Wednesday briefing: Why was the UK so poorly prepared for extreme flooding?

BREAKING NEWS

13/12 21:53 - Glasgow mount incredible comeback to stun Toulouse 13/12 21:35 - Drone strike on UN facility in war-torn Sudan leaves six peacekeepers dead 13/12 19:08 - EU member says it won’t finance Ukraine 13/12 18:11 - Forecasters warn of floods as amber rain alert issued 13/12 15:58 - Trump pressuring Zelensky to cede land to Russia – Bild 13/12 15:04 - EU downplays Russian lawsuit against Euroclear 13/12 15:03 - Russia Bombs Ukraine Port of Odesa Amid Peace Talks 13/12 14:47 - BMA warns of flu 'scaremongering' ahead of doctor strikes 13/12 14:18 - Why the huge bidding war over Warner Bros? 13/12 14:18 - Why the huge bidding war over Warner Bros? 13/12 14:01 - 35 Fun Products That Have Simply Never Been Normal A Day In Their Lives 13/12 13:46 - US sets out condition for Ukraine security guarantees – Axios 13/12 12:43 - One million households without power in Ukraine after Russia attacks energy grid 13/12 12:38 - Russian attacks cut power for thousands in Ukraine as peace talks press on 13/12 12:38 - Russian attacks cut power for thousands in Ukraine as peace talks press on 13/12 11:20 - Slovakia ‘won’t support anything’ that helps prolong Ukraine conflict – Fico 13/12 10:38 - Zelensky visits troops as Ukraine claims gained ground near key city 13/12 10:04 - EU agrees to indefinitely freeze Russian central bank assets 13/12 10:04 - Ivan Urgant Was Russia’s Late-Night King Until Putin’s War in Ukraine 13/12 10:00 - With an army of yes-men, how Putin’s world turned into an echo chamber 13/12 09:43 - Virtual reality offers escape to Gaza children wounded in Israel’s war 13/12 09:43 - Virtual reality offers escape to Gaza children wounded in Israel’s war 13/12 09:00 - Starmer to pick new US ambassador as relations with Trump tested 13/12 08:31 - Colombia’s ELN rebels prepare for battle amid Trump ‘intervention’ threat 13/12 08:31 - Colombia’s ELN rebels prepare for battle amid Trump ‘intervention’ threat 13/12 08:16 - If You Pass This Tough Disney Timed Trivia Test, Your Brain Processes Information Quicker Than The Majority Of People 13/12 08:03 - North Korea’s Kim bestows ‘hero’ titles on soldiers killed in Ukraine war 13/12 08:03 - North Korea’s Kim bestows ‘hero’ titles on soldiers killed in Ukraine war 13/12 07:52 - Kremlin envoy compares Orban to ‘Game of Thrones’ hero 13/12 07:31 - Myanmar military says armed groups used hospital it bombed, killing dozens 13/12 07:31 - Myanmar military says armed groups used hospital it bombed, killing dozens 13/12 07:24 - Russian drone hits Turkish ships in Ukraine 13/12 07:24 - Russian drone hits Turkish ships in Ukraine 13/12 07:09 - Child of Dust: A man’s search for his father after the Vietnam War 13/12 07:09 - Child of Dust: A man’s search for his father after the Vietnam War 13/12 07:08 - I thought I'd struck lucky on a dating app but invited a monster into my life 13/12 07:00 - Beware airport parking thieves: police warn over spate of car thefts 13/12 06:53 - North Korean Soldiers Return From Russia’s War With Ukraine 13/12 06:52 - Ukraine says it received 114 prisoners from Belarus under US-brokered deal 13/12 06:42 - The Papers: 'King's cancer fight boost' and 'EU freezes' Russian assets 13/12 06:30 - Spain’s FM on Trump’s new security strategy, Europe and Palestine 13/12 06:30 - Spain’s FM on Trump’s new security strategy, Europe and Palestine 13/12 06:00 - Deal or no deal? The inside story of the battle for Warner Bros 13/12 06:00 - ‘Who’s it going to be next time?’: ECHR rethink is ‘moral retreat’, say rights experts 13/12 05:17 - Kim Jong-un admits North Korean troops clearing landmines for Russia 13/12 04:35 - After False Earthquake Alert in Nevada, Lawmakers Demand Answers on How it Was Sent 13/12 03:38 - Member states step up opposition to EU seizing Russian funds – Politico 13/12 03:34 - Russia damages Turkish-owned vessels in attack on Ukrainian ports 13/12 03:34 - Russia damages Turkish-owned vessels in attack on Ukrainian ports 13/12 02:58 - US scolds Rwanda for breaking peace deal as M23 rebels seize key Congo city 13/12 02:58 - Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $40m to women who said talc to blame for cancer 13/12 02:29 - Dozens Killed as a Hospital Is Bombed in Myanmar’s Brutal Civil War 13/12 01:13 - Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,388 13/12 01:13 - Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,388 13/12 00:35 - As the US targets Venezuela, its allies Russia and China show little signs of support 13/12 00:05 - Ukraine's health supplies hit in series of Russian strikes on medical warehouses 12/12 23:15 - EU’s use of emergency powers on Russian assets will backfire – MEP 12/12 21:32 - Trump demands Fed listen to him as he lines up new leader: ‘I’m a smart voice’ 12/12 21:25 - At the UN, the US has accused Rwanda of leading the region towards war 12/12 21:14 - How Ukraine Has Responded to Trump’s Peace Plan and Russia’s Demands for Territory 12/12 20:59 - 'They have no border': Ukraine's integration into EU by 2027 deemed unlikely by diplomats 12/12 20:54 - Israel approves 19 new West Bank settlements in major annexation push 12/12 20:54 - Israel approves 19 new West Bank settlements in major annexation push 12/12 20:51 - ‘No candidates’ for key Ukrainian cabinet posts – Reuters 12/12 20:26 - 'It's a mistake for Ukraine to make concessions': Former Trump security adviser John Bolton 12/12 20:18 - EU to freeze €210bn in Russian assets indefinitely 12/12 19:40 - Russia Sues Holder of Frozen Assets Europe Wants for Ukraine Loan 12/12 19:34 - Colombian rebels warn civilians of military drills amid ‘imperialist’ Trump threats 12/12 19:28 - Fourteen Palestinians, including children, die in Gaza amid Storm Byron 12/12 19:28 - Fourteen Palestinians, including children, die in Gaza amid Storm Byron 12/12 19:14 - EU backs indefinite freeze on Russia's frozen cash ahead of loan plan for Ukraine 12/12 19:06 - Were South Africans lured into fighting for Russia’s Ukraine war? 12/12 19:06 - Were South Africans lured into fighting for Russia’s Ukraine war? 12/12 19:05 - Zelenskyy visits frontlines as Ukraine retakes parts of Kupiansk 12/12 19:05 - Zelenskyy visits frontlines as Ukraine retakes parts of Kupiansk 12/12 18:59 - Germany Accuses Russia of Sabotage, Cyberattacks and Disinformation 12/12 18:34 - Who will win the Warner Bros battle – Netflix or Paramount? 12/12 18:34 - Who will win the Warner Bros battle – Netflix or Paramount? 12/12 18:32 - News24 | Rwanda leading east African region towards war - US envoy to UN 12/12 18:20 - Elite cheats slip through net as anti-doping system has ‘stalled’, says AIU 12/12 18:20 - Elite cheats slip through net as anti-doping system has ‘stalled’, says AIU 12/12 17:59 - Putin hypocrisy 12/12 17:59 - Putin hypocrisy 12/12 17:55 - EU bypasses vetoes to freeze Russian assets indefinitely: As it happened 12/12 17:46 - A Trickle of Aid Reaches a Captured, War-Ravaged City in Sudan 12/12 17:44 - UN warns of 'regional conflagration' over eastern DR Congo 12/12 17:33 - Belgian PM meets Starmer in London as debate continues on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine – as it happened 12/12 17:23 - Kiev and its backers waiting out ‘natural disaster’ Trump – expert (VIDEO) 12/12 17:10 - 'We'll concentrate on European military equipment and improve our defence': Romanian president 12/12 17:01 - Berlin summons Russian ambassador over increase in hybrid attacks 12/12 17:01 - Flooding remains threat in Pacific north-west as Washington declares emergency 12/12 17:00 - ‘There’s been a Badenoch bounce’: is the Tory leader finally cutting through? 12/12 16:50 - 'They're no longer hiding': How Russia is shipping liquefied natural gas to China despite sanctions 12/12 16:50 - Germany accuses Russia of air traffic control cyber-attack 12/12 16:49 - Belgian prime minister 'sceptical' about Ukraine loan using Russian assets 12/12 16:28 - From nukes to AI, China seeks to write new global rules 12/12 16:23 - Pro-Palestine activists daub MoJ building with red paint in protest over hunger strikers 12/12 16:04 - ‘What is going on here?’ Meloni celebrated at Italy’s far-right Atreju Christmas festival 12/12 16:01 - Machado escape planner feared US strike on her vessel as it fled Venezuela 12/12 15:45 - Kremlin outlines results of Putin-Erdogan talks