Government data has been stolen in a hack though officials believe the risk to individuals is "low", a minister has said.
Trade Minister Chris Bryant told BBC Breakfast "an investigation is ongoing" into the hack, adding that the security gap was "closed pretty quickly".
A Chinese affiliated group is suspected of being behind the attack, but Bryant said investigators "simply don't know as yet" who is responsible.
"We think that it's a fairly low-risk that individuals will have been compromised or affected," Bryant said.
It comes after the Sun newspaper reported that the hack took place in October with information possibly including visa details targeted.
It said in its report that hackers affiliated to the Chinese state were thought to be involved.
The incident has been referred to the Information Commissioners Office.
UK intelligence agencies have warned about increasing, large-scale espionage from China, using cyber and other means, and targeting commercial and political information.
England were pushed towards the precipice of the fastest Ashes series defeat in more than 100 years as a Travis Head century maintained Australia's grip on the third Test in Adelaide.
Head was dropped on 99 by Harry Brook and spent eight balls one run short of a hundred before belting Joe Root down the ground for four to draw a deafening roar from his home-town crowd at the Adelaide Oval.
The left-hander moved Australia's second innings to 271-4 and their overall lead to 356 at the end of the third day.
If England's third loss in as many Tests is completed on Saturday, it would mean the Ashes have been decided in 10 days of cricket.
Not since 1921, when Australia needed only eight days of play to win in England, has the destination of the urn been settled so swiftly.
Head's inevitable ton snuffed out brief England hope that was raised when captain Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer added 73 runs in the morning session.
Stokes made 83 and Archer 51 in a stand of 106, the highest by an England ninth-wicket pair in Australia since 1924.
By creeping to 286 all out, 85 behind on first innings, England could have left themselves an outside chance by dismissing Australia for a total below 240 in their second innings.
At 53-2 and 149-4, England clung on before being cut adrift by Head. At some point, England will be tasked with pulling off the highest successful chase on this ground in order to keep the Ashes alive.
Of further concern to the visitors is the fitness of all-rounder Stokes, who is yet to bowl in the 66 overs of Australia's second innings.
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Brook drops Head at gully on 99
Slow death for England
Realistically, England's fate in this match and the series was sealed by their batting on the second day.
It needed a trademark Stokes miracle to keep his team from their destiny and, despite how well the captain and Archer have personally performed in this match, Stokes might have exhausted his escape acts.
There will be questions over all-rounder Stokes' physical state for the rest of the series. Never one to avoid work when his team need him, there were times when he was bent double in the field.
Bar the 90 minutes of resistance England mustered in the morning session, this day went as expected – Australia batting under minimal pressure, grinding England into the dirt.
England's effort cannot be faulted, they are simply being outclassed. They are suffering a slow death in the City of Churches, a prolonged post-mortem of the Bazball project.
A team aim will be to extend the match to Sunday, to at least avoid a historically swift series defeat. Individuals like Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith need runs to alleviate growing pressure on their international futures.
Head boy
Head's elevation to open the batting on the second day of the first Test will go down as one of the defining moments of the series. His match-winning century in Perth gave Australia a momentum they have never looked like relinquishing.
This ton was memorable for different reasons. Like Alex Carey on day one, Head is another South Australian enjoying an Ashes moment on home turf. This was his fourth successive century in Tests at the Adelaide Oval.
He had to endure a lively England burst with the new ball, particularly from Brydon Carse. With the storm weathered, Stokes absent from the attack and Will Jacks unable to hold an end, Head cashed in.
England tried different plans, at one point packing the off side with seven fielders, but Head still found ways to score. He added 84 for the fourth wicket with Usman Khawaja, who made 40 to further his case to be retained for the fourth Test.
The chance to Brook, off the bowling off Archer, was a powerful slash to gully. It would have been a smart catch, though should have been taken. In the next over, Head lofted Root's off-spin down the ground to complete his 11th Test ton.
It was fitting that Carey was Head's partner when he reached three figures. Their partnership stood at 122 by the close, with Carey unbeaten on 52 and eyeing a second hundred in the match.
Stokes and Archer stand up for England
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'What a shot that is!' - Archer smashes Lyon over long on for six
Stokes and Archer are among the few England players to have performed so far on this tour. Their tight relationship goes back to the 2019 World Cup final.
When Stokes was captured on camera on the second morning giving Archer a tounge-lashing for his bowling, it was an example of how Stokes knows he can get the best from his paceman.
From 213-8 overnight, and with 12 overs in the morning before the second new ball, the ninth-wicket pair were more expansive than the previous evening.
Stokes drove Scott Boland for four from the third ball of the day, Archer swiped Nathan Lyon over long-on for six.
Stokes' 50, from 159 balls, was his slowest in Test cricket and the slowest by any England batter in the Bazball era. Archer, who took five wickets in Australia's first innings, made his maiden half-century in Tests and the second-highest score by an England number 10 in Australia.
Stokes deserved a hundred only for Mitchell Starc to hit the stumps through the gate. Stokes roared in frustration, while Archer chased the captain all the way to the boundary to pat him on the back.
By the time Archer edged Boland to become the last wicket to fall, his batting average of 33 was England's second-highest behind Root. He has more Ashes half-centuries than Pope.
Two-time world champion Anthony Joshua (right) has won 28 professional bouts with four losses, while YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul (left) has won 12 and lost one
The pair crossed paths again during Joshua's interview, with Paul continuing to goad him.
"He's top heavy. Look at those legs. Chicken legs," Paul said, as Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn shook his head and laughed.
"I smell fear. I see something in his eyes, I truly do," Paul added.
"The pressure is on him. I'm fighting free. I've already won. This is a lose-lose situation for him. I've got him right where I want him."
The next time they lock eyes will be in the ring for their eight-round bout at Miami's Kaseya Center.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
WWE star Logan Paul joiend his brother Jake on stage, with Eddie Hearn by Joshua's side
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Paul made his pro debut in 2020, while Joshua turned pro in 2013
Joshua makes weight, Paul unleashes bizarre tirade
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Joshua has fought in 13 world title fights at heavyweight, Paul is yet to compete at an world championship level
A low-key, media-only weigh-in took place on Thursday morning at the Fontainebleau hotel, before a ceremonial weigh-in later in the day at the Fillmore Miami Beach.
Heavyweights do not usually have to make weight, but Joshua was required to come in under 17st 7lb (111kg) - reflecting the gulf in experience between the fighters.
He tipped the scales at 17st 5lb (110kg), with Paul weighing 15st 7lb (98kg).
At the official weigh-in earlier, Paul stepped on the scales calmly before breaking into a brief, animated and somewhat confusing tirade.
"Do you know who I am? I am him," he shouted, eyes wide, as he gestured towards the assembled media.
Paul was the heaviest he has weighed in at - 3lb more than for his fight against Mike Tyson last year.
The weight discrepancy has been a major talking point.
Paul has operated largely at cruiserweight for much of his boxing career.
Joshua was never expected to miss the limit, having posted a video on social media two weeks ago showing himself already on target.
He has comfortably made similar weights before, including for both fights against generational great Oleksandr Usyk. At his heaviest, he was 18st 3lb (118kg) during his professional career.
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Paul is 'massively deluded' if he thinks he can beat Joshua - Hearn
Smiling Dubois makes weight for MVP debut
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Caroline Dubois calls out rivals before US debut
Briton Caroline Dubois smiled her way to the stage as she also made weight for her WBC lightweight world title defence against Camilla Panatta.
Dubois, 24, looked strong at the weight, with both fighters coming in one pound under the 9st 9lb (61kg) limit.
The Londoner exchanged words with her Italian opponent as they faced off.
"I said I was going to break her and that's exactly what I am going to do," Dubois said afterwards.
She was also involved in a lively exchange with super-featherweight Alycia Baumgardner, who also features on the card, at Wednesday's news conference.
Dubois is unbeaten, with 11 wins and one draw, and this contest marks her first appearance under Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, which has invested heavily in women's boxing.
Long considered one of the future faces of the sport, Dubois now steps on to the global stage, with the event being broadcast on Netflix.
The platform's worldwide subscriber base of more than 300 million offers significant exposure, particularly for fighters on the undercard.
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Image caption,
Dubois is one of several British female fighters who have signed with MVP, co-founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian
TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok's boss told employees on Thursday.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
The deal is line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community".
The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.
A typical Christmas dinner with all the trimmings will cost slightly more than last year
Turkey and sprouts are synonymous with Christmas dinner and this year a rise in the price of both means the festive feast will cost you slightly more at the supermarket.
A typical turkey dinner with all the trimmings will cost about £32.45, according to research done for the BBC - a £1.24 or nearly4% rise on last year.
It comes after bird flu led to large numbers of turkeys being culled early, while a drier spring and summer hit sprout harvests.
However, the humble but golden potato and parsnip have gone down in price, along with - if you have any room - Christmas pudding and mince pies. Our seasonal snapshot reflects that overall food price rises are beginning to slow down.
The centre piece to the traditional family feast - the turkey - costs £20, for a standard 10lb (4.55kg) frozen one. The same bird was £18.62 last year - that's a 7.37% rise, according to the research from retail tracking platform Assosia.
The ever-divisive Brussels sprouts went up by more than 9% to 94p a bag, it found.
The data is based on prices on 6 December 2025 and the same date in 2024, across own-brand products from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl.
However, every year as supermarkets compete for our Christmas custom many slash the prices of their bags of veg as low as 8p so there are bargains to be had.
She says turkeys eat more feed when they can't graze outdoors so this pushed up her costs. But she says her customers understand she has to pass this on.
"I think people are now generally expecting an increase on most things year on year," she says.
Susan Gorst
Susan Gorst and her son Freddie on their turkey farm
The rising price of turkey "could have been a lot worse," according to John Muff, co-owner of Muff's Butchers in Wirral. He estimates it's up by £1-2 per kilo since last Christmas.
"All year round we've seen price increases, almost on a weekly basis, 5p here, 10p there," he says.
Pork has also gone up in price, with pigs in blankets now £2.59, or 5.3% higher than last year.
John says this didn't surprise him. The cost of making their sausages from scratch has seen a "steady increase throughout the year," he says.
Butcher John Muff said the price of turkey has crept up all year
He says "every aspect is going up," from animal feed, energy, transport and wages.
But he thinks higher supermarket prices might be tempting shoppers into a trip to the butchers.
"They're thinking to themselves: If I'm going to pay that sort of price, I may as well come in here and get the proper stuff," he says.
Sprout prices
Whether you celebrate or shun the sprouts at Christmas, the success of this little green veg is highly dependent on the weather.
Alan Steven, a sprout farmer in Fife, says this spring the ground was so dry he had to water his fields before he could plant his seeds - for the first time in 10 years.
He had the cost of irrigating twice more over the summer due to prolonged hot weather.
And so far the winter has been milder which means the sprout plants are more prone to disease, he says.
Alan Steven said he had to irrigate his sprout seeds as they were being planted because the ground was so dry
Spud prices hold steady
The price of root vegetables has remained firmly planted - with no change to the cost of carrots - and potatoes and parsnips just a penny cheaper than last year.
Scott Walker, chief executive of GB Potatoes, said planting and harvesting conditions were favourable this year, but the middle of the season, was "one of the driest in modern memory". The summer was the hottest on record in the UK.
Farmers who didn't have irrigation systems would have suffered and those who could water their crops would have had higher electricity and fuel costs, he says.
"We've had more modest rises than we've had over the past couple of years, but costs have still gone up," he says.
Lucy Munns
Lucy Munns grows potatoes, sugar beet, wheat and barley
The trouble with potato prices is you never know what you're going to get, says Lucy Munns, a potato farmer in Cambridgeshire.
She said a good price for her potatoes would be £200 a tonne, but she was anticipating prices as low as £80 in December.
Hot spells while potatoes are growing causes them to be oddly shaped and they can be rejected by supermarkets and fish and chip shops, she says.
Lucy Munns
Hot weather can cause potatoes to grow in odd shapes
Pudding and mince pies fall in price
Another side dish which saw a slight dip in price was stuffing mix - dropping 1.32% to 50p for 170g.
And lashings of gravy will also be cheaper this year, with gravy granules dropping 7.35% to 91p for 200-300g.
If after the Christmas feast you still have appetite for a sweet treat you'll be glad to hear that Christmas pudding and mince pies are cheaper this year.
A pack of six iced mince pies will cost £1.77, which is 2.75% cheaper than in 2024. A standard 400g pudding comes in at £2.35, or a drop of 7.42%.
It's down to falling flour and sugar prices - there is currently a global sugar surplus.
'An absolute superhero': father describes how Jess saved his daughter
When bullets began flying at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, strangers Wayne and Jessica found themselves in the same nightmare scenario. They couldn't find their three-year-olds.
In the chaos, separately, they desperately scanned the green. People who'd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah screamed and ducked. Others ran. Some didn't make it far.
The 10-odd minutes that followed were the longest of their lives.
Wayne's body was acting as a human shield for his eldest daughter, but his mind was elsewhere: with his missing daughter Gigi.
"We had to wait all that time for the gunshots to stop. It felt like eternity," he tells the BBC.
Unbeknown to him, Jessica's gaze had caught on a little girl in a rainbow skirt, confused, scared and alone - calling out for her mummy and daddy.
In that moment, the pregnant mother couldn't protect her own child, so she'd protect this one, she decided. She smothered Gigi's body with her own, and uttered "I've got you", over and over again. They could feel the moment a woman about a metre away was shot and killed.
By the time the air finally fell silent, Wayne had become all but convinced Gigi was dead.
"I was looking amongst the blood and the bodies," he says, growing emotional.
"What I saw - no human should ever see that."
Eventually, he caught a glimpse of a familiar colourful skirt and found his daughter, stained in red - but okay, still shrouded under Jessica. Her son too would soon be found, unharmed.
"She said she's just a mother and she acted with mother instincts," Wayne says.
"[But] she's a superhero. We'll be indebted to her for the rest of our lives."
It is one of the incredible accounts of selflessness and courage that have emerged from one of Australia's darkest days.
Declared a terror attack by police, it is the deadliest in Australian history. Dozens were injured and 15 people - including a 10-year-old girl - were killed by the two gunmen, who police say were inspired by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
Chris Minns/Facebook
Chris Minns says Ahmed al Ahmed is a "genuine hero"
More people undoubtedly would have been harmed if it weren't for Ahmed al Ahmed.
A Syrian-Australian shop owner, he'd been having coffee nearby when the shooting began. His father told BBC Arabic Ahmed "saw the victims, the blood, women and children lying on the street, and then acted".
Footage of the moment he sprung out from behind a car and wrestled a gun off one of the attackers immediately went viral. He was shot multiple times, and may lose his arm.
Another man, Reuven Morrison, was also seen on the video hurling objects at the same attacker in the moments after Ahmed disarmed him.
Sheina Gutnik easily recognised her dad in the footage.
"He is not one to lie down. He is one to run towards danger," Ms Gutnick told BBC partner CBS News.
He had jumped up the second the shooting started, she said, and was throwing bricks at one of the gunmen before he was fatally shot.
"He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most."
The first two victims of the assault, Boris and Sofia Gurman, were also captured on dashcam footage grappling with one of the men for his weapon. When they succeeded, he got another gun from the car he'd just climbed out of and killed them.
Bondi beach attack: Dashcam video shows couple tackle attacker
"While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness," the couple's family said in a statement.
"This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were - people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others."
The list goes on.
Chaya, only 14 years old, was shot in the leg while shielding two young children from gunfire.
Jack Hibbert - a beat cop just four months into the job - was hit in both the head and the shoulder but continued to help festival attendees until he physically couldn't, his family said. The 22-year-old will survive, but with life-changing injuries.
Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed sprinting over from a neighbouring beach during the attack, armed with critical medical supplies. He didn't even pause to put on shoes.
Alexandra Ching/Instagram
Jackson Doolan heard gunshots and took off running towards them
Others at Bondi rushed from the beach into the fire, their red-and-yellow lifesaving boards working overtime as stretchers. One lifeguard even dived back into the surf to save swimmers who'd been sent into a panic by the shooting.
Student Levi Xu, 31, told the BBC he felt he could not shout for help, as he didn't want to draw attention to himself or risk any potential saviours being targeted.
But lifeguard Rory Davey saw him and his friend struggling, and dragged them back to shore.
"We stood up and wanted to thank him, but he had already gone back into the sea to rescue other people," says Mr Xu.
Thousands of Australians flocked to donate blood, dwarfing the previous record.
Authorities say many off-duty first responders travelled to Bondi on Sunday - from as far as two hours away - simply because they knew there was a need.
Healthcare workers rushed to hospitals when they heard of the attack, whether or not they were on shift, confronting unspeakable trauma to save lives.
"Normally on a Sunday night, there is staff available to run one operating theatre [at St Vincent's Hospital]. There were eight operating at once," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
State premier Chris Minns, too, has been quick to praise the heroics of ordinary, everyday Australians.
"This is a terrible, wanton act of destructive violence. But there are still amazing people that we have in Australia, and they showed their true colours last night," he said, the day after the attack.
Wayne says he shudders to think what would have happened without people like Jessica and Ahmed.
When he speaks to the BBC, he's just attended a funeral for the gunmen's youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
"I was sitting at this funeral and I was just thinking, tears pouring out of my eyes... I could have been in the front... It could have been my little girl."
"There could have been so much more devastation without the bravery of [these] people... someone who could run just comes in. Someone who could worry about their own child looks after another child.
Drivers are being advised to allow extra time to travel
Britain's roads, railways and airports are set to be thronged by festive travellers on what is is anticipated to be the busiest day for Christmas trips.
The AA has warned of gridlock on Friday as 24.4 million cars are expected to hit the roads.
It is also expected to be the busiest day of the Christmas period for airports, with 460,000 journeys planned.
Network Rail has also advised travellers to check their journeys and book a seat if possible.
Drivers told to allow extra time
The AA said this Christmas could be the busiest on record for UK roads, and advised drivers to allow extra time to complete their journeys.
The insurance company said most people driving during the festive period travelled less than 100 miles, meaning congestion is likely around motorway interchanges and retail destinations.
AA patrol expert Shaun Jones said patience behind the wheel "will be your best present this year".
"Plan ahead, check your route, and allow extra time," he said.
The M27 will be closed between Junction 9 (Whiteley/Park Gate) and Junction 11 (Fareham East/Gosport) from Christmas Eve to 4 January, so anyone travelling in Hampshire should plan alternative routes.
Rail closures
Network Rail also encouraged passengers to allow extra time for train travel. Improvement works taking place over the Christmas period mean several routes will be closed or restricted.
Information on what routes will be closed for repairs can be found on the Network Rail website.
National Rail trains do not run on Christmas Day and only a small number will run on Boxing Day.
Daniel Mann, Director of Industry Operations at the Rail Delivery Group, said: "We encourage customers to reserve seats where possible, bring only luggage that is easy to carry and fits in designated storage areas, and allow extra time for their journeys."
Flights
Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the festive season for airports, but the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said flying on Christmas Day was becoming more popular.
If this happens, airlines are required to support passengers. This can include:
Providing food and drink during extended delays
Covering accommodation if passengers are delayed overnight
Offering a refund or alternative travel if a flight is cancelled
If your flight is cancelled, and it is covered by UK law, your airline must let you choose between either getting a refund or being booked on to an alternative flight.
You can check if your flight is covered under UK law here.
The CAA also said that travellers can minimise their risk of delays by ensuring their cases are packed correctly.
This includes leaving presents unwrapped as they may need to be inspected.
A typical Christmas dinner with all the trimmings will cost slightly more than last year
Turkey and sprouts are synonymous with Christmas dinner and this year a rise in the price of both means the festive feast will cost you slightly more at the supermarket.
A typical turkey dinner with all the trimmings will cost about £32.45, according to research done for the BBC - a £1.24 or nearly4% rise on last year.
It comes after bird flu led to large numbers of turkeys being culled early, while a drier spring and summer hit sprout harvests.
However, the humble but golden potato and parsnip have gone down in price, along with - if you have any room - Christmas pudding and mince pies. Our seasonal snapshot reflects that overall food price rises are beginning to slow down.
The centre piece to the traditional family feast - the turkey - costs £20, for a standard 10lb (4.55kg) frozen one. The same bird was £18.62 last year - that's a 7.37% rise, according to the research from retail tracking platform Assosia.
The ever-divisive Brussels sprouts went up by more than 9% to 94p a bag, it found.
The data is based on prices on 6 December 2025 and the same date in 2024, across own-brand products from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl.
However, every year as supermarkets compete for our Christmas custom many slash the prices of their bags of veg as low as 8p so there are bargains to be had.
She says turkeys eat more feed when they can't graze outdoors so this pushed up her costs. But she says her customers understand she has to pass this on.
"I think people are now generally expecting an increase on most things year on year," she says.
Susan Gorst
Susan Gorst and her son Freddie on their turkey farm
The rising price of turkey "could have been a lot worse," according to John Muff, co-owner of Muff's Butchers in Wirral. He estimates it's up by £1-2 per kilo since last Christmas.
"All year round we've seen price increases, almost on a weekly basis, 5p here, 10p there," he says.
Pork has also gone up in price, with pigs in blankets now £2.59, or 5.3% higher than last year.
John says this didn't surprise him. The cost of making their sausages from scratch has seen a "steady increase throughout the year," he says.
Butcher John Muff said the price of turkey has crept up all year
He says "every aspect is going up," from animal feed, energy, transport and wages.
But he thinks higher supermarket prices might be tempting shoppers into a trip to the butchers.
"They're thinking to themselves: If I'm going to pay that sort of price, I may as well come in here and get the proper stuff," he says.
Sprout prices
Whether you celebrate or shun the sprouts at Christmas, the success of this little green veg is highly dependent on the weather.
Alan Steven, a sprout farmer in Fife, says this spring the ground was so dry he had to water his fields before he could plant his seeds - for the first time in 10 years.
He had the cost of irrigating twice more over the summer due to prolonged hot weather.
And so far the winter has been milder which means the sprout plants are more prone to disease, he says.
Alan Steven said he had to irrigate his sprout seeds as they were being planted because the ground was so dry
Spud prices hold steady
The price of root vegetables has remained firmly planted - with no change to the cost of carrots - and potatoes and parsnips just a penny cheaper than last year.
Scott Walker, chief executive of GB Potatoes, said planting and harvesting conditions were favourable this year, but the middle of the season, was "one of the driest in modern memory". The summer was the hottest on record in the UK.
Farmers who didn't have irrigation systems would have suffered and those who could water their crops would have had higher electricity and fuel costs, he says.
"We've had more modest rises than we've had over the past couple of years, but costs have still gone up," he says.
Lucy Munns
Lucy Munns grows potatoes, sugar beet, wheat and barley
The trouble with potato prices is you never know what you're going to get, says Lucy Munns, a potato farmer in Cambridgeshire.
She said a good price for her potatoes would be £200 a tonne, but she was anticipating prices as low as £80 in December.
Hot spells while potatoes are growing causes them to be oddly shaped and they can be rejected by supermarkets and fish and chip shops, she says.
Lucy Munns
Hot weather can cause potatoes to grow in odd shapes
Pudding and mince pies fall in price
Another side dish which saw a slight dip in price was stuffing mix - dropping 1.32% to 50p for 170g.
And lashings of gravy will also be cheaper this year, with gravy granules dropping 7.35% to 91p for 200-300g.
If after the Christmas feast you still have appetite for a sweet treat you'll be glad to hear that Christmas pudding and mince pies are cheaper this year.
A pack of six iced mince pies will cost £1.77, which is 2.75% cheaper than in 2024. A standard 400g pudding comes in at £2.35, or a drop of 7.42%.
It's down to falling flour and sugar prices - there is currently a global sugar surplus.
The widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is "likely" to displace people from jobs in a similar way seen during the Industrial Revolution, the governor of the Bank of England has said.
Andrew Bailey said the UK needed to have the "training, education, [and] skills in place" so workers could shift into jobs that use AI.
He told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme people looking for a job would find securing employment "a lot easier" if they had such skills.
However, he warned that there was an issue with younger, inexperienced professionals finding it difficult to secure entry-level roles due to AI.
"We do have to think about, what is it doing to the pipeline of people? Is it changing it or not?" he said.
"I think if it's people working with AI, I'm not sure it will change the pipeline, but I think we're right to have a have an eye on that point."
Artificial intelligence has become part of everyday life in recent years and is increasingly being adopted by businesses and the public sector.
The technology allows computers to process large amounts of data, identify patterns and follow detailed instructions about what to do with that information.
However, there are concerns over the impact it may already be having on the jobs market.
Official figures released this week revealed the UK unemployment rate rose to 5.1% in the three months to October, with younger workers particularly affected.
The number of unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds increased by 85,000 in the three months to October, the largest rise since November 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Some have argued rises to the minimum wage and increased taxes has made it less appealing for businesses to hire entry-level staff.
"Now we have artificial intelligence. We want to hire, but I don't know if it's going to be the same level of people that we hire - it will be a different set of people," said global chairman Mohamed Kande.
Firms who would have previously contracted PwC consultants to sift through data and documents may now use AI models instead, turning weeks of costly work into minutes.
Mr Bailey said worries over the impact of technology on populations cropped over at various times in history, stretching back centuries to when Queen Elizabeth I was worried about the impact of the invention of the knitting machine on her then subjects.
"As you saw in the Industrial Revolution, now over time, I think we can now sort of look back and say it didn't cause mass unemployment, but it did displace people from jobs and this is important.
"My guess would be that it's most likely that AI may well have a similar effect. So we need to be prepared for that, in a sense."
Mr Bailey said AI was the "most likely source of the next leg up" for UK economic growth.
"In terms of its potential to improve productivity growth, I think it's pretty substantial. It will get used across the economy. How quickly it comes through is another question, history would suggest that it does take some time."
Mr Bailey said the Bank of England, which sets UK interest rates, were using AI but added the institution, along with others, were "probably all still experimenting".
"To get it into sort of mainstream, everyday use will take some time, but it's critically important that we obviously focus on getting the pre-conditions and all the conditions in place for that to happen," he added.
Aside from the jobs market being impacted by AI, there are concerns there could be an AI bubble - whether the big tech firms are being overvalued.
The Bank of England has recently sounded the alarm over a potential crash in the value of AI firms reminiscent of previous incidents such as the dotcom bubble.
Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of US bank JP Morgan, told the BBC in October he was "far more worried than others" about the risk of a serious market correction in the coming years.
Mr Bailey told the Today programme that policymakers would "have to watch the valuation question".
However, he did acknowledge that the majority of the big companies were generating cash flow.
"Of course, it's still the case that it doesn't mean they'll all be winners. We're watching it very closely, because we do need to watch, obviously, what the consequences of any sharp unwinding could be."
Bank of England governor 'encouraged' by falling inflation
The future of the economy can sometimes be seen in minor gestures of a Bank of England governor, such as the arch of his eyebrows. So what to make of Andrew Bailey sporting a rather exuberant festive tie full of Christmas trees at the moment he delivered his so-called "Santa cut"?
It probably means nothing. Just maybe it is a sign that the timing and messaging behind this cut is designed to pump life into a "subdued" economy.
It was a narrow decision, with the governor as the swing voter after he said the UK had "passed the peak of inflation", and the target of 2% now in sight in April rather than early 2027.
Mr Bailey was at pains to say the direction of travel next year remained cuts, but that decisions would now be a closer call.
"We're going to come back to target sooner than we thought. So that's encouraging. All of this is very encouraging, and for me certainly, you know, it was a strong basis to cut today," he said.
"Looking forwards, I do think we'll continue to have something of a gradual downward path... the calls do get closer."
There has been a debate on the Monetary Policy Committee about what a normal level of interest would be, with some members seeing that as low as 3%. Markets interpreted the deliberations of the committee as meaning just two further cuts next year.
Much is up in the air, however, about what the committee said was a "lacklustre" economy, that they forecast is not growing in the current quarter.
The uncertainty around the Budget has now lifted, but businesses told the Bank there had been no rebound yet. The Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, said that the cuts showed the economy was on "life support" and rate cuts were "CPR".
Governor Bailey said the Budget measures aimed at containing inflation had helped the Bank's decision to lower interest rates.
"It's part of the reason I can be more confident inflation is going to come down sooner," he said.
The governor has also identified an unusually high rate of savings as holding back the economy, driven by a lack of consumer confidence among older savers in particular. Rate cuts mechanically lower the incentive to save, and help spending.
He said he didn't want to be "judgemental" about how much people save, but that it was true "how confident and cautious" people feel about the global and local economy does affect savings.
More economic policy stability, lower inflation and lower interest rates should help the economy gain some new momentum in the new year. It certainly needs it.
But it might take a lot more for the much-needed jolt of confidence and festive spirit to spread across the economy.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (left), European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announce the deal at the summit in Brussels
European Union leaders have struck a deal to give Ukraine a €90bn (£79bn; $105bn) loan after failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets.
The agreement, which leaders said would meet Ukraine's military and economic needs for the next two years, came after more than a day of talks at a summit in Brussels.
"We committed, we delivered," EU chief Antonio Costa wrote on X as he announced the deal to provide a loan backed by the bloc's common budget.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had urged leaders to use €200 billion of frozen Russian assets but Belgium, where the vast bulk of the cash is held, demanded guarantees on sharing liability that proved too much for other countries.
In another development, French President Emmanuel Macron said he believed it would be "useful" for Europe to re-engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I believe that it's in our interest as Europeans and Ukrainians to find the right framework to re-engage this discussion," he said, adding that Europeans should find the means to do so "in coming weeks".
EU leaders avoided "chaos and division" with their decision to provide Ukraine with a loan through borrowing cash rather than use frozen Russian assets, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said early on Friday.
"We remained united," De Wever added.
Ukraine is months from running out of cash and Zelensky said without an injection by spring Ukraine would "have to reduce production of drones".
The EU estimates Ukraine needs an extra €135 billion to stay afloat over the next two years, with the cash crunch set to start in April.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had pushed for the asset plan, said the final decision on the loan "sends a clear signal" to Putin.
Russia had warned EU leaders not to use its money, but Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they had to "rise to this occasion".
The agreement offers Kyiv a desperately needed lifeline amid a flurry of diplomacy as US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end Russia's war.
US and Russian officials are due to meet in Miami this weekend for further talks on a peace plan, a White House official has told AFP news agency. It is thought Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev will talk to Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami.
Meanwhile, Zelensky announced Ukrainian and US delegations would hold new talks on Friday and Saturday in the United States.
He said he wanted Washington to give more details on the guarantees it could offer to protect Ukraine from another invasion.
Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team work at the scene of a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on 16 December 2025
Police have issued an arrest warrant for the suspect in a mass shooting at Brown University that killed two people and injured nine others, sources close to the investigation told the BBC's US partner, CBS News.
Authorities are now searching for the person and a car the suspect is believed to have rented, according to CBS. They have not publicly identified the suspect.
They also are looking into a possible link between the shooting at Brown and the killing of a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology two days later.
The search is now in its sixth day, with investigators knocking on doors, asking for home-security videos, and appealing to the public for tips to find the gunman.
A news conference that police in Providence, Rhode Island, had planned for Thursday afternoon was abruptly cancelled, but they said they expected to give an update later in the day.
On Thursday, authorities told CBS sources that they are investigating possible connections between the shooting and the killing of an Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) nuclear science and engineering professor two days later.
Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, from Portugal, was shot "multiple times" on Monday at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, which is about 50 miles (80km) from Providence.
Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect, sources told CBS. The sources said a rental car matching the same description was seen at both crime scenes.
Federal authorities had previously said there was no link between the two murders.
On Wednesday, authorities released a photo of an individual they believe was in close proximity to their primary person of interest.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said they wanted to speak with the person, "who may have information relevant to the investigation".
The chief also said the killer "could be anywhere", adding that "we don't know where the person is or who he is".
A day earlier, police had shown footage of a person of interest where a man was seen walking around the university campus with a black mask over his mouth, possibly "casing" the area before the crime, Perez said.
Members of the public have expressed frustration that the mass shooting investigation has appeared to yield little progress so far.
In response, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said he believed the killer would be caught "and it is just a matter of time before we catch him".
The FBI has offered a $50,000 (£37,350) reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attack.
The shooting occurred at Brown University's Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams.
Authorities identified the two students killed as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek-American freshman student.
The Australian government has announced a gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack - its deadliest mass shooting in decades.
The scheme is the largest since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which left 35 people dead and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures.
Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday when two gunmen, believed to have been motivated by "Islamic State ideology", opened fire on a Jewish festival at the country's most iconic beach.
On Friday police said a group of men who were arrested in Sydney after travelling from the state of Victoria had "extremist Islamic ideology".
Police allege Sunday's attack, which they have declared a terrorist incident, was committed by a father-son duo. Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act. His father Sajid was killed during the attack.
The day after the shooting, national cabinet - which includes representatives from the federal government and leaders from all states and territories - agreed to tighten gun controls.
Speaking to media on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there are now more than 4 million firearms in Australia - more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre.
"We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney's suburbs... There's no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.
"We need to get more guns off our streets."
Earlier on Friday, a senior New South Wales police officer told national broadcaster ABC seven men arrested by counter terrorism police in Sydney on Thursday evening may have been on their way to Bondi.
Tactical officers swarmed on the group, who had travelled from Victoria and were known to police there, in dramatic scenes in the suburb of Liverpool.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said "some indication" that Bondi was one of the locations they were considering visiting, but "with no specific intent in mind or proven at this stage".
Rarely used national security powers were relied upon to swoop before their plans developed.
"We made the decision that we weren't going to … take any chances in relation to what they might be doing," he said.
Officers found a knife, but no guns or other weapons, Mr Hudson added.
'Blow' samples, as well as skin biopsies, were collected and screened for infectious agents
Whale breath collected by drones is giving clues to the health of wild humpbacks and other whales.
Scientists flew drones equipped with special kit through the exhaled droplets, or "blows", made when the giants come up to breathe through their blowholes.
They detected a highly infectious virus linked to mass strandings of whales and dolphins worldwide.
The sampling of whale "blow" is a "game-changer" for the health and well-being of whales, said Prof Terry Dawson of King's College London.
"It allows us to monitor pathogens in live whales without stress or harm, providing critical insights into diseases in rapidly changing Arctic ecosystems," he said.
The researchers used drones carrying sterile petri dishes to capture droplets from the exhaled breath of humpback, fin and sperm whales, combined with skin biopsies taken from boats.
They confirmed for the first time that a potentially deadly whale virus, known as cetacean morbillivirus, is circulating above the Arctic Circle.
The disease is highly contagious and spreads easily among dolphins, whales, and porpoises causing severe disease and mass deaths.
It can jump between species and travel across oceans, posing a significant threat to marine mammals.
The researchers hope this breakthrough will help spot deadly threats to ocean life early, before they start to spread.
Nord University
The researchers sampled humpback, sperm, and fin whales across the North-East Atlantic
"Going forward, the priority is to continue using these methods for long-term surveillance, so we can understand how multiple emerging stressors will shape whale health in the coming years," said Helena Costa of Nord University, Norway.
The study, involving King's College London and The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in the UK, and Nord University in Norway is published in BMC Veterinary Research.
'An absolute superhero': father describes how Jess saved his daughter
When bullets began flying at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, strangers Wayne and Jessica found themselves in the same nightmare scenario. They couldn't find their three-year-olds.
In the chaos, separately, they desperately scanned the green. People who'd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah screamed and ducked. Others ran. Some didn't make it far.
The 10-odd minutes that followed were the longest of their lives.
Wayne's body was acting as a human shield for his eldest daughter, but his mind was elsewhere: with his missing daughter Gigi.
"We had to wait all that time for the gunshots to stop. It felt like eternity," he tells the BBC.
Unbeknown to him, Jessica's gaze had caught on a little girl in a rainbow skirt, confused, scared and alone - calling out for her mummy and daddy.
In that moment, the pregnant mother couldn't protect her own child, so she'd protect this one, she decided. She smothered Gigi's body with her own, and uttered "I've got you", over and over again. They could feel the moment a woman about a metre away was shot and killed.
By the time the air finally fell silent, Wayne had become all but convinced Gigi was dead.
"I was looking amongst the blood and the bodies," he says, growing emotional.
"What I saw - no human should ever see that."
Eventually, he caught a glimpse of a familiar colourful skirt and found his daughter, stained in red - but okay, still shrouded under Jessica. Her son too would soon be found, unharmed.
"She said she's just a mother and she acted with mother instincts," Wayne says.
"[But] she's a superhero. We'll be indebted to her for the rest of our lives."
It is one of the incredible accounts of selflessness and courage that have emerged from one of Australia's darkest days.
Declared a terror attack by police, it is the deadliest in Australian history. Dozens were injured and 15 people - including a 10-year-old girl - were killed by the two gunmen, who police say were inspired by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
Chris Minns/Facebook
Chris Minns says Ahmed al Ahmed is a "genuine hero"
More people undoubtedly would have been harmed if it weren't for Ahmed al Ahmed.
A Syrian-Australian shop owner, he'd been having coffee nearby when the shooting began. His father told BBC Arabic Ahmed "saw the victims, the blood, women and children lying on the street, and then acted".
Footage of the moment he sprung out from behind a car and wrestled a gun off one of the attackers immediately went viral. He was shot multiple times, and may lose his arm.
Another man, Reuven Morrison, was also seen on the video hurling objects at the same attacker in the moments after Ahmed disarmed him.
Sheina Gutnik easily recognised her dad in the footage.
"He is not one to lie down. He is one to run towards danger," Ms Gutnick told BBC partner CBS News.
He had jumped up the second the shooting started, she said, and was throwing bricks at one of the gunmen before he was fatally shot.
"He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most."
The first two victims of the assault, Boris and Sofia Gurman, were also captured on dashcam footage grappling with one of the men for his weapon. When they succeeded, he got another gun from the car he'd just climbed out of and killed them.
Bondi beach attack: Dashcam video shows couple tackle attacker
"While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness," the couple's family said in a statement.
"This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were - people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others."
The list goes on.
Chaya, only 14 years old, was shot in the leg while shielding two young children from gunfire.
Jack Hibbert - a beat cop just four months into the job - was hit in both the head and the shoulder but continued to help festival attendees until he physically couldn't, his family said. The 22-year-old will survive, but with life-changing injuries.
Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed sprinting over from a neighbouring beach during the attack, armed with critical medical supplies. He didn't even pause to put on shoes.
Alexandra Ching/Instagram
Jackson Doolan heard gunshots and took off running towards them
Others at Bondi rushed from the beach into the fire, their red-and-yellow lifesaving boards working overtime as stretchers. One lifeguard even dived back into the surf to save swimmers who'd been sent into a panic by the shooting.
Student Levi Xu, 31, told the BBC he felt he could not shout for help, as he didn't want to draw attention to himself or risk any potential saviours being targeted.
But lifeguard Rory Davey saw him and his friend struggling, and dragged them back to shore.
"We stood up and wanted to thank him, but he had already gone back into the sea to rescue other people," says Mr Xu.
Thousands of Australians flocked to donate blood, dwarfing the previous record.
Authorities say many off-duty first responders travelled to Bondi on Sunday - from as far as two hours away - simply because they knew there was a need.
Healthcare workers rushed to hospitals when they heard of the attack, whether or not they were on shift, confronting unspeakable trauma to save lives.
"Normally on a Sunday night, there is staff available to run one operating theatre [at St Vincent's Hospital]. There were eight operating at once," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
State premier Chris Minns, too, has been quick to praise the heroics of ordinary, everyday Australians.
"This is a terrible, wanton act of destructive violence. But there are still amazing people that we have in Australia, and they showed their true colours last night," he said, the day after the attack.
Wayne says he shudders to think what would have happened without people like Jessica and Ahmed.
When he speaks to the BBC, he's just attended a funeral for the gunmen's youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
"I was sitting at this funeral and I was just thinking, tears pouring out of my eyes... I could have been in the front... It could have been my little girl."
"There could have been so much more devastation without the bravery of [these] people... someone who could run just comes in. Someone who could worry about their own child looks after another child.
The Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, is blocking the publication of trans guidance that would require businesses and public bodies to protect women-only spaces, describing them as "trans-exclusive", according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper also focuses on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's criticism of the government's plan to tackle misogyny in schools, saying it must look at immigration from cultures that "don't respect women". And the Prince and Princess of Wales' outdoor family Christmas photo with their three children takes the top picture spot under the caption "Fresh heir".
A photo of actress Olivia Coleman at the launch of Labour's strategy to stop violence against women and girls is splashed across the Metro's front page. The government has revealed a raft of new measures aimed at cracking down on the "national emergency" and change men's behaviours towards women.
The Independent follows with their lead on the government's vow to make women and girls "safe at last". The paper also focuses on a call from Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips for "all of society to step up and end the epidemic of abuse and violence that shames or country". Elsewhere, a smiling Rory McIlroy lifts the trophy for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The i Paper is predicts a "mortgage price war in spring" after the Bank of England cut interest rates to 3.75%, the lowest since 2023. Mortgage brokers are hoping for a "golden era of house buying" early in the new year as the central bank expects inflation to fall quicker than expected, the paper says.
The signs of cooling inflation also makes the Financial Times' lead story. Elsewhere, there are fears of financial reprisals by Russia among some EU states if a move to agree to a multi-billion euro loan in frozen Russian money to fund Ukraine's military and economic needs goes ahead. According to the paper, last year Western businesses held at least $127bn of assets in Russia.
Staying with Russia, the Daily Express features comments by Badenoch, who says the Tories are the only party to have the "competence" to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats. The Conservative leader added that the UK could not afford complacency and must "face down" Russia, the paper reports.
In news closer to home, nearly 10 million voters face having their local elections delayed until 2027 as part of Labour's plans to reorganise local government, the Times reports. The paper says the government has asked more than 60 districts and county councils if they want to suspend elections due to take place in May next year.
"Labour's running scared of voters" is the Daily Mail's take. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has likened the move to the actions of a "dictator" the paper says.
The Guardian turns its attention to the new photos from late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's estate released by US House Democrats. Among the new batch of images are what appear to be lines from the novel Lolita written on different parts of a woman's body, the paper says.
As Christmas nears, around 1.8 million people will spend the day alone, says the Daily Mirror. The results from a poll have prompted pleas from ministers for people to "pop in on a pal" and look out for their lonely neighbours.
The Sun reports that former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Thomas Skinner is suing the BBC over claims the broadcaster rigged voting to kick him off the show. A BBC spokesperson said: "Strictly Come Dancing's public vote is robust and independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy."
Finally, the Daily Star pays tribute to darts ace Ally Pally's "lucky wasp", which was sadly swatted and killed after it landed on PDC World Championship winner David Munyua's face. "Rest sting peace" is the headline.
There is no official data of how many Ukrainian soldiers have died by suicide
This article contains distressing details and references to suicide. Some of the names have been changed to protect identities.
Kateryna cannot talk about her son, Orest, without tears. Her voice trembles with anger as she explains how she found out the news that he had died on the front line in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine in 2023.
According to the official investigation by the army, he died by a "self-inflicted wound", something Katernya finds hard to believe.
Kateryna has asked for her and her late son to remain anonymous due to the stigma that surrounds suicide and mental health in Ukraine.
Orest was a quiet 25-year-old who loved books and dreamed of an academic career. His poor eyesight had made him initially unfit for service at the start of the war, his mother says.
But in 2023, a recruitment patrol stopped him in the street. His eyesight was re-evaluated and he was deemed fit to fight. Not long after, he was sent to the front as a communications specialist.
EPA
The Ukrainian army along the frontline near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk
While Ukraine collectively mourns the loss of more than 45,000 soldiers who have died since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, a quieter tragedy unfolds in the shadows.
There are no official statistics surrounding suicide among soldiers. Officials describe them as isolated incidents. Yet human rights advocates and bereaved families believe they may be in the hundreds.
"Orest was caught, not summoned," Kateryna says bitterly.
The local recruitment centre denied wrongdoing to the BBC, saying impaired vision made Orest "partially fit" during wartime.
Once deployed near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk, Orest became increasingly withdrawn and depressed, Kateryna recalls.
She still writes letters to her son every day - 650 and counting - her grief made worse by how Ukraine classifies suicide as a non-combat loss. Families of those who take their own lives receive no compensation, no military honours and no public recognition.
"In Ukraine, it's as if we've been divided," says Kateryna. "Some died the right way, and others died the wrong way."
"The state took my son, sent him to war, and brought me back a body in a bag. That's it. No help, no truth, nothing."
Reuters
A funeral with military honours held in Lviv for a soldier killed in combat
For Mariyana from Kyiv, the story is heartbreakingly similar. She too wishes to keep her identity and her late husband's hidden.
Her husband Anatoliy volunteered to fight in 2022. He was initially refused because of his lack of military experience but he "kept coming back until they took him", she says with a faint smile.
Anatoliy was deployed as a machine-gunner near Bakhmut, one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
"He said that, after one mission, about 50 guys were killed," Maryana recalls. "He came back different; quiet; distant."
After losing part of his arm, Anatoliy was sent to hospital. One evening, after a phone call with his wife, he took his own life in the hospital yard.
"The war broke him," she says through tears. "He couldn't live with what he'd seen."
Because Anatoliy died by suicide, officials denied him a military burial.
"When he stood on the front line, he was useful. But now he's not a hero?"
Mariyana feels betrayed: "The state threw me to the roadside. I gave them my husband, and they left me alone with nothing."
She has also felt stigma from other widows.
Mariyana's husband was denied an official burial and she feels a sense of betrayal
Her only source of support is an online community of women like her - widows of soldiers who took their own lives.
They want the government to change the law, so that their bereaved families have the same rights and recognition.
Viktoria, who we met in Lviv, still cannot talk about her husband's death publicly for fear of condemnation.
Her husband Andriy had a congenital heart condition, but insisted on joining the army. He became a driver in a reconnaissance unit and witnessed some of the most intense battles, including the liberation of Kherson.
In June 2023, Viktoria received a phone call telling her Andriy had taken his own life.
"It was like the world had collapsed," she says.
His body arrived 10 days later, but she was told she could not see it.
An attorney she later hired found inconsistencies in the investigation into his death. The photos from the scene made her doubt the official version of her husband's death. The Ukrainian military has since agreed to reopen the investigation, recognising failures.
Now she is fighting to re-open the case: "I'm fighting for his name. He can't defend himself anymore. My war isn't over."
Oksana Borkun runs a support community for military widows.
Her organisation now includes about 200 families bereaved by suicide.
"If it's suicide, then he's not a hero - that's what people think," she says. "Some churches refuse to hold funerals. Some towns won't put up their photos on memorial walls."
Many of these families doubt the official explanations of death. "Some cases are simply written off too quickly," she adds. "And some mothers open the coffin and find bodies covered in bruises."
Military chaplain Father Borys Kutovyi says he has seen at least three suicides in his command since the full-scale invasion began. But to him even one is too many.
"Every suicide means we failed somewhere."
He believes that many recruited soldiers, unlike career servicemen, are especially psychologically vulnerable.
Both Osksana and Father Borys say those who died by suicide should be considered heroes.
Ukraine's Commissioner for Veterans' Rights Olha Reshetylova wants reforms to the current system
Olha Reshetylova, Ukraine's Commissioner for Veterans' Rights, says she receives reports of up to four military suicides each month and admits not enough is being done: "They've seen hell. Even the strongest minds can break."
She says her office is pushing for systemic reform but it can take years to set up a good military psychology unit.
"Families have a right to the truth," she says. "They don't trust investigators. In some cases, suicides may cover up murders."
When it comes to honouring theses soldiers as military heroes, she prefers to look to the future.
"These people were your neighbours, your colleagues," says Ms Reshetylova. "They've walked through hell. The warmer we welcome them, there will be fewer tragedies"
With additional reporting by Kevin McGregor, Oleksii Nazaruk and Phoebe Hopson.
Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team work at the scene of a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on 16 December 2025
Police have issued an arrest warrant for the suspect in a mass shooting at Brown University that killed two people and injured nine others, sources close to the investigation told the BBC's US partner, CBS News.
Authorities are now searching for the person and a car the suspect is believed to have rented, according to CBS. They have not publicly identified the suspect.
They also are looking into a possible link between the shooting at Brown and the killing of a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology two days later.
The search is now in its sixth day, with investigators knocking on doors, asking for home-security videos, and appealing to the public for tips to find the gunman.
A news conference that police in Providence, Rhode Island, had planned for Thursday afternoon was abruptly cancelled, but they said they expected to give an update later in the day.
On Thursday, authorities told CBS sources that they are investigating possible connections between the shooting and the killing of an Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) nuclear science and engineering professor two days later.
Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, from Portugal, was shot "multiple times" on Monday at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, which is about 50 miles (80km) from Providence.
Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect, sources told CBS. The sources said a rental car matching the same description was seen at both crime scenes.
Federal authorities had previously said there was no link between the two murders.
On Wednesday, authorities released a photo of an individual they believe was in close proximity to their primary person of interest.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said they wanted to speak with the person, "who may have information relevant to the investigation".
The chief also said the killer "could be anywhere", adding that "we don't know where the person is or who he is".
A day earlier, police had shown footage of a person of interest where a man was seen walking around the university campus with a black mask over his mouth, possibly "casing" the area before the crime, Perez said.
Members of the public have expressed frustration that the mass shooting investigation has appeared to yield little progress so far.
In response, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said he believed the killer would be caught "and it is just a matter of time before we catch him".
The FBI has offered a $50,000 (£37,350) reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attack.
The shooting occurred at Brown University's Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams.
Authorities identified the two students killed as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek-American freshman student.
Millions of people will be able to set their own contactless card payment limits or even have no limit at all, a regulator has confirmed.
Banks and card providers will be given the power, from March, to set a maximum - or unlimited - single payment amount without the need to enter a four-digit PIN.
But they are also being encouraged by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to allow cardholders to set their own individual limits, or switch off contactless entirely. Some banks already offer this function.
The move comes despite the FCA's own survey showing little appetite among consumers and industry respondents for a change from the current £100 limit on contactless cards.
The FCA said it did not expect card providers to make immediate changes to the current limit from March, but they had the flexibility to do so.
When contactless card payments were introduced in 2007, the transaction limit was set at £10. The limit was raised gradually, to £15 in 2010, to £20 in 2012, then to £30 in 2015, before the Covid pandemic prompted a jump to £45 in 2020, then to £100 in October 2021.
While contactless cards currently have a £100 payment limit, anyone using their smartphone to pay can spend any amount without the need for a PIN.
In-built security features, such as thumbprints and face ID, provide greater protection.
But concerns have been raised about cards becoming more attractive to thieves and fraudsters, when high-value payments can be made with a tap of a card.
Various protections are already in place, such as a prompt to enter a PIN after a series of consecutive contactless transactions are made.
Consumers would still get their money back if it was stolen by fraudsters, according to David Geale, executive director of payments and digital finance at the FCA.
"Contactless is people's favoured way to pay. We want to make sure our rules provide flexibility for the future, and choice for both firms and consumers," he said.
Other countries, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand allow industry to set contactless card limits.
Jana Mackintosh, managing director of payments and innovation at UK Finance, which represents banks, said: "Any changes made in the future will be done carefully and ensure strong security and fraud controls remain in place."
Temptation to spend?
The FCA's own survey on changing the rules, released during consultation, showed that 78% of consumers who responded said they did not want any change to the current limits.
Consumers and academics have suggested that the extra convenience of unlimited contactless payment limits could also lead to shoppers spending without thinking.
This is said to be a particular issue with credit cards, when people are spending borrowed money and accumulating debt.
Financial abuse charities have also warned that unlimited contactless spending could give abusers free access to drain a survivor's bank account with no checks or alerts.
They also worry it could also hasten the shift towards a cashless society, despite notes and coins being a lifeline to many financial abuse survivors whose card transactions are monitored online by their abusers.
One policy to help vulnerable customers access cash, as bank branches close, is the development of shared banking hubs.
Cash Access UK, the organisation set up to protect access to cash across the UK, announced the official opening of its 200th banking hub in Billericay, Essex, on Friday.
Drivers are being advised to allow extra time to travel
Britain's roads, railways and airports are set to be thronged by festive travellers on what is is anticipated to be the busiest day for Christmas trips.
The AA has warned of gridlock on Friday as 24.4 million cars are expected to hit the roads.
It is also expected to be the busiest day of the Christmas period for airports, with 460,000 journeys planned.
Network Rail has also advised travellers to check their journeys and book a seat if possible.
Drivers told to allow extra time
The AA said this Christmas could be the busiest on record for UK roads, and advised drivers to allow extra time to complete their journeys.
The insurance company said most people driving during the festive period travelled less than 100 miles, meaning congestion is likely around motorway interchanges and retail destinations.
AA patrol expert Shaun Jones said patience behind the wheel "will be your best present this year".
"Plan ahead, check your route, and allow extra time," he said.
The M27 will be closed between Junction 9 (Whiteley/Park Gate) and Junction 11 (Fareham East/Gosport) from Christmas Eve to 4 January, so anyone travelling in Hampshire should plan alternative routes.
Rail closures
Network Rail also encouraged passengers to allow extra time for train travel. Improvement works taking place over the Christmas period mean several routes will be closed or restricted.
Information on what routes will be closed for repairs can be found on the Network Rail website.
National Rail trains do not run on Christmas Day and only a small number will run on Boxing Day.
Daniel Mann, Director of Industry Operations at the Rail Delivery Group, said: "We encourage customers to reserve seats where possible, bring only luggage that is easy to carry and fits in designated storage areas, and allow extra time for their journeys."
Flights
Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the festive season for airports, but the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said flying on Christmas Day was becoming more popular.
If this happens, airlines are required to support passengers. This can include:
Providing food and drink during extended delays
Covering accommodation if passengers are delayed overnight
Offering a refund or alternative travel if a flight is cancelled
If your flight is cancelled, and it is covered by UK law, your airline must let you choose between either getting a refund or being booked on to an alternative flight.
You can check if your flight is covered under UK law here.
The CAA also said that travellers can minimise their risk of delays by ensuring their cases are packed correctly.
This includes leaving presents unwrapped as they may need to be inspected.
A former Nascar driver is believed to be among seven people who have died in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, an official says.
The Cessna C550 aircraft is owned by a private company associated with Greg Biffle, a retired Nascar driver, CBS, the BBC's US partner, reported.
The small aircraft crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), aviation officials investigating the incident told reporters.
Congressman Rich Hudson of North Carolina appeared to confirm Biffle's death on X, writing that he was devastated by the loss of the racer, his wife Christina and their children.
"Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track," Hudson wrote, praising their aid work during hurricanes in North Carolina and Jamaica.
Professional baseball player Mitchell Garret wrote on Facebook that Biffle and his family were on their way to spend the afternoon with him.
"Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us," he wrote on Facebook. "We are devastated. I'm so sorry to share this."
Statesville Airport director John Ferguson described the aircraft as a corporate jet and said that it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.
The business jet took off around 10:06 local time and was in the air briefly before the crash.
It crashed on the east end of the runway and authorities do not yet have information on the cause of the crash.
Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice as crews clear debris off the runway, Mr Ferguson told reporters.
Officials did not provide any information about deaths or people aboard the aircraft during the media conference.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said it was launching a go team to investigate the fatal crash. The team expects to arrive on scene on Thursday night.
The Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the City of Statesville, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.
Getty Images
Biffle, whose racing career spanned two decades, was named one of Nascar's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. The 55-year-old won 19 Cup Series races in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.
Known as The Biff, the Vancouver, Washington, native received national notice in 1995 when during that year's Nascar Winter Heat Series., according to his Nascar profile.
He quickly made a name for himself in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning the 1998 Rookie of Year award and the 2000 series championship.
He went on to be named 2001 Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series and to win the 2002 championship, becoming the first driver with championships in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series.
He also co-founded the organisation's Sand Outlaws Series. Although he scaled back on racing after 2016, he seemingly came out of retirement in 2019 for a one-off race at Texas Motor Speedway, which he won.
"Racing is racing," he told Nascar.com in 2021. "It's that adrenaline, you want to be better than the competition, you want to build a better piece and have a faster car. I just enjoy the competition."
TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok's boss told employees on Thursday.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
The deal is line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community".
The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.
'An absolute superhero': father describes how Jess saved his daughter
When bullets began flying at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, strangers Wayne and Jessica found themselves in the same nightmare scenario. They couldn't find their three-year-olds.
In the chaos, separately, they desperately scanned the green. People who'd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah screamed and ducked. Others ran. Some didn't make it far.
The 10-odd minutes that followed were the longest of their lives.
Wayne's body was acting as a human shield for his eldest daughter, but his mind was elsewhere: with his missing daughter Gigi.
"We had to wait all that time for the gunshots to stop. It felt like eternity," he tells the BBC.
Unbeknown to him, Jessica's gaze had caught on a little girl in a rainbow skirt, confused, scared and alone - calling out for her mummy and daddy.
In that moment, the pregnant mother couldn't protect her own child, so she'd protect this one, she decided. She smothered Gigi's body with her own, and uttered "I've got you", over and over again. They could feel the moment a woman about a metre away was shot and killed.
By the time the air finally fell silent, Wayne had become all but convinced Gigi was dead.
"I was looking amongst the blood and the bodies," he says, growing emotional.
"What I saw - no human should ever see that."
Eventually, he caught a glimpse of a familiar colourful skirt and found his daughter, stained in red - but okay, still shrouded under Jessica. Her son too would soon be found, unharmed.
"She said she's just a mother and she acted with mother instincts," Wayne says.
"[But] she's a superhero. We'll be indebted to her for the rest of our lives."
It is one of the incredible accounts of selflessness and courage that have emerged from one of Australia's darkest days.
Declared a terror attack by police, it is the deadliest in Australian history. Dozens were injured and 15 people - including a 10-year-old girl - were killed by the two gunmen, who police say were inspired by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
Chris Minns/Facebook
Chris Minns says Ahmed al Ahmed is a "genuine hero"
More people undoubtedly would have been harmed if it weren't for Ahmed al Ahmed.
A Syrian-Australian shop owner, he'd been having coffee nearby when the shooting began. His father told BBC Arabic Ahmed "saw the victims, the blood, women and children lying on the street, and then acted".
Footage of the moment he sprung out from behind a car and wrestled a gun off one of the attackers immediately went viral. He was shot multiple times, and may lose his arm.
Another man, Reuven Morrison, was also seen on the video hurling objects at the same attacker in the moments after Ahmed disarmed him.
Sheina Gutnik easily recognised her dad in the footage.
"He is not one to lie down. He is one to run towards danger," Ms Gutnick told BBC partner CBS News.
He had jumped up the second the shooting started, she said, and was throwing bricks at one of the gunmen before he was fatally shot.
"He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most."
The first two victims of the assault, Boris and Sofia Gurman, were also captured on dashcam footage grappling with one of the men for his weapon. When they succeeded, he got another gun from the car he'd just climbed out of and killed them.
Bondi beach attack: Dashcam video shows couple tackle attacker
"While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness," the couple's family said in a statement.
"This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were - people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others."
The list goes on.
Chaya, only 14 years old, was shot in the leg while shielding two young children from gunfire.
Jack Hibbert - a beat cop just four months into the job - was hit in both the head and the shoulder but continued to help festival attendees until he physically couldn't, his family said. The 22-year-old will survive, but with life-changing injuries.
Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed sprinting over from a neighbouring beach during the attack, armed with critical medical supplies. He didn't even pause to put on shoes.
Alexandra Ching/Instagram
Jackson Doolan heard gunshots and took off running towards them
Others at Bondi rushed from the beach into the fire, their red-and-yellow lifesaving boards working overtime as stretchers. One lifeguard even dived back into the surf to save swimmers who'd been sent into a panic by the shooting.
Student Levi Xu, 31, told the BBC he felt he could not shout for help, as he didn't want to draw attention to himself or risk any potential saviours being targeted.
But lifeguard Rory Davey saw him and his friend struggling, and dragged them back to shore.
"We stood up and wanted to thank him, but he had already gone back into the sea to rescue other people," says Mr Xu.
Thousands of Australians flocked to donate blood, dwarfing the previous record.
Authorities say many off-duty first responders travelled to Bondi on Sunday - from as far as two hours away - simply because they knew there was a need.
Healthcare workers rushed to hospitals when they heard of the attack, whether or not they were on shift, confronting unspeakable trauma to save lives.
"Normally on a Sunday night, there is staff available to run one operating theatre [at St Vincent's Hospital]. There were eight operating at once," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
State premier Chris Minns, too, has been quick to praise the heroics of ordinary, everyday Australians.
"This is a terrible, wanton act of destructive violence. But there are still amazing people that we have in Australia, and they showed their true colours last night," he said, the day after the attack.
Wayne says he shudders to think what would have happened without people like Jessica and Ahmed.
When he speaks to the BBC, he's just attended a funeral for the gunmen's youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
"I was sitting at this funeral and I was just thinking, tears pouring out of my eyes... I could have been in the front... It could have been my little girl."
"There could have been so much more devastation without the bravery of [these] people... someone who could run just comes in. Someone who could worry about their own child looks after another child.
Cambodia is thought to have suffered far more military casualties in this war than Thailand
The costs of the border war between Thailand and Cambodia are cruelly obvious in the hospital in Mongkol Borei, a breezy, low-rise complex surrounded by trees.
Wounded soldiers lie quietly on their beds. One man, his arm amputated from the elbow, has his wife sitting with him, smiling and trying to encourage him. The wife and child of another sit on a mat next to his bed.
Anaesthetist Sar Chanraksmey's hands are shaking, and tears rim his eyes, as he shows me graphic images on his phone of the terrible blast injuries he has treated.
"My heart aches," he says. "Please tell the world we just want peace."
This second round of fighting between the two armies in less than six months has lasted longer than the five-day war in July, and been a lot more destructive.
There have been artillery exchanges all along the 800km (500-mile) border, and intense close-quarter battles between Thai and Cambodian soldiers for control of a few forested hilltops.
The Thai air force has had a free hand bombing targets inside Cambodia, which has limited air defences and no air force of its own to speak of.
Cambodia's feared BM21 rockets, an inherently inaccurate weapon, have rained down on the Thai side of the border, killing a civilian and injuring others, despite an early evacuation by the authorities.
Fighting has forced civilians to flee their homes on both sides of the border
Cambodia does not publish the number of soldiers killed since hostilities resumed on 7 December, but the Thai military estimates that it might be several hundred.
On the Thai side, 21 soldiers have died. This discrepancy is a testament to the much larger and better equipped armed forces that Thailand has.
As in July, it is difficult to work out exactly why the 120-year-old dispute over small strips of territory has erupted into such a large-scale armed conflict.
Thailand has blamed Cambodian forces for an ambush of a team of Thai engineers on 7 December, in which two soldiers were injured. The Cambodian government accuses Thai Prime Minister Auntin Chanvirakul of restarting the war to boost his prospects in the coming general election.
What is different this time is the determination of the Thai military to keep fighting until, in the words of its commanders, the Cambodian army no longer poses a threat on the border. It has rejected Cambodian calls for a ceasefire, and even snubbed President's Trump's appeal to both sides to call a truce.
The line you hear in conversations with Thai military officers is that Cambodia cannot be trusted to honour a ceasefire unless it has suffered much bigger losses than it did in July.
The twisted steel and gaping hole in the road bridge which crosses the Me Teuk river in Pursat province offer vivid evidence of that tough approach.
On 13 December Thai F-16 jets dropped several bombs, tearing out a 20-metre section of the Chinese-built bridge, which links a long strip of Cambodia's southern border with Thailand to the rest of the country. They also struck an eight-storey building next to a casino, which the Thais say was being used as a military command post.
Thailand has destroyed this key bridge in Cambodia, over the Me Teuk river
The unintended, or perhaps intended, consequence of this was to prompt an exodus of Chinese men and women, who we saw pulling roller suitcases and clutching computers and screens as they made their way noisily across the river on the old steel bridge, which is still intact but unsuitable for heavy vehicles.
The officials who escorted us to the bridge explained, without much conviction, that they had been working in an upstream hydroelectric power station; but their clothing, and the equipment they were carrying, made it near certain they had come from one of the scam compounds which operate in many of Cambodia's border areas. They covered their faces and would not speak to us.
The association of the Cambodian leadership with the scam industry is a weak point in the country's battle for international sympathy, and Thailand has made targeting it a core part of its military campaign, bombing several casino complexes.
The Cambodian government says it is now taking action against scam centres, but their proliferation in the country in recent years, and their link to a number of very powerful, politically-connected Cambodian figures, raises doubts about how sincere that action is.
Where the Cambodian government hopes it can win sympathy is in its pleas for peace. Its almost constant refrain since the fighting restarted has been an appeal to return to the July ceasefire, and for international mediation. In Cambodian cities, signs in English and Khmer proclaim its desire for peace – one echoed by almost every Cambodian you meet.
There are good reasons for this. Aside from the terrible punishment its soldiers are getting on the front lines, the impact on the economy must be severe, although statistics on this are hard to come by.
Cross-border trade has stopped completely since the war restarted
More than 700,000 migrant workers have come back from Thailand, nervous of possible hostility among the public there. Some 480,000 Cambodians have been uprooted from their homes, and panic over real or just rumoured Thai air strikes has forced many families to move more than once.
The $5bn (£3.7bn) border trade with Thailand has stopped. Border communities in both countries are being hurt. And the increasingly global push against online fraud, with the US and UK among others recently sanctioning several Cambodian tycoons, threatens a scam industry which, by some estimates, accounts for more than half the national economy.
But since President Trump's decisive intervention to stop the fighting in July, attitudes in Thailand have hardened towards its smaller neighbour.
The shock of seeing a political crisis, one which brought down a Thai government, deliberately ignited by Hun Sen, the veteran leader who wields decisive influence in Cambodia, and who leaked a private phone conversation with the then Thai prime minister, has soured the public mood. As did compelling evidence that Cambodian soldiers were still laying landmines during the ceasefire which have left seven Thai soldiers with amputated limbs.
Efforts by President Trump and Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim to revive the earlier ceasefire have been met with a firm refusal by the Thai prime minister. "We don't have to listen to anyone," he said.
A restaurant owner in Surin, on the Thai side of the border, told us how different this conflict is from the brief war 14 years ago. There have always been close links between people in Surin: many Cambodians work there, and Khmer, the Cambodian language, is spoken throughout the region.
Back in 2011, she said, there was no public animosity towards them, and they stayed in Thailand throughout the fighting. This time, she said, there's been much more suspicion of the Cambodians, and most of them have left. She put this down to incendiary comments on social media, which have whipped up an angry and distorted nationalism in both countries.
That makes it difficult for leaders on either side to be seen to be conciliatory, especially in Thailand, where, thanks to the crisis caused by Hun Sen's leak, an election will take place next February. None of the parties contesting the election is supporting a ceasefire.
Thailand accuses Cambodia, with its calls for outside intervention, of playing the victim. Cambodia accuses Thailand of acting the bully. These are not new stereotypes, but they have been amplified so much this year it is hard to see where the trust that is essential for restoring their relations can be found.
Golfer Rory McIlroy has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 after clinching the career Grand Slam and playing a key role in Europe's Ryder Cup win.
The 36-year-old Northern Irishman achieved golfing immortality in April when he won the Masters at Augusta National to complete the set of all four major trophies.
He became just the sixth man - and first European - to achieve the Slam, joining Americans Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, and South Africa's Gary Player, in accomplishing the feat.
Having won the US Open, The Open and US PGA Championship by 2014, McIlroy had to wait another 11 years to make his "dreams come true".
He then played a key role in Europe's first Ryder Cup win in the United States since 2012, contributing three-and-a-half points to his team's triumph.
McIlroy also delighted his home crowd by winning the Irish Open for a second time, with further successes at the Players Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, before topping off a stellar year with his seventh Race to Dubai title.
"Wow. First of all, I would like to congratulate all of the other finalists. I know how much hard work and dedication it takes, so it is a pleasure to just be in this room. I feel truly honoured to just be a part of it," McIlroy said after receiving the award.
"2025 has been the year I made my dreams come true. From Augusta to the Ryder Cup and everything in between. It's the year dreams are made of."
England rugby union player Ellie Kildunne came second, with Formula 1 driver Lando Norris in third.
England forward Chloe Kelly, Lionesses goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and darts player Luke Littler were also shortlisted for the award by a panel of experts, with the winner decided by a public vote.
McIlroy is just the third golfer to win Sports Personality, after Dai Rees in 1957 and Nick Faldo in 1989.
The Holywood-born McIlroy is the third Northern Irishman to win the award, following boxer Barry McGuigan in 1985 and jockey Sir AP McCoy in 2010.
"I have a lot of people to thank. Firstly, the public, my family, my mum and my dad. They sacrificed so much for me. I wouldn't be here without them, so thank you," McIlroy said.
"My wife Erica and my daughter Poppy, they are what holds me together. My rock. They couldn't be here tonight but I can't wait to get back tomorrow and celebrate this with them. I love you.
"And to the BBC for hosting these awards. It has always been something growing up that I watched on TV.
"It was always a big part of the run-up to Christmas, so I am very honoured to get my hands on this trophy.
"Hopefully I can challenge to get it again next year."
Team Europe were voted the Team of the Year on Thursday after their Ryder Cup success, seeing off competition from England's Euro 2025-winning women's football team and England's Women's Rugby World Cup champions.
Rory McIlroy won his first Masters title to become the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Scottie Scheffler awarded McIlroy the coveted green jacket following his first Masters victory
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
McIlroy won his second Irish Open title by edging out Sweden's Joakim Lagergren in a dramatic play-off
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
McIlroy said Europe's Ryder Cup victory capped "the best year of my career"
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
McIlroy capped off a stellar 2025 by winning his seventh Race to Dubai title - his fourth in succession
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Slide 1 of 5, Rory McIlroy falls to the floor after winning a sudden death play-off round to win the Masters, Rory McIlroy won his first Masters title to become the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam
End of image gallery
The year McIlroy's dreams came true
McIlroy's long wait to complete a career Grand Slam could not have concluded in a more dramatic fashion.
Having let a four-shot lead slip at the 2011 Masters, history threatened to repeat itself in April.
He held a two-shot lead going into the final round this time around, but memories of recent near-misses came flooding back when his advantage was wiped out on the first with a double bogey.
Three birdies in seven holes gave McIlroy a four-shot lead going into the back nine before he dropped four shots in as many holes from the 11th.
However, the drama was far from finished.
Having missed a putt in regulation to get his hands on the coveted green jacket, McIlroy was taken to a sudden-death play-off after his Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose birdied six of his final eight holes.
With the agony of past heartbreak flooding back, McIlroy held his nerve to birdie the first play-off hole and win his first Masters.
McIlroy let out a huge roar before collapsing to the ground and weeping tears of joy at the end of an extraordinary day of sporting theatre.
"A lot of pent-up emotion came out on the 18th green. A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it," said McIlroy.
At the Ryder Cup, McIlroy contributed three-and-a-half points from five matches as Europe won on American soil for the first time in 13 years.
The 36-year-old bore the brunt of verbal abuse from a hostile crowd throughout the event at Bethpage Black in New York - and hit out at "unacceptable and abusive behaviour" after his wife Erica was hit by a drink thrown by an American fan.
Having won six times in his eight Ryder Cup appearances, the world number two is being tipped to captain the side in the future.
"I would love to be the European team captain at some point," said McIlroy.
"But that will be when I'm not good enough to make the team, or I make way for the new generation to come along."
A former Nascar driver is believed to be among seven people who have died in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, an official says.
The Cessna C550 aircraft is owned by a private company associated with Greg Biffle, a retired Nascar driver, CBS, the BBC's US partner, reported.
The small aircraft crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), aviation officials investigating the incident told reporters.
Congressman Rich Hudson of North Carolina appeared to confirm Biffle's death on X, writing that he was devastated by the loss of the racer, his wife Christina and their children.
"Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track," Hudson wrote, praising their aid work during hurricanes in North Carolina and Jamaica.
Professional baseball player Mitchell Garret wrote on Facebook that Biffle and his family were on their way to spend the afternoon with him.
"Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us," he wrote on Facebook. "We are devastated. I'm so sorry to share this."
Statesville Airport director John Ferguson described the aircraft as a corporate jet and said that it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.
The business jet took off around 10:06 local time and was in the air briefly before the crash.
It crashed on the east end of the runway and authorities do not yet have information on the cause of the crash.
Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice as crews clear debris off the runway, Mr Ferguson told reporters.
Officials did not provide any information about deaths or people aboard the aircraft during the media conference.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said it was launching a go team to investigate the fatal crash. The team expects to arrive on scene on Thursday night.
The Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the City of Statesville, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.
Getty Images
Biffle, whose racing career spanned two decades, was named one of Nascar's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. The 55-year-old won 19 Cup Series races in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.
Known as The Biff, the Vancouver, Washington, native received national notice in 1995 when during that year's Nascar Winter Heat Series., according to his Nascar profile.
He quickly made a name for himself in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning the 1998 Rookie of Year award and the 2000 series championship.
He went on to be named 2001 Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series and to win the 2002 championship, becoming the first driver with championships in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series.
He also co-founded the organisation's Sand Outlaws Series. Although he scaled back on racing after 2016, he seemingly came out of retirement in 2019 for a one-off race at Texas Motor Speedway, which he won.
"Racing is racing," he told Nascar.com in 2021. "It's that adrenaline, you want to be better than the competition, you want to build a better piece and have a faster car. I just enjoy the competition."
Violence has erupted in Bangladesh following the death of a prominent leader of the youth movement that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Sharif Osman Hadi was shot by masked attackers while leaving a mosque in Dhaka last week and died of his injuries on Thursday while being treated in Singapore.
As news of his death emerged on Thursday, hundreds of his supporters gathered in a square in the capital city to protest.
Later on, demonstrators vandalised the offices of Bangladesh's Prothom Ali and Daily Star newspapers, with one building partly set on fire.
"Hundreds of people have gathered here and carried out the attack," a police officer told BBC Bangla.
Troops were deployed to the scene, while firefighters rescued journalists trapped inside the building.
Hadi, 32, was a senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha and an outspoken critic of neighbouring India - where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.
Getty Images
Sharif Osman Hadi died while undergoing treatment in Singapore
Bangladeshi political parties have mourned his death and urged the interim government to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who heads the caretaker government, called Hadi's death "an irreparable loss for the nation".
"The country's march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed," he said in a televised speech on Thursday.
The interim government declared a day of national mourning on Saturday.
Getty Images
Soon after Hadi was shot, Yunus said it was a premeditated attack and "the objective of the conspirators is to derail the election".
"No form of violence intended to disrupt the election will be tolerated," Yunus said. "The incident is a worrying development for the country's political landscape."
Investigations are ongoing and several people have been detained in connection to the shooting.
Hasina fled to India on 5 August last year, following weeks of student-led protests, bringing an end to 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule.
In November, she was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity after being found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest.
The House Oversight Committee has released a batch of around 70 photos from the estate of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It's the third such release from a tranche of over 95,000 photos the committee has acquired from Epstein's estate. It includes images of quotes from the book Lolita written across a woman's body, and redacted images of women's foreign passports.
It comes hours before the 19 December deadline for the Department of Justice to release all files related to its investigation into Epstein.
"These new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice has in its possession," said ranking member of the committee, Robert Garcia.
What's in the images released
Some of the photos released on Thursday show Epstein speaking with professor and activist Noam Chomsky aboard a private plane; Bill Gates standing beside a woman whose face is redacted; Steve Bannon sitting at a desk across from Epstein, and former Alphabet president Sergey Brin at a dinner event.
These are the latest wealthy, powerful men to be seen in Epstein estate photos released by the House Oversight Committee - previously released photos also show US President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton, as well as film director Woody Allen, former US treasury secretary Larry Summers, attorney Alan Dershowitz, Andrew Mountbatton-Windsor, and others.
Appearing in the photos is not evidence of any wrongdoing, and many of the pictured men have said they were never involved in Epstein's illegal activity.
House Oversight Committee
In a statement accompanying the photo release, Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee said the Epstein estate did not provide context or timings for the pictures.
"Photos were selected to provide the public with transparency into a representative sample of the photos received from the estate, and to provide insights into Epstein's network and his extremely disturbing activities," the statement says.
The release also includes several photos of quotes from the Vladimir Nabokov novel Lolita written in black ink across different parts of a woman's body, like her chest, foot, hipbone, and back. Lolita tells the story of a young girl who was groomed by a middle-aged literature professor.
One quote from the book written across a woman's chest reads, "Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth".
House Oversight Committee
There are also a number of photos of female passports and identification documents from countries around the world, including Lithuania, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.
Most of the information on the documents, like names and birth dates, is redacted but the House Oversight Committee said in a press release that the passports belong to "women whom Jeffrey Epstein and his conspirators were engaging".
Another photo shows Epstein sitting at a desk closely surrounded by three female figures whose faces have been redacted - one has her hand on Epstein's chest under his shirt, and another is crouching to look at a nearby laptop. Epstein appears to be helping the third put on a bracelet.
House Oversight Committee
Another image released is a screenshot of text messages from an unknown person who says they have been sent "some girls" and are asking for "$1000 per girl".
House Oversight Committee
Photo release comes ahead of DOJ deadline
The committee has thousands of images in its possession from the Epstein estate, which are "both graphic and mundane", its statement on Thursday explained.
The House Oversight Committee first subpoenaed the estate of Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on allegations of sex trafficking, in August.
The photos and files the Epstein estate gave to the committee are separate from what is largely referred to as "the Epstein files". Those are documents within the justice department's possession related to its own investigation into Epstein.
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Trump signed into law last month, the DOJ has until 19 December to release its files. The extent of what's contained in the DOJ's files is unknown, and it's likely that much of the content will be heavily redacted, similar to House Oversight Committee materials.
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