Real World News

Twitter appeal gets Christmas presents for foster boys 18 December 2016 From the section Leeds & West Yorkshire Image copyright Sally Baines Image caption PC Sally Baines said thousands of gifts were donated to the boys following her Twitter appeal A policewoman who appealed for Christmas presents for two young boys in foster care says she has been "humbled" by the huge response. PC Sally Baines of West Yorkshire Police posted…

Talks due over BA cabin crew strike 18 December 2016 From the section Business Talks to avert British Airways cabin crew strike over Christmas to be held on Monday, says conciliation service Acas 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 …

Syria conflict: US urges 'grace' as Aleppo's fall nears 10 December 2016 From the section Middle East Related Topics Syrian civil war Image copyright Reuters Image caption Many elderly and sick people have been trapped for weeks because of the fighting The US secretary of state has called on the Syrian government and its Russian backers to "show a little grace" as their forc…

Prisoner numbers 'must be cut to prevent further violence' 18 December 2016 From the section UK Image copyright AFP Image caption Inmates took over four wings at HMP Birmingham on Friday Prisoner numbers must be cut to prevent further violence, the Parole Board chairman for England and Wales says. Speaking after a riot at Birmingham prison, Nick Hardwick said there was only "a small window" in which to act. The Ministry of Justi…

Teen Jack Morrisson's body found in fishing lake 18 December 2016 From the section Kent Image copyright Kent Police Image caption Jack Morrisson was reported missing on Friday A 16-year-old boy whose body was found in a fishing lake has been described by his family as their "golden boy". Jack Morrisson was reported missing on Friday, leading to searches of the water in Sutton at Hone, near Dartford. His body was found on Saturday…

RMT boss denies trying to 'bring government down' 18 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Image copyright PA Image caption Mick Cash said the Southern dispute was "all about safety" The RMT is not using Southern rail strikes to try to "bring the government down", its general secretary has said. Mick Cash told the BBC union members would "rather be at work", but had real concerns about safety on the network. He spoke after t…

Post-Brexit deals 'not at price of EU free trade ties' 18 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Media captionPost-Brexit deals 'not at price of EU free trade ties'Post-Brexit trade deals should not "come at a price" to existing agreements with other EU nations, ex-chancellor George Osborne says. But he told the BBC's Andrew Marr the UK needed a "hard-headed assessment" of issues such as the EU customs union. On the same programme, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox did not reveal his stance on the customs union, which sets standard tariffs EU-wide. He said he was "a fre…

Queen's 90th birthday portrait released 18 December 2016 From the section UK Image copyright 2016 Nick Knight Image caption In the photo, Prince Charles appears to smile at the Queen, who looks directly at the camera A photograph of the Queen and the Prince of Wales has been released to mark the end of her 90th birthday year. The photo shows the Queen with her son Prince Charles in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Previo…

Media playback is unsupported on your device Giant gingerbread Big Ben created for Holkham Hall Christmas showcase 18 December 2016 Last updated at 01:27 GMT The world-famous Big Ben clock tower, designed by Sir Charles Barry, has been recreated as a giant gingerbread Christmas centrepiece featuring kilos of edible treats. The baked festive homage to the 19th Century tower features as part of the Christmas attractions at Holkham Hall in north Norfolk. Created by award-winning baker Emma Thorburn, it stands at 5ft 4in tall (1.6m) and features 12kg (26lbs) of coloured sugar paste, 1,400 gilded gingerbread men and thousan…

Blood bikers: The volunteer motorcyclists who help the NHS 18 December 2016 From the section Magazine Across the UK, a group of volunteer motorcyclists is helping the NHS by delivering blood. What motivates them, asks Simon Fry. Isabel Kydd is on call for 80 hours of one week each month. At very little notice, she can be woken in the night and find herself riding a motorbike with a vital delivery for a hospital. But she's not an NHS employee. She's just a volunteer, one of 1,400 advanced qualified riders of the Nationwide Association of Blo…

HMP Birmingham riot: Officers regain control of prison 16 December 2016 From the section Birmingham & Black Country Riot officers have regained control of a prison more than 12 hours after disturbances broke out A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said riot teams had regained control of all four wings of HMP Birmingham just after 22:30 GMT. The specialist squads were deployed to Winson Green to tackle the disorder which broke out on Friday morning. One inmate is understood to have been injured during the violent outbreak involving up to 60…

Corbyn calls for talks with PM on social care funding 17 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Image copyright PA Jeremy Corbyn has written to the prime minister calling for urgent talks on social care funding in England. The Labour leader has urged Theresa May to provide "emergency top-up funding" to protect the elderly and vulnerable. Councils have been told to bring forward council tax rises, after funding cuts from Whitehall. A government spokesman said extra funding was being provided a…

Lidl gravy granules found to contain paint thinner chemical 17 December 2016 From the section UK Image copyright FSA Unsafe levels of a paint thinner chemical have been found in gravy granules sold at Lidl, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said. The supermarket has recalled two batches of Kania Gravy Granules after they were found to be contaminated with xylene. Exposure to the chemical could, in severe cases, lead to heart problems. Lidl customers have been advised not to eat the products, a…

Southern trains 'cancelled despite drivers being free' 17 December 2016 From the section England Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The long-running dispute is over plans for drivers, instead of conductors, to operate train doors Southern has been accused of cancelling trains and blaming industrial action even though drivers were available. The train company is embroiled in a bitter dispute with the RMT union and Aslef ov…