News 29/12/25

Two friends of Anthony Joshua killed in a car crash in Nigeria have been named by his spokesperson.

Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele died in Monday’s accident on a busy highway around lunchtime. They described as members of his team. The boxer suffered minor injuries while travelling in the back of a black Lexus that hit a truck near Makun.

Donald Trump said he was angry after reports of an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on a state residence linked to Vladimir Putin in Russia.

Moscow’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Kyiv launched the attack overnight in the Novgorod region, but all ninety one drones were shot down by Russian air defences. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected claims, calling them lies.

Idris Elba, ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and England’s women’s football teams are among those recognised in the New Year Honours list.

Sir Idris, known for roles in The Wire and Luther, is knighted for services to young people after founding the Elba Foundation. He said the honour reflects talent and ambition of young people and the need for support.

Octopus Energy Group is close to selling a stake in its software arm, Kraken Technologies, a move that would reinforce its position as one of Britain’s largest private companies.

Sky News reports the company has lined up a syndicate of investors to buy between ten and twenty per cent of Kraken. Sources say the deal could value the business at between nine and ten billion dollars.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected claims that Ukraine targeted an official residence of Vladimir Putin during a drone strike.

He said the allegation was lies, adding that Russia wants to undermine progress between Ukraine and the United States in peace talks. He warned Moscow is preparing the ground to attack government buildings in Kyiv, as tensions continue and discussions remain ongoing today there.

The boss of cinema chain Everyman has stepped down less than three weeks after the company warned trading had been weaker than expected.

Everyman Media Group said Alex Scrimgeour was leaving immediately and would be replaced on an interim basis by non-executive director Farah Golant. His departure follows a trading update on the tenth of December, when forecasts were cut.

Anthony Joshua has been injured in a car crash in Nigeria, police say.

The thirty six year old boxer was travelling in the back of a black Lexus when the vehicle hit a stationary truck on a busy highway. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital, while two other people in the vehicle died. The crash happened on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway in Makun, around thirty miles north west of Lagos, at around midday local time, eleven am GMT, according to police.

A small aircraft has crashed into a reservoir near Chelmsford, police said.

Essex Police were called shortly after two pm on Sunday to reports of the aircraft entering the water at Hanningfield Reservoir. Officers remain at the scene of a serious incident, working with several organisations including the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

A mother and two children have died following a Boxing Day house fire in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

The father, a serving Gloucestershire Police officer, survived and was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for treatment. The mother and two children, a seven year old girl and a four year old boy, were initially unaccounted for before police confirmed their deaths. Officers say the fire was not suspicious and is being treated as a tragic accident.

The Ukrainian president has told reporters this morning that the proposed peace plan envisages United States security guarantees for fifteen years.

He says he had asked Donald Trump for guarantees lasting up to fifty years, underlining differences between the sides. Meanwhile Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold another phone call very soon, following talks the US president described as productive. The two leaders spoke before Trump met Zelenskyy, and the US president said he would speak with his Russian counterpart again afterwards by phone later today.

A man believed to have been carrying a handgun has been shot dead by police after a car crash in the Norfolk town of Thetford.

He is thought to have been driving one of two vehicles involved in the collision on London Road at around eight twenty five on Sunday evening.

A thirty six year old man has been charged with murder after a grandfather died six days after being punched outside a village pub.

David Darke, sixty six, died in hospital on Saturday after suffering a serious head injury near the Crown Inn in Appleby Magna on the twenty first of December.

Twelve fire crews from Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Bedfordshire and West London were sent to tackle a large blaze in Denham.

Firefighters were called just before nine pm on Sunday to Willets Lane after reports that several vehicles were on fire. The blaze spread to diggers, cars, ISO containers, lorry units and trailers.

At least thirteen people have died and dozens more are being treated after a train derailed in Mexico, authorities say.

The accident occurred between the towns of Chivela and Nizanda in Oaxaca, on a line linking the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday. Around 250 people were on board, including 241 passengers and nine crew members. Thirteen deaths have been confirmed, and ninety-eight people were injured, including thirty-six needing hospital care, according to the Mexican Navy.

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy say they have made a lot of progress towards a peace agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Speaking after around two hours of talks at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, both leaders described an excellent meeting covering all aspects of a twenty point peace framework, while acknowledging one or two thorny issues remain unresolved.

Hospitals are using artificial intelligence to cut waiting times in emergency departments this winter.

The technology forecasts pressure on accident and emergency services, allowing better planning for staff shifts and bed space. Around fifty NHS organisations have already adopted the system, which uses historical data including weather trends to predict how many patients are likely to attend A&E departments nationally winter.

The Conservatives have called for a British Egyptian activist to be deported and stripped of UK citizenship after social media messages appeared calling for Zionists to be killed.

Sir Keir Starmer has faced criticism for saying he was delighted by Alaa Abdel Fattah’s arrival in the UK, although it is understood he was unaware of the messages before this week.

More than three hundred earthquakes were recorded in the UK during 2025, according to the British Geological Survey.

The largest occurred near Loch Lyon in Perth and Kinross, where two tremors of magnitude three point seven and three point six were detected hours apart in October. Overall, seismic activity was highest in parts of Scotland, Wales, Yorkshire and Lancashire almost daily.