Shoppers will spend nearly £8billion this weekend as stores slash prices for Black Friday. Discounts on some products are expected to be so big that sellers will actually make a loss. Retailers are using bargains to lure shoppers through the door – as they struggle to reverse a drop in sales fuelled by a squeeze on household budgets. Price cuts of 40 to 50 per cent are being promoted on many clothes and electricals, with the biggest deals seeing around two-thirds knocked off the cost. A record number of stores are running promotions as they fear losing business to rivals or online giant Amazon. Even Next has felt the pressure, and for the first time has brought forward its Boxing Day sale to start at 3am today. It has previously refused to hold sales in the run-up to Christmas.
‘You can’t rewire evil’: James Bulger’s father says his son’s killer Jon Venables should NEVER be freed after being dragged back to jail over child porn for a second time
James Bulger's father Ralph (left) has said his toddler son's killer should never be freed again after he was dragged back to jail over child porn for the second time. Jon Venables (pictured in 1993, right) was arrested last week after officials making a routine visit to his home discovered the 'sickening' images on his computer and alerted police. It is the second time that the monster, now 35, has been put behind bars for child porn offences, having been caught with a large hoard of images in 2010. Venables and Robert Thompson were ten when they abducted James (inset) outside a Merseyside butchers before torturing and murdering him in 1993. Ralph Bulger, James' father, said that monster Venables could kill again and should spend the rest of his life behind bars.
- The biggest Black Friday EVER: Shoppers will spend £8BILLION in just FOUR DAYS as a record number of shops offer discounts of up to 50% to lure Christmas bargain hunters away from rivals
- ‘You can’t rewire evil’: James Bulger’s father says his son’s killer Jon Venables should NEVER be freed after being dragged back to jail over child porn for a second time
- Gridlock UK: How Britons waste up to six minutes per mile in traffic jams as congestion hits all-time highs
- England and Wales have the highest number of violent sex crimes including rapes in Europe
- So that's what happened to The Likely Lads: RICHARD LITTLEJOHN imagines what Bob and Terry would be up to if they were around today
- Haul of guns seized by border guards trebles in just a year: More than 450 real and imitation firearms were confiscated during 2016
- University students bar academic from giving a talk at their campus after she dared to say that children should not be labelled as transgender
- Ashes 2017, LIVE: Australia vs England - First Test, Day 2 cricket score at the Gabba in Brisbane
- Nearly 1m switch off British Gas: Customers abandon firm amid protest at soaring prices, wiping £1.4billion off its parent company
- Massive rise in attacks on 999 firefighters: Crews are targeted twice a day as number of incidents goes up by 28% in three years
- London's 20,000 millionaires aged under 35: Capital boasts three times as many as anywhere else outside Los Angeles and New York
- Clarifications and corrections
- I'm devastated and sorry: Dogowner whose two bloodthirsty pet Staffies mauled a beloved couple's Beagle to death says they are usually gentle with his toddler daughter, 3
- Families of missing submarine crew have been told their loved ones are DEAD: Relatives react with fury as Argentine Navy confirms an explosion was recorded last week when it vanished
- 'I have a problem with Michael Jackson': Corey Haim said the King of Pop and Charlie Sheen assaulted him, claims producer - and the confession was allegedly caught on tape
- Uma Thurman uses emotional Thanksgiving post to suggest she has been a victim of 'Harvey Weinstein and his wicked conspirators' and says he 'doesn't even deserve a bullet'
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle engagement announcement 'is imminent' as bookmakers suspend betting on another royal wedding
- Kim Jong-un's hit list revealed: North Korea's top 15 targets for a nuclear strike include The White House, Manhattan and Tokyo
- Beloved beagle that wife gave husband as a wedding gift is mauled to death by two bloodthirsty 'pitbull' dogs during walk in the park
- A fleet of Iranian warships will soon depart for the Gulf of Mexico in bid to establish the country as a global military power, new navy head warns
- Mystery death of glamorous cruise-ship singer: How the three romantically-linked men on board sailed away as Australian police bungled an investigation that left her American family fuming
- Indiana teacher, 24, is marched out of high school in handcuffs after being filmed by students 'snorting cocaine' in the classroom
- Revealed: Malia Obama's British boyfriend is related to Queen's former aide who convinced Her Majesty to ditch Harrods Christmas puddings in favour of Tesco!
- Mother demands her son's school take Sleeping Beauty off the curriculum because the princess doesn't give consent to be kissed and woken up by prince
- Angry man cruelly kills a bread-stealing rat by tying it up, feeding it with strong wine then burning it alive
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats take to New York's streets and skies for spectacular procession amid tightened security in the wake of multiple terror attacks this year
- MOST READ IN DETAIL
I’m devastated and sorry: Dogowner whose two bloodthirsty pet staffs mauled a beloved couple’s Beagle to death says they are usually gentle with his toddler daughter, 3
WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT: Chester the two-year-old beagle had 'chunks missing from his body' after he was set upon by the dogs in Eccles, Greater Manchester (top right). Paul Baxter (left), the owner of the dogs (bottom right), says he is devastated by what's happened, and claims that the dogs are usually gentle with his three-year-old daughter. Janet Payne, Chester's dog walker, said she was forced to watch him being thrown around 'like a rag doll' and claims when she asked the dogs' owner for help, he simply replied: 'Why the f*** wasn't your dog on a lead?' Chester is pictured inset with his owner Jennifer.
Uma Thurman hints she also fell victim to Harvey Weinstein : Kill Bill star says the sex abuser producer 'doesn't even deserve a BULLET' and blasts his 'wicked conspirators'
Uma Thurman posted a notice on her Instagram account (left) Thursday hinting that she was victimized by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. ‘I am grateful today, to be alive, for all those I love, and for all those who have the courage to stand up for others,’ the Pulp Fiction star wrote. 'Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! (Except you Harvey, and all your wicked conspirators - I’m glad it’s going slowly - you don’t deserve a bullet) - stay tuned.’ Thurman and Weinstein are seen right in New York last year.
‘Stamp Duty change will save us THOUSANDS’: Meet the first-time buyers handed a Budget windfall as the Chancellor shakes up home-buying taxes
Katie Bourke (pictured right) is about to buy her first £335,000 one-bed flat in Battersea, London and thanks to yesterday's budget giveaway she'll see her stamp duty bill crash from £6,750 to £1,750. Chelsie Love, 27, (left) an environmental consultant with Waterman Group and her boyfriend Matthew Cox, (centre) who works in finance, saved for almost one year to accumulate nearly £10,000 for stamp duty costs. But they will now only have to pay approximately half of that at £5,000.
'My heart is shattered… he lived and died for his children’: Partner of drunk father whose car slid off a pier killing him and four family members praises him despite inquest hearing he was three-times the limit
A mother whose partner's Audi plunged off a 'treacherous' pier in killing himself, his two children and two other relatives says her heart is 'shattered'. Sean McGrotty, 49, was more than three times the legal drink-drive limit when his Audi Q7 jeep slid off a 'slippery as ice' slipway in Buncrana, Donegal (inset), and sunk beneath the waters of the Lough Swilly. With him in the car were his sons Mark, 11, and eight-year-old Evan, his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie-Lee Tracey, all of whom died. Today, after a two-day inquest, a coroner ruled that the family died through 'misadventure'. During the hearing, the coroner heard how the sole survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month-old daughter Rionaghac-Ann, who had been plucked to safety by hero bypasser Davitt Walsh (together right). Pictured left: Mr McGrotty (back left), with his two sons, his surviving baby daughter and his partner Louise James, who today spoke of her heartbreak after the inquest (bottom right inset).
D-Day veteran, 96, who danced with Camilla is left with life-threatening injuries after being battered with a claw hammer when he opened his door to a burglar
Second World War veteran Jim Booth, honoured for gallantry on D-Day and who danced with Duchess of Cornwall, was beaten with a claw hammer when he opened his door to a burglar. The 96-year-old remains in hospital, was left with life-threatening injuries to his head and body when he was savagely attacked on the doorstep of his own bungalow. He is the only survivor of a 10-man team that spent five days in two mini-submarines, half a mile underwater, guiding Allied landing craft to Sword beach. The team spied on Nazi troops across the shorelines before shining beacons to guide Allied forces away from treacherous rocks. His bravery during the 1944 invasion earned him the Croix de Guerre French military medal.
Kind-hearted community rally together to turn homeless man's life around...getting him a job and a place to stay within just a DAY of launching Facebook appeal
Michael Peaks, 45, (inset and right, this week) was sleeping in a shop doorway in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, when he was spotted by Shane Sharkey. Mr Sharkey, who just finished playing snooker with his friends, said he 'felt guilty that everyone was enjoying their Friday night', so decided to try and help. He posted an appeal for help on Facebook and within 24 hours, Mr Peaks (pictured left in 2014) had been offered a room in someone's home and a job. The rough sleeper described the response as 'like something out of a Christmas film.'
Well they do say Volvos are built like tanks! Petrolheads turn their Swedish motor into a mock military vehicle for 1,500-mile drive across Europe
Graham Smith, 47, and three of his friends spent more than 50 hours turning the Volvo V70 (top left) into a tank-style vehicle complete with 'armoured' sides, camouflage paint, a turret and a cannon (right). The foursome - which also included Peter Orton, Bud Davidson and Josh Whitmee - then spent three days driving it through France, Switzerland, Italy and Luxembourg as part of the 'Bangers4Ben' charity event. When they returned, they sold the estate for £2,500 on eBay. But Mr Smith, a roadside technician from Shepshed, Leicestershire, said the group got more than they bargained for when 'suspicious' border guards mistook the vehicle for an actual tank. Pictured, bottom left, is Mr Whitmee, Mr Smith and Mr Orton.
Moment gang of moped robbers armed with hammers and fence posts batter through a Three mobile phone shop window in a series of terrifying smash and grab raids
The gang stole phones, tablet computers and caused damage to more than £1million London stores using hammers, knives, a gun and even a fencing post as a battering ram. They hit different 'Three Mobile' outlets several times in the early hours of the morning to grab the latest handsets and were in and out in 'a matter of minutes.' Members of the gang threatened to shoot security guards in the head if they got in their way. They left two officers with cuts after a violent struggle during another raid at a Wood Green store.
Chilling moment obsessed stalker prowls around his friend's home with a crowbar seconds before trying to bludgeon her to death after he ABSEILED her bathroom skylight
Fatmir Stafasani, 49, warned Blerta Sulaj (pictured together inset) ‘This is your last day’ before smashing her over the head in her own top-floor apartment in Fulham, until she lost consciousness. Ms Sulaj identified Stafasani as her attacker and said she had known him for a number of years from their native country of Albania. She was left with serious head injuries including a fractured skull, severe bruising to her back and bottom, and fractured hands, spent four weeks in hospital and is now registered disabled. Stafasani, from Bermondsey in southeast London, denied attempted murder and aggravated burglary but was convicted by the jury. Chilling CCTV captured Stafasani inside Ms Sulaj's building (left and inset, bottom) and detectives investigating the crime scene uncovered black webbing straps, typically used by climbers, used to abseil into the flat (right).
Reality TV star Jeremy McConnell is led away in handcuffs to begin 18 weeks behind bars after he skipped community service to fly to Turkey for hair and beard transplant
McConnell was hauled in front of Cardiff magistrates for failing to comply with a community order he was given in August after being found guilty of assaulting his ex partner Stephanie Davis. Despite being pictured wearing a hi-vis jacket while sweeping roads around the Welsh capital, McConnell skipped out on doing his total required hours.Instead he went to get a hair and beard transplant at a clinic in Istanbul. Dressed in a hoody and ripped jeans, he bowed his head as he walked past photographers waiting for him outside. While he appeared remorseful on his way into the court, before arriving, he posted sarcastically on his Snapchat account: 'If I don't see yas have a good Christmas'.
Christmas has arrived for the Queen! Her Majesty has jaw-dropping 20 FOOT Nordmann Fir tree erected at Windsor Castle over a MONTH before the big day
Staff at her Majesty's Berkshire home have been busy decking the halls and trimming the trees in preparation for the festive period. As usual the centre piece is an enormous 20 foot Nordmann Fir tree (left and top right) taking pride of place in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle. The table in the dining room is set with silver-gilt pieces (bottom right) from the spectacular Grand Service, commissioned by George IV and still used today by The Queen and her guests at State Banquet.
Photographer launches £50,000 lawsuit against National Trust because he says they DID give him permission to snap nude glamour model photos in their fairytale Scottish castle
Howard Kennedy (left, outside the High Court today) and his wife Karen used Craigievar Castle in Aberdeenshire (inset top) as the setting for an 'artistic nude' photograph shoot of glamour model Rachelle Summers (right) in 2012. The castle, a 'beautiful, pink' 15th century fortress gifted to the National Trust in 1963, is believed to be the inspiration for Walt Disney's Cinderella Castle. But National Trust Scotland (NTS) later claimed that staff had not allowed the photo shoot to take place. They then issued a public statement, accusing Mr Kennedy of failing to get permission and insisting NTS would 'never sanction' such pictures. It came after Gabriel Forbes-Sempill (inset bottom) - the daughter of the former owner Lord Sempill - complained to NTS about the photographs. Now Mr Kennedy is suing the body for £50,000 over claims his professional reputation has been ruined by NTS's claims.
How Beachy Head took shape: Incredible never-before-seen photos show fearless workers building iconic lighthouse at base of cliffs – without a harness or a hard hat in sight
These are the amazing photographs showing the construction of Beachy Head light house in East Sussex which was manned by a team of three lighthouse keepers until 1983. Engineers had to install a special cable car system, left, to carry equipment, and large pieces of rock from the cliff top to the building site. It was made from 3,500 tonnes of granite rock mined from a quarry in Cornwall which was transported by rail to Beachy Head.
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
Lost souls of the San Juan: Pictures emerge of the crew of Argentina's lost submarine after it emerged all likely died in an explosion that scuppered the craft
Photographs of the crew of Argentina's lost submarine San Juan (inset) have emerged for the first time since relatives revealed that an underwater explosion killed all on-board. Among the likely deceased is female weapons officer Eliana Maria Krawczyk, 35, (main) and captain of the vessel Pedro Martin Fernandez, 45 (top right). Luis Niz, 25, (middle left) was due to marry his soldier fiancee in less than three weeks, while Fernando Santilli, 35, (top left) had recently become a new father. Renzo Martin Silva, 32, (middle right) planned to marry his girlfriend next year. Mario Armando Toconas Oriundo (bottom right) is a father of an eight-year-old boy. Family members claim to have received phone calls from Navy officials telling them the entire crew had perished in a blast. Officially, Argentina's Navy is refusing to speculate on the fate of the sub's 44 crew members and have vowed to continue the search for the stricken vessel.
PICTURED: Robert Mugabe and his despised wife Gucci Grace seen for the first time since being 'granted immunity and allowed to remain safely in Zimbabwe' under resignation deal
Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace have been pictured for the first time since the former dictator was granted immunity as part of a resignation deal. Under the agreement drawn up to get the former dictator to stand down, Mugabe's whole family are understood to have been given assurances of their safety - including his hated wife Gucci Grace. The pair were pictured inside their Blue Roof mansion in Zimbabwe alongside the aides who helped secure their bumper retirement package. In the top row, standing behind the former first couple, is Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) Acting Director General Aaron Daniel Tonde Nhpera, Gideon Gono and Father Fidelis Mukonori (left to right).
The Beast is buried: Mafia Godfather Toto Riina who ordered the execution of more than 150 people is put to rest with a private family funeral in mob stronghold of Corleone after Church banned a public service
Salvatore 'Toto' Riina (inset), one of the most feared godfathers in the history of the Sicilian Mafia, was buried Wednesday in his hometown of Corleone, Italy. Riina had been serving 26 life sentences when he succumbed to cancer aged 87 on November 17. His remains arrived in Sicily earlier this week. The family buried him in a private ceremony as public ceremonies are banned for mafiosi. Nicknamed 'The Beast' because of his cruelty, Mr Riina was was laid to rest in the family tomb, which sits near the graves of other famed mobster chiefs.
'Torturers with whips, families herded on to trains and execution for fleeing': Chilling accounts of Nazi atrocities in the Warsaw Ghetto written by Jews and stashed in underground milk bottles go on display in Poland
Notes (top right) describing the annihilation of Jews in the Polish capital were stuffed into milk jars (bottom right) before being stashed underground to avoid detection - and were only discovered after the war (inset, bottom left). Dubbed the 'first history of the Holocaust', the archive contains shocking witness accounts of how people were loaded on to trains and sent to their deaths, parents were dragged away from their children and people were executed on the spot for trying to flee through gaps in the walls. Nazi occupiers in 1940 corralled some 400,000 Jews into a small section of Warsaw (left) most of whom were then sent to camps to be killed or died from the conditions in the Ghetto itself.