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Dominic Raab today admitted there is a 'risk' of a third wave of coronavirus infections in the New Year if ministers 'don't get the balance right' on tiered restrictions. The Foreign Secretary said the Government is 'doing everything we can to avoid' a third national shutdown but failed to rule it out as he defended the decision to plunge the majority of the nation into the top two tiers of curbs from December 2. Mr Raab said the aim of the tiers is to enable England to 'come out of national lockdown and stay out of it' as he stressed areas will be able to move down to a lower tier if the virus is in retreat. He said the tiered system, the roll out of vaccines and greater mass-testing in the coming months would provide a 'crucial bridge to that light at the end of the tunnel in the Spring'. The intervention came after Boris Johnson attempted to head off a Tory rebellion over the tier system. Parliament will vote on Tuesday on whether the new curbs should be rolled out from December 2 and the PM last night said there would be a further vote early next year on keeping the measures in place.

A salon owner who racked up £27,000 in coronavirus fines after vowing to fight lockdown has had her salon shut down. Sinead Quinn (pictured) attempted to keep her salon open in the face of national lockdown rules by quoting the Magna Carta - an 800-year-old settlement aimed to make peace between the unpopular king and a group of rebel barons. Ms Quinn, who owns Quinn Blakey Hairdressers (pictured bottom right) in Oakenshaw, near Bradford, West Yorkshire, initially faced a fine of £4,000 for repeated breaches last weekend. But council officers visited the 29-year-old's shop last Monday and the following day and issued two further £10,000 fines after they found it was still open and trading. The salon had previously been slapped with a fines of £1,000 and £2,000 for defying government orders to close from November 5 in the face of rising Covid-19 cases. But she has now been forced to close her salon and has been summoned to court after a crackdown by council officials.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh - dubbed the 'father' of Iran's bomb programme - was shot dead in his car by 12 highly-trained assassins following an explosion in the city of Absard, 50 miles east of Tehran (the aftermath, top right). The killers - which included a pair of snipers - formed part of a 62-person strong group of plotters. The remaining 50 people were responsible for logistical support. Extraordinary detail about Fakhrizadeh's final moments have been revealed by Iranian journalist Mohamad Ahwaze who claims he received leaked information from the country's authorities. Fakhrizadeh's death sent tensions in the regions skyrocketing as Iran has repeatedly blamed Israel's national intelligence agency Mossad for the the assassination - with several prominent figures vowing revenge. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - who has the final say on all matters of state - yesterday said Iran's first priority after the killing was the 'definitive punishment of the perpetrators and those who ordered it.' And, in an intervention that risks inflaming conflict even further, a former head of the US's Central Intelligence Agency labelled the assassination a 'criminal' act and branded it 'highly reckless'. Left: Fakhrizadeh. Bottom right: How the hit played out.

Diego Maradona's doctor has reportedly been charged with medical negligence and police are treating his death as possible manslaughter. Police raided the home of Leopoldo Luque (pictured together, top) on Sunday as investigators seek to establish whether the footballer (top right) suffered a wrongful death. The dramatic twist in the probe into Maradona's death followed overnight reports he had rowed with his personal physician (bottom) in the days before he suffered heart failure last Wednesday. The searches were ordered after Maradona's daughters Dalma and Giannina gave statements yesterday and questioned whether the medication their father was receiving was appropriate. 

The family of a missing 12-year-old girl with a medical condition who has vanished for four days are urgently asking the public to help them find her. Queensland Police are urgently seeking the blonde-haired girl with brown eyes who was last seen at 'an address' on Toogood Road in Bayview Heights, Cairns, on Thursday.  Her family and police are desperately worried for her welfare as she is so young and has a medical condition. 

Since season 4 of The Crown was released two weeks ago, cast and crew alike have delighted fans with backstage photos and videos. And Emma Corrin - who portrays Princess Diana in the Netflix original - has provided more insight into what goes on behind-the-scenes. The rising star, 24, is seen in jovial clips as she larks around with co-star and on-screen husband Josh O'Connor, has a wedding dress fitting and knits in a quiet moment between takes.

A video of the lecture made by an Eton College (pictured inset) teacher at the centre of a freedom of speech row has been posted on Youtube. Sacked English teacher Will Knowland (pictured left) hit out at radical feminism and the idea of 'toxic masculinity', which he said had been used to attack men and male qualities. In the lecture, named 'The Patriarchy Paradox', he claimed the male role as a 'protector' benefits society as a whole - including women. And he warned that 'shaping men and women to be more similar actually exaggerates their differences' - which he described as the Patriarchy Paradox. He says that a world without men would be 'awful' for women and complains that chivalry and honour - which he labelled as good male qualities - are being driven down by terms such as 'toxic masculinity'. The virtual lecture, which was never actually shown to students at the £42,500-a-year- school in Berkshire, resulted in Mr Knowland, who is married to a former X-Factor contestant (pictured right), being sacked from his job.

The shiny, triangular pillar, which protruded approximately 12 feet from the red rocks of southern Utah, was spotted last Wednesday by baffled local officials counting bighorn sheep from the air. However the three-sided structure was removed by 'an unknown party' on Friday evening, the Bureau of Land Management Utah said in a statement.

A series of 12 black-and-white photographs on a contact sheet depicting the late Sir Sean Connery and Ursula Andress in iconic 1962 film Dr No are heading for auction in Hertfordshire this week. The film marked the first time Connery - who died aged 90 earlier this month - stepped into the shoes and suave tuxedo of the beloved British spy, who he portrayed between 1962 and 1971. The images depict a dressing gown-wearing Bond (played by Connery) and Honey Ryder (Andress) falling unconscious after drinking poisoned coffee in a hotel room. There are also moments captured away from the rolling cameras, including Andress laughing with crew as alterations are made to her costume. Hertfordshire-based Prop Store is set to sell the item at its Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction this week.

A tricky new brainteaser (pictured), created by Formulate Health, challenges puzzlers to find the man with no moustache. But with an impressive 10 second record to beat, how will you fare? It's the latest in a long line of brainteasers sweeping the web that have left the nation stumped.

NEW The 27-year old  Instagrammer was arrested on November 23 in Marbella, Spain. The man was caught after he posted videos of himself driving recklessly and at one ocassion pushing a car into the Guadaiza River, posing a serious environmental risk. The Spanish police also found he owned two cars with the same license plates.

So Mei-yan says the robbers broke into her home last Tuesday at around 11am. Police say ten handbags, seven watches, a laptop, and two phones were stolen. The influencer said she was asleep in her room when she heard noise. 'When I went out of my bedroom three men were already inside my flat,' she said. Describing the incident, So, who has more than 80,000 followers on Instagram, said she was tied up with adhesive tape, along with her baby and her nanny. The men, aged between 40 and 50, then left with their haul in a suitcase. So then managed to free herself from her ties before calling police.

The Anshin Oyado hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan has renovated an entire floor in its hotel to allow guests to work from the confines of its building amid the coronavirus pandemic. The capsule living quarters, which are modelled after first class cabins (left and top right) of passenger airplanes, are now equipped with computer devices and high speed internet and web conferencing services. They also offer guests an LCD TV, headphones, a desk and plugs. The Japanese hotel (staff at the hotel bottom right) has also implemented antibacterial coating to reduce the spread of infection in the building.

Barbour has released its 2020 Christmas campaign which, for the second year, is inspired by the popular children's books written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs and the iconic 1991 animated special Father Christmas. The film follows a young boy whose dog has chewed his father's beloved Barbour wax jacket. The boy writes to Father Christmas to say that he doesn't want a present this year, he just needs his help to repair his father's jacket in time for Christmas. Shoppers have praised the advert for its focus on sustainability.

A night at one of London's most luxurious hotels that's built on the site of the famous Bow Street court is among the many lavish lots up for sale in a charity auction that ends tonight.   The winner of one lot will be among the first guests to spend the night at new NoMad Hotel, in a Superior King Guestroom. The package includes breakfast for two, as well as a private tour of the Bow Street Police Museum located underneath the hotel. Hotel room pictured top left. Also up for sale is a pair of Air Jordans (top centre), a Huda beauty haul (top right) and feast by Adam Handling (bototm left). People can also bid on a luxury Tifanny bag (bottom centre) and a cooking lesson from Darjeeling Express (bottom right).

NEW An amateur photogrpaher captured the incredible moment a sparrowhawk attacked a murmuration of starlings at a nature reserve in Northampton, Northants.David Smith, 64, was lucky enough to capture the perfect shot during a recent trip to a wildlife reserve above Storton's Pits, Northants.He snapped the beautiful image on November 26 at around 4:15pm after waiting for an hour for the show to start.

Superminis are designed to be affordable runarounds aimed predominantly at new drivers or families looking for a second car. However, buy the wrong one and you could be tackling recurring faults, finding yourself without wheels for days while your car is being repaired and facing huge garage bills. We've teamed up with used car warranty provider Warrantywise to reveal the best and worst rated smaller models for second-hand buyers...

Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr battled out an entertaining draw in their comeback fight in Los Angeles. The former undisputed heavyweight champion 'Iron Mike' said he would 'absolutely fight again'. The former superstars both showed flashes of their old brilliance in a competitive exhibition fight with the remote judges failing to split them after the full eight rounds. Tyson insisted he would be open to fighting again at the age of 54 but Jones Jr appeared more reluctant when asked if he would step back in the ring.

Poppy Stainsby, 24, from Norfolk, made it her mission to beat the bulge during lockdown - and managed to shed an impressive five-and-a-half stone.The super slimmer, whp weighed 18st at her heaviest and struggled to squeeze into a size 20, has also kicked her £11-a-year takeaway habit. Now, Poppy is a slender size 10 and weight 12st 4lbs. Pictured, left and centre, before her weight loss, and right, after.

Two cars were seen driving down main street in Hermosa Beach on Saturday. The pair were suddenly joined by a third vehicle which attempted to chase the pair but it ended up overturning after clipping a row of parked cars. Both cars were initially taking up two lanes on the one-way road when the third vehicle pulled up behind and began to chase one of the MAGA cars. The crash was all caught on camera by shocked onlookers.

A sweet grandmother, from Florida, left Twitter users in hysterics after revealing she let her young granddaughter decorate her Christmas tree with red baubles. The sweet snap, pictured, shows that the unnamed child could only reach the bottom branches of the tree.