The annual Parent Power Guide is widely acknowledged as "the most authoritative survey of the country’s top schools". The Sunday Times said: "Recognised as the definitive ranking of the UK’s top primary and secondary state and independent schools, this guide remains an essential resource for parents seeking the very best in education for their children." Editor of The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide, Helen Davies, said: "The educational landscape is testing – budget challenges, rising student mental health issues, special educational needs and an increasingly uncertain future. Welsh schools recognised in the Parent Power National Awards included:State Secondary School of the Year in Wales 2026 : Cowbridge School: Cowbridge School State Secondary School in Wales for Academic Excellence 2026 : Cowbridge School: Cowbridge School Independent School of the Year for A-levels 2026 : Cardiff Sixth Form College: Cardiff Sixth Form College Independent Secondary School of the Year in Wales 2026: Westbourne SchoolWestbourne School Independent Secondary School of the Year in Wales for Academic Excellence 2026 : Cardiff Sixth Form CollegeYou can view the full 2026 Parent Power Guide via The Times and Sunday Times website (a link to which can be found above). Why Christ College Brecon is among the best secondary schools in the UKChrist College Brecon, which was founded by King Henry VIII back in 1541, is located in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.

Heathrow Airport has announced changes to passenger drop‑offs at its terminals, making it more expensive and enforcing a time limit for the first time. From January, the west London airport will increase its terminal drop-off fee from £6 to £7 and will give travellers 10 minutes in the drop-off areas before issuing a Parking Charge Notice (PCN). Visitors to the drop-off zones can pre-pay online or by phone and must do before midnight the following day otherwise they could be charged an £80 fine. A spokesperson for the airport, which is the busiest in the country, said the changes were aimed at "smoothing traffic flow and reducing congestion".

The UK government is ready to transfer £8 billion (over US$10.6 billion) in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. Source: The Times, citing government sourcesDetails: The Times stated that the UK government considers Russian leader Vladimir Putin a threat to the people, security and prosperity of the United Kingdom. Background:On 3 December, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced two proposals on funding Ukraine in 2026 and 2027, one of which would use proceeds from frozen Russian assets in the EU to provide Ukraine with a reparations loan. Even before the new proposal from the European Commission was made public, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said it was absolutely unacceptable . Other EU countries are opposed to granting Belgium unlimited guarantees to release the loan for Ukraine.

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Britain and Norway will mount joint naval patrols to protect undersea cables from Russia, the U.K. said Thursday, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre held talks on defense. The U.K. government says a combined fleet of at least 13 warships will “hunt Russian submarines and protect critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic.”It follows a 10-billion-pound ($13.4-billion) deal struck in August for Norway to buy at least five British-made frigates. Those Norwegian vessels and eight British ships will operate jointly in the seas along NATO’s northern flank. AdvertisementAs part of the agreement, formally signed Thursday in London by the two countries’ defense ministers, the U.K. has agreed to use Norwegian missiles for the Royal Navy’s surface fleet. Britain says Russian naval activity around U.K. waters has increased by 30% in the last two years.

The Online Safety Act is being implemented in phases, and is intended to prevent past practices which Ofcom described as online platforms being "unregulated, unaccountable and often unwilling to prioritise people's safety over profits". Tougher age checks for porn websites were introduced in July, though some people have pointed out these could be easily avoided with a virtual private network (VPN), which reroutes internet traffic. In October, Pornhub's parent company told BBC News it had seen a 77% drop in UK visitors since the age checks had come in. Also introduced this year were tougher guidelines on ensuring the internet was safer for women and girls, with Ofcom vowing to name and shame platforms that did not comply. Critics say the Act needs to be toughened to make the internet safer, particularly for women and girls.

According to the Electoral Commission's latest figures, external, Reform UK received donations totalling more than £10.2m between July and September. This was more than the Conservatives, who received £4.6m in donations, followed by Labour on £2.1m and the Liberal Democrats on £1m. Labour's biggest donor was the Unite union with £362,625, while the Liberal Democrats received its largest sum - £50,000 - from Neale Powell-Cook, who owns a food supply company. It is the first quarter since last year's general election that Reform has received more in donations than the Conservatives. Between July and September, Reform received £227,835 in public funds - far less than the £2.3m received by the Conservatives and the £1m for the Liberal Democrats.

YOU don’t found a newspaper without ambition, and Sir Andreas Whittam Smith was a determined man who hated to lose. It was to avert that possibility that Whittam Smith spent £20 million on The Independent on Sunday, which was launched into the recession that drove Maxwell to suicide. Whittam Smith bore his dethronement with courage and dignity, but it must have been a great shock to start work at the Commissioners. Whittam Smith told the BBC that “You’re in the driving seat of a car with apparently a steering wheel and apparently an accelerator and apparently a brake, but when you turn the wheel or press the pedals nothing much happens. Read our obituary of Sir Andreas Whittam Smith here.

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The Thursday Murder Club’s Dame Helen Mirren and The Crown’s Lesley Manville are among the acting legends set to appear in a series of National Theatre (NT) Live cinema shows in 2026. AdThe shows, captured in front of a live audience, will be shown in cinemas across the UK. The production will be captured from its run in the Lyttelton Theatre, where it will be playing from 21st March to 6th June. Matt Risley, the National Theatre’s Chief Digital Officer, said in a statement: "It has been a blockbuster year for NT Live and 2026 is already shaping up to follow suit. As we shape the programme of NT Live, we always place audiences at the centre of our programme, and we believe our growing slate will resonate with audiences around the world."