Author: UK News

British composer Harry Gregson-Williams has said there was “plenty of pressure” following in the footsteps of Hans Zimmer to create the Gladiator II soundtrack, but his former boss was “bursting with pride” on hearing the new music.Gregson-Williams said Oscar-winning composer Zimmer, who wrote the score for the original film, was “one of the first calls” he made after Sir Ridley Scott offered him the Gladiator sequel 18 months ago.“I was really thrilled to be asked by Ridley, but it was not something I ever expected to do – a sequel to a Hans Zimmer score – him being my old…

Developer Michael O’Flynn has called for a radical rethink of how housing is delivered if a new government is to have any hope of addressing the housing deficit.Writing today in the ‘Irish Examiner’, the chairman and CEO of the O’Flynn Group, says certain proposed legislative changes would act as an impediment rather than a stimulus to housing delivery. He says this includes the Land (Zoning Value Sharing) Bill where the State would secure 25% of the uplift in value of land, following its zoning for residential use.The new Bill is “a prime example of policymakers lacking understanding of the impact…

Michael Babalola posed with stacks of cash and watches which helped officers prove he was selling drugs (Picture: Cambridgeshire Police) A drug dealer was caught after he was spotted posing for pictures wearing three Rolex watches. Michael Babalola, from Lewisham, south london, posed with stacks of cash and watches which helped officers prove he was selling drugs. The 24-year-old was arrested in May last year after police raided his brother Olusegen’s home in Peterborough. Officers found more than £7,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine hidden in a tissue box. They also found weighing scales and mobile phones, including the…

A car has ploughed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, killing at least two people and injuring at least 60 others in what authorities called a deliberate attack.The driver was arrested at the scene shortly after the car barrelled into the market at around 7pm on Friday when it was teeming with holiday shoppers looking forward to the weekend.Verified bystander footage distributed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspect surrender. He stood in the middle of the road and put his hands up before lying down and waiting for armed officers to…

Two decades after a catastrophic tsunami destroyed her village, Tria Asnani still cries when she recalls how she lost her mother while trying to escape the giant waves.Now a school teacher, she was only 17 at the time. Her father, a fisherman, never returned home from sea. She does not know how she survived.“I cannot swim. I could only rely on dhikr (Islamic prayer),” she said.On December 26 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami which killed around 230,000 people across a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa.…

Almost all of Friday’s front pages lead with French rape victim Gisèle Pelicot after her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years behind bars for drugging and raping her – and inviting 50 other men to rape her whilst she was unconscious, over ten years.

All the men were convicted on at least one charge.

Gisèle Pelicot’s case has garnered global attention, notably because she waived the right to anonymity and, along with the fact her ex-husband filmed the attacks over the decade, there was so much evidence to present publicly – something not common with rape cases.

Following the sentencing, Pelicot stood outside the court and told the public she did not regret going public with the case and told sex abuse survivors that they “share the same fight”.

Away from Pelicot, there is coverage of the UK economy as the papers react after the Bank of England’s downgrading of the economy’s growth outlook.

Lord Mandelson is expected to be named as the UK’s next ambassador to the US, whilst online many news sites report on a looming US government shutdown.

Summary of the Metro Newspaper Metro front page this morning – summarised  Latest News updated every hour

Summary of the Independent Newspaper The Independent front page this morning – summarised  Latest News updated every hour

Summary of The Guardian Newspaper The Guardian page this morning – summarised  Latest News updated every hour

Met Office issues wind warnings of up to 85mph across parts of UK as Christmas holidays begin The UK is set to see rain and disruptive winds of up to 85mph this weekend as the Met Office issues weather warnings for Christmas holiday drivers. Yellow wind warnings have been released for the weekend, with one covering Scotland, much of Northern Ireland, north Wales and north-west England between 7am and midnight on Saturday. Another warning is in place between midnight and 9pm on Sunday, covering Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and all of western England. Met Office issues wind warnings of up…

Political heavyweight Lord Peter Mandelson to be named next ambassador to US. The Labour grandee is expected to be the next UK ambassador to the US. Lord Mandelson, who served in the cabinets of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is poised to be the UK’s next top diplomat in Washington, in a political appointment as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office. The tenure of Dame Karen Pierce, the current office holder, is expected to come to an end in early 2025 and Lord Mandelson had been widely tipped as the person next in line for the job. A source said that…

Emotional TV tribute to music icon one year on from her death Music stars will pay tribute to a remarkable mentor who taught generations of singers in a special TV programme on the first anniversary of her death. Leah Owen’s distinctive voice captivated audiences for decades, but she was also a hugely successful conductor, tutor, adjudicator and composer. Her legacy will be celebrated during Noson Lawen – Cofio Leah Owen which will be broadcast on S4C at 7.30pm on Saturday, January 4, exactly a year after she passed away at the age of 70. She grew up in Rhosmeirch on Anglesey,…

A raft of new peers are set to be announced, with numbers expected to be boosted on Labour’s benches in the House of Lords.Partygate investigator and Sir Keir’s ex-chief of staff Sue Gray is reportedly among the Labour figures set to be elevated to the Lords this week.The Sun newspaper reported that Ms Gray could be among 30 new Labour peers appointed.She came to prominence in 2022 with the report into Downing Street parties, and then became Sir Keir’s chief of staff in opposition before following him into Number 10.She quit the role in October after a series of internal…

The Wisconsin 15-year-old who shot and killed a teacher and a fellow pupil was in her first term at the school but seemed to be settling in, a school official said.Abundant Life Christian School (ACLS) student Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison, and teacher Erin West, 42, of DeForest, were killed on Monday.Two other pupils who were shot remained in hospital on Thursday in a critical condition.Families of the victims remembered them as people of faith who had deep connections within the Christian school.Barbara Wiers, the school’s director for elementary and communications, said the attack lasted eight minutes and the…

HS2 boss defends spending £100m on ‘bat shed’ that Starmer described as ‘absurd’ – UK politics live Mark Wild also admitted that HS2 had been rushed and ‘construction started way too early’ In her response to the statement from Karin Smyth, Caroline Johnson, the shadow health minister, suggested the extra money for hospices would not fully compensate the extra costs the sector is facing because of the national insurance increase and the rise in the living wage. She said: On October 30 the chancellor decided to break her election promise by increasing employers’ national insurance contributions and reducing the threshold…

The teenager accused of murdering schoolgirl Elianne Andam shouted, ‘do you want to end up like her, six feet under?’ at another prisoner, jurors have heard. Hassan Sentamu, 18, has been accused of knifing the 15-year-old to death outside a bus stop in Croydon town centre, south London, in September 2023. But prosecutor Alex Chalk KC said while Sentamu was on remand he got in an ‘angry’ shouting match at Oakhill Secure Training Centre just two weeks after Elianne was killed. When the fellow prisoner accused him of killing Elianne, Sentamu responded: ‘I’ll do it again. I’ll do it to…

London Underground travel status update Victoria line – Minor delays due to train cancellations Northern line – Minor delays between High Barnet and Camden Town southbound only due to a shortage of trains, while the rest of the line has good service Piccadilly line – The section between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge at the end of the line remains suspended due to difficult track conditions, while the rest of the line has minor delays because of a shortage of trains Severe delays on London Underground Piccadilly line | News UK

Gently swaggering onto the O2 Arena stage last night at the age of 82, Sir Paul McCartney’s silhouette looked much like it always has – save for a slightly gravity-inclined head and neck thanks to 60 years of strumming on guitars. Incredibly, he sounded just about the same too, even though he’s two years into his lauded Got Back tour. In recent years Sir Paul’s voice has been criticised as being a ghost of its former glory, but there wasn’t a whiff of shakiness last night: he swung through those iconic swooping Beatles notes like an eagle on a hunt.…

Police have launched an urgent hunt for a food delivery rider after a man was raped in Earl’s Court. The victim, aged in his 30s, was approached by the man riding a bike at midnight on October 4 in Hesper Mews. They spoke for a few minutes before the victim was raped, Metropolitan Police has said. The suspect, who had a food delivery bag on his back, is described by the force as having being aged in his 20s, white, with dark hair and ‘a distinctive large angular nose’. He was wearing all black clothing. After the attack the suspect…

An influencer has warned Londoners to be on alert after a thief walked into her changing room and stole her brand new Birkin bag. Janice Joostema posted CCTV footage of the moment her £10,000 red Hermes JPG Shoulder Birkin was swiped while trying on clothes in Manière De Voir on Oxford Street. The 29-year-old’s passport was also inside the bag, forcing the model to cancel her upcoming holiday to Switzerland. Footage shows the thief walking around the shop looking for the perfect moment to steal something. She is then seen sneaking into the changing room while Janice ‘was probably topless’…

Labour minister Tulip Siddiq caught up in Bangladesh corruption probe A Labour minister has been embroiled in a Bangladeshi corruption probe after the country’s government accused her of helping her aunt embezzle billions of pounds. City minister Tulip Siddiq, has been accused of helping Sheikh Hasina, the recently ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, to siphon off £5.2bn intended to be used building eight large-scale projects including a nuclear power plant. The Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate has not commented on the allegations, but Labour figures have described them as “spurious”, while Syed Faruk, the UK general-secretary of Ms Hasina’s…

Waspi women latest: Starmer faces growing Labour rebellion after ‘breaking promise’ on pensions Keir Starmer faces a growing Labour rebellion after being accused of breaking a promise in a decision not to compensate Waspi women. Up to 50 Labour MPs would vote against the government’s decision to rule out spending £10bn compensating the women if a vote is held, The Independent understands. Waspi refers to a woman born between 1950 and 1960 who was disadvantaged by the 1995 Pensions Act, which increased their pensionable age from 60 to 65. The group – Women Against State Pension Inequality – was set…

Water bills set for steep price hike after Ofwat review – how much will yours rise by? Increases by water company: Anglian Water: 2024/25 £491; 2029/30 £631; up £140 (+29%)Dwr Cymru: 2024/25 £455; 2029/30 £645; up £190 (+42%)Hafren Dyfrdwy: 2024/25 £392; 2029/30 £557; up £165 (+42%)Northumbrian Water: 2024/25 £422; 2029/30 £510; up £88 (+21%)Severn Trent Water: 2024/25 £398; 2029/30 £583; up £185 (+47%)Southern Water: 2024/25 £420; 2029/30 £642; up £222 (+53%)South West Water: 2024/25 £497; 2029/30 £610; up £113 (+23%)Thames Water: 2024/25 £436; 2029/30 £588; up £152 (+35%)United Utilities: 2024/25 £442; 2029/30 £585; up £143 (+32%)Wessex Water: 2024/25 £508; 2029/30…

What Christmas will look like for Prince Andrew and Fergie as they are sidelined from royal festivities When King Charles leads the Royal family on their traditional Christmas Day walk to St Mary Magdalene church, one notable absence will draw attention: his embattled younger brother, the Duke of York. It was revealed earlier this week that Prince Andrew had struck up a close friendship with an alleged Chinese spy, who has been banned from the UK. It is the latest in a string of controversies faced by Andrew in recent years, the most notable being his resignation which came after…

The prime minister is being urged to tighten the rules around donations to political parties as the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, attempts to interfere in British politics by making a $100 million donation to Reform UK.

Further reports suggest the Conservative Party are attempting to woo Elon Musk away from Reform and to the Tories by highlighting their ‘anti-woke’ credentials.

Musk has been vocal about foreign interference in American politics but seems to have no issue with interfering in other countries’ politics.

There is anger across the political spectrum this morning as the government has announced it won’t be compensating the Waspi women. Whilst it’s accepted that it would hit the taxpayer if the government did decide to compensate the women, it been widely highlighted that when in opposition Labour made it clear it would be prepared to write a cheque if they came to power.

There’s further coverage of Prince Andrew’s latest scandal as he’s been told to stay away from royal events this Christmas. It comes as another Chinese spy allegation emerges.