The legendary Serb intends to battle Father Time with an unlikely doubles partner and an even unlikelier coachNovak Djokovic did not waste any time in producing a moment of magic. Flitting left of the tramlines in the first set of his 21st season as a professional, he bent a backhand slice between net post and umpire’s chair for a spectacular, untouchable winner. It was the type of athleticism, resourcefulness and shotmaking that has made him the most successful player of all time.As a full, ebullient crowd under lights at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane responded, Djokovic’s celebration was even more unusual than the shot; he sprinted across the court to embrace none other than Nick Kyrgios. For a long time, Djokovic and Kyrgios were only mentioned together when the Australian had fired another public, unprovoked insult towards him, yet here they stood as doubles partners on the same side of the net. Continue reading...

Politics

Food content creator Alfie Stein has served up the perfect winter warmer soup that he dubs 'comfort food in a bowl'

Society

The Tangerines go into the New Year's Day clash at Dens Park on Thursday

Economics

Ferrell attended the latest NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings in his iconic ‘Elf’ costume

Sport

If Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton go down this season, that will be 10 of the last 15 promoted sides who have gone straight back downSign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereAnd so the year ends, as always seemed likely, with the bottom three places in the Premier League occupied by the three promoted sides. With Wolves and Crystal Palace resurgent and Everton under new ownership and having found the solidity that is always the key strength of Sean Dyche teams, the situation is bleak for the three currently in the relegation zone. Each will have their own reflections on the first half of the season but, more generally, the picture is worrying: the three promoted sides were relegated last season and the gulf between Premier League and Championship is coming to feel almost impossibly wide.The bottom side Southampton are 10 points from safety. Realistically they probably need to average a point and a half a game from here to stay up – which is to say that they are as good as down...

Events

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson lead Halina Reijn’s newest erotic thriller about a CEO who dates her intern

Culture

Ipswich Town are set to face Chelsea at Portman Road in the Premier League - but fans will not be able to watch the game on TV in the UK tonight

Politics

Game-changing hacks to help boost your cashflow from January.

Economics

The actor originally played the Christmas-loving character in the 2003 festive movie Elf

Sport

Oliver Bearman raced three times in F1 in 2024, twice for Haas and once for Ferrari, and the British teenager will race for the former full-time in 2025 to cement his place on the grid

Events

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left gobsmacked after they found out how much a an old biscuit barrell was worth.

Culture

Third and final season of the hit Netflix thriller is expected to premiere sometime in 2025

Politics

The fund she set up before her death donated £1 million to the charity of the hospital which treated her before she died in 2022.

Economics

The Geordie laughed off the stick from the raucaus Ally Pally crowd

Sport

LeBron James’ birthday on Monday will make him the first NBA player play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. Knowing when to walk away may be the hardest part of his journey It’s Christmas Day and a scrum of journalists surround a smiling, exhausted LeBron James in the visiting locker room at Chase Center in San Francisco, minutes after the latest installment in a decades-spanning catalog of thrilling battles with his friend and foe, Stephen Curry. James is asked, in light of all the recent hand-wringing about the state of the NBA as an entertainment product, what he thinks the “good stuff” is in the league on a given night. “LeBron and Steph”, he shoots back, grinning. And he’s not wrong. But it’s just a few days out from 30 December, which marks his 40th birthday, and the quadragenarian elephant in the room casts a somewhat melancholy shadow over the joy of the high-level basketball being played. No one, maybe not even James, knows exactly how much time is left in his illustrious NBA ...

Events

Yolanthe Fawehinmi chats to TV presenter Graham Norton about the longevity of his career and what makes Wheel of Fortune stand out as a game show.

Culture

I tried out Target's new Omni autoscorer and was very impressed

Politics

Hollywood actor Ferrell, 57, paid tribute to the iconic 2003 Christmas film Elf as he watched the match in a costume green similar to that of his character Buddy.

Sport

Art Attack star Neil Buchanan, who fronted the popular children's TV show from 1990 until 2007, looks unrecognisable in new photos after taking a step back from the small screen

Events

A love letter to the crime novel, a dystopian UK and a taut political thriller... Our writers pick this year's most spellbinding reads.

Culture

Stephen Welsh is heading to Belgium for game-time as Dane Murray comes into the reckoning

Politics

Squid Game fans have rushed to the defence of actor and ex-rapper Choi Seung Hyun, known as T.O.P, after he was urged to apologise for his portrayal of Thanos in the show's second season

Sport

Neil Buchanan shot to fame on popular children's CITV programme Art Attack, which he starred on for over 15 years. But what is the artist up to now? Let's take a look...

Events

The new US president will almost certainly bring unpredictability but several themes will dominate the year ahead. Observer writers offer their guide on what lies ahead in politics, film, fashion, sport and moreThe only thing that can be predicted with absolute certainty about Donald Trump’s second term as US president is that it will be unpredictable. Trump does not really know what he wants to do on a range of issues. He talks a good game, which is how he got re-elected. But he often seems to decide policy on the basis of what the last person he spoke to told him. Is he serious about mobilising the military to carry out mass deportations of “illegal” migrants? Will he use the justice department to hunt down political enemies and media critics? Will he impose sweeping tariffs on foreign imports and trigger a global trade war? Or will he act with greater circumspection, using these threats as bargaining tools? Who knows? He doesn’t yet. Continue reading...

Culture

PS Plus has set itself up massively with its impressive Essential game drops, and hopes are high that January 2025 will be able to deliver another great month of free games.

Politics

With the much-awaited second season of Squid Game finally released on Boxing Day, some fans were left disappointed after their three year wait for the next instalment

Sport

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre sampled song by London learning disabilities charity on new album 'Missionary'  NME

Events

Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman and Mercedes starlet Kimi Antonelli are two of several inexperienced young racers who will feature on the Formula 1 grid in 2025

Politics

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is getting a Squid Game crossover next month but fans are disappointed it'll introduce yet another microtransaction category to a game already packed with them

Sport

City ended their five-game winless run with a 2-0 success at Leicester.

Events

The Buddies boss issued the plea after another they chalked up another loss in a hard-fought game with Dundee.

Politics

Squid Game star Choi Seung Hyun, also known as T.O.P, has been criticised for his performance as Thanos in the Netflix show's second season, but fans have rushed to his defence

Sport

Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney has found himself under pressure with his team sliding down the Championship table, but wife Coleen opted against attending a must-win game

Events

Looking for some winter sun in January? Travel expert Emma listed her top three destinations in Europe which are a must-visit in the New Year – and some are super cheap

Politics

Netflix’s wildly popular South Korean drama has finally returned for season two but one of Squid Game’s biggest new stars has caught a lot of unwanted attention

Sport

The ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ singer took the stage during the Christmas game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans

Events

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy is set to make his debut appearance on a brand new TV show alongside his famous mum, Loose Women star Denise Welch, and fans are thrilled

Politics

Following Manchester City's 2-0 win over Leicester City, striker Erling Haaland told broadcasters Sky Sports 's*** happens' after the Premier League champions got back to winning ways

Sport

The actor excels as an FBI agent hunting far-right terrorists in this solemn thriller based on real events in 1980s AmericaIn his film-making career, Australian director Justin Kurzel has dealt with murder sprees (Snowtown), massacres (Nitram), outlaws (True History of the Kelly Gang) and, in his latest picture, The Order, far-right domestic terror organisations in the US. But Kurzel is not drawn to crime for crime’s sake. Rather, he is fascinated by the context of it all – by the reverberations set in motion by an act of violence; by the links between atrocities past and those of the present. He pointedly draws parallels between the events explored in The Order, which unfolds in the Pacific Northwest of the early 1980s, and more recent actions such as the 6 January Capitol attack.This sober, factually based FBI procedural stars an excellent Jude Law, sporting standard issue US law enforcement paunch and moustache combo. The action starts with a spate of bank robberies. Careworn FBI...

Events

‘I thought it was a fantasy,’ said one of the charity’s artists

Politics

Manchester City celebrated victory in Pep Guardiola's 500th game in charge of the club with goals from Savinho and Erling Haaland

Sport

Pakistan 211 and 237; South Africa 301 and 150-8Mohammad Abbas takes 6-54 but denied famous winFast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen turned batting heroes as South Africa edged out Pakistan by two wickets to win a thrilling first Test at Centurion and book themselves a place in next year’s World Test Championship final.Rabada scored 31 and Jansen 16 in an unbeaten partnership of 51 off 50 balls to see South Africa over the line and deny Pakistan a dramatic comeback victory after Mohammed Abbas took six wickets as he shredded through the home batting order. Continue reading...

Events

Enzo Maresca could rotate for third Blues game in nine days

Politics

World No 7 will train with former rival at Australian OpenVeteran still critical of Sinner and Swiatek doping casesNovak Djokovic admits it has been “strange” to have Andy Murray working as his coach but believes he will benefit from one of his greatest rivals taking a “fresh look” at his game.The 24-time grand-slam winner also spoke of his frustration at being “kept in the dark” over Jannik Sinner’s doping case, accusing the game’s authorities of double standards and a lack of transparency. Continue reading...

Sport

The 17-year-old booked his place in the fourth round at Alexandra Palace with victory (4-1) over Ian White on Saturday night

Events

Haaland was on the scoresheet along with Savinho as City gave boss Pep Guardiola success in his 500th game in charge.

Politics

Dominant Reds hoping to further extend their commanding title lead heading into 2025

Sport

The 17-year-old booked his place in the fourth round at Alexandra Palace with victory (4-1) over Ian White on Saturday night

Events

Travel expert Emma has listed her top three destinations in Europe to head to for some winter sun in the New Year – and some of these offer cheap thrills with beautiful scenery

Politics

Both struggling sides will be desperate to end 2024 on a positive note at the King Power Stadium

Sport

Man United will be hoping to put the brakes on a three-game winless run when they welcome Newcastle United to Old Trafford on Monday evening

Events

A moment of silence was held for former President Jimmy Carter before the Atlanta Falcons' game at the Washington Commanders

Politics

Our man hits out at the Ibrox club's reaction to the Cup final VAR controversy

Events

President Joe Biden is now the country's oldest living president with Sunday's death of 100-year-old President Jimmy Carter.

Politics

Arsenal are six poiints behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with an extra game played meaning Mikel Arteta's team could get active in the January transfer window

Events

Two-time champion beats world No 1 and holder 4-1Wright joins Gerwyn Price in quarter-finalsLuke Humphries left this arena stunned and staggered, left it the victim of one of the greatest ambushes ever plotted on this stage, left it a former world champion. For an ailing and ageing Peter Wright, the only conceivable reality in which he could win this match existed in his own mind, and over 40 scintillating minutes he set about carving this vision into magnificent flesh.In a way, it was a vision dreamed up days in advance, when Humphries was still the king of the Palace and Wright was simply the washed up world No 17, and the possibility of this game barely registered. But Wright knew what he was doing when he aimed a little barb at Humphries, predicting he would lose early in the tournament. “I’m one world title away from almost matching his career and I’m 25 years younger,” Humphries bit back in jest. But on some remote level, a seed had been planted. Continue reading...

Politics

Celtic lost just two games from FIFTY in 2024, a stat that has the boss gushing with pride

Politics

Thelin's team lost 1-0 to a late Kevin Holt header at Tannadice

Politics

With 54 minutes gone at the London Stadium Trent Alexander-Arnold took a pass from Ryan Gravenberch with time to wait and look up, the lack of pressure from the West Ham players almost a public snub, before spanking a deflected shot past Alphonse Areola to make it 4-0 to Liverpool and kill off once again a game that was already long since dead.In the process Alexander-Arnold did at least provide a moment of cartoon drama, performing a slightly embarrassed silencing-the-chatter celebration, one hand raised to his ear. Perhaps this was a reference to stories overnight about a move to Real Madrid, something parts of the Spanish media have suggested is all but formalised. Continue reading...

Politics