Trump tells 37 people on death row with commuted sentences to ‘go to hell’

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On Truth Social, president-elect also lashes out at Chinese troops in Panama Canal and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau

Donald Trump has told 37 people on death row who had their sentences commuted by Joe Biden to “go to hell” in a lacerating Christmas Day social media post.

The president-elect – long a vocal advocate of capital punishment – lashed out at Biden’s decision on his Truth Social platform, after wishing a merry Christmas to political opponents he addressed as “Radical Left Lunatics”.

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The real test for Nigel Farage will be if donors follow foot soldiers to Reform

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He may be in league of his own on social media, but can he convince the big money he leads a viable national party?

On brand as ever, Nigel Farage got the news that Reform appears to have surpassed the Tories in membership numbers while attending a traditional Boxing Day hunt.

He was filmed for TikTok and Instagram wearing tweeds and a flat-cap, getting the news on his phone. He said: “We’ve done it. We’re through. How about that? We’re now the official opposition.” Sticking out his tongue and smiling straight into the camera, he added: “It’s going to be a long day.”

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Why Scottish students at Edinburgh University want more support to counter classism

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Only 25% of institution’s students are from Scotland, and they are more likely to be from working-class backgrounds

From the first day Shanley Breese started her law degree at the University of Edinburgh, she encountered demeaning comments about her accent. She was told she was hard to understand and was asked to repeat herself in tutorials when she used words from the Scots language.

“It was just a little thing to differentiate us and point it out … It meant that I didn’t participate in my tutorials,” she says.

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Scientists explore longevity drugs for dogs that could also ‘extend human life’

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Researchers say drugs may be able to increase lifespan by extending health and thus shortening the rate of ageing

Not for nothing are dogs called man’s best friend: they are good for their owners’ mental and physical health, and some studies have shown that if you’re looking for a date and want to seem more attractive, it might be time to get a canine companion.

So what would it be like if dogs could live for ever – and what if that secret could help their owners live longer, healthier lives too?

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6K Inmates Riot, Escape High-Security Prison – Newser

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  1. 6K Inmates Riot, Escape High-Security Prison  Newser
  2. Mozambique Unrest: What to Know  The New York Times
  3. 6,000 inmates escape from a high-security prison as post-election violence roils Mozambique  The Associated Press
  4. Constitutional Council Decision on Mozambican Elections  Department of State
  5. Venâncio Mondlane: Mozambique's opposition leader vows to install himself as president  BBC.com
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Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh dies aged 92

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The ex-politician was admitted to hospital on Thursday after his health deteriorated

India’s former prime minister, Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the US, has died aged 92.

Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home”, the hospital said in a statement, adding that he was “being treated for age-related medical conditions”.

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Syrian police killed in violent clashes with Assad loyalists – Financial Times

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  1. Syrian police killed in violent clashes with Assad loyalists  Financial Times
  2. Former Assad forces in Syria clash with members of new government  CBS News
  3. Deadly Ambush, Protests Challenge Syrian Leaders’ New Power  The Wall Street Journal
  4. 17 reported killed in Syrian clashes after attempted arrest of former prison officer  The Guardian
  5. Syria says 14 interior ministry personnel were killed in ambush by al-Assad supporters  Euronews
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Finnish coastguard boards tanker suspected of causing power and internet cable outages

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Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea

Finnish authorities have seized a ship carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea on suspicion it caused the outage of an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia a day earlier, and that it also damaged or broke four internet lines.

A Finnish coastguard crew boarded the Cook Islands-registered ship, named by authorities as the Eagle S, on Thursday. The crew took command and sailed the vessel to Finnish waters, a coastguard official told a press conference.

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Painstaking work to conserve Ireland’s oldest paper documents begins

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Delicate 650-year-old pages to be preserved are some of the island’s most important historical texts

Work has begun to conserve and digitise one of the oldest paper documents still in existence on the island of Ireland.

The ecclesiastical register, which dates back to the medieval period, is about 650 years old. It belonged to the former archbishop of Armagh Milo Sweteman.

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Prayers and tears mark 20 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people – ABC News

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  1. Prayers and tears mark 20 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people  ABC News
  2. 20 years later: A look at the deadliest disaster to strike Earth in modern history  Fox Weather
  3. After the tsunami: Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 20 years on  BBC.com
  4. Supermodel Petra Nemcova says it's still 'difficult' to discuss surviving tsunami on its 20th anniversary  Fox News
  5. Opinion | 20 Years Ago a Tsunami Killed 230,000 People. We Can Do Better Now.  The New York Times
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Boxing Day footfall down on UK high streets despite discounts

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Data may reflect shift in behaviour influenced by cost of living crisis or front-loading of spending

Fewer consumers made the journey to high streets and shopping centres in search of Boxing Day discounts this year.

Footfall across UK retailers was down 8.9% as of 3pm on Thursday, compared with Boxing Day in 2023, according to data from MRI Software.

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Baby Driver actor Hudson Meek, 16, dies after fall from moving vehicle

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Family plans to livestream memorial service for teenage actor who died two days after getting hurt in Vestavia Hills, Alabama

The teenage actor Hudson Meek has died after he fell out of a moving vehicle in Alabama, authorities said.

Meek, 16, was hurt on December 19 while on a street in Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham. He died two days later, according to the Jefferson county coroner’s office.

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