Author: UK News

Country music star Morgan Wallen scooped four Billboard Music Awards in a ceremony which aired hours after he pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless endangerment in court. Wallen picked up awards for top male artist, top country artist, and top country male artist as well as top collaboration for the track I Had Some Help which he featured on with US star Post Malone. The awards ceremony, featuring a pre-recorded acceptance speech from Wallen, was broadcast hours after he appeared at a criminal court to plead guilty to throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-storey bar in…

A former Syrian military official who oversaw a prison where alleged human rights abuses took place has been charged with several counts of torture after being arrested in July for visa fraud charges, authorities said Thursday.Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, who oversaw Syria’s infamous Adra Prison from 2005 to 2008 under recently ousted President Bashar Assad, was charged by a federal grand jury with several counts of torture and conspiracy to commit torture.“It’s a huge step toward justice,” said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the US-based Syrian Emergency Task Force.“Samir Ousman al-Sheikh’s trial will reiterate that the United States will not allow…

Tiny Christmas Tree Planted by Couple in 1979 is Now 52-ft Tall and a 5-Star Tourist Stop–LOOK In the dark of winter, in a place where there are no street lights, a Christmas tree has grown so tall that people can see its sparkling lights from miles around. In fact, the entire town of Inkberrow in Worcestershire, England, gathers on Pepper Street every year for the annual “Switching on” ceremony. Avril and Christopher Rowlands bought the tiny fir tree for £6 in 1978 and after Christmas planted it in their yard to mark their first holiday together in the new…

Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother have been convicted of the 10-year-old’s murder. 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.

Keir Starmer has unveiled sweeping changes to the planning system that could see councils forced to consider building on green belt land in England. The prime minister has vowed to override “blockers” standing in the way of building the new homes needed to solve the housing crisis. However some locals in the areas where these houses will need to be built are steadfast in their opposition to more housing.

Manchester City are in danger of Champions League elimination, while Liverpool made it six wins from six and Arsenal and Aston Villa are flying.
Two games remain in the revamped Champions League’s new 36-team league phase. The top eight automatically progress to the last 16 and, crucially, skip the two-legged knockout play-off round.

Remaining cloudy for many with patchy drizzle, and hill fog, especially across central and eastern areas. Brighter skies in the far west and across much of Scotland, where fog could linger all day. Feeling rather cold once again. Tonight: Largely cloudy through overnight, with further spells of light rain and drizzle at times. Murky over the hills. Some clear skies in the north, with a frost possible here.

Summary of The Guardian Newspaper The Guardian page this morning – summarisedThe front page of The Guardian this morning reports that 10,000 civil service jobs are to be axed under a new government efficiency drive. Sources tell the paper that there is an acceptance that the civil service has become too big after expanding to meet the demands of Brexit and the pandemic. Ministers are planning to cut more than 10,000 civil service jobs as Whitehall departments battle to stay within spending limits under a new government efficiency drive, the Guardian has learned.Multiple sources said there was an acceptance that the…

Summary of the Metro Newspaper Metro front page this morning – summarisedThe Metro front page this morning reports on the conviction of the father and stepmother who killed 10-year-old Sara Sharif. Sara Sharif’s mum has paid tribute to her ‘beautiful’ daughter after the schoolgirl was murdered by her father and stepmother during a horrific ‘campaign of abuse’.The 10-year-old suffered more than 70 injuries shortly before her broken body was found at home in Woking, Surrey, following a call from her dad Urfan Sharif, 42, in Pakistan saying he had ‘beat her up too much’ for being ‘naughty’.Jurors at the Old Bailey…

Summary of The Irish News Newspaper The Irish News front page this morning – summarisedThe front page of The Irish News reports shocking figures show 50 people died while waiting for an ambulance in 2023/24, up from 16 in 2021/22.THE number of people who have died while waiting for an ambulance in Northern Ireland has trebled in five years.Since 2020/2021 a total of 149 people have died waiting at home for emergency response help.New figures show there were 50 deaths last year – which is a marked increase on the 16 fatalities recorded five years previously.Police in Miami say they…

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 Guardian Front Page 12/12/2024

The Metro 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.