local authority that the night-time noises its flights produce and their impact on local residents are “still a concern”. The latest noise action plan for Dublin Airport, published by Fingal County Council on Wednesday, notes that the number of people affected by night-time noise at the hub is greater than it had been in 2019, in breach of a priority requirement of the Noise Abatement Objective (Nao) for the airport. While the airport is “on track” to achieve the medium and long-term objectives of the Nao, nevertheless “night-time noise exposure remains a…

Majority of Brexit voters ‘would accept free movement’ to access single market Europe-wide polling finds UK and EU leaders now out of step with public opinion and pursue ‘ambitious reset’ A majority of Britons who voted to leave the EU would now accept a return to free movement in exchange for access to the single market, according to a cross-Europe study that also found a reciprocal desire in member states for closer links with the UK. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump’s election as US president had “fundamentally changed the context” of EU-UK relations, the report by the European…

Staff at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) have said they are seeing pregnant victims of domestic abuse every week. They say the situation is so bad that such violence against pregnant women is “as common as gestational diabetes”, a condition sometimes developed by expectant mothers. Ann-Marie McCarthy, Social Work Team Leader at CUMH, warned the abuse is “much more common” than people might realise, with telltale signs that hospital staff are seeing. Those signs range from bruising to missing appointments to not speaking during appointments while partners answer any questions from staff. “There’s lots of red flags for domestic violence.…

'Village was always posh but now rich interlopers outnumber the locals' Rhosneigr has seen house prices soar 1,339% in just 25 years https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/news-opinion/village-always-posh-now-rich-30563064

A teenager is having to ‘scrape’ together £129.50 after he was fined for sitting in the wrong first class section of a ‘very full’ train. Theo Griffiths, an 18-year-old student from Boston, Lincolnshire, decided to take the train to London King’s Cross because the journey was ‘too long of a distance to drive.’ He was travelling to the capital to see some colleagues in their office, but when Theo boarded his Thameslink train, it was so full that he couldn’t find a seat. The 18-year-old had previously seen messages stating that he could use the train’s first-class seating as an…

  OpenAI said its services have been affected by an outage, hours after Meta experienced a social media blackout with its apps. According to DownDetector UK, a website that monitors social media outages, technical issues primarily with OpenAI’s ChatGPT service peaked at about 11.53pm. OpenAI’s website was also affected. We’re experiencing an outage right now. We have identified the issue and are working to roll out a fix. Sorry and we’ll keep you updated! — OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 12, 2024 In a post on X just after midnight, OpenAI said: “We’re experiencing an outage right now. We have identified the…

General Assembly members overwhelmingly approved resolutions on Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and expressing support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees which Israel has moved to ban.

A couple who caused the death of their three-year-old son by denying him adequate food and then buried his body in their garden are due to be sentenced.Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah will appear in custody at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday, a week after they were found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child, what was described as “breathtaking” neglect, and perverting the course of justice.A two-month trial was told Abiyah Yasharahyalah, who was restricted to an “extreme” vegan diet, died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness with a more than minimal cause of his death…

Israel has confirmed it carried out attacks on Syria’s naval fleet, as part of its efforts to neutralise military assets in the country after the fall of the Assad regime.

There are reports that Syrian migrants are attempting to return home despite the uncertainty of what lies ahead for Syria. European nations – including Britain – have paused Syrian asylum claims as they await to see how the new direction the rebels take the country in.

The man accused of shooting dead healthcare insurance CEO Brian Thompson in New York jostled with police and shouted at reporters as he was bundled into court on Tuesday. More details have emerged about the killing, as well as a reported manifesto. Luigi Mangione is attempting to fight extradition to New York City and is reportedly planning to plead not guilty.

Arne Slot’s side have made a dream start in Europe this season and, winning at Girona on Tuesday night, have all but skipped the play-off round and secured a spot in the Champions League last 16.

Another dry day for most, though the odd shower in the far southeast. Rather cloudy, though brighter across Scotland after a cold and chilly start with a widespread frost. Some freezing fog will prove rather stubborn to clear in places. Tonight: Mostly cloudy across England and Wales with an increasing risk of some light drizzle in the east. Variable amount of cloud elsewhere with some clear spells with a frost developing.

Summary of the Independent Newspaper The Independent front page this morning – summarised The front page of The Independent reports from Assad’s slaughterhouse jail to the morgue piled up with mutilated bodies, desperate Syrians search for family members who disappeared under a despot’s brutal regime. It has been 10 years since Morhaf Safi, a young Syrian man, left home to buy a suit for his wedding and never came back. Ten years since his family in the capital, Damascus, have had any contact with him. Ten years since his older brother, Abdulsafer, 38, last saw his face. Then on Tuesday,…

Summary of The Guardian Newspaper The Guardian page this morning – summarisedThe Guardian front page leads with reports that air attacks hit hundreds of sites including naval fleet and missile stores.Israeli warplanes have intensified an air offensive in Syria, striking hundreds of military targets and destroying entire squadrons of fighters, radar and missile systems, missile stores and much of the small Syrian navy.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said late on Tuesday that it carried out more than 350 strikes over the previous 48 hours, hitting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in Syria to stop them from falling into the…

Summary of The National Newspaper The National front page this morning – summarisedThe National front page this morning reports Labour’s leadership of Edinburgh City Council has been branded “undemocratic” and “weak” with the party now making up less than a sixth of the chamber.Cammy Day resigned as council leader on Monday after he was accused of sending sexual messages to Ukrainian refugees.Prior to him quitting his role he had been suspended from the Labour Party following the allegations, which were revealed in the Sunday Mail over the weekend.This now means the Labour group in Edinburgh are running the council with…

Summary of Western Mail Newspaper Western Mail front page this morning – summarisedNHS news leads the front page of the Welsh newspaper Western Mail. The Welsh Government has published its spending plans for the next financial year, promising more money to every single government department compared to last year. The spending plan, known as the draft budget, lays out how ministers plan to distribute the £26bn spending Welsh Government is responsible for.All departments including health, education and rural affairs, will receive increases in both revenue and capital funding with the Welsh Government pledging it will allow “substantial investments in the school…

Summary of The Irish News Newspaper The Irish News front page this morning – summarisedThe front page of The Irish News reports on a sex offender who targeted girls online across the UK – now jailed for 27 years.A prolific sex offender from Northern Ireland, who posed as a teenage boy on Snapchat and Instagram to trap his child victims, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison.David John Andrews, 55, was told at Downpatrick Crown Court that he would serve a minimum of 13 and a half years, after which parole commissioners would determine when he can be released.Police…

Summary of the Metro Newspaper Metro front page this morning – summarisedThe front page of the Metro leads with the accused killer of US healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Luigi Nicholas Mangione made his first court appearance yesterday – and had a fiery exchange with reporters. Luigi Nicholas Mangione arrived yelling in court for a hearing on the murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson and left pouting.Wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, Mangione, 26, shouted and struggled with police officers who led him to the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon for his extradition hearing.One photo showed two cops restraining Mangione against a brick…

England’s new towns must be walkable and green, say campaigners Thinktank founder says recent attempts to build new towns are ‘depressing, unsustainable and stupid’Labour should build 12 new towns in England that are not car-dependent or built on flood plains, a former government adviser has said in a report.A detailed plan for a dozen new towns, proposed by thinktanks Britain Remade and Create Streets, would mean 550,000 well-designed and appropriately located homes. The new homes would boost the economy by £13-28bn annually by improving access to high-paying jobs in well-connected cities, according to the report. Continue reading… England’s new towns…