News 12/12/25

The King says his cancer treatment will be reduced in the new year following early diagnosis.

In a televised address Charles called it good news and said early detection, effective intervention and following medical advice had led to this point. He described the milestone as a personal blessing and as evidence of advances in cancer care.

Five men from an Eastern European grooming gang that targeted teenage girls in Gateshead have been jailed.

After an eight week trial at Newcastle Crown Court four Romanians and an Albanian were convicted of 31 offences involving six victims between 2014 and 2019. The girls, aged 13 to 15, were sometimes given alcohol or cocaine before being abused, having first been approached by teenage boys.

A UN report says Russian long range missiles and large scale drone strikes in crowded cities caused more than half of the 226 civilian deaths in Ukraine last month.

It also recorded 952 civilians injured. The report said overnight attacks often involved many hundreds of drones and missiles and Danielle Bell warned that renewed strikes on energy sites are disrupting essential services.

A man has been jailed for burglary offences in Maidenhead after a Thames Valley Police investigation.

Aaron Ballard aged 34 admitted two counts of burglary with intent to steal at Reading Magistrates Court. He was sentenced to one year. The offences on 14 and 16 October involved entering Boots on High Street and stealing perfume and aftershave worth £12,714.

A 52 year old Surrey carpenter has been found guilty of murdering his estranged wife in a retrial eight years after being acquitted.

Robert Rhodes killed Dawn Rhodes by slitting her throat at their Redhill home in June 2016. He had earlier been cleared at the Old Bailey after arguing he acted in self defence during an argument.

Glaswegian comic actor and impressionist Stanley Baxter has died aged 99.

He was known for bold impressions of figures including the Pope and the Queen and for routines using Glaswegian patois. Baxter earned several honours including a lifetime achievement award and two tribute programmes. His friend and biographer Brian Beacom said he died on Thursday in a north London care home.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order intended to block states from enforcing their own artificial intelligence regulations.

He said the goal is to create one central source of approval. White House AI adviser David Sacks said the order will let the administration challenge onerous state rules though he added it will not oppose measures on children’s safety.

A 25-year-old British backpacker has been sentenced to four years in prison after a fatal collision with a father-of-two while riding an electric scooter in Perth, Western Australia.

Alicia Kemp, from Redditch, Worcestershire, appeared at Perth District Court on Friday, where she pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death while under the influence of alcohol. Judge Wendy Hughes handed down a four-year sentence, backdated to June 2025 for time served, with a non-parole period of two years.

The UK economy contracted by zero point one percent in October, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

It follows a similar fall in September when output unexpectedly slipped by the same amount. Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast a zero point one percent rise, but the ONS figures show another month of decline and highlight continued weakness across economic activity.

The armed forces minister says the UK is preparing the country for a possible war. Al Carns said armed services respond to crises but societies and economies win conflicts.

He warned the shadow of war is again near Europe and said the nation must be ready to deter any threat and urged communities, industries and services to work together to strengthen national resilience.

Left wing Labour MPs are split over a potential Angela Rayner leadership bid as uncertainty grows around Sir Keir Starmer’s future.

Some senior figures say she would gain enough support to remove him. Others argue the public would not back her after her recent resignation over tax issues and claims she did not support the left while in government during her time there.

The government has pledged to create fifty thousand extra places for children with special educational needs in mainstream schools in England.

Ministers plan to invest three billion pounds over the next three years, partly by cancelling some planned free schools. Councils say the funding must be directed to the right areas. Almost one point seven million pupils now receive special educational needs support.

Slough’s MP says the town is a global powerhouse for data and technology after visiting Talks and Talks Technologies.

Tan Dhesi met staff to hear about their new artificial intelligence project and wider development in the area. He said the visit reinforced his view that Slough leads in tech and data innovation.