The Independent - December 26, 2024

In this issue

December 26, 2024

Russia's attack called out as 'state-sponsored terrorism'

A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack targeting Ukraine’s energy system on Christmas Day has been condemned as “inhumane” by president Volodymyr Zelensky.

3 mins

'I have to be here ... I know my family understands'

In the forests near Kharkiv, Askold Krushelnycky speaks to soldiers spending Christmas with Ukraine’s drone brigade

6 mins

Professor who fled Putin's war says Kremlin is playing Russian roulette with lives

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Vladimir Putin has faced persistent opposition not only in Western capitals but also inside his own country.

3 mins

Abbott: Starmer has no feel for politics or Labour Party

Sir Keir Starmer has no feel for politics or the Labour Party, Diane Abbott has said.

2 mins

Farage willing to work with Lord Mandelson on Trump

Nigel Farage has said he would be willing to help the incoming ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson negotiate with the Trump administration.

2 mins

Well-wishers camp out to greet royals for Christmas

King offers heartfelt’ thanks to doctors in message to nation

3 mins

Britain's lost Atlantis: Stone Age artefacts on the seabed

Discovery reveals more on prehistoric land under North Sea

3 mins

Man arrested for attempted murder after four hit by car

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after four pedestrians were hit by a car in London’s West End in the early hours of Christmas Day.

1 min

Nearly 40 dead as plane crashes in Kazakhstan

Children among 29 survivors of Russian-bound flight

2 mins

The family who see saving Gaza's animals as 'our duty'

A heroic family-run animal sanctuary has defied the odds by working around the clock” to save hundreds of animals suffering in Gaza during a year of intense Israeli bombardment.

2 mins

Hundreds of Humvees left by US forces in Afghanistan

American and Nato troops abandoned military equipment worth more than $7.2bn, much of which is now in a state of disrepair in the Taliban’s hands, as Arpan Rai reports

4 mins

The babies from the Boxing Day tsunami - 20 years on

The 2004 disaster left thousands without parents. Former travel agent Lynn Stanier explains how after volunteering she vowed to never stop helping the kids she met in Sri Lanka

6 mins

Even cold hard cash isn't enough for this spent force

Pep Guardiola has witnessed his empire start to fall as ‘forever football’ takes its toll, writes Miguel Delaney

5 mins

Basque in the glow: Iraola the best-kept secret lifting Cherries to new heights.

A 42-year-old Spanish head coach from the Basque region making waves and earning admirers in the Premier League isn’t a unique position.

3 mins

Lords of the ring walk

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk created history this year

4 mins

South Africa find a spring in their step to dominate game

A captivating year saw lots of storylines including a thrilling sevens tournaments at the Paris Olympics, Antoine Dupont magic and a Springboks double, writes Harry Latham-Coyle

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.