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In the News
Parents call in lawyers over soaring care costs
Ageing parents are drawing up legal documents to make clear that they would rather die than allow excessive care home fees to eat into their child’s inheritance. The rising cost of elderly care is leading the middle-aged to create powers of attorney enshrining their desire to refuse treatment...Ageing parents are drawing up legal documents to make clear that they would rather die than allow excessive care home fees to eat into their child’s inheritance. The rising cost of elderly care is leading the middle-aged to create powers of attorney enshrining their desire to refuse treatment...Ageing parents are drawing up legal documents to make clear that they would rather die than allow excessive care home fees to...
Read the full storyThree-year-olds can be identified as criminals of the future
A fifth of the population is responsible for four fifths of crime, two fifths of obesity, three quarters of fatherless families and for claiming two thirds of benefits. What’s more, scientists say, you can identify this troublesome group at the age of three. A 45-minute test rating children on IQ and self-control, combined with information...A fifth of the population is responsible for four fifths of crime, two fifths of obesity, three quarters of fatherless families and for claiming two thirds of benefits. What’s more, scientists say, you can identify this troublesome group at the age of three. A 45-minute test rating children on IQ and self-control, combined with information...A fifth of the population is responsible for four fifths of crime, two fifths of obesity, three quarters of fatherless families...
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We’ll strike for a decade, rail union tells minister
updatedBritain’s railways could be hit by a decade of industrial action, unions have warned, as one of the country’s biggest networks was shut by the worst train strike in a generation. Aslef, the train drivers’ union, told the government that the railway faced at least ten years of disputes as part of an increasingly...Britain’s railways could be hit by a decade of industrial action, unions have warned, as one of...Britain’s railways could be hit by a decade of industrial action, unions have warned, as one of...
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Christmas deliveries to be disrupted by Post Office strikes
Christmas mail services face serious disruption after Post Office workers voted to stage five days of strikes before...Christmas mail services face serious disruption after Post Office workers voted to stage five...Christmas mail services face serious disruption after Post Office workers voted to stage five...
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African midwives flown in for FGM ‘parties’
newMidwives are being flown from Africa to carry out illegal cutting ceremonies in female genital mutilation “parties”...Midwives are being flown from Africa to carry out illegal cutting ceremonies in female genital...Midwives are being flown from Africa to carry out illegal cutting ceremonies in female genital...
Read the full storyBlake’s Jerusalem cottage decays as money runs out
The cottage that inspired William Blake’s vision of a green and pleasant land is decaying because the celebrity-backed charity which bought the property last year cannot afford its restoration, campaigners have claimed. Inspectors from Historic...The cottage that inspired William Blake’s vision of a green and pleasant land is decaying because...The cottage that inspired William Blake’s vision of a green and pleasant land is decaying because...
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times investigation
Linking health with social care can offer a lifeline to the frail
times investigation
Rediscovering those freewheeling days of fun and friendship
times investigation
Villas in sun where the help is cheaper and more cheerful
times investigation
Families face ‘emotional blackmail’ to pay top-up fees
times investigation
First gay home stops pensioners going back into the closet
times investigation
Thousands of carers earning less than the minimum wage
times investigation
Rushed helpers work 16 days straight
Uber staff ‘used app to stalk users’
Employees of Uber exploited the ride-sharing app to spy on partners and celebrities, a former investigator for the...Employees of Uber exploited the ride-sharing app to spy on partners and celebrities, a former...Employees of Uber exploited the ride-sharing app to spy on partners and celebrities, a former...
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the times diary
France’s new British queen?
Hillary Clinton’s defeat means America’s last female head of state remains Queen Anne in 1714. The French, meanwhile...Hillary Clinton’s defeat means America’s last female head of state remains Queen Anne in 1714.Hillary Clinton’s defeat means America’s last female head of state remains Queen Anne in 1714.
Read the full storychristmas appeal
Hear me roar: young refugees fight their way out of despair
Of all the girls on this forgotten desert plain, Rayan roars the loudest. The 12-year-old fled Isis with her six siblings and pregnant mother, escaping from their house in the dead of night and hiding with another family in a van that ran the...Of all the girls on this forgotten desert plain, Rayan roars the loudest. The 12-year-old fled...Of all the girls on this forgotten desert plain, Rayan roars the loudest. The 12-year-old fled...
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Minister who fought Thatcher dies at 89
Lord Prior, a Conservative “wet” who repeatedly clashed with Margaret Thatcher while serving in her cabinet, has died...Lord Prior, a Conservative “wet” who repeatedly clashed with Margaret Thatcher while serving in...Lord Prior, a Conservative “wet” who repeatedly clashed with Margaret Thatcher while serving in...
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999 operators wrote by hand after IT fault
Police emergency call handlers were forced to make handwritten notes of more than 2,500 incidents after a...Police emergency call handlers were forced to make handwritten notes of more than 2,500 incidents...Police emergency call handlers were forced to make handwritten notes of more than 2,500 incidents...
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RED BOX: COMMENT
It’s time to return RBS to the people who saved it
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is not the most exciting of public bodies, but occasionally its reports...The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is not the most exciting of public bodies, but...The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is not the most exciting of public bodies, but...
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RED BOX: COMMENT
Human rights must be at the heart of foreign policy
Though most countries in the world have signed and ratified the main international human rights conventions, many...Though most countries in the world have signed and ratified the main international human rights...Though most countries in the world have signed and ratified the main international human rights...
Read the full storyDoctor turns up a £12.5m Leonardo
The auctioneer was in “a bit of a rush” when a retired doctor came to visit him with a portfolio of miscellaneous drawings. Thaddée Prate, director of old master pictures at Tajan auction house in Paris, was certainly not expecting an undiscovered work by Leonardo da Vinci. Among the 14 works was a striking image of St Sebastian that Mr Prate recognised as “an...The auctioneer was in “a bit of a rush” when a retired doctor came to visit him with a portfolio...The auctioneer was in “a bit of a rush” when a retired doctor came to visit him with a portfolio...
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Emin gives up bid to demolish listed building
Tracey Emin has finally admitted defeat in her attempt to knock down a listed building and replace it with a home...Tracey Emin has finally admitted defeat in her attempt to knock down a listed building and replace it with a home connected to her studio. The Turner Prize winning artist applied 18 months ago for planning permission to demolish a former council building in the east London district of Spitalfields. The scheme was...Tracey Emin has finally admitted defeat in her attempt to knock down a listed building and replace it with a home connected to...
Read the full storyAssad troops accused of atrocities in final hours of Aleppo siege
A top UN official accused regime forces of committing atrocities in Aleppo last night as fighters, doctors and civilians waited out the final hours in a tiny pocket still held by rebels. Six more neighbourhoods fell over the course of the day, leaving the rebels in an area less than a mile wide between the River Aleppo and the Salaheddin district near the main sports...A top UN official accused regime forces of committing atrocities in Aleppo last night as fighters...A top UN official accused regime forces of committing atrocities in Aleppo last night as fighters...
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Sisi blames church blast on Muslim suicide bomber
A blast that killed at least 25 people during a Sunday service in Egypt’s main cathedral complex was a suicide bomb...A blast that killed at least 25 people during a Sunday service in Egypt’s main cathedral complex was a suicide bomb, according to President Sisi. Speaking at a state funeral for the victims yesterday, the former military chief identified the alleged perpetrator as Mahmoud Shafiq Mohamed Mustafa, aged 22. The...A blast that killed at least 25 people during a Sunday service in Egypt’s main cathedral complex was a suicide bomb, according...
Read the full storyErdogan makes bid for absolute power
President Erdogan is a step closer to becoming Turkey’s unchallenged leader after a bill handing him sweeping executive powers was put to parliament. If passed, the constitutional change would bring about the most profound reform to the country’s political system since the modern Turkish state was founded in 1923. The 21 proposed amendments to the constitution would...President Erdogan is a step closer to becoming Turkey’s unchallenged leader after a bill handing...President Erdogan is a step closer to becoming Turkey’s unchallenged leader after a bill handing...
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Record number of journalists jailed around the world
newThe crackdown after the failed coup in Turkey in the summer helped push the number of journalists detained by...The crackdown after the failed coup in Turkey in the summer helped push the number of journalists detained by governments around the world to a 26-year high. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an American press freedom campaign group, estimated in a report published today that 259 journalists were detained...The crackdown after the failed coup in Turkey in the summer helped push the number of journalists detained by governments...
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Analysis
Spies can’t always tell the whole story
Even when the strongest evidence of espionage or cyberwarfare is sitting on a spymaster’s desk, there can never be...Even when the strongest evidence of espionage or cyberwarfare is sitting on a spymaster’s desk...Even when the strongest evidence of espionage or cyberwarfare is sitting on a spymaster’s desk...
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Balloon crash pilot took cocktail of drugs
The pilot responsible for America’s worst hot air balloon crash had opioids in his system that should have...The pilot responsible for America’s worst hot air balloon crash had opioids in his system that...The pilot responsible for America’s worst hot air balloon crash had opioids in his system that...
Read the full storyOil price rise hits drivers in the pocket
updatedBritish motorists are facing a “bleak mid-winter” as the AA warned that petrol prices would rise after yesterday’s 5 per cent jump in the price of crude oil. A deal struck in Vienna last weekend between Russia and a string of other exporters to trim output by more than half a million barrels a...British motorists are facing a “bleak mid-winter” as the AA warned that petrol prices would rise after yesterday’s 5 per cent jump in the price of crude oil. A deal struck in Vienna last weekend between Russia and a string of other exporters to trim output by more than half a million barrels a...British motorists are facing a “bleak mid-winter” as the AA warned that petrol prices would rise after yesterday’s 5 per cent...
Read the full storyEmployers predict happy new year for hiring staff
Employers across the UK have shrugged off economic uncertainty from the Brexit vote, reporting the most optimistic outlook on hiring plans in three years. Manpower, one of the top recruitment companies in the UK, said companies had returned to a “business as usual” approach to hiring after a pause in plans after the EU referendum. Its...Employers across the UK have shrugged off economic uncertainty from the Brexit vote, reporting the most optimistic outlook on hiring plans in three years. Manpower, one of the top recruitment companies in the UK, said companies had returned to a “business as usual” approach to hiring after a pause in plans after the EU referendum. Its...Employers across the UK have shrugged off economic uncertainty from the Brexit vote, reporting the most optimistic outlook on...
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Reshuffle lays bare ‘accounting issues’
The majority owner of Agent Provocateur has hired KPMG to investigate various “accounting issues” that have been uncovered during a boardroom reshuffle at the lingerie retailer. 3i, the private equity group, has instructured KPMG to review how the retailer’s filed accounts were put together and how issues, thought...The majority owner of Agent Provocateur has hired KPMG to investigate various “accounting issues”...The majority owner of Agent Provocateur has hired KPMG to investigate various “accounting issues”...
Read the full storyDNA device creates biotech unicorn
A DNA analysis company that was spun out of Oxford University 11 years ago has raised £100 million in a private placing, giving it a valuation of £1.25 billion. The investment will cement Oxford Nanopore’s status in Europe as...A DNA analysis company that was spun out of Oxford University 11 years ago has raised £100 million in a private placing, giving it a valuation of £1.25 billion. The investment will cement Oxford Nanopore’s status in Europe as...A DNA analysis company that was spun out of Oxford University 11 years ago has raised £100 million in a private...
Read the full storyTech company swallowed by US rival for £620m
While Oxford Nanopore was brandishing its credentials as a highly valuable private company, another British tech company was losing its independence in a £620 million takeover deal. Every minute of the day someone receiving...While Oxford Nanopore was brandishing its credentials as a highly valuable private company, another British tech company was losing its independence in a £620 million takeover deal. Every minute of the day someone receiving...While Oxford Nanopore was brandishing its credentials as a highly valuable private company, another British tech...
Read the full storyTrump tweet puts £4bn hole in defence company shares
Donald Trump wiped nearly £200 million off the value of BAE Systems yesterday after he took to Twitter to criticise cost overruns on the F-35 fighter jet project. Shortly before markets opened in the US, Mr Trump tweeted: “The F-35 program and...Donald Trump wiped nearly £200 million off the value of BAE Systems yesterday after he took to...Donald Trump wiped nearly £200 million off the value of BAE Systems yesterday after he took to...
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Mortgage industry faces fairness inquiry
Britain’s financial watchdog has launched a wholesale review of the mortgage market to assess whether there is sufficient competition in the sector and if it should be improved to benefit consumers. The Financial Conduct...Britain’s financial watchdog has launched a wholesale review of the mortgage market to assess whether there is sufficient competition in the sector and if it should be improved to benefit consumers. The Financial Conduct...Britain’s financial watchdog has launched a wholesale review of the mortgage market to assess whether there is...
Read the full storyMake RBS a people’s bank, say MPs
An MP calling for Royal Bank of Scotland to be turned into a building society claims to have won support from others in parliament. Gareth Thomas, chairman of the Co-operative Party and Labour MP for Harrow West, will formally...An MP calling for Royal Bank of Scotland to be turned into a building society claims to have won support from others in parliament. Gareth Thomas, chairman of the Co-operative Party and Labour MP for Harrow West, will formally...An MP calling for Royal Bank of Scotland to be turned into a building society claims to have won support from others...
Read the full storyNetwork coverage still off kilter
updatedOfcom is to lay bare the state of Britain’s mobile networks after urging operators to extend their services to reach the entire country. The regulator will reveal the proportion of the UK where mobile users still struggle to find a signal, having...Ofcom is to lay bare the state of Britain’s mobile networks after urging operators to extend...Ofcom is to lay bare the state of Britain’s mobile networks after urging operators to extend...
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All Blacks in sight
England are gaining on the world’s best, but they struggle at set pieces
cricket
Cook: Root is ready to replace me
Alastair Cook says that Joe Root is ready to take over the England Test captaincy after admitting for the first time that he will seriously consider his future in the role at the end of the present series against India. Cook was speaking after England’s innings defeat in Mumbai put India into an...Alastair Cook says that Joe Root is ready to take over the England Test captaincy after admitting for the first time that he will seriously consider his future in the role at the end of the present series against India. Cook was speaking after England’s innings defeat in Mumbai put India into an...Alastair Cook says that Joe Root is ready to take over the England Test captaincy after admitting for the first time that he...
Read the full storyPremier League
Klopp hits out at ‘failure’ Neville
Jürgen Klopp has launched a scathing attack on Gary Neville, claiming that his failure as Valencia coach has undermined his credibility when judging players, as the war of words intensified over the form of Loris Karius. The Liverpool goalkeeper was at fault for conceding Dimitri Payet’s free kick in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United on...Jürgen Klopp has launched a scathing attack on Gary Neville, claiming that his failure as Valencia coach has undermined his credibility when judging players, as the war of words intensified over the form of Loris Karius. The Liverpool goalkeeper was at fault for conceding Dimitri Payet’s free kick in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United on...Jürgen Klopp has launched a scathing attack on Gary Neville, claiming that his failure as Valencia coach has undermined his...
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Premier League
No new Chelsea deal for Terry
exclusiveJohn Terry has been told that this will be his last season as a player with Chelsea as the club begin the process of finding another role for him at Stamford Bridge. During informal and cordial talks, the captain also reassured Chelsea’s board that he does not want to leave in next month’s transfer window — despite...John Terry has been told that this will be his last season as a player with Chelsea as the club...John Terry has been told that this will be his last season as a player with Chelsea as the club...
Read the full storyHenry Winter
Privilege to live in the age of Ronaldo
Champions League
Group winners – but Arsenal still pull short straw
Tony Cascarino
Monaco can add City to English conquests
Europa League
Saint-Étienne draw ticks all the boxes for Mourinho
Football
Scudamore slams ‘cheap shot’ from men who had their time
Richard Scudamore has delivered a withering response to the former FA chairmen who have demanded greater regulation of the Premier League, insisting: “They had their chance to change football.” The league’s chief executive said that Greg Dyke and other former leading FA figures had made “a cheap shot” in dragging the Premier League into the argument over reforms of the...Richard Scudamore has delivered a withering response to the former FA chairmen who have demanded...Richard Scudamore has delivered a withering response to the former FA chairmen who have demanded...
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Henry Winter
Time for FA to act like a reform club, not a rotary one
So a group of elderly white men pick a fight with another group of elderly white men. With a letter. Whatever...So a group of elderly white men pick a fight with another group of elderly white men. With a letter. Whatever happened to duelling? The dispute between FA panjandrums past and present is hardly gangland style, though it could get bloody. Just to complicate the long-running debate about governance in English football...So a group of elderly white men pick a fight with another group of elderly white men. With a letter. Whatever happened to...
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Cricket
Kohli: England and Anderson must learn to be good losers
India captain Virat Kohli has hit back at James Anderson after the England bowler’s critique of his technique led to...India captain Virat Kohli has hit back at James Anderson after the England bowler’s critique of...India captain Virat Kohli has hit back at James Anderson after the England bowler’s critique of...
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Giles Smith
Conspiracy theories abound as it ends in tears for Claudia
First it was Greg Rutherford, and now it’s Claudia Fragapane, as once again the Strictly Come Dancing judges...First it was Greg Rutherford, and now it’s Claudia Fragapane, as once again the Strictly Come...First it was Greg Rutherford, and now it’s Claudia Fragapane, as once again the Strictly Come...
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Premier League
Koeman admits Everton are weak
Premier League
Divers should get three-game ban, says Pulis
Premier League
Guardiola gives Agüero week off after four-game ban
rugby union
Hartley sweats on verdict
Championship fixtures
Results, scorers and upcoming games for the season
Obituary
Lord Prior
A Conservative MP for 28 years and a cabinet minister under two successive Tory prime ministers, Jim Prior reached the apex of his fame as the leading “wet” in Margaret Thatcher’s government. Bluff, genial and with the bucolic countenance of the farmer he had once been, Prior always enjoyed a comfy public identity that eluded fellow internal dissidents such as Ian...A Conservative MP for 28 years and a cabinet minister under two successive Tory prime ministers...A Conservative MP for 28 years and a cabinet minister under two successive Tory prime ministers...
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obituary
Adolf Burger
When Adolf Burger was summoned to see the camp commander in Auschwitz-Birkenau in April 1944, many fears passed...When Adolf Burger was summoned to see the camp commander in Auschwitz-Birkenau in April 1944, many fears passed through his mind. He had somehow survived there, escaping the worst forced labour assignments, starvation, disease (even after being deliberately infected with typhus) and the gas chambers. “What fate was...When Adolf Burger was summoned to see the camp commander in Auschwitz-Birkenau in April 1944, many fears passed through his mind.
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DECEMBER 13, 1916
Seamen’s demand for action
LAW REPORT
Handling of claim was inappropriate
Court Circular
December 12
WEATHER EYE
A festive light display in the sky
A tattooed fairy and smoking elves — Christmas catastrophes
Some scandals cost politicians their careers. For Ed Balls, one nearly ruined his family’s festive celebrations. And he’s not alone. Here are three confessions of yuletide calamity
The autistic boy whose life was unlocked by Disney
As a child, Owen Suskind learnt to communicate using cartoon dialogue. He explains how he became the subject of a new documentary
ARTS
Danielle de Niese: I was on stage weeks after giving birth
The soprano Danielle de Niese is also lady of the manor at Glyndebourne. That doesn’t mean she’ll stop trying to be the best
BODY AND SOUL
Tried the stairmonster yet? How to get ahead on 2017’s gym trends
From cocooning to acting like a bear, what the smartest gym-goers will be doing next year
first night review
Theatre: Sweet Charity at Royal Exchange, Manchester
★★★★★
Charity Hope Valentine is “just nuts about happy endings”. They tend not to come her way. Our eponymous dance hall hostess doesn’t just wear her heart on her sleeve — it’s tattooed right on her shoulder. Appropriately enough, it’s...★★★★★
Charity Hope Valentine is “just nuts about happy endings”. They tend not to come her...★★★★★
Charity Hope Valentine is “just nuts about happy endings”. They tend not to come her...
FIRST NIGHT REVIEW
Concert: Gerald Finley/ Antonio Pappano at the Barbican
first night review
Jazz: Guy Barker Big Band at the Royal Albert Hall
FIRST NIGHT REVIEW
Pop: Super Furry Animals at the Roundhouse, NW1
FIRST NIGHT REVIEW
Concert: Solomon’s Knot at Shoreditch Town Hall, EC1
FIRST NIGHT REVIEW
Theatre: The Snow Queen at Bristol Old Vic
★★★☆☆
There are some family shows that parents enjoy so much they might even forget to check that their children are having fun. Bristol Old Vic has some form in staging such shows, not least Sally Cookson’s version of Peter Pan, which is now on...★★★☆☆
There are some family shows that parents enjoy so much they might even forget to check...★★★☆☆
There are some family shows that parents enjoy so much they might even forget to check...
MindGames
The Times Daily Quiz
DINNER TONIGHT
Lindsey Bareham’s chicken, chorizo and potato stew
The Times Film Show
Snowden and The Birth of a Nation
Watch our critics discuss the big new releases. This week — Snowden and The Birth of a Nation. See the Times+...Watch our critics discuss the big new releases. This week — Snowden and The Birth of a Nation...Watch our critics discuss the big new releases. This week — Snowden and The Birth of a Nation...
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BEAUTY
Five of the best Christmas candles
Cinnamon Dream scented candle, £14.99, H&M (hm.com)
They say The scented candle Cinnamon Dream celebrates...Cinnamon Dream scented candle, £14.99, H&M (hm.com)
They say The scented candle Cinnamon...Cinnamon Dream scented candle, £14.99, H&M (hm.com)
They say The scented candle Cinnamon...
first night review
Theatre: Hedda Gabler at the Lyttelton, SE1
★★★★☆
It’s never a fun-fest, this play by Henrik Ibsen, but this version by Patrick Marber seems even grimmer than usual. The huge stage seems virtually bare but for a piano, at which a woman wearing a slip is slumped, playing the same triplet...★★★★☆
It’s never a fun-fest, this play by Henrik Ibsen, but this version by Patrick Marber...★★★★☆
It’s never a fun-fest, this play by Henrik Ibsen, but this version by Patrick Marber...
Sturgeon’s pressure on cancer drug is revealed
Emails show how clinical decision was reversed
Health board managers changed their minds about providing treatment to a patient with cancer after concerted pressure from the Scottish government, documents have revealed. Emails released under freedom of information (FoI) laws show a flurry of urgent communications from, to and within NHS...Health board managers changed their minds about providing treatment to a patient with cancer after concerted pressure from the Scottish government, documents have revealed. Emails released under freedom of information (FoI) laws show a flurry of urgent communications from, to and within NHS...Health board managers changed their minds about providing treatment to a patient with cancer after concerted pressure from the...
Read the full storySchools have £540 less per pupil
Spending on Scottish schools has dropped by the equivalent of £540 per pupil since the turn of the decade, according to new research. Publication of the new figures, compiled by independent Scottish parliament researchers, led to fresh calls for cuts to schools budgets to be reversed in Thursday’s Holyrood budget amid intense scrutiny of...Spending on Scottish schools has dropped by the equivalent of £540 per pupil since the turn of the decade, according to new research. Publication of the new figures, compiled by independent Scottish parliament researchers, led to fresh calls for cuts to schools budgets to be reversed in Thursday’s Holyrood budget amid intense scrutiny of...Spending on Scottish schools has dropped by the equivalent of £540 per pupil since the turn of the decade, according to new...
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SNP economist warns plan to tax rich more could backfire
Using new tax powers to increase bills for the rich would risk backfiring, an economist appointed by Nicola Sturgeon to help boost economic growth in Scotland has warned. Andrew Wilson, a former SNP MSP who is leading a party “growth commission”, said that ministers should learn lessons from the Scottish...Using new tax powers to increase bills for the rich would risk backfiring, an economist appointed...Using new tax powers to increase bills for the rich would risk backfiring, an economist appointed...
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Perth maps out route to prosperity
A new Tay bridge and link road that will “redefine” Perth as a major hub and create 5,000 new jobs is to be outlined...A new Tay bridge and link road that will “redefine” Perth as a major hub and create 5,000 new...A new Tay bridge and link road that will “redefine” Perth as a major hub and create 5,000 new...
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Scots denied new breast cancer drug used south of the border
Scottish women with breast cancer have been denied routine access to an innovative treatment that is available to...Scottish women with breast cancer have been denied routine access to an innovative treatment that...Scottish women with breast cancer have been denied routine access to an innovative treatment that...
Read the full storyLife-saving treatments barred on NHS must be handed out fairly, say patients
Patients, charities and doctors have called for transparency and consistency in the prescription of drugs not routinely available on the Scottish NHS. Anne MacLean-Chang, a nurse from Elgin, will receive Kadcyla, a breast cancer drug, on the NHS...Patients, charities and doctors have called for transparency and consistency in the prescription...Patients, charities and doctors have called for transparency and consistency in the prescription...
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Leading article
Bitter Pill
Scots pilot who helped to sink Bismarck dies at 97
A Scottish pilot who helped to sink the Bismarck during the Second World War has died at the age of 97. Lieutenant Commander John Moffat was credited with launching the torpedo that crippled the German warship in 1941. The airstrike on May 26 1941...A Scottish pilot who helped to sink the Bismarck during the Second World War has died at the age...A Scottish pilot who helped to sink the Bismarck during the Second World War has died at the age...
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Tories call for extra funds to tackle mental health
The Scottish Conservatives have called for a £300 million funding boost for mental health services. The extra cash is a key part of the party’s new mental health policy, which it launched yesterday. The policy calls for parity...The Scottish Conservatives have called for a £300 million funding boost for mental health services. The extra cash is a key part of the party’s new mental health policy, which it launched yesterday. The policy calls for parity...The Scottish Conservatives have called for a £300 million funding boost for mental health services. The extra cash is...
Read the full storyGarden of woman last seen in 1999 excavated
The garden of a missing woman is to be excavated after it emerged that she had not been seen in public for 17 years. Police Scotland said that the last confirmed sighting of Margaret Fleming was outside her home in Renfrewshire...The garden of a missing woman is to be excavated after it emerged that she had not been seen in public for 17 years. Police Scotland said that the last confirmed sighting of Margaret Fleming was outside her home in Renfrewshire...The garden of a missing woman is to be excavated after it emerged that she had not been seen in public for 17 years.
Read the full story‘Facilitator of child porn’ to stand trial in the US
A Dublin man described by the FBI as the “largest facilitator of child porn on the planet” has lost his bid to remain in Ireland and will now stand trial in the US where he could be sentenced to life in prison. Eric Eoin Marques, who has dual Irish and US citizenship, lost both his cases in the...A Dublin man described by the FBI as the “largest facilitator of child porn on the planet” has lost his bid to remain in Ireland and will now stand trial in the US where he could be sentenced to life in prison. Eric Eoin Marques, who has dual Irish and US citizenship, lost both his cases in the...A Dublin man described by the FBI as the “largest facilitator of child porn on the planet” has lost his bid to remain in...
Read the full storyTransitional deal ‘needed to protect Ireland’
It is highly likely that a transitional agreement will be needed to reach a negotiated Brexit settlement that includes a bilateral deal between Britain and Ireland, a member of the House of Lords has told The Times. Lord Jay of Ewelme was in Dublin yesterday for the launch of the House of Lords’ European Union select committee report...It is highly likely that a transitional agreement will be needed to reach a negotiated Brexit settlement that includes a bilateral deal between Britain and Ireland, a member of the House of Lords has told The Times. Lord Jay of Ewelme was in Dublin yesterday for the launch of the House of Lords’ European Union select committee report...It is highly likely that a transitional agreement will be needed to reach a negotiated Brexit settlement that includes a...
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Noonan says bilateral agreement not possible
Michael Noonan has said that it would not be possible to negotiate a bilateral agreement between the British and Irish governments as part of Brexit. The finance minister said he welcomed the report by the House of Lords’ European Union select committee on the implications of Britain leaving the EU for Ireland but...Michael Noonan has said that it would not be possible to negotiate a bilateral agreement between...Michael Noonan has said that it would not be possible to negotiate a bilateral agreement between...
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Call to curb parking fees for cancer patients
A leading charity has called on hospitals to scrap parking charges for cancer patients, some of whom are having to...A leading charity has called on hospitals to scrap parking charges for cancer patients, some of...A leading charity has called on hospitals to scrap parking charges for cancer patients, some of...
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Rapist jailed for 15 years after violent attack
A judge has jailed a rapist for 15 years saying he should be removed from society until it’s safe for him to return.A judge has jailed a rapist for 15 years saying he should be removed from society until it’s safe...A judge has jailed a rapist for 15 years saying he should be removed from society until it’s safe...
Read the full storyFour mortgage holders a day lose their home
More than four mortgage holders lost their home each day in the three months to the end of September. Data from the Central Bank show 421 homeowners either volunteered or were forced to hand over the keys to their property in...More than four mortgage holders lost their home each day in the three months to the end of September. Data from the Central Bank show 421 homeowners either volunteered or were forced to hand over the keys to their property in...More than four mortgage holders lost their home each day in the three months to the end of September. Data from the...
Read the full storyFacebook Ireland posts soaring sales of €7.9bn
Facebook Ireland’s tax bill trebled last year as its pre-tax profits rose by more than 850 per cent to €109.6 million. The social media giant, which employs more than 1,500 staff in Ireland, attributed the huge growth in...Facebook Ireland’s tax bill trebled last year as its pre-tax profits rose by more than 850 per cent to €109.6 million. The social media giant, which employs more than 1,500 staff in Ireland, attributed the huge growth in...Facebook Ireland’s tax bill trebled last year as its pre-tax profits rose by more than 850 per cent to €109.6 million.
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LEADING ARTICLE
Balancing Act
European Champions Cup
Cronin: Hartley’s absence will not weaken Saints
Boxing
Taylor set to box alongside the big guns in 2017
Katie Taylor’s 2017 fight schedule is likely to be based around superstar fighters Anthony Joshua and Gennady Golovkin, and possibly even Conor McGregor, according to her manager Brian Peters. The Bray fighter recorded her second professional win...Katie Taylor’s 2017 fight schedule is likely to be based around superstar fighters Anthony Joshua...Katie Taylor’s 2017 fight schedule is likely to be based around superstar fighters Anthony Joshua...
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Comment
Rachel Sylvester
It’s time to face up to the cost of growing old
Rachel Sylvester
The middle classes and the ‘left behind’ will unite in anger if the government can’t devise a way to pay for social care
Melanie Phillips
Britain deserves better than its weeping MPs
Hugo Rifkind
We’re up to our necks in the Amazon scandal
Ann Treneman
I’d listen to Patti Smith over Dylan any day
Oliver Kamm
Prince Charles’s homeopathy fad is joke medicine
Leading Articles
Shadow of the Kremlin
Donald Trump must get to the bottom of the alleged Russian hacking of the US election. It represents a dangerous challenge to western democracy
Southern Fail
Deluded unions and botched management are wrecking commuters’ lives
Book Value
Public libraries remain an important civic resource in the digital age
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Solutions to the state of social care in Britain
Sir, Any increase in funding for social care would be welcome at a time when the current system is failing so many of the older people, their families and carers who depend on it (“Social care crisis forces May to raise council tax”, Dec 12).Sir, Any increase in funding for social care would be welcome at a time when the current system...Sir, Any increase in funding for social care would be welcome at a time when the current system...
Read the full storyDaily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: Train drivers working for Southern begin a two-day strike; Bournemouth host Leicester and Arsenal travel to Everton in the Premier League; the Office for National Statistics releases monthly inflation figures; the Duchess of Cornwall hosts a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour Power List 2016, which will be revealed on the programme tomorrow.
Egypt: The country observes a third day of mourning after at least 25 people were killed in a bomb explosion at El-Botroseya church in Cairo on Sunday.
On this day
In 1577 Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth on the Pelican (later renamed the Golden Hind) on the first circumnavigation of the globe by an Englishman;
In 1642 the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first sighted New Zealand;
In 1862 Confederate forces under Robert E Lee won the Battle of Fredericksburg;
In 1937 the Japanese army began their six-week occupation of the Chinese city of Nanking, a massacre in which hundreds of thousands of people died;
In 1974 Malta was proclaimed a republic within the British Commonwealth;
In 2003 the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured near his home town of Tikrit.
Nature notes
Nuthatches are noisy in the treetops and are quite easy to see now that the leaves have fallen. They are plump, short-tailed little birds, bluish-grey above and white beneath, with orange flanks and a black stripe through the eye. They move among the branches and twigs with extraordinary facility, jumping up or down or sideways, and they often walk down a tree trunk head-first. When they are going down a trunk they may lift their head to look out, making them look like an L-shaped bracket on the trunk. They are noisy both because they hammer with their sharp beak at acorns they have wedged in tree bark, and because they call a great deal, with a kind of piping “whit-whit” sound. The pairs remain together in winter, and are often engaged in loud territorial disputes with other pairs high in the trees. They like clumps of trees that are close together so that it is easy for them to fly between them.
Derwent May
Birthdays today
Professor Alan Alexander, general secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 73; Ben Bernanke, economist, chairman of the US Federal Reserve (2006-14), 63; Olav Bjortomt, international quiz player, 38; Howard Brenton, playwright, The Romans in Britain (1980), Anne Boleyn (2010), 74; Steve Buscemi, actor, Reservoir Dogs (1992), Boardwalk Empire (2010-14), 59; Sara Cox, radio presenter and DJ, 42; Jim Davidson, comedian, 63; Sir Desmond de Silva, QC, chairman of the inquiry into torture and executions of detainees in Syria (2014), 77; Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general, Confederation of British Industry, 56; Jamie Foxx, actor, Ray (2004), Django Unchained (2012), 49; John Francome, seven-time National Hunt champion jockey, vice-president, Injured Jockeys Fund, author, Storm Rider (2010) and former Channel 4 racing presenter, 64; Christopher Gorringe, chief executive, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, (1983-2005), 71; Harry Gregson-Williams, film composer, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), 55; Anouska Hempel (Lady Weinberg), hotelier and interior designer, former actress, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), 75; Prince Karim, the Aga Khan, 80; Robert Lindsay, actor, Citizen Smith (1977-80), My Family (2000-11), 67; Naomi Long, politician, leader, Alliance Party, 45; James Murdoch, chairman, Sky, and chief executive, 21st Century Fox, 44; Christopher Plummer, actor, The Sound of Music (1965), Remember (2015), 87; Leo Quinn, chief executive, Balfour Beatty, 60; George Shultz, US secretary of state (1982-89), 96; Dame Julia Slingo, chief scientist, Meteorological Office, 66; General Sir Rupert Smith, deputy supreme Allied commander Europe (1998-2001), 73; Mgr Roderick Strange, professor in theology, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, former rector of the Pontifical Beda College, Rome, 71; Taylor Swift, singer-songwriter, I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (2016), 27; Dick Van Dyke, actor, Mary Poppins (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), 91; Brian Wilson, UK business ambassador, Labour MP (1987-2005) and energy minister (2001-03), 68; Leanne Wood, politician, leader, Plaid Cymru, 45.