9 h. ago Fury as mountains of Christmas rubbish pile up on the streets of Birmingham after nearly 12 months of bin strikes

ENRAGED residents in Birmingham have been left "ashamed" and "depressed" by the state of their roads amid the ongoing bin strike. As rats roam the litter-strewn streets and bins overflow with rubbish in the wake of Christmas, locals have told of their deep frustration with the continued dispute. Shocking photos now show mountains of festive...

Events

11 h. ago Mountains of Christmas rubbish pile up on Birmingham streets as strike goes on

With no sign of an end to the bin strike in Birmingham in sight, Christmas joy has turned to dread for many residents as their rubbish continues to litter the streets

Events

13 h. ago Dumped Christmas trees and tinsel litter the streets of Birmingham amid year of bin strike misery

Disgusted residents in Birmingham have told of their fury after bins were left brimming with overflowing waste just a couple of days after Christmas.

Events

55 h. ago Mudslides bury cars and homes up to their windows in California town

At least three people killed across state since atmospheric river storms began earlier this weekMudslides buried cars and homes up to their windows in a California mountain town as a powerful storm system brought the wettest Christmas in decades to the southern part of the state.As much as 12in of rain fell across the area on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service, triggering flooding and washing out roads. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago From turkey to Christmas pudding, creative ways to use up your festive food leftovers

MANY families buy mountains of food for Christmas Day, but much of it will go uneaten. Don’t scrape your leftovers into the bin, though. Make your grub — and cash — go further with these ideas for extra festive food . . . TURKEY: Leftover turkey is traditionally used in sandwiches. But if you want to try something...

Politics

3 d. ago Five dead in horror Christmas Eve helicopter crash on Africa's highest mountain

The helicopter crashed on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on Christmas Eve, killing five people, including two foreigners who had been picked up in a medical evacuation

Events

2 w. ago ‘This extraordinary story never goes out of fashion’: 30 authors on the books they give to everyone

Colm Tóibín, Robert Macfarlane, Elif Shafak, Michael Rosen and more share the novels, poetry and memoirs that make the perfect giftI love giving books as presents. I rarely give anything else. I strongly approve of the Icelandic tradition of the Jólabókaflóðið (Yule book flood), whereby books are given (and, crucially, read) on Christmas Eve. Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain is the one I’ve given more often than any other; so much so that I keep a stack of four or five to hand, ready to give at Christmas or any other time of the year. It’s a slender masterpiece – a meditation on Shepherd’s lifelong relationship with the Cairngorm mountains, which was written in the 1940s but not published until 1977. It’s “about the Cairngorms” in the sense that Mrs Dalloway is “about London”; which is to say, it is both intensely engaged with its specific setting, and gyring outwards to vaster questions of knowledge, existence and – a word Shepherd uses sparingly but tellingly – love. Contin...

Culture

2 w. ago The festive treats with hidden health benefits that could actually be good for you from Christmas pudding to prosecco

HALLELUJAH! That mountain of treats you are craving this Christmas might not be so bad for you after all.  Scientists reckon an ingredient found in dark chocolate could help slow the ageing process.   A King’s College London study showed theobromine can reduce DNA damage. Those with more of it in their blood appeared to have...

Politics

2 w. ago Birmingham New Street station chaos as emergency incident halts all trains

Emergency services were called to an incident this morning and services between Wolverhampton and New Street will be affected until 11am, National Rail have said

Events

2 w. ago Birmingham train delays LIVE as emergency incident sparks chaos at New Street

National Rail said all lines were closed as emergency services responded to an incident, with services impacted between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton

Events

2 w. ago EastEnders star Jake Wood says Max Branning set for 'classic Christmas showdown' over 'mountain of secrets’

The character still has a number of enemies on the BBC soap in spite of leaving for four years

Politics

2 w. ago UK's most Christmassy walk is in Wales and ends in a cosy pub

A beach in Wales has been named the best place for a Christmas walk in the UK, thanks to its stunning mountain scenery

Politics

3 w. ago Birmingham New Street Station declared busiest outside London

Birmingham New Street Station declared busiest outside London - but our top 50 lists reveal some in our region are virtually deserted  Express & Star

Politics

3 w. ago ‘A mini Battle of Cable Street’: the English neighbourhoods still grappling with the meaning of the flags

The controversy over flags has faded from the national agenda – but street by street, late at night and with ingenious equipment, their raising and removal is the subject of a roiling dispute over local identityThe Christmas lights have gone up in Stirchley. A multifaith mix of stars and swirls add a festive air to the lamp-posts along the main street of this south Birmingham suburb. Stirchley is a modest kind of place, sandwiched between better known (and better off) areas such as Bourneville and Moseley, but there is plenty of evidence here of the lively community spirit that last year resulted in the area being named the best place to live in the Midlands.Posters in shop windows along Pershore Road advertise a knitting group, a neighbourhood winter fair and the local food bank, while in the former swimming baths, now a community hub, friendly flyers for coffee mornings and choirs are stacked. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Suspect leads police officer on foot chase before getting painful dose of instant karma from quick

A police foot chase on Birmingham's Broad Street ended dramatically when a quick-thinking bystander delivered a painful dose of instant karma to the fleeing suspect.

Events

4 w. ago Voting in Keir Starmer was a big mistake... the Budget opens the floodgates for handouts: Benefits Street star White Dee's withering verdict on Rachel Reeves's welfare bonanza

White Dee, 54, as she is better known, famously said her friends and neighbours in the 'welfare ghetto' of Birmingham 's James Turner Street were simply claiming what they were entitled to.

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