27+ min ago (776+ words) Criminals send thousands of texts about an undelivered bargain buy and ask for a redelivery fee in a bid to mine your data and bank details You have landed a lot of bargains in the run-up to Black Friday and most of your Christmas shopping is done. So when a text arrives about a delivery, it's no surprise. A quick click on a link and you have paid the "2 redelivery charge it's asking for. The problem is, the package in the text does not exist, and you have just handed your bank details to a criminal gang which has been "spraying" thousands of similar messages to mobile phones around the UK after one of the year's biggest shopping days. Warnings have been issued by the government, mobile phone operators and delivery companies as fraud reaches record levels in the run-up…...

27+ min ago (601+ words) Family "saddened" by minister"s response to London coroner"s concerns over police database access Georgia"s story: how a domestic abuse victim"s suicide was ruled an unlawful killing by her partner The family of a woman judged to have been unlawfully killed by her partner after she took her own life following years of domestic abuse has said "lessons have still not been learnt" after the government indicated it would not make changes to how officers use the police national database. An inquest earlier this year found that Georgia Barter, 32, experienced years of abuse at the hands of Thomas Bignell. The inquest, in Walthamstow, London, heard that even though Bignell was known to at least four police forces, officers were not always able to access information about previous reports or arrests on the police national database (PND) when…...

31+ min ago (1349+ words) Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet Ukrainian negotiators on Sunday, after a weekend of drone strikes on two Russian oil tankers and more deadly attacks on Kyiv. What we know on day 1,376See all our Ukraine war coverageThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida on Sunday for talks on Washington's plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine, a US official said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced earlier on Saturday that a delegation was en route to the US for this purpose. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will also attend the meeting. "Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov, together with the team, is already on the way to the United States," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. The…...

34+ min ago (524+ words) Venezuela responds defiantly to Trump comments about closing airspace above country, saying it doesn't accept foreign orders or threats The Venezuelan government has responded defiantly to heightened pressure by the US government, including Donald Trump's statements on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela is to be closed. In a statement, the Venezuelan government said Trump's comments were a "colonialist threat" against their sovereignty and violated international law. The government also said it demanded respect for its airspace and would not accept foreign orders or threats. Here are the key stories: Trump on Saturday, in a Truth Social post said: "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY." Due to Trump's announcement, all migrant deportation flights were "unilaterally suspended", the Venezuelan government said. Deportation…...

1+ hour, 27+ min ago (1793+ words) Our sex expert unwraps her favourite risque Christmas gifts " from cheeky stocking thrillers to mini massagers and toys The best self-care gifts for Christmas Giving a sexy present requires careful consideration. If you proffer a heavy-duty vibrator, piece of bondage gear or other bit of "serious" kit, the recipient may feel obliged to use it with you straight away so as not to look ungrateful " even if they're secretly a tad intimidated, or aren't ready to get freaky before the leftover turkey's been turned into stir-fry. I advise bundling risque gifts with softer playthings such as a bath bomb (try Lush's Sex Bomb), or a massage candle (I love Neom's treatment candle). Be honest with yourself about whether you're selecting a pressie for their pleasure or yours, too. If you've been angling to try nipple clamps, but your partner isn't…...

1+ hour, 27+ min ago (1282+ words) From Vietnam to the Balkans, Donald Trump's family has launched a global dealmaking blitz since his re-election A crusading prosecutor in the Balkans comes under pressure to drop a big case. Vietnamese villagers learn they are to be evicted. A convicted crypto kingpin in the Gulf receives a pardon. Trump's eldest sons, Don Jr and Eric, formally the custodians of the family business, are conducting a global dealmaking blitz. They have broken ground on new golf courses, received permission for new skyscrapers, rented out the Trump brand, and in cryptocurrency they have embraced a venture with the capacity to bring in more than everything that has gone before. They insist, in Eric's words, that there is a "huge wall" between this moneymaking and their father's position as the most powerful man alive. "Nothing I do has anything to do with…...

1+ hour, 27+ min ago (984+ words) Tensions grow after research in England finds there may not be enough water for planned carbon capture and hydrogen projects Revealed: Europe's water reserves drying up due to climate breakdown Tensions are growing between the government, the water sector and its regulators over the management of England's water supplies, as the Environment Agency warns of a potential widespread drought next year. Research commissioned by a water retailer has found water scarcity could hamper the UK's ability to reach its net zero targets, and that industrial growth could push some areas of the country into water shortages. The government has a legally binding target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and has committed to a clean power system by 2030 with at least 95% of electricity generated from low-carbon sources, but the study concludes there will not be enough water available…...

1+ hour, 27+ min ago (863+ words) Labour knows it needs to win over the "sea wall" cohort of coastal voters in the next election. But as anger over inequality grows, time is running out In between shots she shows us the community art project that adorns the fence along the entrance to the pier. It is made up of pictures, drawn primarily by local children and young people, of the 65 little ships that set sail earlier this year from Ramsgate to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation. This focus on heritage in seaside towns and seeing them as, in Billington"s words, "places of enormous creativity, is a familiar one. But we are in Ramsgate to pick at what lies behind the colourful seafronts of coastal places in England and Wales, and she is keen to do the same. By reforming the coastal PLP, Billington…...

2+ hour, 24+ min ago (335+ words) Woman, 36, and her husband, 44, arrested at Barangaroo and charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage A married couple from Kazakhstan has allegedly won more than $1m from Sydney's Crown casino using a tiny camera hidden in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt and "deep-seated earpieces" that allowed them to communicate. New South Wales police said on Sunday the couple was charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage after being arrested in the Barangaroo casino. "On Thursday, a 36-year-old woman was observed by casino staff wearing a small, discrete camera attached to her shirt," a police spokesperson said in a statement. "Officers were notified and attended the casino, where they arrested the woman and her 44-year-old husband." Investigators allege the couple were carrying "small, magnetised probes, batteries, and a mobile phone with a fitted attachment that allowed the camera function of the phone to discreetly view,…...

2+ hour, 41+ min ago (513+ words) Kyiv tries to pile pressure on Russia with attack on empty vessels on way to load up with oil for foreign markets Ukrainian naval drones hit two tankers operating under sanctions in the Black Sea as they headed to a Russian port to load up with oil destined for foreign markets, an official said on Saturday, as Kyiv tries to pile pressure on Russia's vast oil industry. The two oil tankers, identified as the Kairos and Virat, were empty and sailing to Novorossiysk, a major Russian Black Sea oil terminal, the official at the security service of Ukraine told Reuters. Naval drones could be seen speeding towards hulking tankers followed by powerful explosions that caused fires on the vessels, video footage shared by the official showed. Reuters could not independently verify the identity of the tankers in the clips or…...