Spain’s leftwing government has approved “paid climate leave” of up to four days to allow workers to avoid travelling during weather emergencies, a month after floods killed at least 224 people.more

Britain and Iraq have agreed an unprecedented joint plan to tackle people smuggling gangs responsible for thousands of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. On a three-day visit to the country, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also signed a new agreement to ensure failed Iraqi asylum seekers are returned home more "swiftly".more

More than 1.3 million people would have been killed and 950,000 injured if an attack on Warsaw had taken place using a Russian R-36M2 nuclear missile (in NATO code: SS-18 Satan), according to the US ‘Newsweek’ today. The impact of attacks on major European cities was estimated by nuclear technology historian Professor Alex Wellerstein.more

A former soldier whose prison escape led to a prolonged manhunt in 2023 has been convicted of spying for Iran but cleared of carrying out a bomb hoax. Daniel Khalife was found guilty of two counts relating to his espionage on Thursday. Wearing a blue shirt and pale trousers in court, he calmly put his glasses back on as the verdicts were read out and did not show any emotion.more

The Polish national team has fallen from 31st to 35th place in the latest FIFA ranking. The last time the Polish national team was this low was in January 2016. Argentina is still in the lead, with France in second place and Spain in third.more

Australia will ban children under 16 from using social media, after its parliament approved the world's strictest laws. The ban, which will not take effect for at least 12 months, could see tech companies fined up to A$50m ($32.5m; £25.7m) if they don't comply.more

Researchers say injection will be ‘game changing’ for people with the respiratory condition.more

Polling stations have opened across Ireland this morning after a three-week election campaign. Fine Gael's Simon Harris, Fianna Fail's Micheal Martin and Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald are all battling it out to become Ireland's next taoiseach - though no party has put forward enough candidates for a majority, meaning a coalition will be inevitable.more

A West London council has issued £34,000 in civil fines to rogue landlords since April but data shows only one was prosecuted through the courts in recent years. Kensington and Chelsea Council said it has also handed out 14 notices of intent to serve civil penalties and has introduced a new licensing scheme for larger house shares.more

This weekend there will be two ski jumping World Cup competitions in Ruka, Finland. Pawel Wasek, Aleksander Zniszczol, Dawid Kubacki, Kamil Stoch and Jakub Wolny will start in today's qualification round. The Polish team is hoping for a breakthrough after the unsuccessful competition in Lillehammer.more

Black Friday can be a bargain-buying opportunity or a trap that exposes you to unnecessary spending, according to marketing expert Dr Mariusz Woźniakowski of the University of Lodz. He pointed to consumers‘ growing shopping awareness and retailers’ price transparency.more

A SEASIDE town in the UK with two sandy beaches is one of the best to visit during the winter instead of the summer. While most Brits flock to the coast in the summer, Lossiemouth on the north east coast of Scotland may have holidaymakers rethinking their choice of winter hols.more

Climate catastrophe, lack of snow and hot summers have led to the thickness of Norway's continental glaciers falling by up to 10 per cent in the last 12 months, with the northernmost glaciers disappearing the fastest.more

Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month disqualification for an unintentional doping violation, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Thursday. ‘This is the hardest experience of my life,’ - The Pole stressed.more

Net migration to the UK hit a record high in 2023 of 906,000 in a period covering Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s premierships, revised estimates show. The measure for the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country then dropped by 20% in the latest period, the 12 months to June 2024, and now stands at 728,000.more

The scheme is being rolled out across all UK cities served by the ride-hailing app, after being trialled in the US and Canada.more

The pop-up will be next door to where it plans to open a new large store in spring 2025.more

A London court today ruled that former British Army soldier Daniel Khalife is guilty of spying for Iran. The 23-year-old's sentence will be announced early next year.more

The latest poll shows that the three main Irish parties are evenly matched ahead of tomorrow's elections to Dail Eireann, the lower house of parliament. Prime Minister Simon Harris has assessed this election as a ‘tight race’.more

Only 18 per cent of respondents are in favour of Michal Probierz's immediate dismissal as Poland's national football team manager, according to a poll conducted by IBRiS. The Polish national team were relegated from the top division of the Nations League after their 1:2 defeat to Scotland in November.more

Major supermarkets and food industry leaders have backed calls for the Government to ban cages for egg-laying hens. In a letter to Environment Secretary Steve Reed on Wednesday, food companies urged ministers to bolster action on phasing out cages, which restrict the ability of hens to move and cause the birds to suffer high levels of stress.more

The Sejm passed an amendment to the law yesterday, according to which from next year Christmas Eve will be a public holiday. The amendment also stipulates that from 2025, the three Sundays preceding Christmas Eve will be commercial. The regulation will now go to work in the Senate.more

Public satisfaction with how often potholes are seen locally is no better than 10% in more than a third of English council areas, according to new research. The AA described the figures as “dismal” and called for an end to the “vicious cycle” of potholes being patched up only to reappear.more

Russian troops launched a massive combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this morning. Explosions could be heard in Kyiv and the threat was reported in regions near the Polish border, among others. Around 1 million consumers were cut off from electricity.more

Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2:0 in the 5th round of Champions League football, claiming their first victory over this rival in over 15 years. ‘’The Reds‘’ are the only team to have won all their matches so far in this competition in the ongoing season.more