The Independent - January 03, 2025

In this issue

January 03, 2025

Musk and Tories attack PM on grooming gangs scandal

Sir Keir Starmer is being assailed by both the Tories and Elon Musk over his handling of the Oldham grooming gangs scandal, in an explosive row that threatens to overshadow the return of parliament.

4 mins

Starmer told to intervene or risk Shakespearean tragedy

Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to intervene as a leading theatre company has warned that even performances of Shakespeare in the EU are at risk in the wake of Brexit.

3 mins

To make real waves, Reform must bag a high-profile Tory

As Boris Johnson appears on a wishlist of disaffected Tories sought by the party, David Maddox explains why, though it may be wishful thinking, it underscores Reform's ambition

4 mins

Health chiefs issue alert as cold snap raises death risk

Elderly more likely to die as temperatures plummet to zero

3 mins

'We just want those who were at fault to say sorry'

Parents of toddler who died from flu after hospital failings say 'light went out' when daughter died as they call for answers

3 mins

Country mansion's secret is unearthed after 300 years

Remnants of buildings exposed for the first time in centuries

3 mins

Gatwick ground staff get passport rules wrong again

Passenger with valid document ordered off flight to Malta

2 mins

New Orleans attacker ‘acted alone in war on disbelievers

FBI find no link with Cybertruck explosion at Trump hotel

3 mins

Cybertruck suspect 'shot himself' before detonation

The highly decorated Army soldier inside a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head just before detonation, authorities said last night.

4 mins

Montenegro town's second mass shooting sees 12 killed

A man shot dead 12 people in a rampage in a small town in Montenegro before killing himself yesterday, authorities said, in one of the tiny Balkan nation's worst mass killings.

1 min

Investigators move to arrest South Korea president Yoon

South Korea's impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to \"fight to the end\" as authorities dispatched investigators to execute a warrant to detain him over his shock attempt to impose martial law.

3 mins

Toxic waste from world's deadliest industrial disaster is removed after 40 years

A convoy of trucks has taken away 337 metric tonnes of hazardous waste from the site of the Bhopal gas tragedy, 40 years after what is regarded as the world's worst industrial disaster.

2 mins

Meghan's influencer era will mean she has the last laugh

As the former royal launches a brand new Instagram account, Katie Rosseinsky looks at why it could be the way forward for the duchess, whose social media credentials are pretty sound

5 mins

Our five-day keto diet plan really begins to take shape

Day two on keto with Lisa Butterworth's perfectly planned regime. Hannah Twiggs talks you through the treats in store

4 mins

LIVING COLOUR

Helen Wilson-Beevers tests a selection of makeup palettes

5 mins

'Cult chose me, I just got on the river and stayed on it'

Former 'Xena' star Lucy Lawless tells Adam White about her blazing documentary debut, her turn away from acting, and her sadness over the distortion of what it means to be 'woke'

6 mins

NICKEL AND CRIMES

'Nickel Boys' uses a POV camera to achieve a feat of fullbodied immersion, while romantic weepie 'We Live in Time' makes cancer remarkably cosy, writes Clarisse Loughrey

5 mins

There's a storm coming as Littler takes on Van Gerwen

Luke Littler, 17, could break all the records set by opponent Michael van Gerwen in tonight's World Championship final

4 mins

Chaos meets continuity as Amorim makes it to Anfield

United's head coach Ruben Amorim will be wondering what might have been as his failing side take on a flying Liverpool

4 mins

'Unknown' Opetaia could offer Usyk a fresh challenge

Oleksandr Usyk's special brand of dominance is the type that can leave a vacuum.

4 mins

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The Independent has been at the frontline of journalism since 1986, with its mission to challenge and debate always ahead of its time. The Independent is free-thinking and free of bias in an increasingly fragmented world where communities locally, regionally and across continents are disenfranchised with traditional establishments. They want real facts and frank opinions delivered first-hand from a news source that is ready to stand for something, not everything.