62 minutes ago Teacher holds primary school pupil upside down by her ankles 'to cheer her up'

Trainee teacher Sean Haythornthwaite lifted a schoolgirl and held her upside down at Seascale School in Cumbria and later appeared in court, but has avoided a ban

Politics

31 hours ago Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic's deal as Brit clued in by axed coaches

Andy Murray has admitted he's bracing himself for Novak Djokovic's on-court tantrums as the pair join forces for the Australian Open, with the Serb taking on Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round

Economics

3 hours ago Manchester United repeat Liverpool gesture after major Arsenal kit change

Manchester United face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon but you won't see a red shirt worn on the pitch

Sport

66 minutes ago Swedish PM says country neither at war nor at peace as armed forces enter Baltic

Ulf Kristersson says ‘hostile intent cannot be ruled out’ as increased surveillance follows suspected cable sabotage The Swedish prime minister has said that his country is neither at war nor at peace as he announced that Sweden would be sending armed forces into the Baltic sea for the first time as part of increased surveillance efforts amid a spate of suspected sabotage of undersea cables.The country announced it will contribute up to three warships and a surveillance aircraft to a Nato effort to monitor critical infrastructure and Russia’s “shadow fleet” as the alliance tries to guard against sabotage of underwater infrastructure. Continue reading...

Events

20 hours ago India headteacher forces 100 'humiliated' schoolgirls to remove shirts after 'Pen Day' celebration

Around 100 schoolgirls at a school in Dhanbad, India, were ordered to remove their uniform tops after their pen day celebrations, when friends write on their outfits

Culture

26 hours ago Britain's gas crisis could lead to higher energy bills if we have to import more from the EU to keep country running, expert says

With Centrica and National Gas at odds over the UK's gas stocks, the Government may be forced to turn to the EU to ensure supply, in a move which could spell disaster for consumers.

Science

2 hours ago Driving instructor fined for parking on double yellow lines because learner wanted to visit shop

Merseyside Police officers stopped a learner driver who was parked up while the person behind the wheel went into a shop, with members of the public praising the force

Politics

34 hours ago I ditched 'Dry January' to celebrate winning spellbinding £4m mansion with unreal views in Omaze prize draw

A mum won a £4m home - then immediately broke her 'dry January' with a bottle of champagne.

Economics

27 hours ago Chelsea's Marc Guehi transfer stalls as Enzo Maresca forced to delay move

Chelsea are pushing to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi in this month's transfer window, but the defender now looks set to stay at Selhurst Park until at least the summer

Sport

2 hours ago Police turned a blind eye when she begged them to find the pervert posting deep

Her whole school seemed to be talking about how nice Miss Pellant was also a porn star online. The problem for teacher Kirsty was that those sexually explicit pictures and videos were not of her at all.

Events

2 hours ago Russia forms emergency taskforce as oil spill continues to grow in southern region

Emergency task force arrives to clean up Krasnodar region on Sunday

Politics

37 hours ago Scotsman readers offer 'lifeline' to help boost Cyrenians campaign fund to £100k

The Scotsman joined forces with Cyrenians for its winter campaign

Economics

35 hours ago 'I would have my first drink during the girls' bath time': Made In Chelsea star MILLIE MACKINTOSH reveals the darkest days of her alcohol addiction

Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh reveals the darkest days of her alcohol addiction, and the terrifying night that forced her to confront it

Sport

3 hours ago The Shetland Way by Marianne Brown review – a daughter’s journey to the heart of the climate crisis

An environmental writer returns to her father’s home for his funeral in a family memoir that becomes an examination of Shetland’s crucial role in the energy landscapeAs with many nature-centric memoirs of recent years, Marianne Brown’s debut, The Shetland Way, begins with personal loss. It opens at the funeral of her father, Bill, on his home island of Shetland, a place she knows only in glimpses; her parents separated when she was two, and her relationship with her father was characterised by absence, “always promising something it would never deliver”. But her connection with the islands and her late father is forced into an accelerated intimacy; the funeral takes place in February 2020 as the pandemic spreads, and Brown finds herself unexpectedly spending the months of lockdown with her partner and young daughter in Shetland: “Confinement in a land that claimed half my genealogy, a history and culture of which I knew next to nothing about.”They stay in the house that Bill, a pott...

Events

3 hours ago Ukraine’s capture of North Koreans offers rare insight into Russian alliance, says Zelenskyy

Kyiv keen to emphasise that Ukraine is fighting an unprecedented coalition of malign autocratic statesUkraine’s capture of two North Korean soldiers on the battlefield has provided a rare glimpse into their role and Pyongyang’s participation in the Russian invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.The two soldiers were taken prisoner in Kursk oblast, the scene of intense fighting since Ukraine launched a cross-border raid five months ago. Video showed special forces soldiers carrying one of the wounded North Koreans across a snowy forest. Continue reading...

Politics

37 hours ago 'Flattering' £38 River Island dress 'suits everyone' and will be great for spring

The denim shirt dress has wowed shoppers after a customer tried it on in a TikTok video that's gone viral

Economics

3 hours ago Arsenal star goes off injured on stretcher vs Man Utd in big blow to title hopes

Arsenal suffered a blow to their Premier League title hopes in the FA Cup third round after Gabriel Jesus was forced off on a stretcher against Manchester United

Events

3 hours ago Prince Harry's takedown of James Corden that left David Beckham building bridges

James Corden has been pals with Prince Harry and David Beckham for years, but the footballer was reportedly forced to act as a peacekeeper between his friends after an ill-timed joke from the Duke

Politics

8 hours ago 'My house exploded in LA Fires and I watched it all happen on my Ring doorbell'

Evan Brau, 52, was left devastated after the brutal wildfires claimed his home in the Pacific Palisades as he was forced to watch the home he lived in with his wife and two children go up in smoke

Events

5 hours ago Soccer AM's 'greatest moment' saw Tim Lovejoy humiliated and collapse in agony

Soccer AM was much watch television in the early 2000s and its 'greatest moment' left Tim Lovejoy curled up on the floor in agony moments after showing off in front of a Soccerette

Politics

10 hours ago Football's retired shirt numbers – tragic deaths to youth wonderkids being honoured

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham and West Ham United legend Bobby Moore are just two of the many big names to have their shirt numbers retired in association football.

Events

6 hours ago Alive in the Merciful Country by AL Kennedy review – peace of mind meets a monster from the past

This provocative novel contains two narratives: the memoir of an activist starting a new life and the violent manifesto of a spy cop who knew herAnna McCormick, as many people did, is discovering that the first pandemic lockdown is playing havoc with time. Becalmed in her deliberately fortress-like London home with her young adult son Paul, she is simultaneously under pressure – teaching primary school children on Zoom, maintaining her stockpile of tinned goods, attempting to communicate with her mother’s care home – and forced into unnatural, unwanted inaction. As a survivor of domestic abuse, and several other threats to her safety and sanity, she is aware of the immense prize – a sanctuary, a job, meaningful relationships – she has secured, but also of its precariousness. Amid these conditions of unbidden contemplation, she begins to write a sort of memoir.So too does Buster, the shape-shifting, monstrous undercover cop who once infiltrated the OrKestrA, the “merry little band of...

Politics

11 hours ago LA wildfire death toll rises to 16 as devastation forces 150,000 to evacuate

The blazes have already destroyed more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday

Events

6 hours ago Woman forced to hide pans in her room because of her 'entitled' flatmates

A woman has been left fuming after one of her flatmates burnt a saucepan and then tried to hide it from her - and she's now been forced to take drastic action as a result

Politics

13 hours ago Delta Goodrem forced to evacuate her home in Los Angeles as fires continue to ravage the celebrity

Delta Goodrem joined thousands of other Los Angeles residents who evacuated their homes to escape the raging fires this past week.

Events

8 hours ago Russia forms an emergency task force as Kerch Strait oil spill continues to spread

An emergency task force has arrived in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region to deal with the continuing consequences of an oil spill in the Kerch Strait last month

Politics

13 hours ago Why abandoning Ukraine will usher in new world order in which great wars are inevitable

The current international legal order prohibits the use of force by countries to win territory. If this concept is shattered in Ukraine, a new world order based on threats and violence will emerge

Events

8 hours ago Heidi Montag thanks fans for providing 'hope and faith in a dark time' by pushing her 15

The couple were forced to flee their Pacific Palisades property with only the clothes on their backs as the devastating inferno razed more than 37,000 acres of residential areas to the ground.

Politics

14 hours ago North Korean troops in Ukraine gain battlefield experience, cementing alliance with Russia

North Korean troops have been deployed to bolster Russian forces in the Kursk border region with Ukraine, where they are gaining battlefield experience despite initial heavy losses

Events

10 hours ago Humiliation as Brexit bankroller Arron Banks refused US entry to own Donald Trump party

Brexit bankroller and Nigel Farage pal Arron Banks is unable to attend his own £150,000 party celebrating Donald Trump's return to the White House after being denied US entry

Politics

16 hours ago Ukraine war briefing: Ukraine ‘captures two North Korean soldiers in Russia’

Pair being interrogated in Kyiv, with intelligence agency SBU saying one had fake Russian military ID; Russia claims control of village near PokrovskSee all our Ukraine coverageUkraine said it was interrogating two North Korean soldiers after capturing the pair in Russia’s Kursk region – the first time it has announced the capture of North Korean soldiers alive since their entry into the war last year. The president, Volodymyr Zelensyy, said on X on Saturday the soldiers were captured by Ukraine’s special forces and were being interrogated by the SBU domestic intelligence agency in Kyiv. The SBU released a video showing the two men in hospital bunks, one with bandaged hands and the other with a bandaged jaw. It said their questioning was being done in Korean with the help of South Korea’s NIS intelligence agency. Neither Russia nor North Korea immediately reacted to the announcement.The SBU said the two captured North Korean men had told interrogators they were experienced army sold...

Events

10 hours ago Dan Bilzerian suffers humiliating blow as he sells Las Vegas' most expensive mansion

The sprawling estate, packed with over-the-top amenities like a poker room, golf simulator, and indoor trampoline, has struggled to attract buyers despite its unique features.

Politics

17 hours ago LA fires: Airbnb provides free emergency housing for over 25,000 people impacted by wildfires

As thousands of people in California are forced to evacuate their homes Airbnb has teamed up with 211 LA to provide free temporary housing to anyone impacted by the devastating wildfires

Events

12 hours ago Elon Musk and the new world order: the hijacking of the global conversation

How can we publicly debate policy in the face of the rising – and polarising – influence of the X owner and others whose only aim is to serve themselvesHow should we as a society interact with one another, debate, come to decisions? What impels politicians to focus and act on one thing and not another?The Athenians had the Agora, where (male, slave-owning) citizens gathered to debate and decide the issues of the day. In the early 20th century, John Reith envisioned the BBC, in a most patrician way, as a space where the nation could come together to enhance the (supposedly) British values of democracy, reasonableness and debate. Continue reading...

Politics

18 hours ago Private school teachers threaten to strike as bosses of UK's largest academy chain are accused of offering a 'Scrooge

Hundreds of private school teachers at United Learning, which runs 90 state academies and 14 independent schools, are set to strike because state school teachers could receive triple their pay rise.

Events

17 hours ago Prince Harry's jibe to James Corden at raucous soiree that meant David Beckham had to play peacemaker. Secret row is talk of showbiz elites

It was over lunch with one of the most entertaining movers and shakers in showbiz that they let slip such an amusing story about a male star that I almost choked on my fishcake.

Politics

18 hours ago When Maya Jama dumped Stormzy they claimed they had simply 'grown apart'. But now insiders say the truth could be more humiliating for Britain's 'King of Rap'

When Maya Jama dumped her rapper boyfriend, Stormzy, fans were left heartbroken that music's golden couple had split - but insiders suggest there was another reason than simply 'growing apart'.

Events

18 hours ago Special Forces secrets exposed... by the Ministry of Defence! Veterans slam officials for printing shadowy force's tests in magazine feature

Veterans have been angered by the disclosing of precise details of the tests applicants must take to apply for the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Service (SBS) and other secretive units.

Politics

20 hours ago TOWIE star Liam 'Gatsby' Blackwell forced to evacuate twice trying to escape LA wildfires

Towie star Liam 'Gatsby' Blackwell has been updating fans as he has moved around LA while trying to avoid the deadly fires that have claimed at least 10 lives and destroyed thousands of homes

Events

23 hours ago Trump’s counterterror adviser insists UK will not be forced to allow Shamima Begum back

A transatlantic row has broken out over the possible fate of ‘Isis bride’ Shamima Begum with Trump’s incoming counterterrorism adviser claiming he has been misrepresented

Politics

20 hours ago ITV Masked Singer Toad in the Hole revealed as global superstar after storming off stage

The Toad in the Hole was the first character to be booted off the ITV singing show, with the global singer forced to remove their mask and reveal their identity.

Events

25 hours ago ‘He is peddling stories’: Bob Woodward denies Republican’s claim he said Biden was corrupt

Washington Post reporter says he never made comments to James Comer published in the congressman’s new bookThe Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward forcefully denied making statements attributed to him by James Comer, the Republican chair of the powerful House oversight committee, in which Woodward supposedly said Joe Biden was financially corrupt.“The statements attributed to me in what is apparently his book are false,” Woodward said. “I made none of those statements he attributes to me. I repeat none, and not even in a paraphrased form.” Continue reading...

Politics

21 hours ago Wrexham's Rob McElhenney's forced to flee LA home over wildfire threat

Wrexham AFC co-owner Rob McElhenney has taken to social media to reassure fans that his family is safe after the devastating wildfires that have swept through California

Events

25 hours ago The Observer view: Donald Trump’s imperial bullying must be nipped in the bud | Observer editorial

Countries that cherish democratic values need to take a stand against the president-elect’s throwback to unabashed American expansionismWatching politicians promise one thing, then do another, is a common experience in all democratic countries. Situations in which voters do not expect a politician to keep his word, and in many instances fervently hope and pray he will not, are rarer. Donald Trump, the US president-elect, fits this latter category. When Trump threatens to subjugate Canada, a Nato ally, by force, unilaterally annex Greenland, the autonomous territory of a friendly EU state, and override Panama’s sovereignty for bogus security reasons, most people assume he is not serious and his remarks carry little real significance. This response, while comforting, is a mistake.It’s entirely possible that Trump, pumped with hype, hot air and testosterone in the lead-up to his 20 January inauguration, is being gratuitously disruptive. He likes to shake things up. It amuses his Make A...

Politics

22 hours ago Irish woman, 21, dies after falling 500 feet while male friend grabs onto bush

The victim died after falling from the infamous Caminito del Rey pathway, close to El Chorro village in Malaga, where another person also fell to their death less than a month ago.

Events

26 hours ago My labia were causing me discomfort so I had them reduced. When I woke the surgeon casually said 'I tightened you up a bit too': In world

The actress, 59, has spent most of her career as a sex object. She tells Sophia Money-Coutts how she's finally living life on her own terms.

Politics

23 hours ago British woman, 20, dies after falling 500 feet while male friend grabs onto bush

The victim died after falling from the infamous Caminito del Rey pathway, close to El Chorro village in Malaga, where another person also fell to their death less than a month ago.

Events

26 hours ago Voices: Rachel Reeves is heading for the brick wall of an emergency Budget

The chancellor has only herself to blame for failing to give herself any escape routes from humiliation, writes John Rentoul

Politics

25 hours ago 'British' woman, 20, dies after falling 500 feet while male friend grabs onto bush

The victim died after falling from the infamous Caminito del Rey pathway, close to El Chorro village in Malaga, where another person also fell to their death less than a month ago.

Events