Author: News Desk

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.

Syria is witnessing mass celebrations as citizens gather to mark the end of five decades of rule by the Assad regime. Images from Damascus show large crowds assembling for the first Friday prayers since Islamist rebels seized control of the capital on Sunday.

After 17 years as European Union members, Romania and Bulgaria will officially join the EU’s border-free Schengen travel zone on January 1, 2025. The decision allows citizens from both countries to travel to other Schengen countries like France, Spain, or Norway without requiring a passport.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said a series of Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at least 58 people, including 12 guards securing aid trucks. The latest bloodshed came despite growing optimism that negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal might finally succeed, with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan saying on Thursday that the regional “context” had changed in favour of an agreement. Seven guards were killed in a strike in Rafah, in southern Gaza, while another attack left five guards dead in nearby Khan Yunis, agency spokesman Mahmud Basal said. “The (Israeli) occupation once again targeted those securing…

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed at least 35 Palestinians, including 12 individuals guarding aid trucks, according to medics and Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence authority. The guards were reportedly protecting lorries carrying flour to UN warehouses in southern Gaza, which have been targeted by violent theft amid severe food shortages.

Saint Lucia’s, according to a popular saying, is the “shortest day there is”. That’s not really the case: of course, there are not only many hours of light in mid-December, but the shortest day of the year is the winter solstice, which falls around December 21st. The saying, however, has a kernel of truth: December 13th was in the past the date of the “shortest day there is”. However, things changed about 450 years ago. Because it’s not the shortest day The saying refers to when the Julian calendar was in force, replaced by the Gregorian one in 1582. Before…