CATEGORIES

Sisters forced to live with abusive father fled at night

Two girls, who were forced to live with their abusive father after being removed from their mother’s care, escaped in the middle of the night by smashing and jumping through a first-floor window.

'I have my freedom after so long stuck in the hospital'

He was trapped in medical units for a decade because of his autism but now Nicholas Thornton is finally free. He tells Rebecca Thomas how, for a period, the ordeal robbed him of his speech and why a brighter future awaits as he nears 30

Readers back campaign to return bible to Salisbury

Dozens of Independent readers have rallied to save an exquisite 13th-century bible crafted for Salisbury Cathedral nearly 700 years ago.

Timothy West, star of stage and screen, dies aged 90

Tributes have been paid to the veteran actor Timothy West, who has died aged 90, his family confirmed yesterday.

Will fans get a kick out of a Football Governance Bill?

Football is becoming a political football. Well, sort of, the irony being that the Labour government has adopted legislation on football regulation that was planned by the Conservatives before the general election was called and the final whistle blew on the Sunak administration (a record-breaking home loss, so to speak).

Trafalgar Square is not big enough for farmers' protest

Next week’s tractor tax’ demo has been moved to Whitehall

Sara Sharif's father admits 'responsibility' for her death

Sara Sharif’s father has told jurors he “takes full responsibility” for the death of his 10-year-old daughter. In a dramatic appearance at the Old Bailey yesterday, the taxi driver said “I accept every single thing” while his wife, Beinash Batool, sobbed in the dock.

Church warned resignation of Welby 'tip of the iceberg'

The scandal that led to the resignation of Justin Welby has been called just the tip of the iceberg”, as one bishop warned the Church of England is not a safe institution”.

Average council tax bill set to rise by more than £100

Council tax bills in England are expected to increase by up to 5 per cent in April, amid Tory warnings that local authorities face a £2.4bn “black hole”.

Reeves set to merge council pensions into ‘megafunds'

Pension “megafunds” are set to be created to help unlock billions of pounds of investment in UK businesses and infrastructure.

Tough medicine is exactly what the ailing NHS needs

Wes Streeting gets full marks for boldness: he delivered an unpalatable message to 800 health leaders at their annual conference in Liverpool.

Failing NHS bosses warned by Streeting in reform drive

Wes Streeting has warned NHS bosses that they will be sacked and blocked from taking a job in the sector again if their hospitals fail.

'It's happening!': Trump to veto Chagos Islands deal

The Independent understands the president-elect is seeking legal advice from the Pentagon to challenge the agreement

Springboks reveal insights into secrets of their success

Rugby is a game of grey areas. From foul play to scrum-time skirmish, one's opinion on a particular incident can vary greatly depending on the lens through which it is viewed.

Hall could solve England's specialist left-back problem

In their last 13 matches, England have only once started with a specialist left-back. Now a specialist left-back has emerged who debuted under Thomas Tuchel and who, even before the German takes charge, can benefit from the coaching of England's most-capped full-back.

Coote's sweary Klopp rant loads pressure on referees

When the video of referee David Coote ranting about Jurgen Klopp first came to light, some of the most influential figures at Premier League clubs were excitedly sending it around on WhatsApp.

Labour looks set to smash straight into a jobs problem

Is Labour hurtling towards a jobs problem? The latest official data release does not make for happy reading for our accidentprone government.

Watchdog fines Metro Bank £16m for failing customers

A major bank has been fined millions for errors that left customers at risk. Metro Bank has been fined 16.6m by regulators for failings over money laundering controls from 2016 to 2020.

Inconvenient truth about this year's Booker winner

Samantha Harvey's ‘Orbital', a meditation on the Earth and humanity, has scooped this year's prize. But Martin Chilton is sceptical it will make readers wake up to climate change

'Male actors do get paid, more than us - that's a fact'

Sarah Greene has reunited with her 'Bad Sisters' for a second series. She tells Ellie Harrison about misogyny, donning an eyepatch, and looks back on the success of 'Normal People'

KATHMANDU CHAOS

The Nepalese capital's shambolic main airport is a perfect case study in how to deter visitors, writes Simon Calder

Fox on the box: 25 years of Lineker's Match of the Day

Gary Lineker is leaving 'MOTD' at the end of this season, after a glittering tenure as the host of the BBC's flagship football show. Nick Hilton looks back on his highs and lows

Dumping Lineker is a move the BBC will live to regret

Watching the flagship BBC News at 10 programme on Monday night, you might have been forgiven for thinking all was well in the world - that Gaza was no longer a killing field, that Ukraine was safe from Putin, that the planet had started to cool down.

Stay-away Starmer needs to spend more time at home

You cannot win in politics. When Rishi Sunak became prime minister, he thought it was more important to stay at his desk, working on the people's priorities, than to waste time taking a plane to Sharm el-Sheikh and back for a photo opportunity with world leaders at Cop27.

Welby shouldn't be punished for the crimes of John Smyth

When the world was reeling from the appalling revelations about Jimmy Savile in 2012, almost as shocking as his abuse was that so many good people had known about it and said nothing.

Dozens dead as car ploughs into crowd in Chinese city

At least 35 people were killed and 43 others sustained injuries after a man rammed his car into people at a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai.

Toxic smog over Pakistan can now be seen from space

The thick and toxic smog hanging over Pakistan is visible from space, satellite imagery from Nasa confirmed, as recordbreaking levels of air pollution continued to endanger millions.

Israel flouts US demand to help aid operations in Gaza

Israel has failed to meet US demands to allow greater humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where conditions are worse than at any point in the 13-month-long war, a number of international aid organisations have said.

President-elect chooses Pentagon and CIA chiefs

President-elect Donald Trump moved to build out his foreign policy team yesterday, announcing he is nominating Fox News host and army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defence secretary and John Ratcliffe, former director of National Intelligence, to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

Shell wins appeal against landmark emissions ruling

A Dutch court has overturned a landmark ruling ordering fossilfuel giant Shell to significantly cut its carbon emissions, in a blow to climate campaigners. In the original 2021 ruling, hailed as a monumental victory” by activists, Shell was ordered to cut its carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2019 levels in line with the Paris climate accords.