just now (444+ words) Mourners gathered at a West Virginia high school this weekend remembered a National Guard member fatally shot last week as a caring and positive person who wanted to help others. U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died after a Wednesday shooting in Washington, D.C., while her seriously injured colleague, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, remained in critical condition. In recent days, local vigils in West Virginia have honored the soldiers, including one Saturday evening at Webster County High School, where Beckstrom attended classes. "Sarah was the kind of student that teachers hoped for, she carried herself with quiet strength, a contagious smile and a positive energy that lifted people around her," said Jarrod Hankins, the school's principal. "She was sweet, caring and always willing to help others." Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24 were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard as part of President…...

2+ min ago (143+ words) Lucy Leeson | Sunday 30 November 2025 20:23 GMT Actor Sam Hoare has backed The Independent's SafeCall campaign with rallying call for help. The star urged the public to donate to the appeal as momentum builds behind efforts to set up the free, round-the-clock service. Alongside the charity Missing People, this publication is aiming to raise "165,000 to fund a service designed by young people, for young people, to help reach the 70,000 children who disappear every year in the UK. Hoare said: "Please give what you can, you will be creating a lasting legacy and changing the lives of desperately vulnerable children and young people." Please donate now to The Independent and Missing People's SafeCall campaign, which aims to raise "165,000 to create a free, nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support....

14+ min ago (507+ words) If the haircare brand is good enough for Kim Kardashian, it's good enough for me Celebrity stylist Chris Appleton " yes, Kim Kardashian's go-to hair stylist " swears by it for his clients. In fact, he's been known to rely on the dream coat formula to achieve her signature glass-like shine. With Appleton as Color Wow's creative director, it's safe to say the brand knows a thing or two about transformative haircare. And while dream coat may be the brand's USP, Color Wow's full range is not to be overlooked, with a lineup of hair-loving products that deserve their moment in the spotlight. Luckily, plenty of them are included in the Cyber Monday sale, and as The Independent's beauty writer, I've rounded up the very best deals worth snapping up. Ellis Cochrane called Color Wow's money mist "truly surprising in its versatility,…...

16+ min ago (1151+ words) Japan's beloved Princess Aiko is often cheered like a pop star. During a visit to Nagasaki with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, the sound of her name being screamed by well-wishers along the roads overwhelmed the cheers for her parents. As she turns 24 on Monday, her supporters want to change Japan's male-only succession law, which prohibits Aiko, the emperor's only child, from becoming monarch. Along with frustration that the discussion on succession rules has stalled, there's a sense of urgency. Japan's shrinking monarchy is on the brink of extinction. Naruhito's teenage nephew is the only eligible heir from the younger generation. Experts say the female ban should be lifted before the royal family dies out, but conservative lawmakers, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, oppose the change. Aiko's popularity boosts demand for a fe male monarch Aiko has gained admirers since…...

19+ min ago (592+ words) President Donald Trump has insulted another female reporter after he was asked about releasing the results of an MRI test that he announced he had taken earlier this month. The president took questions from reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday night, as he returned to Washington D.C. from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida where he had celebrated Thanksgiving. The president claimed, as he has done multiple times, that he had "aced" a cognitive test but told the reporter that she would be "incapable" of doing the same. It came after a male reporter put to Trump that "Governor Walz called for the release of your MRI results." "They were perfect like my phone call where I got impeached. Absolutely perfect," the president replied. "If you want to have it released, I'll release it." The female reporter, who was not identified, then…...

22+ min ago (24+ words) From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today's top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors....

30+ min ago (476+ words) Walz has a son with multiple disabilities and Trump's words came on the anniversary of the law that requires students with disabilities to receive a free appropriate public education Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded to President Donald Trump calling the former vice presidential candidate a slur typically used for people with disabilities in a shocking rant on Thanksgiving. Walz appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday to speak about Trump's comments, describing them as an example of the commander-in-chief's "cruelness." "But I think we all know, both as an educator for a couple of decades and as a parent, using that term is just so damaging," Walz told Kristen Welker. Before entering politics, Walz worked as a teacher and spoke to The Independent in May about the ways he accommodated students with disabilities in his classroom. Walz's son Gus also…...

42+ min ago (545+ words) Lando Norris said he just wanted to go to bed after Max Verstappen cashed in on a calamitous McLaren strategy decision to win the Qatar Grand Prix and take his British rival to a mouth-watering season finale. Norris was bidding to be crowned world champion in Doha, but he finished only fourth and will head to the 24th and concluding round in Abu Dhabi guarding only a 12-point lead over Verstappen, with team-mate Oscar Piastri, runner-up to the Red Bull driver here, 16 points back. McLaren were in control of the 57-lap contest, despite Norris dropping behind Verstappen from second to third at the start. Piastri led, but both he and Norris were told not to pit when a safety car was deployed on the seventh lap after Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly collided. Of the other 18 drivers, only Haas" Esteban Ocon…...

42+ min ago (480+ words) Chelsea earned a battling 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge despite playing for almost an hour with 10 men. Moises Caicedo was sent off after 36 minutes for a terrible studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino, and at that point Chelsea might have folded, just as previously this season when going a player down before half-time. This time they stood up manfully, matching Arsenal's intensity, and took the lead shortly after half'time through Trevoh Chalobah's header. Merino levelled for the Gunners before the hour, but Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca could take away plenty of encouragement from the resilience shown by his team. The first half was a study in hard-tackling and nervous drama. Marc Cucurella took out Bukayo Saka, Caicedo flattened then squared up to Merino " a prescient foreshadowing of the game's decisive moment of redirection " then Martin Zubimendi was…...

48+ min ago (551+ words) Piastri was fuming after a McLaren strategy error cost him the race win in Qatar on Sunday night Oscar Piastri missed the opportunity to close the gap even further to teammate Lando Norris in the race for the F1 world championship after a McLaren strategy blunder in Qatar. Pole-sitter Piastri looked comfortable in the lead in Lusail before an early crash triggered a safety car, with all but three cars diving into the pits on lap seven. Surprisingly, McLaren left out both Piastri and second-placed Norris. Losing the chance to make a "free" pit-stop, Piastri was then playing catch-up and although he closed in on eventual race winner Max Verstappen at the end, he could not catch the Red Bull driver and had to settle for second. On team radio immediately afterwards, the Australian said he was "speechless." While Piastri did…...