72 minutes ago Extraordinary size and staying power: the unlikely origin of a mighty Australian avocado

A chance planting 30 years ago produced an avocado three times the size of other varieties. From March, Jala trees will be sold nationallyMore summer essentialsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThirty years ago, Ken Spackman cut down an avocado tree planted by his father on the family’s Palmwoods property on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. He planted a seed from the tree in a different spot on the farm, with no expectation it would flourish.“That seed did it pretty tough – no water, no fertiliser,” recalls neighbour John Mongan. “But a tree grew from nothing, alone and out of the way, so it must have been lucky.” Continue reading...

Politics

9 hours ago Family 'lost everything' days after Christmas as two houses on same street go up in flames

Devastating double house fires on Friday morning meant a family in Garston lost 'everything' and were left 'traumatised' as two homes went up in flames over the Christmas period as

Society

7 hours ago Katie Price flaunts present haul from JJ Slater after spending Xmas apart

Katie Price has shared her Christmas gift from boyfriend JJ Slater after the pair spent the festive period apart amid fears they had split, which she has since addressed

Economics

1 hour ago Ianis Hagi tells suffering Rangers fans 'we owe you a win' as away day woes are damaging club's 'image and history'

Rangers have had a string of blows on the road and Hagi wants that to end this weekend

Sport

49 minutes ago Kentucky police fatally shoot man after allegedly serving warrant at wrong home

Doug Harless, 61, was fatally shot by police who showed up at his door to serve a search warrant

Events

19 hours ago Sir Lenny Henry addresses taking part in Strictly Come Dancing with telling 4

Comedian Sir Lenny Henry has spoken out on whether or not he'd do Strictly Come Dancing after showing off his dancing skills in New Year's Day thriller, Missing You

Culture

9 hours ago Covid symptoms to look out for after Christmas and do you still have to isolate if you test positive?

Here’s what you need to know about Covid over the festive period 🤧

Science

14 hours ago Fog delays Manchester Airport flight as 'sick' passenger stranded on plane after 'nightmare' holiday

David Galloway, 58, and his partner Bev, 54, from Rotherham experienced a nightmare start to their holiday when plans to go to their original destination were cancelled

Transport

5 hours ago Three Liverpool stars at risk of Premier League ban to pose Arne Slot problem

Liverpool have a number of players at risk of picking up a suspension against West Ham United which would see them miss the Reds' clash against Manchester United in January

Politics

15 hours ago Editor picks top deals in Antler's Winter Sale with up to 40% off on premium luggage

Antler's big Winter Sale is now live and you can save up to 40% off suitcases, luggage sets and travel bags in a variety of sizes and colours for all your holiday needs

Economics

4 hours ago 11 players could miss Manchester United vs Newcastle United Premier League clash

The latest Manchester United news as Newcastle United visit Old Trafford in the final game of 2024 with Ruben Amorim's side looking to bounce back from defeat on Boxing Day.

Sport

68 minutes ago Young girl stuck down 700ft well for five days with rescue mission underway

A rescue operation to save a three-year-old, stuck 150ft down the well, is now in its fifth day as teams struggle to reach the youngster.

Events

5 hours ago Calls are growing for an extra Bank Holiday in 2025 to mark a special occasion

A month ago the government told the MEN it would not happen

Politics

19 hours ago Scotland's commercial property investors eyeing a ‘year of opportunity’

“Following a challenging period, the market shows clear signs of recovery, with investment volumes rising, interest rates easing and confidence returning” – Simon Cusiter, Lismore

Economics

13 hours ago Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be shaking his head at the transfer Manchester United missed on Monday

Man United are desperately lacking goals in their side, but they have made poor decisions when it comes to signing forwards.

Sport

2 hours ago At least 1 person has died as several tornadoes touch down around Houston

At least one person has died after several tornadoes touched down in the Houston area, damaging homes and flipping vehicles

Events

5 hours ago Body found in water in search for 'keen swimmer' who vanished overnight on Shetland

Ian Napier, 58, vanished from the island at around 9pm on Friday, December 27.

Politics

3 hours ago Pictured: Hero parents who 'saved their daughter's life' before they were killed in Boxing Day 'hit

Anthony Hogg, 40, and Georgina Hogg-Moore, 39, died after the incident on Blanchardstown Road North in West Dublin while they walked with their daughter for an evening meal.

Events

5 hours ago WHO ‘appalled’ by Israel attack on northern Gaza’s last functioning major hospital

Kamal Adwan in Beit Lahia was partially destroyed and critical patients are at grave risk, the UN body saysThe World Health Organization says it is “appalled” by an Israeli raid which it said had shut down and partly destroyed the last major hospital still functioning in northern Gaza.Israel’s “systematic dismantling of the health system” combined with a siege of the population in the north of the coastal strip over the past 80 days “puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk”, the WHO said. Continue reading...

Politics

3 hours ago Missing Benidorm dad's 'distressing' last phone call as family say 'we know he's dead'

John Hardy, 37 travelled to Spain to see friends and was due back home to spend Christmas with his sons but never arrived - now his family has flown out in search of answers

Events

6 hours ago Mark Wahlberg's James Bond audition! Star, 53, channels Daniel Craig as he shows off his chiselled abs while on holiday with his bikini

Mark Wahlberg channelled James Bond star Daniel Craig as he showed off his ripped physique while hitting the beach in Barbados on Saturday. 

Politics

3 hours ago Outlander's Claire Fraser star Caitriona Balfe reveals she 'almost drowned' on set

Outlander’s lead actress Caitriona Balfe has admitted she ‘nearly drowned’ while filming her favourite reunion scene with co-star Sam Heughan.

Events

6 hours ago Travel expert shares how to get 64 days off work in 2025 with annual leave hack

A travel expert, who works a 9-5 job, has worked out a clever way to use his holiday allowance to get more days off work - and it's all thanks to the calendar in 2025

Politics

3 hours ago Love Island's Millie Court has 'never screamed so loud' after jellyfish attack on holiday

Love Island star Millie Court has shared a terrifying clip of herself being stung by a jellyfish as she swam in the sea while enjoying a break with her boyfriend Liam Reardon

Events

7 hours ago Laura Anderson looks loved up with new footballer boyfriend as pair mark first Christmas together

Love Island star Laura Anderson and her boyfriend, and Dundee footballer, Clark Robertson looked loved up as they enjoyed a romantic break away over the festive period

Politics

3 hours ago Man dies after shark bite while fishing with family off Queensland coast

The 40-year-old was bitten by the shark in waters off Keppel IslandsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has died after he was bitten by a shark while fishing with his family.Emergency services were called to Humpy Island in the Keppel Bay Islands national park, about 18km off the central Queensland coast, on Saturday following reports a man had been attacked. Continue reading...

Events

7 hours ago Netflix just added film it's 'impossible not to love' with near perfect Rotten Tomatoes score

The Oscar-nominated film has just been added to Netflix and fans say it is not one to miss.

Politics

3 hours ago Bukayo Saka breaks silence on Arsenal injury blow with message from hospital bed

Gunners winger is likely to miss more than two months after undergoing procedure on a torn hamstring

Events

7 hours ago Heavy snow forecast for parts of the UK as new snow maps reveal January weather patterns

Weather maps show the worst of the snowfall will occur north of the border as chilly flurries dump several cm worth of snow. The HRES model shows between 24cm to 80cm of snow falling in the Highlands and western Scotland on January 6.

Politics

4 hours ago Scots tourists visiting two holiday hotspots warned they face fine once landing

The new legislation could throw plans into chaos for those jetting off to Morocco, Albania, and Turkey.

Events

8 hours ago Watch: Mesmerising dolphin stampede off California coast on Christmas Eve

A dolphin stampede of around 5,000 marine mammals wowed visitors to Dana Point in Southern California on Christmas Eve.

Politics

4 hours ago Love Island star Millie Court attacked by jellyfish in terrifying holiday ordeal

Love Island star Millie Court has shared her terrifying ordeal when she was stung by a jellyfish while on holiday with her boyfriend Liam Reardon in Australia

Events

8 hours ago Flight attendant's haunting final act on plane 'shot down by Russia' on Christmas Day

Hokuma Aliyeva was working onboard doomed Azerbaijan Airlines flight that may have been shot down by a Russian missile.

Politics

5 hours ago Love Island's Millie Court attacked by jellyfish after ignoring warning signs

Millie Court had a holiday nightmare after she was stung by a jellyfish while in Australia with her boyfriend Liam Reardon as she admitted it is 'my own fault'

Events

8 hours ago Snails on ‘edge of extinction’ released into wild after UK breeding success

More than 1,300 pea-sized Desertas Island land snails have been released after a successful breeding programme by Chester Zoo.

Politics

5 hours ago Arsenal injury update: Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and Ben White latest news and return dates

Gunners enter 2025 missing another key player for a period of months

Events

8 hours ago North Koreans being used as 'human wave' by Russia and 'their own side finishes wounded off'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed some troubling information in his nightly address to the nation, which claimed a wave of North Korean soldiers are being supposedly sacrificed

Politics

5 hours ago I broke down in tears when I spotted my dad in his favourite spot on Google Street View 11 years after he died

Katie Scott, 49, found a picture of her late father Arthur, who passed away in 2013, on the search engine's 360 historic street imagery this month.

Events

9 hours ago ‘They’re stuck’: Cape Cod seeing more whale, turtle and dolphin strandings

Changing tides have led to an increase of beached marine life, whom rescuers scramble to save before they dieWhile Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is known as a popular vacation destination in the north-east US, it has built a reputation for an entirely different reason this year: animal strandings.Dolphins, whales, sea lions and turtles are turning up in large numbers on the beaches of the famous peninsula in a phenomenon that has experts scrambling to execute more rescue operations than ever before. The cause? Changing tides. Continue reading...

Politics

6 hours ago Bodies of missing pilot and passenger found in Amazon after horror plane crash

Authorities had been searching for Rodrigo Boer Machado, 29, for five days after he took off on a routine flight in Cessna aircraft, registration PT-JCZ,on Friday December 20

Events

9 hours ago Prince Harry 'no closer to mending royal rift' – but Kate Middleton 'could change everything'

While Prince William and his family have happily greeted crowds of well wishers over the Christmas period, there is no sign that fences are being mended between him and his brother Harry

Politics

7 hours ago Azerbaijan Airlines Christmas Day plane crash survivor 'felt explosion close to leg'

A survivor of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, hit by a Russian missile, recalls an explosion near her leg as the plane struggled to land in Grozny before crash landing in Kazakhstan

Events

9 hours ago Chess icon Magnus Carlsen quits world championships after row over jeans

Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen said he was heading somewhere warmer than New York for a holiday after quitting tournament owing to a "matter of principle"

Politics

7 hours ago 'Berserk passenger' forces Dubai to Moscow flight to land at airport missile

The man had reportedly consumed alcohol he had purchased onboard the Russian Boeing 777 and then went "wild," which led to the emergency landing in Baku, Azerbaijan

Events

10 hours ago Putin apologises to Azerbaijani president for downed jet as he makes air defence admission

Vladimir Putin sent a public apology to the country of Azerbajan and the family of the victims who passed away during an aeroplane crash over the Christmas period

Politics

8 hours ago North Korea 'executing wounded soldiers to stop them becoming Ukrainian PoWs'

North Korea is 'executing' its own soldiers to stop wounded servicemen from being captured by Ukrainian forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed while confirming a missile strike on Russia

Events

11 hours ago Flight attendant's haunting four words after jet 'shot down by Russia' on Christmas Day

Hokuma Aliyeva, 33, was a flight attendant on board the Azerbaijan Airlines flight who died when it crashed in Kazakhstan after appearing to have been hit by a Russian missile

Politics

9 hours ago Sweden embarks on a sober search for more cemetery space in case of war

Burial associations in Sweden are looking to acquire enough land for something they hope they’ll never have to do

Events

12 hours ago Latest Rangers capitulation boiled down to 2 things and it's a disease that has riddled them for years now

Our man Scott McDermott doesn't miss the Ibrox side and the affliction that has been passed down through recent squads

Politics

9 hours ago Call The Midwife creator admits she's unsure how long BBC drama can continue

Call The Midwife creator and writer Heidi Thomas has opened up on the future of the BBC period drama, admitting she doesn't know how long the show will go on for

Events