CATEGORIES

Pelosi has hip surgery after fall in Luxembourg

The former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi had a hip replacement on Saturday at a US military hospital in Germany after falling while at an event in Luxembourg with other members of Congress.

No known foreign links to US drone sightings says official

Alejandro Mayorkas, the US homeland security secretary, said yesterday federal authorities \"know of no foreign involvement\" in the apparent mass drone sightings across the north-east, as social and political anxieties surged over the weekend amid a lack of official information.

Serbians 'using new tools to illegally spy on activists'

Police and intelligence services in Serbia are using advanced mobile forensics products and previously unknown spyware to illegally surveil journalists and activists, according to a report by Amnesty International.

South Korea leader reportedly refused to obey summons in martial law case

South Korea's conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has reportedly failed to obey a summons from prosecutors investigating him as he faces impeachment after a botched declaration of martial law.

Last members of Bali Nine free and back in Australia after 19 years in prison

The five remaining members of the Bali Nine jailed for life over a drug smuggling plot have returned to Australia under a deal negotiated with the Indonesian government.

Solicitors refusing to deal with burglary cases because of legal aid funding gap

Lawyers are refusing to represent people charged with certain crimes amid a crisis over solicitors' pay, with one burglary suspect turned away by 12 legal firms, the president of the Law Society has said.

'Something horrible': Somerset pit reveals bronze age cannibalism

A collection of human bones discovered 50 years ago in a Somerset pit are evidence of the bloodiest known massacre in British prehistory - and of bronze age cannibalism, archaeologists say.

How to fix our courts Five ways to clear the backlog and end the criminal justice crisis

Few would argue that the criminal justice system is not in crisis, with huge backlogs in the courts.

Police seek driver after hit-and-run kills boy, 2, and injures four adults

A two-year-old boy has died and two adults have been left in a critical condition after a hit-and-run involving a stolen Porsche in the West Midlands.

Tributes paid after Mango founder Andic falls to death

Tributes have been paid to Isak Andic, the billionaire founder of the Spanish high-street fashion chain Mango, after his death in a hiking accident in Catalonia on Saturday.

RAC warns drivers to avoid peak times this weekend

Drivers are being urged not to travel on major routes at peak times this Friday and Saturday, with record levels of holiday traffic expected to cause long queues in Britain roads.

British Sikhs asked about Views On India at UK airports, says MP

British Sikhs are being stopped at airports and questioned about their attitudes towards India, a Labour MP has said, raising concerns about Delhi's influence over British security checks.

Prince Andrew Why the royal is at the heart of another 'scandal'

The royal family's Christmas Day walk from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene church in Norfolk is a longstanding tradition. But it has become a barometer of internal pressures - so all eyes will be on whether the Duke of York is among those walking alongside the king and queen this Christmas after the alleged Chinese spy controversy.

'Civilised' debate on equal rights impossible today, says Sturgeon

The \"civilised\" debate that led to the legalisation of equal marriage in Scotland would not be possible 10 years on because of a trend towards polarisation and inability to find common ground, Nicola Sturgeon says.

Mother of jailed dissident takes hunger strike to Foreign Office

A woman on hunger strike to secure the release of her son, the British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah, is to protest outside the Foreign Office each day to remind diplomats of his plight.

Music review Beatlemania is back as McCartney gives his everything

I'm just going to take a little moment to enjoy it for myself,\" says Paul McCartney, standing aside to take in an atmosphere like that of an arena-sized Last Night of the Proms, with Beatlemania.

Guardian appeal Our readers give £500,000 for war victims

Generous Guardian and Observer readers gave £57,000 over the phones during our annual telethon for charities supporting the victims of war and conflict, with the overall total hitting more than £500,000.

More than 1m vapes thrown away every day in the UK, research finds

Thirteen vapes are thrown away every second in the UK - more than a million a day - causing an \"environmental nightmare\", according to research.

'Creepy' undercover Met police officer had sex with teen in 1990s, inquiry hears

A \"creepy\" undercover police officer in his 30s formed a sexual relationship with a teenage activist without disclosing his true identity to her, a public inquiry has been told.

French police search for motive after five shot dead in Dunkirk

French police are still trying to establish the motive for five murders that were committed in the space of less than two hours near the port city of Dunkirk on Saturday afternoon.

Small boats Cooper says UK 'making progress' on backlog

Small boat crossings would be \"thousands higher\" under the Conservatives, the home secretary said yesterday, though they remain 20% higher than this time last year.

Comeback kid-US hit comedy Malcolm in the Middle returns after 18 years

It's been nearly 25 years since audiences first heard the now-familiar shout \"Malcolm!\" from the actors Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, but they are coming back with a new series of Malcolm in the Middle.

Devolution Mayors to get powers to stop planning delays

Mayors will be given sweeping powers to unblock planning delays for major building projects in England, Angela Rayner has announced, as she promised a \"devolution by default\" approach to handing down authority from Whitehall.

Tories only spent a quarter of cash for levelling up, FoI requests show

The Conservatives spent only a quarter of the money they allocated to levelling up, according to freedom of information requests that underline how Michael Gove's key regional spending scheme failed to live up to expectations.

'It's always 5%' Chancellor's call for civil service savings will sound very familiar

Experienced Whitehall officials would have been forgiven for experiencing a sense of deja vu when listening to the chancellor Rachel Reeves this month as she laid out her plans to drive efficiencies from the civil service as part of her spending review.

Water firms urged to step up bills help for vulnerable people

Water companies should spend more on helping vulnerable customers, according to consumer groups, as households in England and Wales brace for steep bill increases to be announced this week.

Man dies after falling from balcony at Birmingham's Bullring centre

A man has died after falling from a balcony at the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham, police said.

Silt and sea air expected to make brussels sprouts 25% bigger this year

In a development likely to inspire both joy and dismay round the Christmas dinner table, farmers are forecasting brussels sprouts will be 25% bigger this year.

Foreign Office £50m pledge to aid most vulnerable across region

The UK has announced £50m of humanitarian aid for vulnerable Syrians across the Middle East after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Syrian asylum seekers call on Home Office to end its 'cruel' pause on decisions

Syrian asylum seekers, left in limbo after the home secretary said the government was pausing their claims, have called the decision \"cruel\" and urged officials to resume processing their cases.