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Union bosses have criticised plans to deploy 1,200 troops to cover strikes, but the prime minister has hit back by calling them “Grinches” who “want to steal Christmas”.

Union chiefs claim the military are not “sufficiently trained” to guard the country’s borders or drive ambulances, and that they should not be put in such an “invidious” position when they already have “enough on their plate”.

But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said unions are “causing misery for millions” with what he said are strikes “cruelly-timed” for Christmas, particularly singling out industrial action by rail workers.

Writing in The Sun on Sunday, he said rail workers and border officers have been offered “deals that are fair and affordable” – but he made no mention of ambulance drivers or nurses.

He claimed that an “increasing number of union members want a deal”, adding that they are “tired of being foot soldiers in (RMT union boss) Mick Lynch’s class war”.

Mr Sunak added: “Even Labour have admitted the unions’ demands are unaffordable.

“But they’ll still take union money and undermine the interests of the travelling public.

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“Labour back the Grinches that want to steal Christmas for their own political ends.

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“We are doing everything we can to ensure people get the Christmas they deserve.

“The army is stepping up and we’re putting in place other measures to keep services running where possible.”

The reliance on the army has prompted criticism in some quarters

Sara Gorton, Unison’s head of health, warned the military is “no substitute” for qualified ambulance staff, while Nathan Holman, from GMB, said bringing in “untrained” personnel would be a “hindrance” rather than a help.

Without specialist training in exceeding speed limits and passing through red lights, Mr Holman said the military would only be able to respond to the “least urgent calls”.

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Strikes: Can a resolution be found?

The head of the armed forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, warned it was “perilous” to expect military personnel to be used routinely to cover for strikes.

He told The Sunday Telegraph that the armed forces are busy and need to “focus on our primary role”.

The UK is facing a wave of strikes this winter, with at least one walkout a day ahead of Christmas, as staff from different industries seek better pay.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said his “number one priority” was keeping patients “as safe as possible” as he reiterated the government’s position that union demands are “not affordable”.

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Meanwhile, nurses are threatening to stage a fresh wave of strikes in the new year on an even larger scale if ministers fail to respond in the 48 hours following next week’s walkout.

The 48-hour countdown will begin after the Royal College of Nursing stages its second day of strikes on Tuesday.

The union’s leader Pat Cullen called for the dispute to be “wrapped up” by Christmas.

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Nurses’ action: Tory MPs call for compromise

“Ministers can take away the worries of nurses who are expecting to start the year with such uncertainty,” she said.

“We aren’t looking for a miracle, it is in their gift to solve it.”

Despite the widespread disruption caused by the nurses’ first strike on Thursday, polling showed that the majority of the public were in favour of the action.

It involved around a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all trusts in Northern Ireland and all but one health board in Wales.

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Woman, 19, dies in dog attack in Bristol – two people arrested

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Woman, 19, dies in dog attack in Bristol - two people arrested

A 19-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a dog in Bristol, police have said.

Two people – a man and a woman both aged in their 20s – have been arrested and remain in police custody.

Neighbourhood Inspector Terry Murphy said: “A full investigation is now well under way to establish the full circumstances of the events that led to her death.”

At 7.19pm, police received a report from the ambulance service of the incident inside a flat in Cobhorn Drive, Bristol.

Despite the efforts of the emergency services, the victim died at the scene.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act, including being in possession of a prohibited breed of dog.

File pic: Alexandre Bauer/iStock
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An XL bully. File pic: Alexandre Bauer/iStock

A neighbour paid tribute to the victim, saying she “seemed a lovely girl” and had only lived in the property for a few weeks.

“I was up all night awake trying to process this,” the neighbour, who did not want to be named, said.

“I am shocked. I just can’t believe it’s happened and she hasn’t been there that long.”

Initial reports suggested the dog may be an XL bully, but confirming the breed will form part of the police assessment process, according to Avon and Somerset Police.

It was sedated and seized by officers.

A general view of floral tributes left near the scene on Cobhorn Drive, Hartcliffe, Bristol, where a 19-year-old woman died after she was attacked by a dog on Wednesday night. A man and a woman, both aged in their 20s, have been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death and possession of a prohibited breed of dog, as the dog responsible for the attack is believed to have been an XL bully. Picture date: Thursday February 27, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story POLICE Dog. Photo credit should read: Rod Minchin/PA Wire
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Floral tributes left near the scene. Pic: PA

The neighbour said she had seen the dog on a lead with its owner and was certain it was an XL bully.

“I do feel so sad for the dog owner,” she said.

“She did mention the dog wasn’t great with men, fine with women and children.

“I feel for her so, so much. It wasn’t her fault.”

She added: “I genuinely feel that this was one of those freak accidents and wasn’t her fault – that’s how I feel.”

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Avon and Somerset Police inspector Terry Murphy said: “As part of this work, Cobhorn Drive was closed last night and I thank everyone for their patience and understanding about our need to do this,” said Inspector Murphy.

“There will be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days, including neighbourhood officers, and if you have any concerns please do speak to them.”

In February 2024, it became a criminal offence to own the XL bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.

Anyone who owns one of the dogs must have had the animal neutered, have it microchipped and keep it muzzled and on a lead in public, among other restrictions.

The government moved to ban XL bullies followed a series of attacks on people and other dogs.

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Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan land in Florida after travel ban was lifted in Romania

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Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have left Romania for the US - reports

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have landed in Florida in the US after a travel ban in Romania was lifted, a spokesperson for the influencers has said.

The Tates landed in Fort Lauderdale in a private plane at around 11:30am local time, their representative Mateea Petrescu added.

Speaking around an hour later, Andrew Tate told reporters: “We’ve yet to be convicted of any crimes in our lives ever. We have no criminal record anywhere on the planet ever.

“Our case was dismissed on 19 December in Romania under the Biden administration, and our prosecutor recently decided, because we have no active indictment in court, to let us go and return.

“This is a Democratic society, we’re supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, as my brother and I are.”

The brothers, who champion US President Donald Trump, are facing charges in Romania of human trafficking, sexual misconduct and money laundering, as well as starting an organised crime group.

The self-styled misogynists are dual UK and US nationals whose controversial views are shared widely on social media platforms such as TikTok and X.

Their arrival in Fort Lauderdale comes after the Financial Times reported last week that the Trump administration had lobbied their Romanian counterparts to ease restrictions on the brothers while they face charges.

Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu said the Tates were mentioned during his brief hallway meeting with Mr Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month.

Romanian prosecutors later said they had approved a request from Andrew Tate, 38, to travel outside of the country, pending the outcome of a criminal investigation.

The pair had been released from house arrest, but were not allowed to leave the country and were required to check in with the police regularly.

“The request to change the obligation of not leaving Romania was approved,” prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday.

“All the other obligations have been maintained, including the requirement to check in with judicial authorities every time they are called.”

A spokeswoman for the Tates told Sky News the Romanian courts had decided they will return to the brothers all of their assets.

This includes restoring their ownership of all previously frozen bank accounts, five properties, six cars including two Audis and a Ferrari, and company shares. Some assets will remain under precautionary seizure, according to the court ruling.

The brothers are fighting a series of legal battles not just in Romania, but also in the UK and the US.

They have consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with all the legal action taking place.

The Tates grew up in Luton and have millions of social media followers. Andrew Tate also appeared in the UK version of Big Brother in 2016.

The pair are often criticised for their misogynistic views online – particularly as they have a predominately young, male audience.

A number of banned Twitter accounts have been reinstated by Elon Musk. Tate was among those brought back on 18 November 2022 after Musk took over and rebranded it X.

A British court ruled in March that the brothers are also under a European arrest warrant and will be extradited to the UK – where allegations of rape and human trafficking are being investigated by Bedfordshire Police – after Romanian trial proceedings finish for a separate investigation.

A recent lawsuit filed in Florida accuses both Tate brothers of conspiring to coerce a woman into sex work, luring her to Romania and defaming her after her testimony to Romanian authorities. The Tate brothers had previously sued her for defamation in 2023.

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Four British women who allege they were raped and coercively controlled by Andrew Tate said they have been “retraumatised” by today’s events.

“It is clear that there is now a major risk that the criminal prosecution for his alleged crimes in Romania will not proceed, and he may use this development as an opportunity to harass further and intimidate witnesses and his accusers as well as continue to spread a violent, misogynistic doctrine around the world,” the alleged victims said in a joint statement.

Tate is facing civil action brought by the women at the High Court. He denies the allegations and has threatened to pursue the women for defamation.

Matthew Jury, their solicitor at McCue Jury & Partners, said: “The news that pressure by the Trump administration has led to Andrew Tate, and his brother Tristan, being allowed to leave Romania by its authorities is equal parts disgusting and dismaying.”

He added: “The UK government knew this might happen more than a week ago. The fact that nothing seems to have been done to prevent it is concerning. One can only hope action will now be taken. Given that Prime Minister Starmer is in the US today to meet with President Trump, perhaps his team may take the opportunity to raise this issue.”

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Christopher Hughes: Eggheads star and former Mastermind and Brain of Britain winner dies

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Christopher Hughes: Eggheads star and former Mastermind and Brain of Britain winner dies

Christopher Hughes, who was one of the stars of the hit TV show Eggheads, has died.

Hughes was a member of the regular panel of quiz experts on the programme, which was first broadcast in 2003.

He passed away at his home in Crewe at the age of 77, according to reports.

Hughes was in the original line-up and joined the show more than 20 years ago after winning Mastermind and International Mastermind in 1983.

He was also crowned Brain of Britain in 2005.

The Eggheads programme wrote on social media: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Eggheads great Chris Hughes.

“Chris joined the show at the very start in 2003 and over the next 20 years gave us not only brilliant answers but very many laughs and happy memories.

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“He loved being an Egghead and will be hugely missed by all his Eggheads family.”

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‘An amazing Egghead’

Eggheads producer Robert Dean wrote on X: “Very sad to say that our brilliant Egghead Chris has sadly passed away. He was an amazing Egghead who considered everyone on the production team part of his family.

“I have such fond memories of him and count myself lucky to have known him. I’ll miss him tremendously.”

The general knowledge challenge programme began on the BBC before moving to Channel 5.

In the show, a team made up of members of the public tried to beat the “eggheads”.

If they were successful, they would take home a cash prize, and if not £1,000 would roll over to the next show.

The series was fronted by news presenter Dermot Murnaghan, before Radio 2 DJ and Channel 5 talk show host Jeremy Vine took over the role.

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