CATEGORIES

Dispense with juries in some cases to cut the crown court backlog, ministers told

Ministers should consider abandoning jury trials for some crown court cases unless they properly fund a justice system \"in serious crisis\", the former lord chief justice has said.

Pizza Hut's 'dangerous' online casino promotion draws anger

Pizza Hut has been criticised for running a \"dangerous\" promotion that offered customers \"free spins\" at online casinos with their takeaway.

Rap moguls Jay-Z and Sean Combs accused of raping 13-year-old girl

An amended lawsuit filed in a US federal court on Sunday alleges that the rap moguls Jay-Z and Sean \"Diddy\" Combs raped a 13-year-old girl during a party in 2000.

Former MP Hodge named as UK anti-corruption champion

Margaret Hodge, a long-term campaigner against global corruption, has been appointed as the UK's anti-corruption champion.

NHS told to focus on safety amid warnings of winter crisis

Wes Streeting has held urgent talks with NHS leaders in England about how the service will cope with an impending winter crisis, amid signs it is already under intense pressure.

Private sector to scrutinise Whitehall spending plans

Rachel Reeves has ordered Whitehall departments to submit their spending plans to \"challenge panels\" of private sector experts, including bankers, as part of her forthcoming spending review.

Schoolgirl, 15, fatally stabbed in row over teddy bear, jury told

A dispute over a teddy bear led to a 15-year-old schoolgirl being stabbed to death by a boy consumed with \"white hot anger\", a jury has heard.

Stage review Rowe and his fabulous frocks reign supreme

One day, a panto may come along in which the story is given as much (OK, even half as much) attention as the dame's frocks, and where the romance between the principal boy and his sweetheart isn't as flat as the backcloth. Hackney's Dick Whittington is not that panto. Nope, this is the one wot Clive Rowe is in, the one wot London's most celebrated dame now conceives and directs, indeed.

Student may have killed 'to see what it was like', court hears

A criminology student may have stabbed a woman to death on a Bournemouth beach because he wanted to know what it was like to take a life and how it felt to make women feel afraid, a jury has heard.

End of the Eras Taylor Swift's epic $2bn tour finally comes to a close

By now, nearly 21 months after Taylor Swift launched what would become the highest-grossing tour of all time, you could be forgiven for thinking both \"wait, Taylor Swift is still on the Eras Tour?\" or that the globe-spanning, headline-dominating, literally seismic show would go on forever.

Daring crime musical Emilia Pérez leads Globe nominations

Jacques Audiard's daring crime musical Emilia Pérez has dominated the Golden Globe nominations in Hollywood, taking 10, including for best comedy or musical, best director, and for its leading performer, Karla Sofía Gascón.

Scientists' minds boggled by Google's new chip

It measures just 4 sq cm but it possesses almost inconceivable speed.

Children's woodland to be cut down by bottled water firm

Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by the multinational Danone, is planning to cut down a wood planted by schoolchildren to expand its bottling factory in the town.

Thousands face third night with no electricity in wake of storm

Tens of thousands of residents faced a third night without power yesterday, and train services were disrupted after Storm Darragh caused widespread damage across the UK.

'Alexa, what does AI mean?': Amazon shares queries of 2024

Virtual assistant units have become a staple in many households, telling people whether it is expected to rain, what the time is and what the weekend's football results were.

Cognitive boost from exercise may last into the following day, researchers say

For the morning runners, the cycle-to-work commuters and those who start the day with a brisk walk, the benefits of banking some early exercise are well understood.

Body found in aircraft wreck off Shetland

Human remains have been found in the wreckage of a Cessna light aircraft that went missing in the sea off Shetland more than a year ago.

Murdoch loses battle to control News Corp succession

Four of Rupert Murdoch's children will retain control over their father's media empire upon his death, a Nevada court has ruled, foiling the media mogul's campaign to wrest away their power and give it all to his oldest son.

A win for moral leadership, as Keir told his new Saudi friends

Not that the foreign secretary was trying to take any of the credit for the collapse of the Assad regime, but without the UK standing firm, the dictator would have been around a lot longer.

Rebel offensive in Syria may not raise a terror threat, but wider instability is a pressing concern

When Sir Richard Moore, the head of MI6, warned in a speech given 10 days ago that he had \"never seen the world in a more dangerous state\", Syria was mentioned just once.

'We paid a high price for this' Refugees in UK cheer the fall of a long-despised dictatorship

Refugees in UK cheer the fall of a long-despised dictatorship

Assad is the 'rat of Damascus', says Lammy as ousted leader enters exile

Bashar al-Assad was the \"rat of Damascus fleeing to Moscow with his tail between his legs\", the foreign secretary said yesterday after Islamist rebels took control of Damascus at the weekend.

Golan Heights Concern as Israel seizes buffer zone

Israeli forces have seized control of a previously demilitarised buffer zone in Syrian-controlled territory in the Golan Heights and attacked what it said were regime weapons depots with airstrikes, as the shock victory of Syrian rebels over Bashar al-Assad reshapes the region's frontlines.

Iran Latest setback adds to pressure on president

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the latest in a string of foreign policy reversals for Iran including the weakening of its allies in Lebanon and Gaza, has coincided with growing domestic frustration over a rising number of executions, planned petrol price increases, and a proposed law that imposes heavy fines and the loss of access to public services on any woman not wearing the hijab.

Double identity Will Syria's new leader rule as a moderate or a jihadi extremist?

On Sunday morning, a bearded 42-year-old man wearing a plain green military uniform walked into the famous Umayyad mosque in Damascus and addressed a small crowd, the Syrian nation, the region and the world.

Russian power Moscow turns to diplomacy to secure key military sites

Moscow is seeking to secure the future of its key military bases in Syria while making inroads with the country's new rebel leadership, after the dramatic collapse of the Assad regime threatened to erode Russia's influence in the Middle East.

Assad assets Crowds loot homes filled with luxury trappings

Crowds loot homes filled with luxury trappings

Airstrikes hit sites across Syria as global powers seek to shape its future

Bombing raids have hit sites across Syria as regional actors in the Middle East scrambled to defend their interests in the country after the sudden fall of its president, Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow.

UK suspends Syrians' asylum applications

The UK and other European countries have said they will suspend the processing of asylum applications from Syrians after the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, with Austria already preparing a \"repatriation and deportation\" programme to the country.

Hope and despair in Assad's 'human slaughterhouse'

Race to free prisoners of brutal regime tortured in underground prison