Real World News

Media playback is unsupported on your device Schoolgirl wows audience with her voice 21 December 2016 Last updated at 07:37 GMT Kaylee Rogers' version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah was the highlight of her school's Christmas concert and has been shared thousands of times on Facebook. Ten-year-old Kaylee has moderate special needs, and is normally very shy, says her headteacher Colin Millar: "She'd be a very quiet little girl, but when she sings, she just opens up." Kaylee is one of 200 students aged three to 16 at Killard House School in Newtownards, Northern Ireland. View the full article

Operation Hydrant: Historical child abuse suspects reach 3,469 21 December 2016 From the section England Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption There are 366 people of public prominence under investigation - including 162 from TV, film or radio More than 3,400 suspects are under investigation by UK police over historical child sex abuse. The figure has more than doubled between May 2015 and December 2016, latest police statistic…

Diane James: Why I quit as UKIP leader after 18 days 21 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Image copyright PA Former UKIP leader Diane James has said she resigned after just 18 days in the job because of an inability to break up the party's "old guard". In her first broadcast interview since resigning, she told BBC 5 live Daily she felt she could not "continue to bang [her] head against a brick wall". Ms James said false reports she had stepped down because of her husband's ill health had c…

Smart homes haunted by the cyber-ghost of Christmas future By Professor Alan Woodward Department of Computing, University of Surrey 21 December 2016 From the section Technology Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption This year's Christmas gifts could become hackers' targets in 2017 and beyond This year delivered a chilling warning as we witnessed distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on a scale…

Dozens killed in Mexico fireworks blast 21 December 2016 From the section Latin America & Caribbean Media captionVideo captured from a nearby road by Jose Luis Tolentino showed the explosion in progressAn explosion at a fireworks market outside Mexico City has killed at least 26 people, officials say. Dozens of other people were injured as the blast hit the San Pablito fireworks market, about 20 miles (32km) outside the city. Video from the scene showed a large number of fireworks rocketing into the air as they caught fire. Dozens of paramedics and police attended the scen…

CBI calls for barrier-free trade with EU after Brexit 21 December 2016 From the section Companies Image copyright Getty Images UK firms need to continue to have "barrier-free" access to European Union markets after Brexit, the CBI business lobby group has warned. It said UK companies should not be subjected to trade tariffs, with only "minimal" other barriers in place. In a report, it also called for a migration system that allowed firms to obtain the skills and labour they need. The government sa…

Pensions Regulator needs stronger powers, MPs say 21 December 2016 From the section Business Image copyright Reuters Image caption Sir Philip Green is under pressure to pay as much as £350m into the BHS pension scheme MPs have called for the Pensions Regulator to be given much stronger powers to thwart rogue employers who fail to support their pension schemes. The Commons Work and Pensions Committee says the regulator should have …

'Buy now, pay later' debts hitting young By Kevin Peachey Personal finance reporter 21 December 2016 From the section Business Backdated interest payments are leaving young people with unexpected bills from "buy now, pay later" deals, a charity has warned. Citizens Advice said that thousands of people in their 20s who signed up to offers were struggling with debt. These deals allow people to delay paying for items for an agreed period of time, such as six or 12 months. Yet failing to pay in full by an agreed date…

Newspaper headlines: European alert as Berlin market truck killer on the run By BBC News Staff 20 December 2016 Image caption The aftermath of the lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 people dead features across Wednesday's front pages. Truck killer could strike again, says the Daily Mirror's headline as it reports police released their original suspect…

Man dies following collision with scrambler-style motorbike in Kirkby http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/man-dies-following-collision-scrambler-12350979 What more is going to need to happen before changes are made?

Media playback is unsupported on your device Domestic abuse: 'I punched and kicked her - I blamed her for everything' 20 December 2016 Last updated at 19:20 GMT Perpetrators of domestic abuse have been offered places on a course instead of a prison sentence, as part of a pilot scheme in the north east of England. The Home Office says offending rates in the Northumbria Police area have reduced by 60%. One man who has been on the course has been talking about how it helped him. View the full article

Baggage handlers strike suspended 20 December 2016 From the section Business UK airport baggage handlers suspend strike planned for 23 and 24 December, Unite union says This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. Vi…

Hammond announces first Budget date 20 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Chancellor Philip Hammond will publish his next Budget on Wednesday 8 March, the Treasury has announced. It will be the last time the event happens in spring, as it will be moved to the autumn from then on. It will also be the first Budget speech for Mr Hammond, who became chancellor when Theresa May became prime minister during the summer. The Budget statement sets out the state of the economy and the government's plans for tax changes. View the full arti…

Berlin attack: Christmas markets in England react By Lisa Wright BBC News 20 December 2016 From the section England Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Birmingham has one of the UK's biggest Christmas markets European Christmas markets have become a common fixture on the festive calendar in cities around the UK. In the wake of the lorry attack in Berlin, how have visitors and stallholders in so…

Theresa May: Brexit plans to be laid out in new year 20 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Theresa May has promised to set out her proposals for a "truly global Britain" in speech on Brexit in the new year. The prime minister also told MPs that Parliament would get a "proper opportunity" to discuss her plans before negotiations with the EU start. She "fully" expected that these talks would begin by the end of next March. And, in testy exchanges with Labour MP Yvette Cooper, Mrs May defended the inclusion of overseas students in net mi…