United Kingdom

    The Queen has marked Christmas Day by attending a traditional church service at Sandringham. Some well-wishers waited from 4am to catch a glimpse of the royals - with hundreds gathered by mid-morning. The Queen arrived in a Bentley wearing a red dress coat, but Prince George and Princess Charlotte stayed at home. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge smiled as they arrived, with Kate making conversation with Prince Harry. They were joined by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Andrew, The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The service was held at St Mary Magdalene's church on the family's Norfolk estate. Later today, the Queen's Christmas message will be broadcast. In it, the Queen will speak about the "moments of darkness" faced b...

    The Queen will use her Christmas Day address to highlight the "moments of darkness" the world has confronted but will also speak about the positive Christian message of light triumphing over the dark. A series of terrorist atrocities have shocked the world during 2015, from the mass shootings and bombings in Paris last month to the gun attack at a Tunisia resort during the summer. But the Queen, whose address traditionally has a strong religious framework reflecting her own faith, will sound an optimistic tone when she quotes a verse from the Bible. Reflecting on the past 12 months, the monarch will say during her Christmas Day broadcast: "It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, oft...

    Official figures show UK growth was weaker than thought in the second and third quarters. Britain's recovery is losing steam, according to official data that showed growth this year was weaker than previously thought. The economy expanded by just 0.4pc in the third quarter, from a previous estimate of 0.5pc, according to revised figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Growth in the second quarter was also revised down to 0.5pc. Statisticians had previously thought the economy grew by 0.7pc over the period. The ONS said weaker services growth drove the third-quarter revision as financial services firms expanded at a much slower pace than initially thought. Inventories led to the second-quarter change. On an annual basis the UK economy expanded by 2.1p...

    Several people have been injured after a bus crashed into a city centre building. The single-decker bus was also involved in a collision with a car in Peterborough shortly before midday. Police, fire crews, paramedics, and an air ambulance attended the scene and the road between Church Walk and Broadway was cordoned off. A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Police said: "Crews from Dogsthorpe and Stanground and a rescue vehicle were called to a road traffic collision in Broadway, Peterborough city centre." A structural engineer was called to assess damage to the building and a gas engineer isolated the mains. Firefighters used specialist cutting equipment to rescue two casualties from the car by 1pm. A further 12 walking wounded are being treated by the ambulance service at a ...

    As the festive period draws ever nearer, it’s important to make sure you know exactly how you’re going to get around - so don’t be caught out by the Tube times. Check below before you travel around Christmas and New Year. Christmas Eve On Christmas Eve, the London Underground will run a normal service until 3pm, after which there will be fewer trains on the Metropolitan line. The last trains on all lines will run to a Sunday timetable, except the Waterloo & City line which will close at around 11.15pm. The District line will run between Kensington (Olympia) and Earl's Court from 6.45pm to 11.50pm. Overground services will begin to wind down from 9pm and the last TfL Rail service will leave Liverpool Street at 9pm. Normal service on the DLR lasts until 4pm, then off-pea...

    NHS hospital trusts have been accused of levying a "tax on sick people" after it was revealed some are making more than £3m a year from car parking charges. Year on year, hospitals across England are raising increasing amounts of money from staff, patients and visitors, including those who are disabled, Freedom of Information requests show. It has also been revealed that hospitals are giving millions of pounds to private companies to run their car parks for them, and allowing some to profit from parking fines. The investigation by the Press Association found others are tied into private finance initiative (PFI) contracts, where all the money raised from charging patients, staff and visitors goes to private companies under long-term contracts. Of the more than 90 trusts tha...

    Police are investigating a hate crime after two pigs' heads were left outside a Muslim school in Lancashire. One head was thrown over the fence of Markazul Uloom boarding school in Blackburn, while another was found by the school gates. They are believed to have been left between 5pm on Friday 18 and 8.30am on Saturday, when police were called. Eating pork is forbidden in Islam. Chief Inspector Sheena Tattum, of Blackburn Police, told the Lancashire Evening Post: "This is being treated extremely seriously and we understand the concern that incidents like this, while thankfully rare, can cause in the community. "An investigation is underway to identify those responsible and a team of detectives are carrying out numerous inquiries." She added: "We have carried out house to h...

    The Department for Transport (DfT) has revealed a series of proposals in a bid to improve safety on Britain’s roads. A series of consultations on each of the specific proposals will take place in 2016, and they could come into force over the next few years. Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Britain has some of the safest roads in the world but we are always looking to improve that record. “Today we are delivering common sense proposals that balance tougher penalties for dangerous drivers with practical steps to help youngsters and other more vulnerable groups stay safe on our roads.” The proposals, outlined below, come after a series of new laws were introduced in 2015 – including a ban on smoking in cars containing children, and an increase in speed limits of ...

    The prime minister has ordered a review of the use of guns by police in England and Wales following the Paris attacks, the BBC understands. The review will examine whether the law gives enough support to officers making a "split-second" decision to shoot. It follows concerns from senior police that firearms officers do not have the necessary legal or political backing to work with confidence. Labour has warned of possible damage to community relations with the police. Gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris when they attacked a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars almost simultaneously on 13 November. BBC political correspondent Chris Mason says the atrocity has provoked deep soul-searching within government and among the police, raising the qu...

    The Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, has asked officials to review home schooling amid fears that thousand of children are having their minds filled with poison by radicalised parents. Between 20,000 and 50,000 children are thought to be educated at home – but the Government has no idea of the exact number because parents are under no obligation to inform their local council. Ms Morgan has already announced a crackdown on unregistered schools and “weekend madrassas” after some were found to be promoting extremist ideology. But senior government sources have revealed that home schooling is now “on the radar”. Under proposals being considered in Whitehall, parents and teachers will be given a specific point of contact at local councils in order to raise concerns about a ch...