News

Updated: 14:23 EST

Former billionaire property tycoon Simon Halabi 'hurled racist abuse at a bin man'

Simon Halabi, 58, allegedly shouted 'f*** off out the way you black c***' at Carl Thomas when the garbage truck stopped in the middle of the road to pick up rubbish bags in London's Mayfair. Halabi, who was once Britain's 12th richest man before declaring bankruptcy in 2010, also branded the 47 year-old West Indian a 'monkey' and a 'peasant' before shouting 'I own this road, I can do what I want', it is claimed. Simon Halabi, 58, allegedly shouted 'f**k off out the way you black c**t' at Carl Thomas when the garbage truck stopped in the middle of the road to pick up rubbish bags in Mayfair. And when a black passer-by tried to intervene, Halabi called him a 'f***ing monkey' as well, it is claimed.

The guidance in a document on 'increasing participation in women and girls' football' was spotted by Carol Hughes, deputy headmistress of Lumley Junior School in County Durham.

Stefano Brizzi invited PC Gordon Semple to his south London flat in April after the pair met on the gay dating app. He then strangled the 59-year-old and attempted to dispose of the body.

After hearing that Jenny McMillan, a mother who runs a charity shop in her home town of Carnoustie was in need of a home for her and her son Blake, Gillian Bayford stepped in to help the family.

Nigel McGrath, 45, was found hanged at his isolated farmhouse in west Wales and his partner Tracy Cockrell was dead on the sofa, having been strangled.

Ronan Costello, 17, died three days after the collision, which took place during the first half of an under 19s rugby match at the Dram Centre, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on June 11.

Bing

An article on 19 June ('Clement Freud drank with Maddie suspect Robert Murat in Praia da Luz bar - and his local pub was dubbed the Plough and Paedo') reported claims in another newspaper that Robert Murat had known Sir Clement Freud

Forest Hill Station knifeman shouting ‘kill all Muslims’ stabs a man

A man was injured during the attack at Forest Hill station in south-east London this afternoon and is currently being treated in hospital. Witnesses said the man was waving his arm around in the air and shouting 'Death to Muslims' as he 'marched up and down' outside the station after the attack. A British Transport Police spokesman said: 'We are investigating the circumstances of the Forest Hill incident, but at this time we are not treating it as terrorism-related.'

The red sports car is said to have sent at least one of the pedestrians 'flying over the railings' of a bridge just yards from Battersea Dogs Home in Battersea Park Road (pictured), south-west London, this morning.

Kelly Doyle, 35, currently has to climb through the back window to get in and out after she claimed workmen damaged the front door and lock of her terraced home in Whiston, Merseyside.

Shannon Matthews, then nine, was found drugged and tethered inside the base of a double bed in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, because Karen, pictured, was desperate to grab £50,000 in reward money.

England cricket fans have sparked controversy by hijacking a stadium scoreboard in India to post tasteless messages about Adam Johnson, Madeleine McCann and Josef Fritzl.

Dr Lisa Ackerley, Hygiene Doctor and Dettol Expert, reveals that if you don't wash your sheets weekly, you could be putting yourself at risk of serious viruses and infections.

If you're hoping to retire comfortably some day, there's one move you can make now that will virtually guarantee it: Save an hour a day of your income, according to financial expert David Bach.

Father honours daughter Lauren Atkinson who died after taking ecstasy in Manchester

Lauren Atkinson, pictured, was found dead after taking the party drug after attending a sell-out rave with girlfriends in Manchester. Miss Atkinson, the daughter of a rugby club boss who lived 100 miles away in the Lake District, was discovered in her room by friends at their rented apartment (below) at 6.30am on Saturday. Four people have since been arrested by police investigating Lauren's death. Today Lauren's father Nigel, 50, who runs Ulverston Rugby league Club, posted a message on Facebook saying: 'As parents we were blessed to have a daughter who touched so many. And was loved by everyone. The world has lost one amazing girl.'

Karen Kujawa, from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, lost her daughter Elizabeth Buckley when a 'petrol head' on a first date tried to impress the teenager and lost control of his Toyota at speeds of 60mph.

Keith Lewin, 59, pictured, from Lancashire, suffered with back pain since his childhood, but his issues spiralled out of control in middle age and led to a devastating diagnosis in 2012.

The 73-year-old and his wife Sue, 68, were asleep on the Jumbo Cruiser vehicle heading home through France when a gang of five hooded migrants surrounded their driver.

Footage shows abducted bar worker being bundled out of van during Manchester pub raid

The 42-year-old woman had just left Old Boathouse in Astley, Greater Manchester when she was bundled into a Transit van by three men. A cloth was put over her face to stifle her screams and she was driven back to the pub and forced hand over takings. The footage shows the woman leaving the pub before the van pulls up and she is hauled out, struggling with the men who force her to the door.

Keith Lewin, 59, pictured, from Lancashire, suffered with back pain since his childhood, but his issues spiralled out of control in middle age and led to a devastating diagnosis in 2012.

Karen Kujawa, from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, lost her daughter Elizabeth Buckley when a 'petrol head' on a first date tried to impress the teenager and lost control of his Toyota at speeds of 60mph.

The Home Secretary, whose constituents will be among those badly hit when strikes bring the network to a standstill this week, said the action by unions was unnecessary.

Phillip Scholfield met his match when he interviewed Prince Philip

He may be the king of daytime television, but presenter Phillip Schofield met his match when offered the interview of a lifetime with Prince Philip. In a one-hour special to be shown tonight to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE), the notoriously dour - and sometime cantankerous - prince made clear he had little time for Schofield's apparent sycophancy. When the presenter revealed he would take part in a wing walk to raise funds for the scheme, Philip, in his typically pithy manner, asked: 'Who is trying to get rid of you?' In the programme, members of the royal family and celebrities including actress Joanna Lumley (top right) and Comedian David Walliams (bottom right) share their anecdotes of the 95-year-old Duke.

Karly Tophill, from Cornwall, was so frustrated by her son's apparent inability to get off his iPhone she imposed a year-long ban on Dylan, 13, having it, with dramatic results in six weeks.

Families who turned up to enjoy a Christmas fair promoted by East Grinstead Town Council were surprised to find themselves at an event run by the church of Scientology.

Tara Christmas, 27, from Rotherham, noticed her six-month-old kitten was nibbling the leaves of her poinsettia plant but didn't realise it was making her ill until she collapsed on Christmas Day.

This year's Christmas Day could be the warmest ever. Bookmakers have slashed the odds on a record high temperature on December 25 from 16/1 to just 8/1. It would have to beat last year's 16C.

The End of Life Transport scheme in the north east, gives patients the option to be transported by ambulance, along with a specially-trained crew, to their preferred place to die.

Six out of ten drivers admit they have a pet name for their car, with women being twice as likely to christen their motor, with names like Arnie, Pixie, Suz and even Asterix popular.

Ray Lewis, the referee on the pitch on April 15 1989, said he had described "mixed" groups of fans in his statement, but when he later saw a typed version of it he realised the word had been changed.

Nicky Morgan who attacked Theresa May for her £995 leather trousers has £950 Mulberry bag

The MP - nicknamed Ms U-turn for her frequent changes of policy when she was Education Secretary - has been pictured on numerous occasions (right) carrying the luxury oxblood brown leather Bayswater bag from upmarket brand Mulberry. Last week she laid into the Prime Minister after Mrs May wore designer leather trousers worth £995 for a magazine photo-shoot (left), suggesting it would not go down well with her constituents 'in Loughborough market'. The row led to Mrs Morgan being banned from a No 10 meeting after a spat erupted with one of Mrs May's most senior aides.

Step forward Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary and MP for Loughborough, who has given another classic example of being known as 'Ms U-Turn'.

Her rottweiler duties began when she worked for Mrs May at the Home Office and she made little secret of her disdain for the ministers who crossed her.

Theresa May will hit out at the Labour Party today as Great Britain becomes one of the first countries to adopt a new international definition of anti-Semitism to make it easier to tackle hatred.

Traffickers have drawn some of the children brought to Britain from the Calais Jungle into prostitution or slavery, it has been claimed. Council leaders have reported that some have disappeared.

Britain's economy is growing at the fastest pace since the start of the year as households and businesses defy warnings of a Brexit slowdown, despite George Osborne's recession warning.

Using data from a range of sources, Halifax calculated that the total value of privately-owned housing stock has grown by £1.9 trillion since 2006, to reach an estimated £5.6 trillion.

Home Office files concerning events at the Battle of Orgreave are due to be released next year among a cache of records relating to the 1984 miners' strike, the Home Secretary has said.

How those cream-topped, syrup-flavoured drinks can contain up to 13 teaspoons 

Last week we learnt that cakes at High Street coffee shops can contain astonishing amounts of sugar. Now, as Christmas draws near, they have rolled out their cream-topped, syrup-flavoured 'festive' drinks, costing more than their normal equivalents and also super-sweet. MATTHEW BELL tried some... He said of Starbucks' fudge hot chocolate: magine putting a Crunchie bar in a blender, then adding sugar and cream. The gold curls create a cheerful first impression but dissolved into a film that clung to my lips, leaving a strange synthetic flavour. I tried a classic hot chocolate afterwards and it tasted bitter compared with this sugary (but heart-warming) slurry.

Sainsbury's has invented a texture analyser, nicknamed the crunch-o-meter which tests their home food products like crisps, crackers and nuts, in its factory in Holborn, London.

David Attenborough's second series of Planet Earth came to a close on Sunday night and the veteran broadcaster issued a stark message to fans to create a world suitable for all life.

As a choirmaster he's used to a loud burst of song. But Gareth Malone claims everyday life in Britain is now so noisy he's forced to wear earplugs at all times.

A British study suggests children who are read to by their mothers or are helped with their homework between the ages of 3 and 7 tend to have more advanced cognitive abilities.

The study, published in the Pediatrics medical journal, tracked two groups of premature babies over 20 years and found those given kangaroo care were less prone to aggressive and impulsive behaviour.

Festive food from luxury retailers can cost up to twice as much from luxury retailers than they do at budget supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl even they come from the same suppliers.

Christians under siege: Funeral for 24 worshippers slaughtered by Islamist suicide bomber

Egypt's Coptic Christian community held a funeral service today for 24 Christians killed as they worshipped at a chapel next to the faith's main cathedral in Cairo - one of the deadliest attacks against them by Islamist terrorists. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said today the atrocity had been carried out by a 22-year-old suicide bomber, who walked into Sunday Mass at a chapel adjacent to St Mark's Cathedral, seat of the ancient Coptic Christian church. The coffins of the victims were laid in front of the altar today (pictured, left) as the spiritual leader of Egypt's Orthodox Christians, Pope Tawadros II, led the service. Grief (top right) and anger (bottom right) was etched on the faces of relatives of the dead. Egypt's President identified the suicide bomber as 22-year-old Shafik Mahmoud Mohamed Mostafa (inset, left).

The Syrian army says it has gained control of 98% of eastern Aleppo, leaving only a tiny enclave packed with rebels and civilians. Zakaria Malahifji, a rebel, said: 'The situation is extremely difficult today'.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde went on trial today, accused of negligence for allowing the French government to give Bernard Tapie a £338million bailout.

The party of populist anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders is now the most popular party in Holland after he was found guilty of discrimination against Moroccans last week.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: The unidentified man, in his 40s, fell to his death after the ceiling of the Chaimongkol Temple in Pattaya, Thailand apparently gave way.

A politician has controversially voiced her backing for Sharia Law being introduced in Europe, calling it 'absolutely compatible' with current legislation.

Cologne will have 1,500 police officers on the ground at the city's New Year's Eve celebration this year. In 2015, there were 600 reports of women sexually assaulted by migrant men at the event.

WORLD NEWS

       

North Korean guard tries an e-cig after he thought it was a bomb

A baffled North Korean border railway guard took his first puff of an electronic cigarette that he confiscated from British tourist Del Dinsdale (inset). The official thought the e-cig was a 'bomb' but gave it a try once Mr Dinsdale explained it was a vapour cigarette. Strict rules in the communist country means tourists are usually forbidden from taking photos of officials but the guard was so amazed that he happily posed for photos.

A German doctor's vacant home and surgery was left behind, filled with spooky belongings and surgical equipment. Urologist Doctor Klaus Kraft died in 1988 and his home was left to rot.

When you are the woman who wears the trousers for the country, it makes sense that those trousers should be the best. But, it seems, some of her Conservative Party colleagues don't agree.

At the start of this crucial week for Sgt Alexander Blackman, his former commanding officer sums up everything this paper and fair-minded readers feel about his case.