2 hours ago Rare condition sees people trigger others to sneeze and cough when they walk into a room

People Allergic To Me, or PATM, is so scarce that it doesn't even have an official medical name. However, those afflicted have come together in an online community

Politics

2 hours ago Middle East crisis: families scavenging for food scraps in Khan Younis, says Unrwa

‘Every day we see people scavenging through trash looking for food or material to burn for warmth,’ says UN agency spokespersonTurkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, has met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al Sharaa - also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golan - in Damascus, Turkey’s foreign ministry has said. No further details were provided. Fidan said yesterday that Turkey will do “whatever it takes” to ensure its security if the new Syrian administration cannot address Ankara’s concerns about US-allied Kurdish groups it views as terrorist groups (see post at 10.32 for more details). Fidan also said that the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by al Sharaa and which swept into Damascus to topple Assad early this month, had “excellent cooperation” with Ankara in the battle against Islamic State and al-Qaeda in the past through intelligence sharing.Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the newswires from Gaza: Continue reading...

Society

3 hours ago Marcus Rashford has become a 'distraction' and needs to leave Manchester United in January, believes Gary Neville... as he backs Ruben Amorim over handling of axed striker

Gary Neville has claimed that Marcus Rashford needs to leave Manchester United in January and labelled him a 'distraction'. Rashford has been frozen out under Ruben Amorim.

Events

3 hours ago Syria has been liberated from Russia and Iran – but outsiders still threaten its new freedom | Robin Yassin

After the fall of the Assad regime, the country now faces challenges from Turkey, Israel and the enmity of the westRobin Yassin-Kassab is co-author of Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War and English editor of the Isis Prisons MuseumThe liberation of Syria was long hoped for, but unexpected. Over the past weeks, Syrians have experienced the full range of human emotions, with the exception of boredom. On the first two Assad-free Fridays, millions of celebrants swelled the streets to chant and sing and speak formerly forbidden truths. There was a huge presence of women, who had been less visible during the years of war. Relatives are meeting again and assuaging their pain as hundreds of thousands return from the camps of exile.At the same time, millions are having to accept at last that their loved ones have been tortured to death. It now appears that most of the 130,000 lost in Bashar al-Assad’s prisons (a bare minimum figure) are dead. Dozens of mass graves have already be...

Events

4 hours ago Pope Francis calls for a ceasefire on all fronts in his prayer ahead of Christmas

Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the “cruelty” of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza

Events

5 hours ago Rio Ferdinand and wife Kate wear matching outfits as they show off £4m mansion's festive decorations

Kate and Rio Ferdinand are officially in the Christmas spirit as they donned matching pyjamas and posed for a sweet picture in their London home, which is looking ultra-festive.

Economics

6 hours ago Tributes to 'little teddy bear' boy, 9, killed in Magdeburg Christmas market attack

According to city officials, around 100 police officers, firefighters and medics had been sent to the scene after the vehicle slammed into the revellers gathered to celebrate the festive season at around 7pm on Friday night

Events

7 hours ago Hamas demands 'extra compensation' for releasing 11 male Israeli hostages in first phase of potential ceasefire deal

Hamas is demanding 'extra compensation' in exchange for including 11 male hostages in the first phase of a potential ceasefire deal, reports claim. 

Events

8 hours ago Eddie Hearn disagrees with official result of Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury

Oleksandr Usyk won his second fight against Tyson Fury by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 116-112 to the reigning world heavyweight champion

Politics

8 hours ago Middle East crisis: Israeli strikes kill 28 Palestinians in Gaza – live updates

The strikes came a day after Pope Francis condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as ‘cruelty’Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli airstrikes overnight and early this morning have killed at least 28 Palestinian people. Civil agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said at least 13 people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Deir al-Balah – a town in central Gaza – belonging to the Abu Samra family.Bassal said that eight people, including four children, were killed in the attack on the Musa Bin Nusayr school, which had been repurposed as a shelter for Palestinians displaced by the war. Bassal said an overnight Israeli airstrike killed three people in the southern city of Rafah, and a drone strike this morning hit a car in Gaza City, killing four people.They (Israeli forces) have been using heavy artillery and detonating explosive devices that had been planted in the areas surrounding the hospital, preventing and impeding the movement of ambulances, as well as that of people seek...

Events