CATEGORIES

Surging demand and shrinking budgets: there is no quick fix for a system that is on its knees

Despite council attempts to ration educational health and care plans, the number increased by 140% between 2014 and 2023

'I'm in a war' Parents clash with struggling councils amid Send funding crisis

'We've appealed to the council but it could take months. It's emotionally and physically draining' Paul McAnenny Father of Tommy

Doctors warn of danger to children from water beads

Doctors yesterday issued a health warning over tiny water beads amid reports linking them to serious harm and deaths among children.

Priest in sexual abuse case reappointed twice by archbishop of York

The archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has come under increased pressure after reports that he twice reappointed a priest at the heart of a sexual abuse case.

First UK double lung transplant carried out with machine to keep organs alive

Surgeons have performed a double lung transplant using a novel machine that revives donor organs and keeps them alive and breathing outside the human body for the first time in the UK.

Theatre review Rhinestones aren't enough to make Dolly show sparkle

Here You Come Again Riverside Studios, London ★★★★☆

Winds disrupt festive travel as ferries and flights are cancelled

Thousands of people in the UK are facing a Christmas travel nightmare as strong winds led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and ferries.

More buses and coaches to operate on Christmas Day

More buses and coaches are expected to be operating on Christmas Day than at any time since figures were first collected five years ago.

Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal

Donald Trump has demanded control of the Panama Canal be returned to the US if Panama does not manage the waterway in a fashion that is acceptable to him - and he accused the central American country of charging excessive fees for its use.

Dickens book read by Scott's doomed team on show for centenary of museum

A seal blubber-stained copy of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield that survived Captain Scott's 1910 expedition to Antarctica will form part of an exhibition marking 100 years since the writer's first London home opened as a museum.

Alternative Christmas message to champion disabled people

This year's alternative Christmas message on Channel 4 will be an appeal from the comedian Chris McCausland calling for an end to discrimination against disabled people.

Bosses expect sharp fall in business activity as economic gloom deepens

Firms are predicting a sharp fall in activity in the new year in the latest snapshot showing an increasingly gloomy outlook for the economy.

Charity appeal Readers' donations pass £800,000

More than £800,000 has been donated to the Guardian and Observer charity appeal to support victims of conflict and war just over two weeks into the campaign.

Magdeburg suspect was known to police

The German government has vowed to investigate whether a Christmas market car attack that killed five people and injured 200 could have been prevented, after it emerged that authorities had received warnings about the suspect.

Revealed: £100m spent to thwart special needs claims

More than £100m was spent last year by local authorities and the government on failed efforts to block support for children and young people with special educational needs in England, according to analysis by the Guardian.

Disappeared Across Syria, a grim search for loved ones

The last time Alaa Qasar saw her father, in 2013, he studied her face as if he was trying to memorise it.

Beaumont may step in at RFU if Ilube quits over pay fiasco

Sir Bill Beaumont could be parachuted into the Rugby Football Union as interim chair in the event Tom Ilube falls on his sword amid the botched handling of the executive pay scandal engulfing the game.

'An exciting new era' Everton owners promise return to glory days after £500m deal

The Friedkin Group vowed to restore Everton to their \"rightful place in the Premier League table\" after completing a takeover that brought the turbulent era of Farhad Moshiri to an end.

Friedkin Group brings hope of much-needed stability and ambition

The Friedkin Group's takeover of Everton represents a momentous day for those exhausted and resigned to calamity by the tenure of Farhad Moshiri.

A humble Hamilton hero who was born to score

Ex-coaches in New Zealand on Chris Wood's rise from selfless schoolboy to poster boy at Nottingham Forest

Solanke puts Spurs through despite Forster's blunders

Like a song that changes time signature for the hell of it, like a friend that inexplicably blanks you, like a match report that noodles away for ages instead of just telling you what happened, Tottenham Hotspur remain medically incapable of doing things the simple way.

“The World Cup loss fuelled a fire in me to become the best’

Ellie Kildunne's infectious enthusiasm for the women's game has her dreaming of a Twickenham final in 2025

'Usyk is fighting for his country': Dubois tips Fury to lose rematch

Daniel Dubois, the IBF world heavyweight champion, believes that Oleksandr Usyk will again defeat Tyson Fury in Riyadh tomorrow night.

Coe pledges radical reform in bid for IOC presidency

Sebastian Coe has promised to radically transform the International Olympic Committee if he is elected its next president in March - and says his track record of delivering at the London 2012 Games and at World Athletics shows he is the right choice for the leading job in sport.

Football's new fetish Forget Nicolas Jover and stylish set-piece coaches, bring on the directors of vibes

It's 25 October 2012. Those of you who follow the Austrian regional leagues won't need reminding.

Rush to start work caused enormous cost overruns, says new boss of HS2

Enormous budget overruns on the HS2 high-speed railway have been blamed by its new chief executive on a \"rush to start\", as the Department for Transport admitted it did not know what the line would cost.

Lenders given a year to respond to complaints over car finance

The City regulator has given lenders a year to respond to the rising number of customer complaints over the way they were sold car loans, after a high court ruling left firms fearing a potential £30bn compensation bill.

Body Shop 'back for good' as relaunch brings early profit

The new boss of the Body Shop has told staff the struggling ethical beauty retailer is \"back for good\" after it recorded a profit in its first 100 days under new ownership.

Ofwat's hellish tightrope walk is a good result for ministers and firms. Bill-payers, not so much

Water bills in England and Wales were always going to rise massively.

Bank holds interest rate and warns of budget fallout and global trade wars

The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold as it warned UK growth is on the brink of stagnation amid the fallout from Rachel Reeves's budget and the threat of Donald Trump reigniting global trade wars.