The Independent - December 16, 2024

In this issue

December 16, 2024

MPs demand answers over China 'spy' and two PMs

Prince Andrew’s confidant reportedly met Cameron and May

4 mins

UK in contact with Syrian rebels who toppled Assad

The UK foreign secretary David Lammy has said the government has opened “diplomatic contact” with the Syrian rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad’s regime last weekend.

2 mins

Cooper won't set deadline to cut small boat crossings

Yvette Cooper has refused to set a deadline to reduce dangerous small boat crossings in the Channel.

2 mins

Why won't the Home Office set a small boats deadline?

Yvette Cooper has described the number of people arriving in the UK on small boats as too high”. But she has also steadfastly refused to set a deadline for when voters might see the figures fall.

2 mins

Budget measures will hit care providers, experts say

Rachel Reeves’s Budget measures will devastate care providers, leaving vulnerable disabled and elderly people without care next year, healthcare experts are warning.

2 mins

Pacific trade deal hailed two years after PM 'mocked' it

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has hailed the UK becoming the first European nation to officially join an Indo-Pacific trade bloc, despite having said the impact of the deal would be very small” less than two years ago.

2 mins

McCartney rolls out the hits as world tour reaches UK

Sir Paul McCartney got back to Manchester for his first show in the city in more than a decade on Saturday, regaling more than 23,000 fans with a career-spanning set comprising songs from his Beatles, Wings and solo catalogues.

5 mins

'Pink-pilling' tactics used by far right to recruit women

Misogyny and male supremacy might lie at the heart of far-right ideology but that does not mean women are absent from such movements with some caught up in the race riots that exploded across the UK this summer.

3 mins

Sara's grandfather fights to keep siblings in Pakistan

As hundreds attend vigil for murdered schoolgirl in Woking vs

2 mins

Two-year-old boy killed by stolen Porsche hit-and-run

A two-year-old boy has been killed in a hit-and-run crash involving a stolen Porsche in the West Midlands.

1 min

Vicar sorry for telling crying children that Santa isn't real

A vicar in Hampshire has apologised to upset children and their angry parents after telling year 6 pupils that Santa Claus wasn’t real.

1 min

Love Island star reveals her desperate bid to escape ex

A reality TV star has said she was forced to move home four times to escape her ex-partner’s relentless harassment as she told of how he would jump balconies” to track her down.

3 mins

Syrian defector who laid bare Assad torture regime warns thousands have died

Photographer Caesar’ smuggled 53,000 images of those tortured and killed by the Assad regime out of the country

4 mins

Hundreds feared dead after cyclone hits Mayotte island

Aid being sent to tiny French territory off Mozambique coast

2 mins

South Korea opposition will not seek to impeach acting president over martial law

South Korea’s main opposition party has decided not to impeach acting president Han Duck Soo, providing a critical lifeline to the country’s leadership amid continuing political upheaval over Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law.

4 mins

Spy ship rumours as drones spotted over New Jersey

Drones of indeterminate origin have been flying over New Jersey, prompting a mixed bag of responses from lawmakers.

2 mins

Israel to close embassy in Ireland over ‘antisemitism'

Israel has said it will close its Dublin embassy, accusing Ireland of crossing every red line”.

2 mins

My toddler now knows about Santa - and that's a problem

“Do you think Father Christmas has his Christmas tree up yet?”; “Will Father Christmas still come if it’s rainy?”; “What do you think Father Christmas will get for Christmas?”

3 mins

How to talk to your children about money this Christmas

I find that often, people think teaching kids about money is about sitting them down and taking them through how to draw up a budget, teacher-pupil classroom style.

3 mins

Out of office? Happy for you.But spare us the details, eh?

For the holidaying employee, there are, in fact, few more delightful moments. You’ve hurried and harried to get as much done as you can before you start your annual leave.

2 mins

Inside 10 Downing Street

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of acting more like a civil servant than a PM, as Isabel Hardman explores the internal power struggle that’s afflicting the government’s early tenure

6 mins

City just can't win as Diallo takes the fast track to glory

If it were a contest to find the most troubled club inside the M60, Manchester City were the derby winners. In every other respect, it was another disastrous day for them.

3 mins

Crafty Cucurella fires up Chelsea's title challenge

A frantic London derby built on instinct and emotion naturally propelled Marc Cucurella into the spotlight again. Enzo Maresca refuses to acknowledge Chelsea as title contenders, but for large spells, amid such intensity from Thomas Frank’s excellent Brentford, they thrived and eventually held on for a precious victory, cutting the gap to leaders Liverpool to just two points, with the Reds holding a game in hand.

3 mins

Celtic edge Old Firm epic to win League Cup final

Brendan Rodgers hailed a classic Old Firm cup final at Hampden Park last night, but was glad his Celtic side emerged victors over Rangers in a 5-4 penalty shootout to lift the Scottish League Cup.

1 min

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