Officials initially said a suspect was in custody, before retracting and saying search is on for a suspect or suspects Police responded to a shooting Saturday on campus at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, according to the school’s alert system. Officials initially said a suspect was in custody, before saying that was not in fact the case and police were still searching for a suspect or suspects. Continue reading...

Specialist teams will deal with offences such as rape and stalking as part of VAWG strategy, home secretary says All police forces in England and Wales will have dedicated rape and sexual offences teams by 2029, the government has said. The plans are being unveiled as the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, prepares to outline a delayed strategy on violence against women and girls (VAWG) next week. Continue reading...

No easy games? Surely this one would be for Arsenal. Never before in English football history had a team endured a worse league record after 15 matches than Wolves. In any of the professional divisions. Their haul of a meagre two points gave an outline of the grimness, although by no means all of the detail. Before kick-off, the bookmakers had Wolves at 28-1 to win; it was 8-1 for the draw. And you just had to hand it to the club’s 3,000 travelling fans who took up their full ticket allocation. There were no trains back to Wolverhampton after the game, obviously. It was a weekend. Mission impossible? This felt like the definition of it. Continue reading...

A letter to the king has added a royal flourish to life at Rothera Research Station, where mail remains a vital link to the world It might be traditional to write to Father Christmas with a gift list, but when Kirsten Shaw wanted a new postbox for staff at the UK’s Rothera Research Station in Antarctica, she wrote to the king. The request has resulted in a special delivery for Shaw – a station support assistant who, among myriad other tasks, runs the British Antarctic Territory post office at the station. Continue reading...

UN secretary general António Guterres says ‘unjustifiable’ attack on base in city of Kadugli ‘could be war crime’ A drone strike hit a United Nations facility in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, killing six peacekeepers, the UN secretary general António Guterres has said. The strike hit the peacekeeping logistics base in the city of Kadugli, in the central region of Kordofan, Guterres said in a statement. Continue reading...

Number is stark contrast with estimated 110,000 who turned up to far-right activist’s ‘unite the kingdom’ rally in September The far-right activist Tommy Robinson led a carol concert to “put the Christ back into Christmas” on Saturday in an event that had a huge drop-off in attendance from his last rally in London. The Metropolitan police said about 1,000 people attended the event at its peak, in stark contrast to the estimated 110,000 who turned up to Robinson’s “unite the kingdom” rally in September. Continue reading...

The Manchester City midfielder is in sparkling club form but that doesn’t mean he is the right fit for Tuchel’s England By the time the World Cup comes around, nine years will have passed since Phil Foden won the Golden Ball as England lifted the Under-17 World Cup. That tournament can be seen in hindsight as a watershed for the English game, the first indication that the elite player performance plan (EPPP) and the England DNA project – taking youth football seriously – might be beginning to pay off. Youth football is notoriously unpredictable and England’s record in the Under-17 World Cup since shows a failure to qualify and a pair of last-16 exits, but following that 2017 success, England’s senior side have reached two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final, while the under-21s have won two European titles. Two previous Golden Ball winners from Under-17 World Cups – Cesc Fàbregas and Toni Kroos – have gone on to win the senior World Cup. Some, such as Landon Donovan, Anderson and Kelechi Iheanacho have had perfectly decent careers. And others have vanished almost entirely: Sani Emmanuel of Nigeria, for instance, won in 2009 then made just 16 senior appearances, 10 of them in the Swiss second tier with Biel-Bienne; while another Nigerian, Kelechi Nwakali, winner in 2015, joined Arsenal but, after a series of loan moves and stints in the lower reaches of the Spanish and Portuguese systems, was kicked out of Barnsley this past summer after returning late for pre-season. Continue reading...

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died from blunt-impact trauma on ride at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park A Florida sheriff’s office has concluded that the death of a 32-year-old man while riding a high-speed roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park was accidental. According to a report released Friday by the local medical examiner, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala suffered a deep cut on the left side of his forehead, a fracture to the bone ridge above his eye and bleeding above his skull. Additional injuries included bruises on his arms and abdomen, a broken nose and a fractured right thigh bone. Continue reading...

Harry Wilson scored one and set up two more as Fulham piled more pressure on their former manager Scott Parker by inflicting a seventh straight defeat on beleaguered Burnley. Although Lesley Ugochukwu cancelled out Emile Smith Rowe’s early goal, Calvin Bassey had the visitors back in front before half-time and Wilson’s eighth goal of the season put Fulham clear. Continue reading...

Former champion shows mettle in win over Adam Hunt Gilding, Woodhouse and Davies victorious in first round The thought of playing in a “new” arena is keeping Gary Anderson going at the PDC World Darts Championship. The two-time champion edged through his first-round clash at Alexandra Palace, getting the better of Adam Hunt 3-2. Anderson is a threat to the favourites this year and, with the tournament moving to a new, bigger stage at the same venue as part of a new deal in the future, he wants to remain in the mix. This story will be updated Continue reading...

Liverpool manager: ‘There’s nothing for me to talk about’ Slot refuses to divulge details of talks with Salah Arne Slot claimed he had no outstanding issues with Mohamed Salah and would see the Egypt international after the Africa Cup of Nations following the forward’s positive return for Liverpool against Brighton. Salah was reintroduced to the Liverpool side as a 26th minute substitute having been omitted from the Champions League win at Inter over the incendiary interview he gave at Elland Road last Saturday. Slot refused to divulge details of the conversation that saw Salah restored to the squad on Friday but insisted that, as far as he was concerned, the matter was resolved. Talks are expected, however, between the Liverpool hierarchy and Salah’s representative while the forward is away on Afcon duty. Continue reading...

The Grand Designs presenter and co-host of Tim & Kev’s Big Design Adventure on living with bats, the most important room in a house and eating fermented shark Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email There’s an aphorism that Australians only want to talk about two things – sport and real estate. Do you think we talk too much about real estate? In my experience, Australians never talk about real estate but the Australian media talks about it all the time. It’s a little bit like politics in the UK, where the right wing occupy a tiny minority and yet they’re all over the BBC. The media will always pick up on something they think should be the topic of national conversation because it sells newspapers. But in my dealings with Australians, I find I talk about pretty well every other subject. There is something very exciting about Australia’s can-do attitude. The British national default is to say, “Maybe, I don’t know – ask me in six months”. We’re very good at circumlocuting an issue. But the moment I get off the plane in Australia, it is, “What can we do?” I love the optimism of Australia. Continue reading...

Ash Jacks McCready had low expectations for her first date with Tom, but after an awkward start, their relationship moved fast and wild Find more stories from the moment I knew series In high school I was in an all-consuming relationship with one thing: dance. Any free time I had was spent on working towards a coveted spot at a performance company. As soon as I graduated school in Brisbane, I left to begin my career as a performer. Continue reading...

Forward made an emotional lap of honour at Anfield after a week that put his future at the club in doubt Mohamed Salah and Liverpool have put politics to shame by showing what a long week truly looks like. It ended with the Egyptian doing a one-man lap of honour at Anfield, an attempt to rebuild trust with the supporters after creating a ceasefire, if not a complete truce, with Arne Slot. Over the past seven days a lot has changed, but one thing remained the same, Salah started a Premier League game on the bench, not that he needed to wait long for a chance to do his talking on the pitch. He would finish with an assist after playing 75 minutes against Brighton in a game in which he desperately wanted to score. Maybe his parade was the beginning of the end, but it felt more like the start of the apology that should continue after the Africa Cup of Nations, giving both parties space to breathe. Continue reading...

The end is nigh as the ballroom extravaganza reaches its penultimate weekend. Expect songs from Michael Bublé, RAYE and Gloria Estefan as things get serious with our semi-finalists tackling two routines apiece Tommy Bosh! Ross King! Rugby Chris! Other people we’d kind of forgotten were ever in the contest! Roll moody black-and-white VT to crank up the jeopardy. Nobody wants to fall agonisingly short of the final, naturally. Continue reading...

⚽ Premier League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off ⚽ Live scores | Table | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Scott Good evening! And I mean, c’mon … … yet while this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have played the side propping up the entire table - winning 30 out of 41, with seven draws – who are responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Why, Wolverhampton Wanderers, that’s who! Click below to reminisce, my old MBM pals. So while Mikel Arteta will surely be anticipating another three points, Rob Edwards must know that long shots sometimes find the target, and you never know. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on! Continue reading...

Pool 1: Sharks 28-23 Saracens Much-changed Sarries beaten in tough conditions It is a long way to go for just a point, but Saracens all but took the maximum against Sharks in biblical weather in Durban. Now that South Africa has been incorporated into the Champions Cup, these long trips are part and parcel. It meant Saracens changing 10 of their starting lineup. It meant Sharks changing 14 – and a head coach to boot. JP Pietersen stepped up to fill his new role this week, after John Plumtree resigned. One match, one win, his record now reads. For Sharks this was only a second win of the season. They were just about worth it, but still they must despair at finding any rhythm among a squad packed with Springboks. Four tries against Saracens is not to be sniffed at, even if the visitors travelled short of a few stars of their own, but only a stolen lineout at the death denied the visitors a fourth try of their own and the win. Andy Onyeama-Christie could not quite gather James Hadfield’s throw-in at a five-metre lineout, the clock in the red. In the slippery chaos that followed, Ethan Hooker belted the ball into the stand in relief. Continue reading...

US Central Command reports an ambush on Saturday, the first attack to inflict casualties since fall of Bashar al-Assad Two US service members and one American civilian have been killed and several other people wounded in an ambush on Saturday by the Islamic State group in central Syria, the US Central Command said. The attack on US troops is the first to inflict casualties since the fall of the former Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, a year ago. Continue reading...

Greene, 60, praised for the various villains he played during his career but manager says he also had ‘heart as big as gold’ Peter Greene, the actor known for his roles in Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died at the age of 60. He was found dead at his New York City apartment on Friday, his manager said, and the cause of death has not been disclosed. Continue reading...

Attack on car left four dead and wounded at least 25, according to Gaza health authorities The senior Hamas commander Raed Saed has been killed in a strike on a car in Gaza City, the Israeli military said on Saturday. The attack killed four people and wounded at least 25 others, according to Gaza health authorities. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medics that Saed was among the dead. Continue reading...

Mohamed Salah’s family were present for what the forward had claimed could be his goodbye to Liverpool. Recalled to the squad and reintroduced to the team after 26 minutes by Arne Slot, there were few clues in that regard from the Egypt international but the mood inside Anfield was clear. Say it ain’t so, Mo. There were tears in Salah’s eyes as he applauded the Kop after the final whistle of a deserved victory over Brighton but otherwise only signs that Liverpool, Slot and the player himself have it in them to move on from an unedifying episode. Hugo Ekitiké would ordinarily grab the headlines after scoring twice against Fabian Hürzeler’s toothless visitors. Slot will also take great encouragement from Liverpool keeping back-to-back clean sheets for only the third time this season. Continue reading...

A win for Chelsea, a much-needed once after four games without, and in many ways a routine one – and yet it was also a game that highlighted the oddity of Enzo Maresca’s side. He has a squad packed with extraordinary talent, capable of passages of exceptional football, but they are also wildly inconsistent, even within individual games. They won easily, could have won more easily, and also had spells when the game threatened to slip from their grasp. Chelsea have become extremely difficult to read. Every time it looks like everything might be coalescing into something coherent, perhaps even title-challenging, they stutter, and every time it looks like a blip might become a crisis, they embark on a run of positive form. Continue reading...

Exclusive: More than 150 anonymous channels using cheap AI tools to spread false stories about Keir Starmer, study finds YouTube channels spreading fake, anti-Labour videos have amassed more than a billion views this year, as opportunists attempt to use AI-generated content to profit from political division in the UK. More than 150 channels have been detected in the last year that promote anti-Labour narratives, as well as outright fake and inflammatory accusations about Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

33-1 shot repels challenge of Jagwar and Vincenzo Race capped a week of events for Hunt Family Fund This was an afternoon at the track when the big-race result was secondary to the cause it was supporting. For Faye Bramley it also marked a huge step forward in her training career as Glengouly, a 33-1 outsider, made all the running to win the Support the Hunt Family Fund December Gold Cup. The Hunt Family Fund was set up by the BBC racing commentator, John Hunt, and his daughter, Amy, after the murder of his wife, Carol, and daughters, Hannah and Louise, to raise awareness of violence against women and support causes relating to young women. Continue reading...

Cuban foreign ministry called US military action ‘maritime terrorism’ under a policy of ‘economic suffocation’ Cuban officials have denounced the US seizure of the Skipper oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday, calling it an “act of piracy and maritime terrorism” as well as a “serious violation of international law” that hurts the Caribbean island nation and its people. “This action is part of the US escalation aimed at hampering Venezuela’s legitimate right to freely use and trade its natural resources with other nations, including the supplies of hydrocarbons to Cuba,” the Cuban foreign ministry statement said. Continue reading...