Yesterday, the group stage of the European qualifiers for next year's World Cup came to an end. The winners of the five groups were the last to secure direct qualification: Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Scotland.more

The Irish government is considering extending the period after which refugees can apply for citizenship, according to yesterday's “Irish Times”. The planned tightening of procedures is related to Monday's announcement by the United Kingdom of reforms to its migration policy.more

China is attempting to contact members of both houses of the British Parliament to obtain confidential information, Dan Jarvis, Deputy Minister for Security at the Home Office, said yesterday. The British Security Service MI5 has issued a warning about Beijing's espionage activities.more

At least nine people were killed and dozens injured in a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine carried out during the night and early morning hours. The heaviest strikes hit the western part of the country, including Ternopil and the Lviv region, according to media reports and regional authorities.more

Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering a levy on hotel stays and Airbnb-type rentals when she announces her budget on 27 November.more

Dutch cities are seeing an increase in so-called natural burials – instead of traditional plots, green fields are being created in existing cemeteries. There are no stone monuments or plastic candles, and the deceased are buried in coffins or urns made of natural, biodegradable materials.more

Former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua will fight Jake Paul in an exhibition match. The British boxer will face the American YouTuber on 19 December in Miami.more

Nestled within the London Borough of Croydon, New Addington presents a distinct suburban environment that combines green spaces and rolling hills with community facilities.more

A Reform UK government would block EU nationals from receiving universal credit, a move that would rip up the post-Brexit trade deal with Europe and risk potential retaliation from Brussels. It is among several proposals that will be announced by Nigel Farage at a press conference on Tuesday.more

With energy bills hundreds of pounds higher than they were just three years ago and very cold weather on the way thanks to an Arctic blast, people will be doing all they can to lower their central heating bills.more

Barcelona will play its first official match in two and a half years at the modernised Camp Nou stadium on 22 November, the Catalan club confirmed yesterday. Athletic Bilbao will be the opponent in the 13th round of the Spanish top flight.more

During yesterday's parliamentary debate, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood presented a plan to tighten migration policy. She announced that more families with children whose asylum applications have been rejected will be deported from the United Kingdom.more

The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering granting political asylum to British citizens persecuted for their views, including participants in protests outside abortion clinics, according to the “Telegraph” daily, citing White House officials.more

England faces widespread drought next year without a wet winter, the Environment Agency has cautioned. Yorkshire and the Midlands remain in drought following a dry spring and summer, and a run of heatwaves, while swathes of the country are still in "exceptionally dry conditions." The North West is currently recovering.more

Only one third of Poles declare sympathy for Germans, and the percentage of those who dislike them is the highest in years, according to yesterday's report in the German daily Tagesspiegel, citing the results of the latest Poland-Germany Barometer survey.more

A special birthday party has been held for a 107-year-old World War Two (WW2) veteran who is believed to be Northern Ireland's oldest man. Norman Irwin was joined by his family, friends and military representatives at his care home near Coleraine, County Londonderry on Monday.more

Yesterday, the Dutch and German national football teams secured their places in next year's World Cup. Poland ended the qualifiers with a 3:2 away win against Malta and will play in the play-offs.more

Germany has become too sluggish, too slow and too bureaucratic, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said yesterday. He also announced plans to simplify immigration policy by creating a digital platform for registering skilled migrants.more

BBC Board Chairman Samir Shah assured staff in a letter yesterday that there are no legal grounds for Donald Trump to bring a defamation suit. He announced that the broadcaster is determined to fight any legal action taken by the US president.more

Vladimir Putin has no plan to win the war against Ukraine, and even in dictatorships, leaders who have no theory of victory face trouble. Tsar Nicholas II already understood during World War I that, in time, the nation would demand accountability, writes ‘The Economist’.more

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and its F-35 fighter jets have been placed under NATO command, the British Ministry of Defence announced yesterday. The ministry emphasised that this would ‘strengthen European security ties’.more

As many as 40 per cent of young American women want to leave the US, with Canada being their country of choice, according to a Gallup poll. No other developed country has such a high percentage of women who would like to emigrate.more

According to commentators from the Lisbon television station Sport TV, Jan Bednarek is the best centre-back in the Portuguese top flight after 11 rounds of competition. The Polish footballer has been named in the league's best eleven.more

Animal behaviourists tested 61 gulls in Cornwall to find most effective method of countering feathery threat.more

London could be hit with its first snowy conditions this week, with experts predicting a sleet shower is imminent. BBC Weather is forecasting icy 'rain' will first fall on the capital in the early hours of Thursday morning (November 20), when most of us are tucked up in bed.more