Author: UK News

  There was a family reunion for my wife Fionnuala’s ones last week and I ended up being a designated driver. I didn’t mind at all but after leaving one group of hyper-active relations home, I got a call to say two of her cousins were stuck and needed a lift to Greencastle. “Where the hell is that?” “Not too far. They’ll keep you right,” Fionnuala said. “And don’t be grumpy.” I was grumpy. I went back to the hotel but there was no sign of the pair and when I eventually found them – at the residents’ bar –…

British actress Jane Seymour said she got out of her Malibu home “just in time” with only the clothes on her back as the Californian wildfire came “right up to my house”.The James Bond star praised firefighters who did an “astounding” job saving her home from the blaze – dubbed the Franklin Fire – which ignited on Monday evening.Seymour said her “whole house smells of smoke” after returning on Thursday, having rushed to evacuate the property late on Monday evening.“I just literally had jeans and a sweater, which I’ve been wearing for four days and sleeping at different people’s houses,”…

The heartbroken sisters of Aoife Johnston, who died in University Hospital Limerick after contracting meningitis-related sepsis, feel no one has been held accountable.The Leaving Cert student from Shannon, Co Clare died on December 19, 2022, after presenting at the emergency department of UHL with symptoms of the deadly virus two days earlier.The 16-year-old was referred by her GP and should have been treated with the necessary medication within an hour.Instead, the teenager endured 13 agonising hours on a trolley with her terrified parents James and Carol pleading for antibiotics that could have saved her life.A report into the circumstances surrounding…

Body found after police search for man thought to be missing in North Wales Cheshire and North Wales police forces had made appeals after concerns about the 54-year-old https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/body-found-after-police-search-30585953

Timothee Chalamet stepped out with blonde locks in a nod to Bob Dylan at the New York premiere of A Complete Unknown.The US actor stars as influential folk singer Dylan in the Oscar-tipped film, which follows his early days as a musician in New York City, culminating in his famed performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.Oscar-nominated Chalamet bore a striking resemblance to the musician at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, sporting a shaggy blonde hairstyle and a blue beanie hat paired with a black leather jacket and scarf.Timothee Chalamet attends the premiere of A Complete Unknown (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) (Evan…

Euphoria. That is the closest word to describe how I feel right now, yet it still falls short of capturing the overwhelming tide of emotions coursing through me.I am in disbelief, marvelling at the sheer impossibility of what has happened. How could a regime that brutalised Syrians for over 53 years be toppled in just 10 days? And yet, it happened.Millions of Syrians, whether inside Syria or in the diaspora, feel relatively the same.I myself cannot believe I am thinking and writing these words absolutely freely, without any form of self censure or censorship. For even in my Dublin safe…

The head of the largest housebuilding firm in the United Kingdom has said Labour’s vow to build 1.5 million homes during this parliament is not possible due to a severe skills shortage.Asked if there were enough workers to build the extra homes promised by the Prime Minister and his deputy Angela Rayner, Barratt Redrow chief executive David Thomas told the BBC: “The short answer is no.”He added that Sir Keir’s government would have to “revolutionise the market, revolutionise planning, revolutionise methods of production” to make reaching their homebuilding target achievable.“They’re challenging targets, I think we have to recognise that this…

South Korea’s Parliament is set to vote on an opposition-led impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday.The vote comes two days after Mr Yoon defended his controversial martial law decree and vowed to resist mounting calls for his ouster.It will be the second time for the National Assembly to hold a vote on an impeachment motion over the short-lived December 3 martial law introduction.Last Saturday, Mr Yoon survived an impeachment vote after most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a floor vote. In this photo provided by the South Korean Presidential Office, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at…

Prince Andrew friend loses appeal on UK ban over national security A Chinese businessman described as a “close confidant” of the Duke of York has lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds. The man, known only as H6, brought a case to the special immigration appeals commission (SIAC) after the then-home secretary, Suella Braverman, said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023. Judges were told that in a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed H6 had been in a position to generate relationships…

A close friend of Prince Andrew has lost his appeal against a decision banning him from the UK on national security grounds. An MI5 investigation alleged the man – known as H6 – was spying for China.

The UK economy shrank for the second month in a row in October as concerns about the Budget continued to weigh on confidence.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have discovered their 2026 World Cup qualifying opponents following Friday’s draw in Zurich. England will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron has named centrist leader François Bayrou as France’s next prime minister, in a bid to end months of political turmoil.

Another chilly and rather grey day across much of the UK. Outbreaks of light rain and drizzle possible, with a band of more persistent rain arriving across northwest Scotland later. Hill fog will lead to murky conditions in places. Tonight: Staying cloudy across much of England and Wales, with further rain and drizzle in places. Rain moving south across Scotland and Northern Ireland followed by scattered blustery showers.

Summary of Western Mail Newspaper Western Mail front page this morning – summarised’Our democratic rights as parliamentarians in Wales can’t be considered to be inferior when compared to legislators in other devolved legislatures’Plaid Cymru called for Wales to be given parity with Scotland on devolved powers. Rhun ap Iorwerth warned Wales remains the “poor relation” among devolved nations in policy areas ranging from rail, justice and tax to welfare benefits and the Crown Estate.He said: “Our democratic rights as parliamentarians in Wales can’t be considered to be inferior when compared to legislators in other devolved legislatures. But that is the…

Summary of The National Newspaper The National front page this morning – summarisedThe National says Starmer under fire as cap set to rise again despite pledge people would pay less. LABOUR have been accused of “betraying” voters as it was revealed energy bills are predicted to rise again from next April.Households could be in for yet another rise in costs as market “turbulence” and price cap reforms feed through to bills.The latest forecast from Cornwall Insight suggests the energy price cap could rise to £1762 per year for a typical dual fuel consumer – a 1% increase from the cap of…

Friday’s front pages lead with various domestic and international stories. There is ongoing coverage of the latest across the Middle East as G7 nations prepare to hold a virtual meeting on Friday to discuss the fast-moving developments. For Syrians, many have taken to the streets in celebration, marking the end of the Assad regime. 

Amid ongoing war in the Middle East and Europe, as well as the return of Donald Trump to world politics, several front pages lead with stories regarding NATO. European members of the alliance are holding talks about increasing the spending target to 3% of GDP. There is also a warning from the new head of NATO, Mark Rutte, that European members need to spend more on defence. 

A little closer to home, Prince Andrew has found himself on the front pages again, this time regarding a close confidant to the Duke who has reportedly been banished from Britain over claims he is a Chinese spy.

Summary of The Guardian Newspaper The Guardian page this morning – summarisedThe front page of The Guardian this morning leads with a report that some jury trials may be axed under new plans to ease the court backlog. The front page features an image of a funeral for a victim of the Assad regime. Jury trials could be abandoned for some criminal cases in England and Wales under a radical overhaul proposed by ministers as the crown courts backlog hit a record high.A review, to be led by the former high court judge Sir Brian Leveson, will consider creating “intermediate courts”…

Summary of The Irish News Newspaper The Irish News front page this morning – summarisedThe front page of The Irish News reports an investigation is underway over footage showing a cop kicking a restrained teenager in the head. An investigation is underway over footage which appears to show a police officer kicking a Co Tyrone teenager about the head while he lies restrained on the ground. The short clip shows a uniformed PSNI officer kick Shea Somerville in the head during an arrest operation in Cookstown in the early hours of Sunday.DUP minister Paul Givan has “serious questions to answer over…

Summary of the Metro Newspaper Metro front page this morning – summarised The Metro’s front page leads on a truly bizarre story as the prime minister and leader of the opposition appear to get into a spat regarding sandwiches. The paper’s headline notes as the pair continue their ridiculous jibes, the country’s problems are mounting up. Ed Miliband has hit back at Kemi Badenoch for her anti-sandwich stance, ten years after he was notoriously photographed struggling to eat one. In a recent interview, the leader of the opposition hit out at the idea of sandwiches, saying she doesn’t consider them…

Summary of the Independent Newspaper The Independent front page this morning – summarisedThe front page of The Independent this morning speaks to the man who sparked the Syrian revolution. Angry with life under Bashar al-Assad, 16-year-old Muawiyah Syasneh and his friends spray-painted four words onto a wall in their school playground.Four words of defiance that saw the teenagers jailed and tortured for weeks, triggering Syria’s first protests in early 2011.Four words that ignited a revolution that spiralled into one of the bloodiest civil wars of modern times. Latest News updated every hour

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Publisher: Bethesda. Format: Xbox/PC)IN A perfect marriage of movie and venue, last week the Ulster Museum held a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Yet, while 1981’s archaeological actioner is something of a relic itself, today’s adventure flicks can only dream of its craft and creativity, with a lead character in Indiana Jones who’s so iconic he finishes second only to Atticus Finch in the American Film Institute’s list of movie heroes.Infinitely quotable, Raiders’ nostalgic blend of heroism, chases and cliffhangers was followed up with the macabre Temple of Doom (“Kali Ma!”) and,…

Hundreds of protesters led by university students held a noisy rally on Thursday outside Serbia’s state television headquarters, despite the country’s president pledging to fulfil all their demands. Blowing whistles, booing and jeering, the protesters said they were angry that state RTS television is carrying President Aleksandar Vucic’s accusations that the students were paid from the West and elsewhere to hold protests to overthrow his government. Why are they protesting in Belgrade? The demonstration is part of wider protests which erupted after the fall of a concrete canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad last month, killing 15 people.…

Human rights attorney quits court over failure to prosecute Venezuela A prominent human rights attorney has parted ways with the International Criminal Court to protest what he sees as an unjustified failure of its chief prosecutor to indict members of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government.Chilean-born Claudio Grossman, a past president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, has left due to the failure to bring prosecutions for crimes against humanity, The Associated Press has learned.He was appointed special adviser to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in November 2021 on the deteriorating human rights situation in Venezuela.In a harshly worded email last…

Guardian and Observer charity appeal raises more than £250,000 Readers reach donation milestone before Saturday telethon, securing money to help families in Gaza and Ukraine• Donate to our charity appeal hereMore than £250,000 for charities supporting families hit by war and violence in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere has been raised by Guardian and Observer readers less than a week after the appeal launched.The milestone was achieved before the annual fundraising telethon on Saturday 14 December. Journalists who will be on hand to take donations over the phone include Polly Toynbee, John Crace, Marina Hyde and Zoe Williams. Continue reading… Guardian…

An investigation will take place after reports a member of Buckingham Palace staff was arrested after a Christmas party, according to a Palace spokesperson. The spokesperson said “appropriate action” would be taken after the Palace was made aware of the incident. The Sun reported a female member of staff was arrested at a bar in Victoria on Tuesday. A Palace spokesperson told the BBC: “We are aware of an incident outside the workplace involving a number of Household staff who had previously attended an early evening reception at the Palace. “While this was an informal social gathering, not an official…

Homes plan at ex-private school site in Bangor given green light The ‘impressive’ Grade II listed building will now house nine residential units https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/homes-plan-ex-private-school-30572458

The national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II could cost £46,000,000, according to a provisional budget released before a design is chosen. From today, artists, architects and engineers will compete to have their design selected for a monument commemorating the country’s longest reigning monarch. It will stand in the heart of London, in the area of St James’s Park’s Blue Bridge, with views of the Queen’s former residence, Buckingham Palace, as well as Horse Guard Parade, Big Ben and the London Eye. The late Queen’s former private secretary Lord Janvrin, chairman of the committee, said: ‘The memorial must be – simply…