UK drink-spiking laws to be “modernised” as campaigners call for specific criminal offence

Nicola Sturgeon has said there must be improvements in the way her flagship policy for children in care is delivered over the next few years.

Radiohead‘s Ed O’Brien has shared that he is “deep into” his next solo album and has called for a ceasefire in Gaza.The Radiohead guitarist turned solo star took to his official Instagram to wish everyone a Happy New Year and to provide an apology for his lack of posting on the social media platform. He began with a comment on the Israel and Palestine conflict – and the Hamas attack on an Israeli music festival back in October that saw hundreds killed or abducted and thousands more injured – before share details of the progress of his next solo record.“Like so many of you I have found the events of October 7 and what has followed too awful for words.. anything that I have tried to write feels so utterly inadequate.

Alan Bates has called for former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to be stripped of her CBE, following the release of new ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, 2 January, Alan, whose real life story is the focus of the four-part series, spoke about his reasons for turning down an OBE before demanding Paula, who was the CEO of Post Office from 2012 until 2019, have her honours taken away.

Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel says Erik ten Hag was wrong to haul off Kobbie Mainoo at half-time during the 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. Mainoo started for the fourth match running, but the teenager was sacrificed after 45 minutes to make way for Scott McTominay.

Dolly Parton is doing something wonderful for the holiday season.

There has been a fresh call for answers from the region’s bus operator after school pupils were evacuated from a local service for the second time in less than a month.

Manchester United supporters are divided on Erik ten Hag’s decision to sell Anthony Elanga after the winger helped Nottingham Forest pull off a shock win.

ITV Britain Get Singing viewers have called for one team to be disqualified. People watching the show on Christmas Eve said that the EastEnders team shouldn't have been able to compete because one team member was no longer in the soap.

Your son too,” he added, presumably about Hunter. “Your response is..? Sincerely, John Schneider,” he concluded.

On the night he lost Fox’s The Masked Singer and spoke to various news outlets about the upcoming one-year anniversary of his wife’s death, former Dukes of Hazzard actor John Schneider called for the public executions of President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

statement calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”.The union’s executive committee has also agreed to make a donation to the Red Cross to support humanitarian causes in Israel and Palestine and will also give money to the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which educates young Israeli and Palestinian musicians.According to the MU, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has seen its members “directly affected” by the conflict.The MU add: “The orchestra’s purpose has always been to bring individuals impacted by war together through music. In an increasingly polarised world, the ability to listen to and understand the pain of others is ever more important.”Explaining its plan to donate to both charities it adds: “We call for an end to war and violence,” before further discussing its support for a ceasefire: “We support the TUC and UN call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East and strongly urge the international community to make all efforts to ensure that international law is upheld and all civilians are protected.“At the MU, we are aware of members being directly and indirectly impacted by events in the Middle East.

An elderly woman tragically died after being unable to use her personal alarm due to a broken telegraph pole, her neighbours have claimed. Locals in Maerdy, South Wales, say the pole was damaged after a car ploughed into it on December 1.

Humza Yousaf has called for the House of Lords to be scrapped after Michelle Mone admitted lying about her involvement with a company in a PPE contracts row.

Eurovision is receiving backlash and boycott calls after allowing Israel to compete in next year’s competition.The country has been included on the list of participating contestants in Sweden in 2024 leading many to call for the country to be banned from the contest due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.According to a recent report by Al Jazeera, at least 10,812 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. In Israel, the death toll over the same period stands at more than 1,400.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNWRA (via euronews), also claims that nearly 1.9million people – more than 85 per cent of the population in Gaza – have been displaced.

Cinema professionals from across Europe are gathered in Berlin this evening for the 36th European Film Awards.

After three nail biting weeks in the Australian Jungle, this year’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here king or queen of the jungle is just days away from being revealed - but fans aren’t happy with the way the results have been announced so far. Each night prior to the elimination, show hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly head into camp to share the news about which contestants are safe and which received the lowest public votes, but long-time viewers are fed up with the lack of lack of suspense in the vote reveal.

Whiplash Oscar winner J.K. Simmons has joined the cast of Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 at Warner Bros.

Furious I’m a Celebrity fans have vowed to stop watching the show, after yet another contestant was eliminated before controversial politician Nigel Farage. Danielle Harold became the fifth contestant to be eliminated from the show on Thursday evening (7 December), as she followed hot on the heels of former campmates Nick Pickard, Fred Sirieix, Nella Rose and Frankie Dettori, who were all voted out of the show this week.

The huge canopy erected for Chanel's Manchester fashion show will be coming down - but may not be lost forever, the Manchester Evening News has learned.

Nick Holdsworth At the closing ceremony of the 3rd edition of the Red Sea Film Festival Thursday, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in front of an audience that included Hollywood stars Nicolas Cage, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Jason Statham and Adrien Brody, the Golden Yusr for best film and a $100,000 cash prize went to Pakistani-Canadian horror film “In Flames,” directed by Zarrar Kahn. The director said that the indie movie was shot for “just $300,000 — the size of a Red Sea Fund production grant.” He urged “everyone who gets a grant to go make a movie, because this was made for nothing.” The Silver Yusr prize for best feature film went to Tarsem Singh for “Dear Jassi.” The film, an India/Canada/U.S.