UK2.XYZ NEWS

England given UK-friendly World Cup kick-off times as Scotland face late finishes

England are handed World Cup kick-off times which suit UK audiences - but Scotland fans face later finishes during next summer's tournament.

Evening World Cup kick-offs for England, but Scotland face 2am opener

England are handed World Cup kick-off times which suit UK audiences - but Scotland fans face later finishes during next summer's tournament.

Deadly attack on kindergarten reported in Sudan

Drone strikes on a town in South Kordofan on Thursday are said to have killed at least 50 people.

Full list of weather alerts as Met Office issues rare 'danger to life' warning

The fresh alert is in force from 6pm on Monday until 6pm on Tuesday with people told that heavy rain may bring some flooding and travel disruption in some parts of the UK

Four arrested over defacing of Crown Jewels display case at Tower of London

The group Take Back Power says its members poured custard and apple crumble on the display.

Scottish Conservative peer defects to Reform UK

Malcolm Offord appeared at a rally alongside Nigel Farage in Falkirk on Saturday to announce the move.

National Guardsman 'slowly healing' after being shot in Washington DC

Andrew Wolfe, 24, is expected to remain in acute care with a head wound for a few more weeks, his family says.

'What a goal!' Great Britton volley helps fire Weston-super-Mare through

Watch as Louis Britton scores a thunderous volley for Weston-super-Mare in a 2-0 victory at Chelmsford City that sends them through to the third round of the FA Cup.

Driving test touts offer instructors £250 monthly kickbacks

Touts use instructor login details to bulk-book tests and sell them at a huge mark-up, the BBC finds.

Gaza ceasefire negotiations at 'critical moment', says Qatar PM as seven more killed in Gaza

Negotiations on a lasting ceasefire deal for Gaza are at a "critical moment", the prime minister of Qatar, which has played a key role in brokering the deal, has said.

Young people are getting a 'raw deal', and that's good news for the Greens and Reform

Frustration among voters under 30 is widespread, writes Laura Kuenssberg.

Russia hits Ukraine as US reports progress in talks with Kyiv

France's president condemns the attack and announces talks in London on Monday with Ukrainian, British and German leaders.

Verstappen beats Norris and Piastri to pole in title decider

Red Bull's Max Verstappen beats his McLaren title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Watch: Australia wildfire rips through homes

Multiple homes were left damaged after a wildfire swept through a coastal area north of Sydney.

Charlton Athletic fan dies and match abandoned after medical emergency at ground

A Charlton Athletic fan died after a medical emergency at their ground, the football club have said.

Bethlehem Christmas tree lights up for first time since start of Gaza war

For the past two years all public Christmas celebrations have been cancelled in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

Woman, 81, dies after being struck by car in hit-and-run while ‘popping to the shops’

Police are hunting the driver of a dark-coloured vehicle that hit and killed an 81-year-old lady who had just 'popped out to the shops'

England humiliated by 'second-string' Australia - Vaughan

England have been humiliated by Australia in the Ashes and are at risk of "psychological damage", says former captain Michael Vaughan.

England and Scotland fans discover where their opening World Cup games will be played

England and Scotland fans have found out where their World Cup group games will be played when the tournament kicks off in June.

At least 33 children killed in paramilitary drone attack on nursery

At least 50 people, including 33 children, have been killed in southern Sudan after a drone attack by paramilitary forces hit a nursery in South Kordofan state.

Tower of London arrests after 'custard and crumble thrown on Crown Jewels'

Four people have been arrested after dessert was thrown in Tower of London

Elderly woman killed in hit-and-run crash on way to shops

An elderly woman has died after being hit by a car on her way to a local shop.

Crumble and custard thrown at State Crown display case in Tower of London

Part of the Tower of London has been closed following reports of criminal damage to a display case containing the Imperial State Crown, part of the Crown Jewels.

Animal experts share warning sign your dog is stressed this Christmas

Christmas can be a overwhelming for dogs

DWP benefit claimants may get extra cash during winter - check if you qualify

The payments go out during periods of freezing weather conditions

This podcaster went off on one about “outsiders” trying to “ruin” Christmas – and people’s responses will light up your dark December day

Let’s check in on this week’s ever-growing band of bros trying to save the great British Christmas from being cancelled. Enter patriot Liam Tuffs, a podcaster and host of The Dozen with Liam Tuffs. You might remember Liam from going viral a few months back trying to shake a police officer’s hand. This week, Liam […]

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Trans women will not be allowed to attend main Labour Women's Conference events

The conference will take place in 2026 after being cancelled for a year in light of the Supreme Court's gender ruling.

'Life being stressful is not an illness' - GPs on mental health over-diagnosis

Hundreds of GPs in England tell the BBC they are also worried about a lack of help for patients.

Thousands of UK cars 'invisible' to speed cameras

Police have confirmed a major crackdown as drivers avoid fines and penalty points

Flood warnings issued as wet and windy weather sweeps parts of UK

More wet and windy weather has been forecast to hit the UK this weekend, with the Met Office warning of a system to bring further "potentially disruptive weather" from next week.

Ant Middleton shared a fake AI video of a soldier shouting at a police officer about “freedom” and was laughed all the way back to Dubai

Dubai-based patriot Ant Middleton is not a man to let facts or reality get in the way of his arguments. Last week, he was promising to change things up as London Mayor when he gets to the House of Commons (yes, you did just grow 87% dumber by reading that sentence, sorry). This week, he […]

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Donald Trump won the first “FIFA Peace Prize” at the World Cup draw – 21 reactions worthy of the Nobel

Donald Trump, as he tells us repeatedly, is the Peace President (hey, stop sniggering down the back; we said “PEACE” President). As he waits another year to learn if he has won the Nobel Peace Prize, the US president can make do with FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize. FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the […]

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Get Nespresso milk frother for less than £2 and mugs for free in deal stack

The Nespresso Vertuo Pop Coffee Pod Machine Barista Bundle usually retails at £199, but through TopCashback, new members can get it for £77.15

Piers Morgan's Uncensored nears £100m valuation after stake sale

Piers Morgan, the broadcaster and journalist, is raising tens of millions of dollars of funding from heavyweight investors as he seeks to turn Uncensored, his YouTube-based venture, into a broad-based global media business.

White House: Europe 'unrecognisable in 20 years or less'

President Trump's "America First" agenda has been spelt out in a new White House National Security Strategy that should make stark reading for allies and foes of the United States alike.

Farage sang antisemitic songs to Jewish classmates, former Dulwich pupil claims

Nigel Farage sang antisemitic songs to Jewish schoolmates - and had a "big issue with anyone called Patel", a former schoolfriend has claimed.

Woman, 81, killed in hit-and-run as police urge driver to come forward

The pensioner had gone to a nearby shop when she sustained serious injuries after being hit by a vehicle and police were searching for the driver and vehicle involved in the incident

UK drenched with more rain and wet weather is predicted to last longer than you'd think

Parts of the United Kingdom can expect disruptive weather into the new week, following weekend showers, but forecasters say it is too early to give a prediction for Christmas

What should you do if you dislike your friend's partner?

Former friends Chrishell Stause and Emma Hernan have argued on and off-camera in the Netflix reality show.

Single women risk rape and exploitation in search for better life in Europe

Esther says she faced sexual violence on her journey to Europe after fleeing abuse in Nigeria.

Is your smartwatch controlling your life?

Millions of us strap them on our wrists 24/7, but they could be making us more stressed.

Failed Sarah Ferguson-backed app received £1m taxpayers' money

The former Duchess was an "ambassador" for vVoosh, founded by her friend Manuel Fernandez.

Convicted terrorist who came to Britain in small boat jailed for illegal entry

A terrorist who snuck back to the UK in a small boat after serving a prison sentence in Italy is back in the clink, jailed for over two years for illegal entry

We still think the best excuse for not getting the Bond job is this one from the absolute legend Dick Van Dyke

In just over a week, at the time of writing, the triple threat that is actor, dancer and singer Dick Van Dyke will turn 100. He is a legitimate legend of the stage and screen, thanks to his performances in works such as Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Dick Van Dyke Show – […]

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Shoppers loved the 'fabric queen'. Then, order by order, her story fell apart

Designer Nerida Hansen admits failing customers who ordered textiles worth thousands of dollars from her businesses.

Kevin Sinfield smashes fundraising target with two marathons to spare

Kevin Sinfield is running another seven ultra-marathons over the course of a week to raise vital funds for motor neurone disease — and has amazingly already smashed the target

Fly-tipper dresses as purple T Rex to hide face as they brazenly hurl bin bags in the street

A purple T-Rex went on a night-time rampage in Southend but locals reckon it was just an extreme attempt to dodge a fly-tipping fine - and the race is on to unmask the secret garbage slinger

Name an addiction that society has fully normalised – 17 compulsive behaviours that have become a part of everyday life

When watching an old film or TV show, it can be shocking to see that certain addictions were once a regular part of daily life. But while habits like smoking have largely been sidelined, they’ve been replaced by other bad habits. Over on Twitter @Strictlyirene was keen to hear which addictions have been fully normalised […]

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Cop killer Dale Cregan taken from prison to hospital with heavy police presence

Dale Cregan, who killed two female police officers, was taken to Aintree University Hospital on Merseyside from prison on December 1 with a reportedly heavy police presence

Everyone’s laughing at JD Vance’s lonely appeal for someone to talk to in this group chat and these 17 people surely said it best

It wasn’t all that long ago that the Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, accidentally included a member of the press in a private group chat on the public platform, Signal, that was discussing top secret war plans. Boy was that embarrassing. It’s not as if things couldn’t get any worse for this current Administration from […]

The post Everyone’s laughing at JD Vance’s lonely appeal for someone to talk to in this group chat and these 17 people surely said it best appeared first on The Poke.

University of Plymouth 'evacuated' and roads closed after 'chemical' incident

The University of Plymouth has seen one its buildings evacuated and closed this afternoon due to a reported chemical leak in one of the labs, according to emergency services

Top 25 happiest Christmas songs scientifically chosen for your drive home

Music psychologist Dr Claire Renfrew has created a 25-track Christmas playlist using a scientific formula designed to boost mood and reduce stress

Trump’s FBI chief Kash Patel said you can’t attack America’s Capitol without repercussions and it’s time now to bid farewell to irony forever

When he’s not busy stiffly standing in the background of a press conference with his eyes wide open like a raccoon that just got caught riffling through the trash in the middle of the night, Kash Patel is supposed to be running the FBI. That means he’s in charge of holding any and all law […]

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Ex-doctor at UK hospital charged with sexual offences against 38 patients, including a child

Former practicing doctor Nathaniel John Spencer, 38 has been charged with a string of sex offences against patients at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Russells Hall Hospital

Jake Tapper appeared to defend Donald Trump falling asleep in Cabinet and the entirety of the internet responded as one

Jake Tapper wrote a best-selling book that was entirely based on the premise that Joe Biden was too old to run the country and everyone should’ve run him out of town far sooner than they did. Surely, the health of the President of the United States of America is of major concern to the nation […]

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‘What are you starting to like less and less as you get older?’ – 17 things that people are getting too damn old for

Getting old sucks. Everything aches. Nobody pays attention to you at the bar anymore. And there’s people younger than you all over the place. But there have to be some perks that come with aging gracefully, right? Maybe not. Not according to the old people of Reddit, who offered way too many answers when they […]

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'Benidorm saved my life after hangover turned out to be something much worse'

Clare Bushell, 48, went on a five-day drinking binge in Benidorm with nine mates and believed she had alcohol poisoning when she began vomiting violently days after returning home

Pete Hegseth is so bad at his job, one of his former colleagues just trashed him on the most right-wing news show in America

No one should ever subject themselves to a “news” segment from the righter than right wing “media organization” Newsmax. It’s basically what you’d get if you took Donald Trump’s Truth Social posts and turned them into a script. That being said, viewers might’ve gotten whiplash during this recent segment that called out Pete Hegseth, the […]

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Poundland set to have shut over 100 stores as new wave of closures announced

Poundland has announced a further 14 shops will close by early February as the budget retailer continues to trim down the chain as part of turnaround efforts for the business

Daisy Cooper’s A++ takedown of Zia Yusuf on Question Time was a classic one-two sucker punch and had everyone applauding

The morning after the Question Time the night before, we reckon the best exchange goes to Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper. The topic was immigration – of course it was – and there’s nothing fellow panellist, entirely unelected Reform UK-er Zia Yusuf, likes talking about more. Except he looked rather less keen at the […]

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Zia Yusuf’s outrageous response to this Question Time audience member is all you need to know about Reform UK

To the studios of BBC1’s Question Time – no, stick with us – where to no-one’s great surprise Reform UK was once again on the panel despite only having five MPs (at the time of going to press). And it wasn’t even one of their MPs, the entirely unelected tech millionaire turned Nigel Farage right […]

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Giant purple dinosaur caught fly-tipping on CCTV

The brightly coloured rogue raptor is spotted looking around before dumping rubbish in a street.

Simply 21 funny and especially eye-opening Tinder exchanges that deserve all the swipe rights

As we never tire of saying we’ve never been on Tinder and the more we see of it, the more relieved we are that we probably never will (correct at the time of writing). Partly because we’ve written so many posts about horrific online dating experiences, and partly because of these, next-level funny Tinder chats […]

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This flat earth’s jaw-dropper of a theory about the sun sent everyone’s head spinning at 93 million miles per hour

We’ve all watched as The Good Liars – Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler – hear some of the most ridiculous theories ever, such as about how great guns are or why equal marriage is against the Bible. In this interview, a Flat-Earther’s theory about the Sun – or suns – slightly breaks Jason’s brain – […]

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Edinburgh Airport grounds all flights after major issues causes air traffic failure

Flights at Edinburgh Airport have been suspended following an IT issue with its air traffic control provider - some flights went into a holding pattern above the Scottish capital

Our 25 Favourite Funny Tweets of the Week

Hello and welcome to our weekly round-up of Twitter’s funniest things. With threats from Russia, England’s performance in the Ashes, and a looming Christmas episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys, you could be forgiven for having a bout of the December Blues, so it’s a good thing the funny people of Twitter have been bang on […]

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Glasgow incident sees one dead and three in hospital after woman heard 'screaming'

A major police incident has sparked a huge cordon as Berkeley Street in the Glasgow city centre has been locked down after reports from eyewitnesses hearing a woman 'scream'

They’ve renamed the Institute of Peace after Donald Trump, if you were wondering how strong a grasp on reality the US has right now

Donald Trump’s failure to secure the coveted Nobel Peace Prize obviously keeps the man awake at night, if his social media is anything to go by – but the regime has come up with a slight consolation prize. Let’s take a look. This morning, the State Department renamed the former Institute of Peace to reflect […]

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Farage countered accusations of racist bullying at school by ranting about Bernard Manning, and got owned into next year – 23 savage burns

Nigel Farage faces increasing accusations of racist bullying at school, back in the mid 70s, which he denies – sometimes. At other times, he simply downplays the severity of what he’s accused of saying, or claims he doesn’t remember. Here’s the catch-up – CW – contains antisemitic and racist language. Farage attended the exclusive Dulwich […]

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'I let loose' - artist paints every spare inch of her house

In an antidote to minimalist interiors, artist Emily Powell turns her home into a work of art.

We regret to inform you that Liz Truss has launched her own YouTube show, and it’s every bit as conspiracy-coded as you’d expect – 21 brutally accurate takedowns

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water – or on YouTube – up pops Lettuce Liz with her ‘I was hobbled by the deep state’ schtick …only this time in vlog form. Liz Truss, to give her the name under which she was Prime minister for 49 days, has […]

The post We regret to inform you that Liz Truss has launched her own YouTube show, and it’s every bit as conspiracy-coded as you’d expect – 21 brutally accurate takedowns appeared first on The Poke.

This Finnish Who Wants To Be A Millionaire question is still the funniest of all time – and slightly NSFW

Back in September 2022, Henrik Ahonen tried his luck – and general knowledge – on the Finnish version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (Haluatko miljonääriksi, in case you were wondering.) After winning the fastest finger first round, he got a €100 question straight out of the Carry On playbook. Carry On Quizzing? Finland’s […]

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‘What habits did you pick up in lockdown that you can’t shift?’ – 21 ways people changed forever during the pandemic

This time six years ago we were blissfully unaware of the existence of Covid and were preparing for Christmas 2019 with absolute no inkling of the world-changing things that were going to happen to us all in 2020. The pandemic is starting to feel like a long time ago now, but there are many ways […]

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Prison officer has fling with inmate and faces jail after 'performing sex act'

Prison officer Rebecca Pinckard, 46, embarked on a fling with an inmate at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk, and was said to have '[performed] oral sex on that prisoner'

Travis Kelce has claimed he's 'never' argued with fiancé Taylor Swift in shock revelation

The NFL star said it was all bliss and no bust-ups in the couple's high profile relationship as the Chiefs player chatted about relationships with the Hollywood actor on his podcast.

Brit blokes reckon they could score past a Premier League goalie or land a plane

New findings have shockingly revealed that chaps have a tendency to inflate the skills they are capable of - with half also thinking they could get a ball past a premier league goalkeeper.

World Cup to save nightclubs which will be fan favourite venues to watch matches

Bosses say their giant screens and ear-splitting sound systems give a real football crowd experience - and they are perfect for a post-match victory party

Undertaker's 'darker side' after downloading 'sexual interference with corpses' images

Gary Williams engaged in a series of chats in which he revealed that he had a sexual interest in girls aged as young as five, with people on Skype and Telegram

Porn and Masculinity: How to Teach Kids about Sex and Relationships

Musician Jordan Stephens on why we need sex education fit for the digital age.

Is Russia Really Ready For War With Europe?

And is the UK really ready to get closer to the EU?

Controversial 30ft nude gladiator returns to town

Three years after he was banned by the council, the 30ft (9m) statue dubbed Golden Balls reappears.

Johnny Depp braves the perilous seas as Captain Jack Sparrow

Young Henry Turner seeks out Jack Sparrow to help him locate Poseidon's trident.

How to decorate your Christmas tree to create joy

When you should put the tree up and how whether it's real or fake should change how you decorate it.

A festive favourite to spark your Christmas spirit

The feel-good Christmas story, perfect for cosy winter nights

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