23 minutes ago Ryan Searle eyes Gary Anderson dream World Darts Championship final as he targets Premier League place

Searle stormed into the last 32 with a win over Matt Campbell and is daring to dream

Sport

28 minutes ago Christians in Aleppo are celebrating Christmas – but fear for their future

As Syria marks the overthrow of the Assad regime, Bel Trew visits Aleppo, where Christian residents are are beset by uncertainty. She speaks to families worried about life under a new Islamist-led administration

Politics

28 minutes 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

44 minutes ago Celtic rue missed chances as stubborn Dundee United hold league leaders

Celtic dropped Premiership points for only the second time this season in a goalless draw against a diligent Dundee United. In his first match at Tannadice as Celtic’s manager, Brendan Rodgers watched his much-changed side dominate possession for the vast majority of the game but fail to find a way past a resolute defence.It was the first points dropped since a 2-2 draw against Aberdeen in October and means Celtic finished the day nine points ahead of Rangers at the top. Celtic remain unbeaten domestically as they prepare for home games against Motherwell and St Johnstone before the Old Firm clash at Rangers on 2 January. Continue reading...

Politics

48 minutes ago Ruth Langsford shares mum's painful bruising after nasty fall as she recovers in hospital

Ruth Langsford has shared a clip of her mum's painful head bruise as she is recovering in hospital after a nasty fall last week, with the presenter looking after her.

Politics

1 hour ago Pitch perfect: why listening to cricket on radio soothes a world that won’t hear sense

Waves crashing. Cicadas singing. And always the burble of cricket on the radio, unifying summers and people with its gentle pleasures for an uncertain worldMy father was a man of his generation, which meant when summer rolled around and the cricket season started, he insisted on muting Channel Nine’s coverage and blasting the ABC’s radio commentary instead.Ours was a complicated relationship but one thing for which I’ll be forever grateful was the way my father shared his love for Test cricket with me. I grew up as a cricket obsessive. My love for the game survived childhood, adolescence, and even the realisation that, given I was batting No 11 for South Melbourne under-12s, my dream to open the batting for Australia was unlikely to be fulfilled. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour 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

2 hours ago The utter torment of being spiked: Women in their 20s reveal how attacks on nights out have left them paranoid and terrified

As the UK government plans to make spiking a specific criminal offence, Suffolk-based Chloe Ward, 24, who believes she was spiked with a needle, tells how the nightmare continues to haunt her.

Events

2 hours ago Man City can beat Barcelona to seal dream Premier League transfer for £12m star

Barcelona, Lens and Milan are reportedly competing with Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Newcastle United to sign teenage central defender Juma Bah next year

Politics

2 hours ago Peter Mandelson denies interest in US ambassador role in resurfaced interview

Lord Peter Mandelson denied any interest in becoming the UK’s ambassador to the US in a Newsnight interview in July - just four months before he was appointed to the role.

Politics