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Goodbye 2025 - almost. It's not worth saying, "Goodness me, the news is crazy".

"Normal" retired many years ago. But which events of this wild year actually changed us, and our politics? And what might 2026 usher in?

As the UK hurtles towards the holidays, I've been asking contacts from across the political spectrum for the moments that boggled their minds this year, and those daring, perhaps foolish, but fascinating predictions of what might come next.

2025 was chock-a-block with events scriptwriters would have found hard to come up with.

There was the Oval Office showdown when US President Donald Trump seemed deliberately to shame the leader of Ukraine, described by one MP as the "maddest moment".

At home: a Labour cabinet minister, Steve Reed, being feted with chants of "build, baby build" and a mini swarm of activists sporting red MAGA-style hats as if, for a moment, Labour's Merseyside conference was like a Make America Great Again rally. You wouldn't have bet on such a surreal scene this time last year.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves crying on camera in the Commons chamber counts too - not just because of the human drama, but because, as one source suggests: "Global investors changed their behaviour as a result."

Yes, the second most senior politician in the land was in tears in public in the bear pit of Prime Minister's Questions.

Yes, the financial markets seemed to react, and secured her job.

The whole Budget set of decisions being published in error by the official number crunchers, the Office for Budget Responsibility, before the chancellor stood up to deliver… the budget, takes some beating as a plot twist.

And a new force on the left emerging under the Corbynista banner, but falling into disagreements with each other in spectacular style - perhaps sadly, for many on the left, that might have been easier to predict.

Don't forget, No 10 advertising its own vulnerability by proclaiming that prime minister Sir Keir Starmer would see off any challengers seeking to oust him – before any of the would-be challengers were remotely ready to come out of the shadows. Nigel Farage's insurgent party, Reform, claiming to have more members than the Tories and Labour.

Those crazy bits aside, time and again, insiders point to three factors of 2025 that have really changed where things are at.

The rise of Reform

Whether you love, loathe or shrug at the idea of Reform UK prospering, the rise of Farage's party - ahead in the polls for many months - has changed much in the last 12 months.

One former minister says, without question, the most important phenomenon in 2025 is the "rise of Reform and the death of the Tories".

Reform's success in the elections in May gave them power over billions of pounds in local government for the first time. And it put the frighteners on the traditional parties, pushing their policy agendas on immigration in particular.

Labour now walks and talks as if Reform is their main opposition, not the Conservatives, even though their leader Kemi Badenoch's performance has improved in the last few months.

With Reform's polling success comes increased attention, and more scrutiny.

How they handle that, not least allegations of racism, is a question for 2026, but the standard symmetry of politics of Labour v Tories is firmly out of fashion, for now.

When Sir Keir's authority began to drain away

Second, multiple sources cite a specific moment. Cast your mind back to the government's ambition to change the creaking system that leaves too many people on benefits without support to find work or improve their prospects. They also wanted to save cash for the taxpayer.

Labour backbenchers were so angry about the implications that after months of campaigning, ministers at almost the very last minute ditched that plan.

The government couldn't be sure it would win the votes, so it gave up, even though ministers say they haven't given up on making changes.

But for a government with a majority you can see from space it was an extraordinary state of affairs, the moment when Sir Keir's authority began truly to drain away.

One Whitehall insider agreed it was the biggest moment of the year, because "almost everything else has flowed from it - from then, the government was not in control of its political destiny with its own party since, and we wouldn't have had the budget we did without it".

For the country's balance sheet, the hoped-for savings disappeared, and with this, critics would suggest, any Labour ambition of saving cash from big changes to policy at home.

That decision set the backdrop for the late autumn budget which had a traditional Labour clarity, but asked firms and families to pay more tax.

One opposition source said the government has showed this year that benefits are "out of control", adding: "The decision to increase this at the cost of working people will have a consequence at the polls."

Even in the Labour Party the upshot is both welcomed and worried about.

One source called the budget "the most significant as they have dumped austerity at all costs and moved away from welfare cuts".

Another told me the whole affair is why Sir Keir, despite his huge majority, ends this political year with no guarantee he'll keep his job in the next.

If 2024 showed Labour could win but would have a hard time adjusting to power, 2025 has raised questions about the extent to which they were really capable of governing well at all.

The behaviour of Trump 2.0

Whatever has happened at home, 2025 has also been another year of hefty international political moves.

Trump moved back into the White House and really seems to have meant all of the things he told the world he believed in while campaigning.

Sir Keir, while regularly under attack at home, seems to have impressed the American president and some of his home audience. His moment in the Oval Office, proffering the invite from the King for a historic second state visit, "the most heart in mouth" moment of the whole year for some of his allies.

Brokering the most sensitive and the most important diplomatic relationship you have, live on global TV, can't have been the most tempting prospect for a non-showy politician like Sir Keir, who nonetheless, made a success of that moment.

Many insiders suggest the most dramatic and the most important factor of 2025 has been the behaviour of Trump 2.0.

Trump's increasingly insistent demands that Europe pays much more to cover its own defence rather than rely on America have shaped politics everywhere.

His moves to create a ceasefire after the conflict between Gaza and Israel changed the course of the Middle East.

And that's before we even start to consider his flirtation with the notion of creating an all-out global trade war, which hasn't quite come to pass.

2025 saw the UK political establishment get used to feeling constantly nervous about what Trump might do next, the perpetual guessing game of whether he really meant what he said, and what the consequences might be.

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2025, Reform's rise, Labour's woes and Trump's presence have changed our politics. So what will the next twelve months bring?

Breath being held ahead of 'mega-May'

Predictions are by their very nature a guess.

2025's splintered politics, the current prospering of smaller political parties, the advance of Zack Polanski's Greens, for example, may not last.

The economic fug that has lasted for years might lift, slower inflation and interest rates cuts could shift that stubborn sense that the UK's economic fortunes are characterised by decline.

No 10 hopes its efforts to feed more kids before school by expanding breakfast clubs, cut back NHS waiting lists, provide more childcare and sort out the creaking asylum system could see not just the statistics turn their way but demonstrate that its choices might lead to better experiences for the public and, in time, some political reward - or at least an end to blame and shame.

Breath is already being held ahead of mega-May - a huge set of elections where some predict with confidence Reform will "trounce the others", a former minister says.

An ally of Farage says the "sense of disbelief and disappointment is even greater than it was 12 months ago", predicting huge success in England, and in the Welsh and Scottish elections in May too.

But an experienced Conservative source reckons the most important vector of next year is that Reform will "under-perform against expectations".

Plaid Cymru stopped Reform in its tracks at the Caerphilly by-election in 2025. Farage's rivals reckon voters on the left could come together in the same kind of ways in future.

Perhaps that's more hope than expectation, but it's not impossible that 2025's froth around Reform will subside.

Will the PM last the year?

The anxious wait until May's elections is linked to a very common prediction that would have been almost unimaginable 12 months ago.

You've heard the speculation about whether the PM is the right man for the job.

Even some cabinet ministers tell me the May elections will be followed by an attempt to remove Sir Keir.

Whether you think it would be crackers for Labour to try to get rid of one of the two leaders alive who have won a general election, or whether it makes sense to pull up stumps on a prime minister every poll suggests the public doesn't like, many Labour MPs are convinced 2026 will be defined by a "seemingly inevitable" change at the top.

Inevitable is a word used by many. But that doesn't remotely mean it is automatic.

One Labour source says "a lot of mad stuff is going to happen because everyone is acting really stupidly".

Downing Street is making significant efforts to build up the PM's appeal to his own party. Gags abound in Labour about how many MPs have been invited to the PM's country retreat for small talk and canapes.

But in the face of deep unpopularity there is a widespread belief that a bad performance in mega-May will mean the end for Sir Keir.

There is no consensus on who should be next if the PM was challenged.

And there is no certainty a hypothetical challenger would be able to oust him if he, as was provocatively briefed, tried to fight on.

Without doubt his leadership doesn't feel permanent, and that casts a genuine shadow over so much of what the government is trying to do.

But, even when politicians say, "We can't go on like this", a less-than-tasty status quo can still be more tempting than an uncertain road.

Whatever happens at home, naturally in our interconnected world what happens elsewhere - and most notably the whims and wherefores of the American president - will have much sway over everything in 2026.

As I write, European leaders are gathering their teams, fretting, planning, hoping.

Worrying that Ukraine's future is at risk, not just because of the original aggression of Putin's invasion, but because of America's attitude – the desire to end the war seemingly stronger than the belief in Ukraine's integrity.

But for the economy, for our continent's security, and the government's relationship with its most powerful ally, one senior official predicts "the most important thing will be the terms on which a Ukrainian peace settlement comes".

The costs to Ukraine could be costs to European security, and us all.

So as we prepare to say goodbye to 2025, 2026 might be even more eventful. It's not impossible the conflict on the edge of our continent will end, although any agreement to bring it to a close might just store up future problems.

It's feasible there'll be an attempt to get rid of the prime minister, and it's not impossible Reform and the smaller parties will grab more actual power. It won't be long till we find out.

Tomorrow, in our last programme of the year, we'll be joined by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and the new boss of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson.

Thank you to you for reading, watching and listening, and Happy Christmas!

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Israel said it killed a senior Hamas commander on Saturday in a strike on a vehicle inside Gaza.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had "struck a key Hamas terrorist" in Gaza City.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, told the BBC that four people were killed in the strike. He said multiple passers-by were also injured by the blast.

Local sources said the strike may have targeted Raed Saad, a senior commander in Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades.

The BBC is prevented by Israel from reporting independently from inside Gaza and is unable to verify details of the incident.

Saad is believed to be a member of the newly formed five-member leadership military council established since a ceasefire took hold in October.

He is regarded as one of the most prominent Qassam commanders and led several brigades during Hamas's 7 October attacks on Israeli communities east of Gaza City.

Israel has attempted to kill him on multiple occasions.

One of the most notable attempts was during a surprise Israeli operation in Gaza City in March 2024, when Israeli forces reportedly sought to arrest or kill him. Sources at the time said Saad had been inside the targeted complex but managed to escape moments before the raid.

He has long been considered one of Israel's most wanted Hamas figures, with Israeli attempts to kill him spanning more than two decades.

Saturday's attack happened on the Palestinian-controlled side of the so-called Yellow Line which has divided Gaza since an unstable US-led ceasefire came into effect on 10 October.

Israeli forces control the area to the east of the line, which includes just over half of the Gaza Strip.

The first phase of US president Donald Trump's 20-point plan for peace in the region required the return of all 20 living and 28 dead hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and more than 250 people were taken hostage.

All have been returned except for the remains of an Israeli police officer, Ran Gvili, 24, who is believed to have been killed while fighting Hamas gunmen in Kibbutz Alumim.

Since then, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action.

The diplomatic focus is now shifting to the next stage of President Trump's plan which would require the disarmament of Hamas as part of what it calls the de-radicalisation and redevelopment of Gaza.

It envisages Gaza being run by the "temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee," overseen by a "Board of Peace" chaired by Trump.

Security would be provided by an International Stabilisation Force although its make up remains unclear.

The eventual aim is for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take control of the territory, and for Israeli forces to withdraw, after which "the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood".

Many aspects of the plan are controversial in Israel where prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Trump is due to meet Netanyahu to discuss the plan in the US on 29 December.

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a case that sparked national attention, watched as new testimony and never-before-seen footage from the day of his arrest in a McDonald's was unveiled during a hearing this week.

Mr Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges related to the 2024 murder of Mr Thompson, a father of two, as well as federal counts that carry the possibility of the death penalty.

The pre-trial hearing is focused on the defence's attempts to keep certain evidence out of the trial, which has not been scheduled yet, including items found in his backpack during his arrest and statements he made to officers.

During the first two weeks of the hearing, supporters of Mr Mangione - the scion of a prominent Maryland family and Ivy League graduate - filled the back rows of the Manhattan criminal courtroom, some wearing a pin portraying him as a saint-like figure.

Prosecutors and Mr Mangione's legal team are expected to question over a dozen witnesses from the day of his arrest, including the employees who spotted him and the police who arrested him.

Here is a look at some of the key pieces of evidence discussed that offer a window into Mr Mangione's trial.

An eyebrow giveaway

The pre-trial hearing has centred on the small-town McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where officers were shocked to find the high-profile suspect days after Mr Thompson was fatally shot - and hours from the busy Midtown Manhattan crime scene.

Witnesses suggested the arrest may never have occurred there if not for one of Mr Mangione's key features: his eyebrows.

During the first day of the hearing, prosecutors played a call to police from a McDonald's employee about a tip from a customer in the restaurant.

The employee said the customer thought a patron looked like the suspect in the United Healthcare CEO shooting. The patron was well covered, wearing a black hoodie, a medical mask and a tan beanie. But one key detail stuck out.

"The only thing you can see is his eyebrows," the employee told police.

It was not the only time Mr Mangione's distinguished eyebrows have come up.

Prosecutors also entered into evidence notecards they say Mr Mangione had, which appeared to be to-do lists for the days after the high-profile shooting.

One card reads: "Keep momentum, FBI slower overnight," while another said: "Change hat, shoes, pluck eyebrows".

'Proposterous': An unexpected day at McDonald's

Dozens of videos released by prosecutors show Mr Mangione's encounter with police and his eventual arrest in the McDonald's as other customers watched.

Officers who responded narrated the footage this week, telling the court what was going through their minds as they realised the 27-year-old appeared similar to the suspect in photos.

On Thursday, Altoona Lieutenant William Hanelly said a fellow officer responded sarcastically that he would "get right on it" when he heard the tip about the suspect.

Mr Hanelly told the court that he understood the sarcasm, because it seemed "preposterous" that a shooter from "New York City had found his way to a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania".

But at the scene, officers said they quickly saw the resemblance to New York Police Department pictures circulated to the public after days without any leads.

"It's him. I'm not kidding. He's real nervous. It's him," one officer can be heard telling Mr Hanelly in a phone call played for the court.

In one video, Mr Mangione eats a McDonald's meal as officers stand guard around him in the restaurant waiting for more officers to arrive.

At the hearing, Mr Mangione watched the videos quietly from the defence table, seated next to his lawyers - wife and husband Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo. The latter defended Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges just months earlier.

Wearing a grey suit and button-down shirt most days, Mr Mangione frequently took notes on a legal pad, and occasionally smiled and laughed with his lawyers.

A fake name leads to an arrest

In the series of police body camera videos played for the court, Mr Mangione's interactions with officers eventually lead to his arrest on 9 December as Christmas music plays loudly in the background of the McDonald's.

When officers first speak to Mr Mangione, they ask him to pull his mask down. He listens, and is heard telling officers his name is "Mark Rosario", handing them a New Jersey identification that police later said was false.

That identification gave officers enough cause to arrest Mr Mangione, Mr Hanelly told the court, and in the video, Mr Mangione tells officers his real name is Luigi.

In another body camera video, an officer tells the 27-year-old he is under police investigation for giving a fake identification and Mr Mangione is seen putting his hands on the wall as officers arrest him.

They then take a photo of Mr Mangione with his hands behind his back, an image widely circulated on social media after his arrest.

Bullets, a journal and cash: a peak into Mr Mangione's backpack

The pre-trial hearing also shed light on the items Mr Mangione was carrying when he was arrested.

Mr Mangione's lawyers have argued that a 9mm handgun as well as a notebook should be excluded from trial because officers did not have a warrant to search his backpack. Prosecutors allege that Mr Mangione wrote in his notebook about "the deadly, greed-fuelled health insurance cartel".

During the hearing on Thursday, Mr Hanelly argued that there were exceptions for warrants.

Earlier in the week, Ms Friedman Agnifilo questioned the officer who searched Mr Mangione's backpack, arguing they were searching the bag "because you thought he was the New York City shooter".

"No, we search everyone," said the officer, Christy Wasser.

Video played in court shows a police officer pulling a series of items from the backpack, including a handgun magazine that Mr Hanelly said contained 9 mm bullets - all as Holly Jolly Christmas plays over the speaker.

One law enforcement official comes across a journal in the backpack, and can be heard saying it reads like a "manifesto".

Ms Agnifilo objected after the "manifesto" part of the video was played repeatedly in court, arguing the prosecutor wanted to emphasise the line.

Eventually, Mr Hanelly testified, the officers decided to stop searching the backpack and take it to the police station because "it was going to be a mess".

Prosecutors this week entered into evidence images of other items Mr Mangione had with him, including a gun, a silencer, dozens of $100 bills, face masks, a hair trimmer and a passport.

The hearing is expected to continue into next week.

Belarus has freed 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the US agreed to lift sanctions on the Eastern European country.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski is also among those who have been freed following talks in Minsk with US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Belarus, John Coale.

The US has agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key ingredient in fertiliser and an important export for the country whose president, Alexander Lukashenko, is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Coale said: "As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted."

The EU has not recognised Lukashenko as president.

Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020, much of the time in isolation.

Her sister, Tatiana, who campaigned tirelessly for her release was able to speak to her by video call soon after and confirmed the news to the BBC.

A group of those released are expected in Lithiana's capital Vilnius shortly. A crowd is gathering outside the US embassy.

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Parts of Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, have been turned into an "open-air gallery", in the words of the organisers of the city's first street art festival.

"We believe art shouldn't be confined to galleries and museums," Osa Okunkpolor, a Nigerian graffiti artist known as Osa Seven, and one of the festival's founders, told Reuters news agency.

"Public art allows people to interact with creativity in their everyday environment. It's about giving hope and showing what art can do to shape society."

The artwork is on display on Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, a busy street in Victoria Island in the heart of the city.

Although Lagos is known for its vibrant arts scene, nightlife and creativity, street art is relatively unknown.

"The visibility is not too strong compared to other African nations," painter Ernest Ibe told AFP news agency.

"So, it's a challenge, but the country is evolving. We are beginning to understand the impact of social murals and how it affects us socially and in our environment in general."

This painting was done by Babalola Oluwafemi, a Nigerian artist who flew in from the British city of Manchester.

"I'm just telling how Lagos people love to party, love to go to parties, love to eat food. And they just love to be colourful," she told AFP.

The peacock is often used to symbolise beauty and pride in Nigerian art, AFP reports.

"Everything in Lagos is different. A whole lot of cars, a whole lot of traffic - a whole lot of comments from people passing by [saying] 'Nice work'," said the 32-year-old.

"Lagos is a place where we have joy," artist Ashaolu Oluwafemi, 34, told AFP.

"There's joy, there's struggle. Even in the mood of your struggles, you have to be joyful. You have to make yourself happy."

The festival opened on Wednesday and continues until Monday, 15 December.

Most of the artists are Nigerian but Ottograph travelled from the Dutch city of Amsterdam to paint his mural.

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

King Charles has been praised for his candour in talking about his cancer treatment where he highlighted the importance of early detection and screening.

In a recorded video message, broadcast on Channel 4 for the Stand Up To Cancer campaign, the King said his treatment was being reduced and he urged people to take up offers of cancer screening, saying "early diagnosis quite simply saves lives."

The type of cancer he is being treated for has not been revealed and the King, 77, will continue to receive treatment and monitoring.

Clare Garnsey, associate medical director of Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, said his message was "very powerful".

The King, who revealed his diagnosis in February last year, is not described as being in remission or "cured" but the regularity of his treatment will be significantly reduced in the new year.

In his video message, recorded in Clarence House two weeks ago, he said that he was "troubled" to learn that nine million people around the UK are not up to date with the cancer screening available to them.

"That is at least nine million opportunities for early diagnosis being missed," he said.

He added: "Too often, I am told, people avoid screening because they imagine it may be frightening, embarrassing or uncomfortable.

"If and when they do finally take up their invitation, they are glad they took part.

"A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the reassurance that comes for most people when they are either told either they don't need further tests or, for some, are given the chance to enable early detection, with the life-saving intervention that can follow."

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Miss Garnsey said she, "like the majority of health professionals who work in the cancer field" was "really thankful" for what the King said.

"I think the message was very powerful about the importance of early diagnosis and how important it is that we all attend for our screening," she added.

She said it is "really helpful" to healthcare professionals when people in "positions of influence" - such as the King - speak publicly about their experiences with cancer.

These messages highlight that it "can happen to anybody", she said, and raise awareness of the potential symptoms someone may experience.

Royal biographer and friend of King Charles, Jonathan Dimbleby, said the King's message demonstrated the "unique role of the sovereign".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said the King's decision to speak openly about his treatment in such "warm, gentle, thoughtful, kind terms" was "quite extraordinary and it has great impact".

Mr Dimbleby said that when it was announced that the King was having treatment for an enlarged prostate in 2024, there was a considerable surge in searches to the NHS website.

"No one else could have done this," he added.

What can be general symptoms of cancer?

Different types of cancer all have their own symptoms - but the NHS says general symptoms can include:

• A new lump or swelling
• Sweating a lot or a high temperature
• Feeling more tired than usual
• Unusual bruising or bleeding
• Unusual pain anywhere in the body
• Unexpected weight loss or loss of appetite
• Needing to pee more often or more urgently, or pain when you pee

Read more on the NHS website.

Until now the King has said little publicly about his illness.

In his video message, King Charles said he knew how "overwhelming" a diagnosis can feel, but stressed that early detection is "key" to give patients the "precious gift of hope".

The NHS has three cancer screening programmes - for bowel, breast and cervical cancer - available to certain age groups.

These tests can detect a problem even before someone experiences symptoms.

In his message, the King also urged people to use the screening checker online tool.

Cancer charity Macmillan Cancer Support said it was "incredibly grateful" to the King for sharing his experience "with such openness and honesty".

"The King's reminder of the importance of screening and early detection is an important message for us all," it added in a statement.

The prime minister said the King's message was "powerful" and that he was "glad" that the King's treatment will be reduced in the new year.

According to Buckingham Palace, the King's recovery has reached a very positive stage and he has "responded exceptionally well to treatment", so much so that doctors will now move his treatment "into a precautionary phase".

The regularity of treatment is going to be significantly reduced - but the King, 77, is not described as being in remission or "cured".

Meanwhile, Dr Harrison Carter, director of screening at NHS England, said the health service "fully supported" the King's call for people to attend screening tests.

"So, when your NHS screening invite arrives, whether it's for cervical or breast screening, or a bowel cancer testing kit through the post, please do make time to take it up."

Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

Belarus has freed 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the US agreed to lift sanctions on the Eastern European country.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski is also among those who have been freed following talks in Minsk with US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Belarus, John Coale.

The US has agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key ingredient in fertiliser and an important export for the country whose president, Alexander Lukashenko, is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Coale said: "As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted."

The EU has not recognised Lukashenko as president.

Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020, much of the time in isolation.

Her sister, Tatiana, who campaigned tirelessly for her release was able to speak to her by video call soon after and confirmed the news to the BBC.

A group of those released are expected in Lithiana's capital Vilnius shortly. A crowd is gathering outside the US embassy.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

If you're a Jane Austen fan, then Lizzy, Jane, Kitty and Lydia are likely to be the Bennet sisters you remember from Pride and Prejudice.

But in a new follow-on to the story, it's their anxious and awkward sister Mary who takes centre stage.

"I came to [Jane] Austen as a kid from Croydon, in my teens, thinking that she couldn't possibly have anything to say to me," says Sarah Quintrell, screenwriter for the upcoming BBC drama The Other Bennet Sister.

However, after reading the author's works, she couldn't believe how connected she felt to Austen's characters. It was as though she "knew everybody" in the 19th century novels, she says.

The new TV series, based on the novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, centres on the Bennet family's middle sister, Mary, as she becomes a governess to the Gardiner family.

It continues on from Austen's Pride and Prejudice - a story that centres on the relationship of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, in which Mary's most memorable scene is her awkwardly playing piano at a ball.

Actress Ella Bruccoleri, who plays the teenage Mary, says she was drawn to the character because she's an "atypical period drama heroine" who is anxious, awkward and possesses none of the poise other Regency period protagonists hold.

Quintrell adds: "She's the odd one out. It's really hard for her to find her place in the world. And I think that that will really resonate with a modern audience."

The screenwriter encourages young people to engage with Austen's fictional worlds, as she has. "You will find so much that's recognisable."

On Tuesday, it is Austen's 250th birthday. With Pride and Prejudice published in 1813, why do the cast and crew of this new drama think her work continues to speak to people?

Coming of age

Maddie Close, who plays Jane Bennet in the upcoming series, says Mary's coming-of-age story and journey to self-acceptance is more relevant than ever.

"It is just so beautiful to watch her blossom and find herself," she says, adding that stories like Mary's are especially needed for teenagers trying to navigate the world and social media.

Grace Hogg-Robinson, who plays Mary's sister Lydia Bennet, agrees, and adds that Austen's characters stand the test of time because people often meet them at important junctures in their life - for example, when studying Pride and Prejudice at GCSE.

The actress believes Mary is "much more relatable" to a modern audience than some of the more iconic Austen characters, explaining that "so many people feel like the person that no-one ever quite remembers".

"It's really nice to tell that story," she adds.

Poppy Gilbert, who plays Lizzy Bennet, says Mary is the sister she relates to the most and says others will too, thanks to her experiences of feeling "constantly compared" to others.

Costume designer Sian Jenkins tried to demonstrate Mary's journey to finding herself through her wardrobe, which throughout the series transitions from creams and beiges to bold greens and reds, despite her mother, the infamous Mrs Bennet, berating her at every turn.

Bruccoleri adds that the biggest journey her character goes on in the show is trying to find a way to remove herself emotionally from her overbearing mother.

In order to do this, she has to learn to live without her "approval or validation" and give this to herself instead.

Relationships and society

Bruccoleri says Austen's dry, funny writing provides sharp societal commentary without shoving its message "down your throat".

"Mrs Bennet just doesn't value Mary in the way that she values the other sisters, because she sees their values as so closely linked to their marriageability," she says.

Molly Wright, who plays Kitty adds that Austen is "so ahead of her time" in her views on "marriage and feminism" in Pride and Prejudice.

Hogg-Robinson, who plays Lydia, says that it took her time to realise "how accurate and insightful" Austen's works were after skim-reading them for her GCSEs and then picking them up later as an adult.

She says that Austen's perspective on love and relationships continue to resonate, and points to a TikTok trend which centres on how Mr Darcy changes his behaviour to win over Lizzy in the original novel.

"Everyone was doing that [trend] 'Well, if he wanted to, he would', and Jane Austen got that 250 years ago," she explains.

Modern Austen

Screenwriter Quintrell feels very lucky to have contributed to a follow-on story in the world of Pride and Prejudice.

While two centuries may have elapsed, "the characters and the emotional journeys that they go on really feel like they haven't aged at all," she says.

This, she feels, is why people like her and novelist Hadlow want to continue to extend the Bennets' story.

Gilbert says the new series feels like a "behind-the-scenes" Pride and Prejudice, and that viewers can expect to see the siblings not just interact in ballrooms but "yapping in the bathroom" and looking after the family dog.

Ultimately, Quintrell says it's really important to open the story of Pride and Prejudice out, because growing up, she felt the works belonged to scholars and academics and that she was not allowed to "own" the texts.

"Wherever you're from, wherever you grow up, you'll find something to connect to in Austen's work, and hopefully in The Other Bennet Sister," she says.

The Other Bennet Sister is coming soon to the BBC.

Additional reporting by Samuel Spencer.

Migrants have been pictured arriving in Dover on Saturday after the longest period without any small boat crossings in seven years.

Photos appeared to show dozens of migrants wearing life jackets being brought in to Dover, Kent, aboard a Border Force vessel.

Before the weekend, no migrants had made the journey for four weeks, according to Home Office figures. The last recorded arrivals before Saturday were on 14 November, marking the longest uninterrupted stretch since 2018.

December is typically a quieter month for crossings due to adverse weather conditions, and this is thought to have contributed to the lull.

Home Office figures on the number of migrants that arrived in the UK on small boats on Saturday will be published on Sunday.

So far this year, 39,292 people have made the Channel crossing, the highest figure for any year other than 2022 when there were 45,774 arrivals.

More than 187,000 people have arrived in small boats since figures were first recorded in 2018.

The UK government has ramped up efforts to tackle small boat crossings in recent months, but the measures are not expected to have an immediate impact.

At the Labour Party conference, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he would "smash" people smuggling gangs and cut the number of crossings by 2029.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy met with ministers from other European nations last week to discuss reforms to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in a bid to make it easier to deport illegal migrants.

In November, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced asylum changes including making refugee status in the UK temporary and subject to review every 30 months, and sending refugees home if their country is deemed safe.

A "one in, one out" pilot agreed between the UK and France began in August. Under the scheme, for each migrant the UK returns to France, another migrant with a strong case for asylum in Britain comes the other way.

As of 27 November 2025, 153 people had been returned through this arrangement.

US President Donald Trump's overseas envoy will travel to Germany this weekend to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders for the latest round of high-level talks on ending the war.

Steve Witkoff, who has been leading White House attempts to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, will discuss the latest version of the proposed peace agreement in Berlin.

The Trump administration is pushing for a deal to be in place by Christmas and has held several rounds of talks with Ukrainian and Russian representatives in recent weeks, though there has been little sign a breakthrough is imminent.

It has not yet been confirmed which European leaders will attend the Berlin talks.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported details of the meeting, said UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz would all take part.

The Witkoff-Zelensky meeting comes days after Ukraine gave the US its revised version of a 20-point peace plan, the latest iteration of a proposal which first emerged in late November and has triggered a flurry of diplomatic activity.

The fate of territory in eastern Ukraine remains one of the most intractable topics in the negotiations, with Kyiv refusing to cede land which has been illegally occupied, and Moscow repeating its intention to take the Donbas region in full by force unless Ukraine withdraws.

Zelensky has reacted sceptically to the White House's latest proposal on resolving the territorial question, which is for Ukraine's army to pull out of the region and for it to be turned into a "special economic zone".

The Ukrainian president told reporters that under the US-proposed terms, the Kremlin would undertake not to advance into the areas vacated by Ukraine's forces, with the land between Russian-controlled parts of the Donbas and Ukraine's defensive lines effectively turned into a demilitarised zone.

The proposal, seemingly an attempt to resolve the question of legal ownership by creating a new status for the land, has been publicly questioned by Zelensky, who said: "What will restrain [Russia] from advancing? Or from infiltrating disguised as civilians?"

Ukraine and allies in Europe have said publicly that the US-led talks have been fruitful, and have hailed progress on securing amendments to a plan which was widely viewed as favouring Russia when it first emerged.

But there have been signs in recent weeks that Trump is losing patience with Zelensky and his backers on the continent.

In a scathing interview with Politico earlier this week, the US president labelled European leaders "weak" and renewed his calls for Ukraine to hold elections.

Zelensky said elections could be held within 90 days if the US and Europe provided the necessary security. Elections have been suspended since martial law was declared when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

As the White House's diplomatic push continues, attention in Europe is focused on how to support Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, with talks ongoing over security guarantees and funding.

The Ukrainian government faces a stark financial situation: it needs to find an extra €135.7bn (£119bn; $159bn) over the next two years.

On Friday, European Union governments agreed to indefinitely freeze around €210bn (£185bn; $247) worth of Russian assets held in Europe.

It is hoped that agreement paves the way for the funds to be loaned back to Ukraine if a deal can be reached at an EU summit next week, providing Kyiv with financial help for its military and efforts to rebuild parts of the country left devastated after nearly four years of all-out war.

That move has been condemned as theft by the Kremlin, and Russia's central bank has said it will sue Euroclear, a Belgian bank where the vast majority of Russian assets frozen after the invasion are held.

Officials were still negotiating the exact structure of a deal to repurpose the Russian assets on behalf of Ukraine, with the Belgian government being particularly sceptical due to its particular legal exposure as the main holder.

Elsewhere, it was reported that the latest version of the peace plan being circulated envisions Ukraine rapidly joining the European Union.

The Financial Times said Brussels backed Ukraine's swift accession to the bloc, an idea proposed by Ukraine in the latest draft it has given to Washington.

Ukraine formally applied to join the EU days after the 2022 invasion but despite promises of an accelerated process is still several years away from becoming a member.

Under the plan, Ukraine would become a member as soon as January 2027, AFP reported, citing an unnamed senior official. It was unclear whether Washington had approved that element of the draft.

US President Donald Trump has said the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia will halt fighting "effective this evening".

Trump made the announcement after telephone conversations with the two leaders following deadly border clashes in recent days which have left at least 20 people dead and half a million displaced.

Neither Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul nor his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet has commented.

However, after his call with Trump earlier, Charnvirakul told a news conference that a ceasefire would only come about if "Cambodia will cease fire, withdraw its troops, remove all landmines it has planted".

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said both leaders "have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me.

"Both Countries are ready for PEACE and continued Trade with the United States of America."

The long-standing border dispute escalated on 24 July, as Cambodia launched a barrage of rockets into Thailand, which responded with air strikes.

After days of intense fighting which left dozens dead, the neighbouring South East Asian countries agreed to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" brokered by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Since then, tensions continued to build.

This week, violence expanded into at least six provinces in north-eastern Thailand and five provinces in Cambodia's north and north-west.

The two countries have been been contesting territorial sovereignty along their 800km land border for more than a century, since the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.

US President Donald Trump has said the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia will halt fighting "effective this evening".

Trump made the announcement after telephone conversations with the two leaders following deadly border clashes in recent days which have left at least 20 people dead and half a million displaced.

Neither Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul nor his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet has commented.

However, after his call with Trump earlier, Charnvirakul told a news conference that a ceasefire would only come about if "Cambodia will cease fire, withdraw its troops, remove all landmines it has planted".

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said both leaders "have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me.

"Both Countries are ready for PEACE and continued Trade with the United States of America."

The long-standing border dispute escalated on 24 July, as Cambodia launched a barrage of rockets into Thailand, which responded with air strikes.

After days of intense fighting which left dozens dead, the neighbouring South East Asian countries agreed to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" brokered by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Since then, tensions continued to build.

This week, violence expanded into at least six provinces in north-eastern Thailand and five provinces in Cambodia's north and north-west.

The two countries have been been contesting territorial sovereignty along their 800km land border for more than a century, since the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.