News Daily: US train crash and UK aircraft carrier leak
Hello. Here's your morning briefing:
US train derailment: Deaths reported
At least three people are known to have died after a train derailed onto a motorway in the US, with officials not ruling out a rise in the death toll. Train 501 from Seattle to Portland came off a section of track near Tacoma, Washington state, onto the I-5 highway. Some 72 people taken to hospital, 10 with serious injuries. Aerial video footage shows the scale of the crash.
It was the first Amtrak passenger service to run on a new, shorter route between the two cities. The Associated Press reports that a website showing speeds suggests the 14-car train may have been travelling at 81mph (130km/h) before the derailment. The curved section where it came off has a 30mph (48km/h) speed limit, it's also reported.
Passenger Chris Karnes describes what it felt like on board when the crash happened.
Leak found on new aircraft carrier
It cost £3.1bn and was commissioned by the Queen earlier this month, but the HMS Queen Elizabeth has a leak. The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier has a faulty seal on one of its propeller shafts, but the Royal Navy says repairs are scheduled and the ship will sail again in the new year, as planned. According to the Sun newspaper, it's been taking on 200 litres of sea water every hour.
US blames North Korea for WannaCry attack
The WannaCry malware attack earlier this year hit more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries, affecting hospitals, businesses and banks. Now an aide to US President Donald Trump has blamed North Korea for what happened. Thomas Bossert wrote in the Wall Street Journal that the claim was "based on evidence". In November, the UK said it was "all but certain" North Korea had carried out the attack, which badly hit the NHS. Here's a guide to malware, patches and worms.
The countries still talking to North Korea
By Alex Oliver & Euan Graham, Lowy Institute
Wherever they are posted, Pyongyang's diplomats are expected to foster pro-regime support and rebut "hostile" sentiments. This can sometimes be taken to unexpected lengths - for example, berating bemused barbers in London for criticising Kim Jong-un's haircut.
What the papers say
The Guardian leads on the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, saying a bespoke deal for the City of London is not an option, adding that it is "unavoidable" the UK's banks will lose the right to trade freely with the EU if it leaves the single market. The Sun's main story is the leak on board the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier - its headline is "Up Ship Creek". Meanwhile, the Daily Express informs its readers that socialising can "beat diabetes".
'Race bias' Government to unveil changes to justice system in England and Wales
Collapsed rape trial Wrongly accused man to sue Metropolitan Police
Leaks, damp, holes, cracks The new homes "uninhabitable" after less than a year
Marmalade and peas How do we remember loved ones at Christmas?
If you see one thing today
If you listen to one thing today
If you read one thing today
Today It's the final day of campaigning ahead of elections to the parliament of the Spanish region of Catalonia, which the Madrid government dissolved in October amid a dispute over independence claims.
10:15 The Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee holds its first hearing on "fake news".
On this day
1984 UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher signs an agreement to return the colony of Hong Kong to China in 1997.