The pandemic saw a jump in the number of deaths in the UK, particularly in 2020 and 2021, which in turn caused a fall in life expectancy estimates. Greg Ceely, ONS head of population life events, said: “UK life expectancy has increased for both men and women in the most recent period. “At the national level, this marks a return to pre-pandemic levels for women, although for men life expectancy remained just below 2017 to 2019 levels. The geographical divide is also evident in the areas where life expectancy is at or above pre-pandemic levels. “This stalling of life expectancy reflects a long-term failure to improve the nation’s health.

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Children were left in tears when they were turned away from a Christmas fair because a technology company had booked it out for their annual office party. However, when hundreds of locals turned up at the venue for what is normally one of the busiest days of the year, they were turned away at the gate. Among the disappointed attendees was Craig Duncan, 54, who had driven two hours to the Christmas market to celebrate his wife's 52nd birthday. The 54-year-old said he thought thousands of people had been turned away from the market in Cambridge as a result. Cambridge Christmas market is run privately by Seventa Events, but is held on council-owned ground.

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There’s acres of common sense behind the ritual of the Boxing Day walk. Meanwhile, prolonged close proximity to relatives often means tension, which is relieved by fresh air and wide open spaces. Meanwhile, many scenes from the recent film The Salt Path were filmed here, where the path climbs from Porlock into woodland, with Wales visible across the Bristol Channel (alltrails.com). Go the extra mile to Culbone Church, supposedly the smallest in the UK, snuggled into a dell that hosted a remote leper colony. After your walk, head inland to write your own poetry at the refurbished remote Exmoor Forest Inn.

The UK has regained the top spot for winning European Research Council (ERC) consolidator grants, with the country taking more mid-career awards than any other country for the first time since Brexit. Sixty-six researchers at UK universities have won the prestigious grants in the 2026 funding round, ahead of Germany (56 awards), the Netherlands (40 grants) and Spain (26 grants), it was announced on 9 December. ADVERTISEMENTOften hailed as the “gold standard” for European research, ERC grants are one of the most competitive awards on the continent, with only 11 per cent of 3,121 applications to the consolidator award system winning funding. Overall, Germany won the most awards (48) based on a researcher’s nationality, followed by Italy (37) and the UK (33). ADVERTISEMENTDespite its success in winning ERC grants, UK university leaders have nonetheless raised concerns that the country is struggling to win funding outside the “Pillar 1” stream dedicated to basic research.

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Javan Lee, 38, of Sussex Road, Harrow was convicted of murder by a jury at Southwark Crown Court on Monday (December 8). The court heard how Lee stabbed housemate Corey Graham 12 times outside their property on October 30, 2024 after a "trivial" dispute, and proceeded to walk down the nearby residential streets in broad daylight - covered in blood and carrying a knife. This was captured on CCTV, which allowed police to track Lee's movements and recover the murder weapon in nearby Pinner View. He said: "Our thoughts today are with the family of Mr Graham, who lost a loved one in such brutal circumstances – following an apparently trivial dispute between the men. Messages recovered by detectives from the suspect and victim's devices during the investigation revealed there had been a dispute between them.

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