United Kingdom

    The union leader behind the Christmas rail strikes said industrial action had been coordinated to bring down this bloody working-class-hating Tory government, it has been claimed. RMT president Sean Hoyle reportedly said the union's rule number one was to strive to replace the capitalist system with a socialist order. Britain is bracing itself for further strikes on the Southern Rail network, which is likely to spell disaster for many travelling over the Christmas period and into the new year. In excerpts of speeches published by The Times, Mr Hoyle reportedly told a meeting of hard-left activists last month, if we all spit together we can drown the bastards. The general secretary of the RMT has dismissed claims the union is part of some conspiracy to bring the Government ...

    The Met Office issued a severe weather warning lasting to around midday, and said reduced visibility would continue to affect southern England and south Wales creeping into the Midlands. Meteorologist Steven Keates said visibility and conditions are improving  but warned the Met Office may issue another fog warning for Sunday night. On Sunday morning he said visibility at Bristol Airport and Exeter International Airport was around 200 metres, around 3,500 metres at Gatwick, 3,000 metres at Heathrow while at London Stansted it was 400 metres. There is still some dense patches of fog around, but things are improving, he added. On the whole it is a better picture than it was two or three hours ago. Hopefully this afternoon we will continue to see a little bit more of an impro...

    Research found a fifth of Londoners taking the Tube home after a Christmas party have dozed off and missed their stop. This year’s numbers are set to peak on November 16 as it is the most popular night for Christmas parties in the capital. The study by app-based insurer Back Me Up found that snoozing past the right stop has cost the nation as a whole an eye-watering £63 million. Furthermore, 12 per cent of Londoners have had items stolen on public transport because they were asleep, with a handbag the most common. One in eight of those who wake up at the end of the line are brave enough to wait for the first train or bus home, while the remainder call a friend or relative nearby (7 per cent) or book a hotel (3 per cent). Paul Lynes, Managing Director at Back Me Up, said: “...

    Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain has revealed that she suffered racist abuse while on public transport. The baker, who grew up in Britain and has Bangladeshi parents, said the incident took place when she was on a train and a fellow passenger refused to sit next to her because she is Muslim. She said on Twitter: A man refused to sit next to me on the train today 'I ain't sitting near a Muslim' he said. His ignorance is his own ruin. A man refused to sit next to me on the train today 'I ain't sitting near a Muslim' he said. His ignorance is his own ruin. While her appearance on the television competition has been credited with doing more for race relations than any government initiative, Hussain has previously disclosed that she expects to be on the receiving end ...

    Earlier this week a touching story from Knoxville, Tennessee took the internet by storm  it said a young unnamed child had sadly passed away in hospital in the arms of an actor playing Santa Claus. The story, originally published by the Knoxville News Sentinel , reported that Campbell County Santa Claus actor, Eric Schmitt-Matzen, had recieved a call from a nurse at a local hospital. The nurse explained he had to go right now to visit a boy who wanted to meet Santa. Schmitt-Matzen recounted to the paper, and multiple other news agencies in the following days, that the unamed 5-year-old had told him that he was going to die and miss Christmas. He added: He kinda sat up and gave me a big hug and asked one more question: Santa, can you help me? I wrapped my arms around him. B...

    David Cameron warned on Thursday evening that the existence of the European single currency was hanging in the balance, telling an audience in the United States: I wonder how long it can last. Mr Cameron, delivering his first major address since resigning as prime minister in June, described himself as an optimist  but said he shouldn’t be, as rising populism cost me my job. He said that he did not believe other countries would follow Britain’s lead and leave the EU. He predicted that Marine Le Pen would not be victorious in France, and that the anti-EU movement in the Netherlands would not be successful. But he said it was the euro that provided the biggest problem. I see more trouble ahead, said Mr Cameron, speaking to a gathering of students at DePauw University in Indi...

    The brand-new £5 note, said to be stronger and cleaner than the old paper notes, entered circulation a few weeks ago - but some fivers are proving more valuable than others. There's been an initial print-run of 440 million polymer notes to mark the start of the old notes' withdrawal as they are banked by retailers and businesses. Collectors have noticed that some of the plastic notes have distinguishing features that make the first batch even more special. And when Loans at Home took a look they realised that some people were paying more than £200 to get their hands on them. AA notes are currently listed on eBay for as much as £500. Strangely, AK47 notes are also selling on the site for as much as £80,000. One note was listed by seller Gareth Wright, The Mirror reports. Th...

    Customers on Southern Rail, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern trains can now claim compensation if their trains are delayed by more than 15 minutes. As of December 11, passengers can claim 25pc of the cost of a single fare ticket if their train arrives 15 to 29 minutes later than scheduled. Season ticket holders will have a proportion of their ticket refunded. The compensation also applies to those who are made late when travelling during strike action. This may offer a tiny ray of sunshine to those attempting to make their way to work amid Southern Rail's 48-hour walkout and ongoing strike action by train unions. The Department of Travel announced changes to compensation repayments in October. Govia Thameslink Railway, the parent company of the four brands, i...

    American Faryal Makhdoom Khan has accused the star’s family of trying to destroy her marriage. Amir’s mum and dad have rejected the claim and say they have treated her “like our own daughter.” But they admitted to rowing over the catwalk model’s clothing. Daily Mirrormir’s dad Shah, 54, said: “Faryal was adopting a dress code which in the Islamic faith was not acceptable. "I am a father to two daughters whom I have treated exactly the same way as I have treated Farya.” He added in an interview with Geo News: “All this started with the issue of dressing. We kept asking Amir to tell her not to adopt such a dress code. "And even if she had to wear such dresses, please don’t post it on social media.” Amir’s mother Falak said: “I asked her not to wear such dresses and to take t...

    A former cabinet minister at the centre of a spat over the Prime Minister’s £1,000 leather trousers has pulled out of filming for an episode of Have I Got News For You. Nicky Morgan will no longer appear on the satirical panel show on Friday due to “unforeseen circumstances”, an agent for the programme’s production company said. The Tory MP for Loughborough, who Theresa May sacked as education secretary when she took over Downing Street, has been embroiled in the so-called “trousergate” row since she criticised the PM’s decision to wear the £995 trousers during a photo shoot for a newspaper. Her expression of doubt over the PM’s decision to wear the Amanda Wakeley-designed “bitter chocolate” trousers forced Mrs May to deny she was out of touch and prompted a top aide to ba...