2 h. ago UK mortgage rates fall to lowest since September 2022; China’s trade surplus hits $1tn – business live

Trade data shows China’s exports topped forecasts in November, driven by a surge in shipments to non-US marketsBack in China, car sales have fallen for the second month running.Retail vehicle sales fell about 8% to 2.1 million units in November, according to data published by the China Passenger Car Association today. This shows a 22% slump in sales of gasoline cars, with new-energy vehicle sales rising 4.2% for the month.“Usually the trend at the end of the year is that the car market should get stronger and stronger from October. But the retail sales in November compared to previous years is unusual.”“Mortgage rates continue on the downward trend and November was particularly fruitful for fixed rate cuts.The re-pricing by lenders led to the average five-year fixed rate dropping below 5% for the first time in over two years and sits at its lowest point since before the ‘mini-Budget’ in September 2022, alongside its two-year counterpart. Continue reading...

Economics

5 h. ago Marjorie Taylor Greene claims GOP colleagues secretly mock Trump in explosive Lesley Stahl interview

The exiled former MAGA loyalist claimed conservatives are too afraid to speak up because they fear Trump, citing her own fall from the president's good graces.

Politics

6 h. ago Syrians celebrate a year after Bashar Assad’s fall, in photos

As celebrations kicked off marking the first anniversary on Monday of the ousting of former President Bashar Assad’s regime, Syrians are still struggling to heal after the dynasty’s repressive 50-year rule and a 14-year civil war that killed an estimated half-million people, displaced millions more and left the country battered and divided.

Culture

8 h. ago A year after fall of Assad, a divided Syria struggles to escape cycle of violence

While country’s return to global stage has filled many Syrians with pride, domestically old grievances threaten efforts to rebuild the stateLying in bed recovering after his latest surgery, Ayman Ali retells the story of Syria’s revolution through his wounds. His right eye, lost in an attack on a rebel observation post he was manning in 2012, is covered by yellow medical tape. Propped against the wall is a cane he uses to walk, after a rocket attack in 2014 left him with a limp.For 14 years, Ali dreamed of freedom and of justice. A year after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, he has his freedom but not his justice. The man he was dreaming of holding accountable – a member of his extended family who was a part of an Assad militia – had already fled the country by the time Ali returned to his home in Damascus. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago Dear Coleen 'Why is he trying to avoid setting a wedding date?'

"I don’t want to fall out with him over this, but I think the way he avoids talking about the wedding is very unfair."

Politics

22 h. ago Cruise ship departure delayed by a day after bananas fall overboard

Eight of the containers were reported as carrying bananas, two as carrying plantain, one as carrying avocados

Politics

23 h. ago Cruise ship delayed a day after containers of fruit fall into sea

P&O Cruises ship Iona was stuck at Southampton after the incident.

Politics

24 h. ago Cruise ship suffers departure delay after banana containers fall into sea

P&O Cruises ship Iona was stuck at Southampton after the incident.

Politics

24 h. ago Cruise ship trapped in port after banana containers fall into sea

A cruise ship has been forced to delay its departure after shipping containers carrying bananas fell overboard from a ship.

Politics

26 h. ago Cruise ship stuck in port after banana containers fall into sea

P&O Cruises ship Iona has been stuck at Southampton since the incident.

Politics

27 h. ago Flood warnings issued as Met Office warns more than half a month's rain to fall in 24 hours

A yellow weather warning has been issued for parts of south-west England and Wales, with torrential rain set to batter the region.

Events

29 h. ago Syrians in the UK reflect one year on from the fall of Assad

Syrians in the UK reflect one year on from the fall of Assad  BBC

Politics

38 h. ago King Charles and Queen Camilla reflect on major milestone with Christmas card

The King and Queen have unveiled their annual Christmas card, with this year’s iteration featuring a milestone anniversary they celebrated this year

Politics

39 h. ago German mountaineer, 19, swept away in avalanche dies after rescuers found teen buried in snow and dug him out

A CLIMBER has been killed after a horror fall caused by an avalanche in Austria. The 19-year-old German man was reportedly unsecured while on the "Stopselzieher" via ferrata, an "easy" route on the Zugspitze mountain. The monstrous snowslide dragged him down steep rocky ground and swept him off the peak, according to BILD. His 21-year-old...

Events

46 h. ago UK snow forecast as 3 blizzards to bury half of Britain days before Christmas

Snow looks set to fall across a massive chunk of the UK in the days before Christmas as advanced weather maps suggest some regions could see several inches

Politics

49 h. ago England Ashes player ratings as needless wickets fall in crucial Test

England player ratings from day three of the second Ashes Test match at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Sport

49 h. ago Yellow weather warning as more than half a month’s rain could fall in 24 hours

Gusts of up to 40mph hit parts of the south coast overnight into Saturday.

Events

50 h. ago 'Ant and Dec almost killed me twice in the jungle,' says I’m A Celeb star

EXCLUSIVE: I’m A Celeb star Iain Lee says he “nearly died twice” in the jungle after a terrifying underwater panic and a shock fall he was assured could never happen by Ant and Dec

Events

51 h. ago Ashes 2025 live score: Pope and Crawley fall in quick succession after Australia take huge first

Ben Stokes’s side are in trouble in Brisbane

Politics

55 h. ago Forget festive schmaltz, the best Christmas film this year is a gay biker dom

Die Hard isn’t a Christmas film, claims the British public. But Pillion reminds us that the finest festive films reflect the complexities of the seasonCan Die Hard – the 1988 action movie starring Bruce Willis as an NYPD detective hoping to reconcile with his estranged wife on Christmas Eve – be called a Christmas film? The annual debate had officially reached my street WhatsApp group when a happily married couple decided to launch a poll. With 18 votes against four, the result from my road was a landslide “yes”. One neighbour even shared a picture of their Die Hard tree baubles to prove the point.But an official poll by the British Board of Film Classification has now asserted the contrary – with 44% deciding that Die Hard should not be designated a Christmas movie, against 38% in favour. To some, even with the odd tinsel-strewn tree thrown in, the gun fights, violence and hostage-taking just don’t feel festive. For an admirable 5% of respondents, it remains their favourite Christm...

Politics