The seaside resort was packed with day-trippers on the weekend after Christmas, many of whom had travelled from England

Politics

Writing for the Mirror, the Chancellor said the change would allow the government to “fix some of the problems in our state schools, where 94% of this country’s children are educated”

Economics

The Proteas were only chasing 148 to win but got into all sorts of bother before tail-enders Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen saved the day

Sport

Members of the public were left with dizziness and sharp pains from a 'strong odour' in a popular beauty spot, which is still under investigation as people were said to 'fall ill' due to the smell

Events

Institutions in and around the city combine great works with humdrum relics of local life, to fantastic effectI’ve been living partly in Sheffield for the past month or so, which has given me the chance to catch up on some of the great monuments of industry and power in and near the city – the model miners’ village and the fantastical Jacobean castle in Bolsover, the stately home of Wentworth Woodhouse with its battleship-length Palladian facade, the buildings of the subtle modernist Peter Womersley in Huddersfield.Also the Weston Park Museum in Sheffield and the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, both of which combine world-class art with humdrum relics of local life. In one, a large John Singer Sargent portrait of three young Yorkshire women shares the premises with the plastic car roof sign of a 1970s driving school. In the other, there is a gallery full of the illuminated tableaux of science and humanity by Joseph Wright of Derby and another room with a collection of stuffed animals,...

Culture

Asma al-Assad, 49, will be unable to come back to her native London without her official travel documents amid reports she is severely ill with leukemia and has only a '50-50' chance of survival.

Science

Emma Willis reportedly turned down the chance to be the new face of This Morning after Holly Willoughby quit the ITV show - and now the real reason behind the decision has been revealed

Politics

Gold leather trousers are everywhere right now, but how much do you need to spend? With more than £4,000 separating these, we'll let you decide

Economics

Wheel of Fortune fans were left underwhelmed with the Christmas special that aired on Saturday night. 

Sport

Southport Beach in Merseyside is the most northern part of Sefton's 22-mile coastline, but many visitors have slated it for its lack of sea and cubicles to get changed.

Events

The presenter and podcast host popped the question to girlfriend Ruby Wong during a romantic trip to the Swiss alps

Culture

As the New Year's and birthday honours lists are due to be released, we take a look at some of the famous faces and others who have turned down the chance to be made a Sir or Dame

Politics

Ruben Amorim needs to turn Manchester United's fortunes around and he can start by improving a dismal record at Old Trafford since the start of last season.

Sport

Weather forecasters have issued maps to indicate a cold snap next month, during which temperatures are set to plunge and increase the chances of snow returning

Events

Emma Willis was reportedly in the running to replace Holly Willoughby on This Morning prior to Cat Deeley landing the job, but The Voice host turned the offer down for a very sweet reason

Politics

Katie Scott, from Salford, Greater Manchester, discovered her father Arthur Scott, who died from complications of kidney failure, has been immortalised on Google Street View

Events

The beautiful spot lies just off the beaten track and has something for everyone

Politics

Love Island star Millie Court has shared a terrifying clip of herself being stung by a jellyfish as she swam in the sea while enjoying a break with her boyfriend Liam Reardon

Events

Comedian provided a spot of trouble for ‘Vengeance Most Fowl’ directors

Politics

The 40-year-old was bitten by the shark in waters off Keppel IslandsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has died after he was bitten by a shark while fishing with his family.Emergency services were called to Humpy Island in the Keppel Bay Islands national park, about 18km off the central Queensland coast, on Saturday following reports a man had been attacked. Continue reading...

Events

The couple had a wedding ceremony on the Italian island of Sardinia in September, but have tied the knot again in a service in December.

Politics

Love Island star Millie Court has shared her terrifying ordeal when she was stung by a jellyfish while on holiday with her boyfriend Liam Reardon in Australia

Events

Although huge fireworks over Sydney Opera House is often the first sign of New Year celebrations reported in the UK, our antipodal friends aren't the first to see in January 1

Politics

The former Brentford forward has been relegated to the bench in recent weeks due to the red-hot form of Jhon Duran - but is set to start against Brighton on Monday

Events

From a trendy motel in Manchester to a remote Indonesian island idyll, our expert checks out new places to check in around the world next year.

Politics

Millie Court had a holiday nightmare after she was stung by a jellyfish while in Australia with her boyfriend Liam Reardon as she admitted it is 'my own fault'

Events

Crystal Palace resisted offers for Marc Guehi in the summer but a move to Liverpool could be on the cards with the Eagles already lining up a Reds youngster they want in return

Politics

Katie Scott, 49, found a picture of her late father Arthur, who passed away in 2013, on the search engine's 360 historic street imagery this month.

Events

If you're looking to escape the cold and spend the first month of the year on a beach, then this is the destination for you. Here's everything you need to know about the tourist spot

Politics

The chancellor’s approach can hardly be considered prudent – especially when it depends so heavily on economic growth, writes John Rentoul

Events

Maya Jama has been living it up in the sunshine as she enjoys some time away from work on a luxury private yacht ahead of the new series of Love Island: All Stars

Politics

Manchester City have won just once in their last 13 matches to blow apart their chances of a fifth straight league title with PEp Guardiola now under pressure to turn things round

Events

The prime minister should resolve in 2025 to enthuse about his vision, and leave moaning about the Tories and fiscal hardship to his chancellorWho is dreading the new year more: Keir Starmer or Rachel Reeves? Most people look forward to the turn of the year as a chance that better things might be on the way, but it’s hard for the prime minister and chancellor to glance ahead to the next few months and expect 2025 to be any more fun than the latter half of 2024. Reeves has a spending review where she is expecting ministers to find 5% efficiencies in their departments, so is nailed on for another 12 months of being the least popular person at the cabinet table. For Starmer, though, the misery isn’t inevitable. Or at least, it might not be if he changed the way he operates, as most people try to at this time of year.One of the reasons Labour has managed to make governing look quite so hard is that both Starmer and Reeves are playing the bad cop at the moment. Good c...

Politics

The mood at the site on Sakhalin Island, Russia suddenly took a turn as from behind a ledge, a mother bear slowly appeared with another cub in tow.

Events

Tax breaks will end, with money diverted into state education

Politics

Max Verstappen won a fourth consecutive F1 title in 2024 despite Red Bull not being as dominant as they previously were, but worries for his chances in 2025 unless improvements are made

Events

As a Danish study shows, parental income determines our life chances – but in what way differs according to how rich they areParents shape our lives. There’s the love or its absence – and the genetics. On the financial side, academics focus on intergenerational income persistence (how much parental income determines our own) and its inverse (social mobility).This varies between countries. Economist Miles Corak has shown that higher inequality nations tend to be less socially mobile. When the rungs on the ladder are far apart, individuals born poor struggle to climb them. Continue reading...

Politics

Arsenal moved back up to second in the Premier League with a 1-0 home victory over Ipswich – their first fixture without Saka since his injury

Events

The poet talks about newspapers and television, coffee and strawberries, and how Monday’s gloomy presence hangs over every SundaySunday habits? A favourite is Desert Island Discs on Radio 4. Or I’ll watch a re-run of Match of The Day on BBC One at 7.30am since I missed it working Saturday. Then what? My local newsagents only order about three copies of each newspaper, so I have to get on the bike to snatch them. Then I read them. That’s my Sunday pursuit.Sunday brekkie? I’m a creature of habit. My breakfast is always the same. A quarter pint of espresso. A couple of baked goods – a danish here, a croissant there – and an entire punnet of strawberries.Sunday lunch? I’m not a lunch guy, but I do have a huge we call it tea. My wife’s French, a terrific cook. The pleasures of the table are close to my heart. What’s on the menu? She does a great chicken with ratatouille, and a chicken featuring 60 unpeeled cloves of garlic. Sixty! Count them. I like Mediterranean grub. I like a nice ragu...

Politics

Ian Napier has been missing from the island since Friday, December 27 around 9am.

Events

The tiny town on a polar bear inhabited island in the high Arctic is not as difficult to get to from Manchester as you might expect

Politics

Academic Danilo Brozović says studies of failed civilisations all point in one direction – today’s society needs radical transformation to surviveFor someone who has examined 361 studies and 73 books on societal collapses, Danilo Brozović’s conclusion on what must happen to avoid today’s world imploding is both disarmingly simple and a daunting challenge: “We need dramatic social and technological changes.”The collapse of past civilisations, from the mighty Mayan empire to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), has long fascinated people and for obvious reasons – how stable is our own society? Does ever-growing complexity in societies or human hubris inevitably lead to oblivion? In the face of the climate crisis, rampant destruction of the natural world, rising geopolitical tensions and more, the question is more urgent than ever. Continue reading...

Events

Want to escape the UK for some winter sun? Here's a gorgeous location you should add to your list, and it's only around five hours from the UK

Politics

All-rounder joins Washington Sundar in critical 127-run standTourists trail by 116 runs with one wicket in hand in fourth Test52nd over: India 180-5 (Pant 22, Jadeja 4) Smokes a pull shot! Pant moves along to the 20s by clattering Boland, then takes a single. Jadeja keeps blocking.Guy Hornsby winds up the crank handle on the email machine. “Morning/evening Geoff. I’m somehow still up in darkest Sale in Manchester, full of port and cheese and wondering if Pant and Jadeja can actually save anything here. Their records suggest there’s a chance, but Pant is Cummins’ bunny of late and India must have felt an absolute gut punch after getting to 153-2 before the calamitous run-out. I’m not going to even attempt to apportion individual blame, just say it was a proper horlicks that took the wind out of India’s sails. Now it’s down to these two and a longish but bullish tail to see how much of a dent they can put into this huge Australian total. Perhaps Bumrah has made clear just how much of ...

Events

The 40-year-old school chaplain was bitten by the shark while fishing with family in waters off Keppel Islands on SaturdayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA youth pastor and school chaplain described as an inspirational leader has been identified as the man who died after being bitten by a shark while on holiday with his family in Queensland.Emergency services were called to Humpy Island in the Keppel Bay Islands national park, about 18km off the central Queensland coast, on Saturday after reports a man had been attacked.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

At MSF’s pioneering centre in Amman, Jordan, the dedicated team deal with lives that have already been saved. Here they make those lives worth livingAs a sign of commitment to peace, help us support those affected by war | Kath VinerDonate to our charity appeal hereA girl slips through the corridors of the hospital’s fifth floor with her friend, the pair bright-eyed and shy. Today is her last chance to wear her sparkly new shoes, bought for a party last week. Tomorrow, the 12-year-old Iraqi will have a leg amputated.The operation was due two weeks ago but the surgeon, who had tried not to weep as he broke the news that amputation was necessary, agreed to delay surgery. She wanted the chance to wear her new shoes to the party first. Continue reading...

Events

Your brain is being tricked right now, this optical illusion is playing tricks on your perception – take a closer look and see if you can spot the truth!

Politics

Stacey Gibson, 36, and her partner Martin, 38, have been on an emotional six-year journey as they experienced the highs and lows of IVF treatment before welcoming twins Albie and Isla.

Events