CATEGORIES

Labour says small-boat plan 'starting to have an impact'

Government claims its efforts to stop smugglers are working

Reform claims to have more members than the Tories

Membership of Reform UK has surpassed that of the Conservatives, Nigel Farage’s party has claimed, making it the second-largest political party in the UK.

Theatres and museums face closure in arts funding crisis

Four in 10 theatres are on the brink of shutting their doors

South Africa find a spring in their step to dominate game

A captivating year saw lots of storylines including a thrilling sevens tournaments at the Paris Olympics, Antoine Dupont magic and a Springboks double, writes Harry Latham-Coyle

Lords of the ring walk

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk created history this year

Basque in the glow: Iraola the best-kept secret lifting Cherries to new heights.

A 42-year-old Spanish head coach from the Basque region making waves and earning admirers in the Premier League isn’t a unique position.

Even cold hard cash isn't enough for this spent force

Pep Guardiola has witnessed his empire start to fall as ‘forever football’ takes its toll, writes Miguel Delaney

The babies from the Boxing Day tsunami - 20 years on

The 2004 disaster left thousands without parents. Former travel agent Lynn Stanier explains how after volunteering she vowed to never stop helping the kids she met in Sri Lanka

Hundreds of Humvees left by US forces in Afghanistan

American and Nato troops abandoned military equipment worth more than $7.2bn, much of which is now in a state of disrepair in the Taliban’s hands, as Arpan Rai reports

The family who see saving Gaza's animals as 'our duty'

A heroic family-run animal sanctuary has defied the odds by working around the clock” to save hundreds of animals suffering in Gaza during a year of intense Israeli bombardment.

Nearly 40 dead as plane crashes in Kazakhstan

Children among 29 survivors of Russian-bound flight

Man arrested for attempted murder after four hit by car

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after four pedestrians were hit by a car in London’s West End in the early hours of Christmas Day.

Britain's lost Atlantis: Stone Age artefacts on the seabed

Discovery reveals more on prehistoric land under North Sea

Well-wishers camp out to greet royals for Christmas

King offers heartfelt’ thanks to doctors in message to nation

Farage willing to work with Lord Mandelson on Trump

Nigel Farage has said he would be willing to help the incoming ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson negotiate with the Trump administration.

Abbott: Starmer has no feel for politics or Labour Party

Sir Keir Starmer has no feel for politics or the Labour Party, Diane Abbott has said.

Professor who fled Putin's war says Kremlin is playing Russian roulette with lives

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Vladimir Putin has faced persistent opposition not only in Western capitals but also inside his own country.

'I have to be here ... I know my family understands'

In the forests near Kharkiv, Askold Krushelnycky speaks to soldiers spending Christmas with Ukraine’s drone brigade

Russia's attack called out as 'state-sponsored terrorism'

A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack targeting Ukraine’s energy system on Christmas Day has been condemned as “inhumane” by president Volodymyr Zelensky.

DeChambeau is an unlikely winner in game's civil war

As golf's civil war rumbles on, with any optimism that came from the announcement in June 2023 that LIV Golf and the PGA Tour had a framework agreement in place for a merger having long since dissipated, it's hard to argue that the situation has created many winners.

Mbappe looks a spare part in the Real Madrid machine

Real Madrid are the kings of Europe, that much was true even before La Decimoquinta.

Sign on the dotted line: the £12m steal and £50m dud

The best and worst Premier League transfers this season

Why are there no trains running on Christmas Day?

Q Why don't any trains run on Christmas Day in the UK? Everywhere else on the European continent trains run on 25 December.

The flightmare before Christmas: why December disruption is so painful

Air traffic control language is commendably succinct. The advisory message that was sent out by the US Command Center at 11.50am GMT on Christmas Eve read: “Nationwide ground stop for all AAL Main and Subs”.

CLAUSE FOR CONCERN

A new study suggests lying about Santa is not only 'unethical' but also bad parenting. Charlotte Cripps finds out if telling a festive fib should really earn you a spot on the naughty list

Sanctioned Russian cargo ship sinks after explosion

A US-sanctioned Russian cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea overnight after an explosion ripped through the engine room, Russia's foreign ministry confirmed.

Protests in Syria erupt after Christmas tree set on fire

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Syria after foreign fighters burned down a Christmas tree in the centre of the country, sparking concerns about sectarian violence.

Canal threat is latest drama in Trump's Panama history

Donald Trump strained North American diplomatic relations over the weekend with a threat to retake the Panama Canal, two and a half decades after the US transferred control of the vital global trade route to Panama.

Hong Kong issues arrest warrant for teenage activist

A 19-year-old pro-democracy activist who went from finishing secondary school in the UK to becoming one of Hong Kong's most wanted critics has vowed that she will not be silenced by Chinese fear and suppression.

Prepay meters costing up to third of households' income

Households on prepayment meters in the UK could see their energy bills cost up to a third of their household income this winter, new research has warned.