36 minutes ago Woman who could 'hardly walk' now pain free after dropping four dress sizes in six months

Hazel Milligan has gone from a size 18 to a comfortable size 10, telling how she is no longer needing to take medication to help with ankle pain.

Politics

6 hours ago 'I cried for hours over Man Utd and Real Madrid deal collapsing – it cost me big'

A Real Madrid legend has revealed how he was on the verge of joining Manchester United but was later left in tears when his move to the Premier League powerhouse collapsed

Economics

5 hours ago How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona: TV channel and live stream for Spanish Super Cup final today

Eternal rivals meet again with silverware on the line

Sport

61 minutes ago Real Madrid vs Barcelona XIs: Confirmed team news, predicted lineups and injuries for Spanish Super Cup final

Clasico rivals meet in Jeddah in pursuit of domestic silverware

Events

8 hours ago Dancing On Ice 2025 contestants: From soap stars to former footballers

A look at the contestants who will be taking to the ice rink for the ITV skating show when it returns to screens on Sunday.

Culture

49 minutes ago The Princess of 72nd Street by Elaine Kraf review – charming portrait of an artist in her own world

Kraf’s charming and challenging fourth and final novel, now published in the UK, is narrated by a New Yorker who experiences psychotic episodes“I am glad I have the radiance. This time I am wiser,” begins Elaine Kraf’s 1979 novel – now published for the first time in the UK – in irresistibly intriguing style. The narrator is Ellen, an artist living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where she regularly experiences periods of what she calls radiance, or what the rest of us would call psychosis, mental illness, or detachment from reality.And what “the rest of us” think is part of the problem for Ellen, because the radiances make her happy and she is no threat to anybody. “Fools! No one likes anyone for what they really are.” So she becomes Esmeralda, self-styled princess of 72nd Street. “I am not one of those rulers who is never seen on the streets mingling with the common people.” Continue reading...

Politics

21 hours ago Ruben Amorim can finally unleash £52m Manchester United signing Real Madrid envy

Leny Yoro has had to be patient for his chance at United but is beginning to show his worth

Economics

15 hours ago James Rodríguez is a player out of time who brings his best to international stage | Jonathan Wilson

The 2024 Golden Boot winner flopped at Everton and faded away at Real Madrid but is still a maestro for ColombiaOn Monday, Rayo Vallecano released James Rodríguez on a free transfer. It hadn’t been much of a stay. In four and a half months at the club, he managed 136 minutes of league football. Only once did he start in La Liga. Rodríguez is 33 now. Since he left Everton in 2021, he has started just 37 league games and scored only 10 goals. This is the sixth season in a row in which he has been released on a free transfer as he has drifted from Real Madrid to the team currently 12th in the table, via Qatar, Greece and Brazil. The sense is of a waning career nearing its end.And yet in those three and a half years since his last game for Everton, Rodríguez has played 32 times for Colombia. While at Rayo, he has played 374 international minutes. True, he doesn’t often last a full game, but there are few other indications of decline. As Colombia reached the final of last year’s Copa Amé...

Sport

69 minutes ago I tried Samsung's stunning new way to watch TV and it's a blockbuster hit

Samsung is back with a new way to binge on boxsets and watch epic movies.

Events

14 hours ago Letterboxd’s Wrapped 2024: How to find your top movies, actors and directors for 2024

Find out how many movies you logged this year, as well as your most-watched actor and director

Culture

2 hours ago UK snow maps turn purple as huge Arctic blast bears down on millions of Brits

According to WXCharts, their weather map turns purple on Friday 24 January from 6am and more snow looks set to hit the Scottish Highlands before moving down to Edinburgh and Inverness

Politics

22 hours ago Novice investor flips 8 homes in unlikely US boomtown... and reveals how she made a big profit

A woman has flipped eight homes in the city and has shared how she has made a huge profit. 

Economics

18 hours ago How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona in the UK: Live stream and TV channel for Spanish Super Cup Final

The El Clasico giants go head-to-head in Saudi for the glory and bragging rights

Sport

2 hours ago Medieval Women: In Their Own Words review – a bracing cold shower with Joan of Arc and co

British Library, LondonA letter from the French saint and a lethal shopping list are among the stars of a mind-bending show of the words, mystical visions and everyday lives of women from 1100 to 1500What does hell smell like? At the British Library last week, I opened a small wooden door and inhaled a scent that was bitter and vegetal: a combination of sulphur and something that I didn’t dare to think about for too long so soon after breakfast. Ugh. To spend eternity breathing in this! Happily, though, a counter-stink was on hand. Before the devil had a chance to appear, I closed the door and opened another next to it. This time, my nose filled with the sweetness of honey. It wasn’t precisely heavenly; to be worldly just for a moment, I think you need Chanel or Guerlain for truly celestial perfumes. But it did make me smile. The things museum curators get up to when they’re trying to encourage time travel.The horrible smell was inspired by the saintly Julian of Norwich’s 16th and f...

Events

18 hours ago Photos of two Coronation Street legends on their real life wedding day

See how many famous faces you recognise in these fascinating photos

Culture

2 hours ago In Attendance: Paying Attention in a Fragile World review – visions of mortality abound

Fitzrovia Chapel, LondonIn a former hospital chapel replete with its own stories, works by Paula Rego, Phyllida Barlow and others resonate in their exquisitely contemplative surroundingsThe Fitzrovia Chapel is a miniature cathedral in the heart of London – a tiny vault of marble, stained glass and gold conceived on the most human of scales. Old photographs show congregations of barely more than 50. It is possible to walk from one end to the other in fewer than a dozen steps, but along the way are glimmering mosaics, glowing stars and some of the most moving words I have ever read in a church.This chapel, where King Charles recorded his recent Christmas message, is all that remains of the old Middlesex hospital in the heart of London. A neo-gothic building of dark red brick, it once nestled inside this venerable teaching hospital, founded in 1745. Now it stands alone, and fully visible, dwarfed instead by the high-rise apartments and luxury shops of the Pearson Square complex that re...

Politics

22 hours ago 'I forked out £10k for weight loss surgery but was left throwing up lumps of flesh'

An influencer who was left with pneumonia, sepsis and blood clots after weight loss surgery said she doesn't regret her 'glow up' despite spending three months in hospital afterwards

Economics

21 hours ago Harry Potter fans gobsmacked after discovering two versions of iconic movie

Harry Potter is undoubtably one of the most popular movie series of all time. But even fans are only just discovering one key detail in one of the iconic films...

Sport

3 hours ago Football's retired shirt numbers – tragic deaths to youth wonderkids being honoured

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham and West Ham United legend Bobby Moore are just two of the many big names to have their shirt numbers retired in association football.

Events

24 hours ago Film that critics voted the ‘best of all time’ is coming back to cinemas

Acclaimed drama remains little-seen by mainstream audiences

Culture

22 hours ago Harry Potter fans are only just discovering second version of the Philosopher's Stone

Ever wondered why there's two versions of the iconic Philosopher's Stone movie? Well now Harry Potter fans are only just realising the reason – and it's blowing minds

Sport

4 hours ago A Second Act by Dr Matt Morgan review – what nearly dying can teach us about living

In this sequel to his bestseller, Critical, the intensive care doctor draws lessons on the joys of a ‘second life’ from the experiences of patients who have flatlined and been revived“We have two lives,” Dr Matt Morgan writes, before clarifying: “The second begins when you realise you have [only] one.” Sometimes, as the case studies in this book detail, this realisation comes more suddenly and profoundly than most of us can imagine. For more than 20 years, Morgan has been a specialist doctor in intensive care, labouring at the extreme margins of life. Just occasionally, in his day-to-day education in human mortality, he has witnessed what might, in other traditions, be thought of as supernatural events: people whose vital signs have flatlined, but who have returned to tell the tale. The stories in this book – a sequel to his bestselling Critical – are his accounts of those impossible second acts, and his reflections on what we can learn from those lucky few who have experienced both...

Events

28 hours ago 'Masterpiece' remake of 'classic' movie that won 10 Oscars is on TV tonight

The 2021 film received seven Academy Award nominations but did not live up to its predeccesor's staggering wins

Culture

4 hours ago ‘I like to break the rules’: Björk on comedy, darkness and the most flamboyant tour of her career

The musician describes herself as many things: artist, introvert, activist, Scorpio, matriarch, punk, joker, optimist We step inside the multiverse of the incomparable BjörkBjörk is in Paris, and her laptop camera isn’t working. The laptop is eight years old, she explains, and she doesn’t want to replace it, for environmental reasons. “But let’s just say I haven’t exactly been crying about the fact that it doesn’t work.” She is a black square on my computer screen, which feels quite un-Björk-like, somehow, and yet also very Björk-like, too. Even without the visuals, she is instantly familiar. She jokes, she teases, her answers unravel slowly as she weighs up every side of a response, pin-balling between as many angles as she can find.She says she has always felt a bit weird about video calls anyway. “Even when they started, I would find more distance in talking to loved ones, because it’s sort of fake. You see people, but it’s not real. You’re not getting the presence. So maybe it’s...

Politics

22 hours ago Harry Potter fans only just discovering why there are two versions of Philosopher's Stone

Ever wondered why there's two versions of the iconic Philosopher's Stone movie? Well now Harry Potter fans are only just realising the reason – and it's blowing minds

Sport

4 hours ago Loose Women star Judi Love in 'unbearable' 20 year health battle as she details pain

Loose Women's Judi Love has opened up about her health battle of almost two decades, admitting the 'unbearable' pain that comes with it both physically and mentally.

Events

29 hours ago I'm glad Rodgers saw funny side of Celtic songbook because Rangers boss Clement is the real laughing stock – Chris Sutton

Chris reckons the beleaguered Belgian is only making the Light Blues' loser mentality worse

Culture

5 hours ago My partner blames a ‘lack of attraction’ for not wanting sex | Ask Philippa

It’s important that he knows how his actions and words are affecting youThe question My partner and I, both in our early 40s, have been together for 15 months, though this is our second time dating. We briefly dated four years ago, but he ended things via text, which has left me feeling anxious about the possibility of him leaving again. This relationship is important to us and we’ve moved in together while trying to start a family. However, since moving in, I’ve noticed changes in him. He sometimes seems distant and our sex life has diminished. He has struggled with maintaining an erection and attributed it to a “lack of attraction”, which was difficult for me to hear.Given the stress of fertility treatments, I suspect his issues may be emotional or physical, yet he focuses on attraction. He has suggested we reconnect through non-sexual intimacy like holding hands, which I’m willing to try. I also proposed couples therapy, which he’s hesitant about. I feel uneasy, especially when I...

Politics

4 hours ago Loose Women star Judi Love in 'unbearable' 20 year health battle as she details excruciating pain

EXCLUSIVE: Loose Women's Judi Love opens up about her 'unbearable' health battle and details how she deals with 'mum guilt' when working away from her two children.

Events

6 hours ago Simon Schama: ‘Britain is a much more tolerant place now. I’m Mr Sunshine on this’

The historian on taking the social pulse of the nation in his new TV series, why we’re such word addicts, and his fear that the needle in the US is moving towards redSimon Schama, 79, is a writer, television presenter and professor of history and art history at Columbia University in New York. His bestselling, prize-winning books include The Embarrassment of Riches, about the Dutch Golden Age, and Citizens, a study of the French Revolution. His television series for the BBC include A History of Britain, Simon Schama’s Power of Art, and The Story of the Jews. His new series, Simon Schama’s The Story of Us, traces the history of postwar Britain in an effort to locate the origins of the current culture wars and to celebrate the art that has united us in the past.How did you begin thinking about this series?Well, I live most of my time in America, but I come back here often and it always pierces me. I’m heartfelt about it. I wanted to take the social pulse of Britain, and I wanted to lo...

Politics

5 hours ago Women’s Ashes: England fall to ODI defeat as Australia draw first blood

First ODI: Australia, 206-6, beat England by four wicketsHealy anchors run chase in multi-format series openerAlyssa Healy’s stated ambition on the eve of this Women’s Ashes was to “throw the first punch”. Mission very much accomplished. England limped away from North Sydney on Sunday evening with a bloody nose, whimpering to 204 all out in 43.1 overs – a total that despite their best efforts proved impossible to defend.England undoubtedly missed the parsimonious bowling of Kate Cross, whose back injury continues to plague her; her fitness for the remainder of the series remains in doubt. But the real blame lay with the England batters, who played in classic “Jonball” fashion (the aggressive style to which coach Jon Lewis lends his name), lacking the patience required to see off Australia’s world-class attack. The hosts’ eventual margin of victory was just four wickets. Imagine what alternative outcome we might now be contemplating had England scored even 30 more runs. Continue read...

Events

7 hours ago I cried all night over Man United star's collapsed move to Real Madrid

Some athletes experience sliding doors moments during their careers that only become clear in hindsight, and one Real Madrid icon had a close shave by dodging a move to Manchester United

Politics

9 hours ago SARAH VINE: Holy smoke! Meghan has shocked us by playing a real blinder

Pity poor Princess (sic) Meghan. Just days from the launch of her new Netflix series, half of California goes up in flames.

Events

12 hours ago Woman born with two vaginas says fan's bath request was wildest she's ever had

Annie Charlotte was born with two vaginas, two cervixes and two uteruses – and has shared the wildest requests she's ever received from fans, including requests for bathwater

Politics

12 hours ago How taking a common painkiller could lead you to be more reckless, new research suggests

Scientists believe the dulling effect it has on pain has a similar impact on emotions and decision-making, leading those take the drug to throw caution to the wind.

Events

14 hours ago Legendary EastEnders villain looks unrecognisable as he takes on chilling new role

Aaron Sidwell looked unrecognisable in the new crime drama movie Fyre Rises as he transformed into a fanatic named Priest. 

Politics

15 hours ago Matthew Perry’s LA home where he died saved by neighbors amid Palisades fire

Late ‘Friends’ star’s home was purchased last October by film producer and real estate developer Anita Verma-Lallian for $8.5 million

Events

17 hours ago Majority of Britons believe Musk having negative impact on UK politics

More voters think tech tycoon’s comments on grooming gangs are unhelpful than those who back himMore than half of voters think Elon Musk is having a negative effect on British politics following his criticism of Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.The South African-born billionaire has spent much of the past week using his social media platform X to attack Starmer and the Labour government for their opposition to another national inquiry into grooming gangs. He accused Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, of being a “rape genocide apologist” and falsely claimed Starmer was “deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes”. Despite strong suggestions that Musk is preparing to make a large donation to Reform UK, he also recently tore into Nigel Farage, saying he was not up to the job of leading the party. Continue reading...

Politics

15 hours ago Los Angeles wildfires: Desperate search for victims as menacing winds forecast to return

Fire chiefs warned of a ‘significant flare-up’ on the blaze's eastern edge, with flames now moving northeast

Events

17 hours ago Richard Hammond's daughter calls him an 'idiot' and says he 'wasn't there a lot' growing up

Top Gear and The Grand Tour star Richard Hammond's daughter branded him an 'idiot' while discussing the dangers of his job in a chat resurfacing in the wake of his marriage split

Politics

16 hours ago Jennifer Lopez 'cancels work commitments' amid LA wildfires to focus on her community

Star Jennifer Lopez has reportedly cancelled all the upcoming TV appearances she was making to promote her new movie so she can devote her attention to assisting fire relief efforts in LA

Events

17 hours ago The Observer view: Donald Trump’s imperial bullying must be nipped in the bud | Observer editorial

Countries that cherish democratic values need to take a stand against the president-elect’s throwback to unabashed American expansionismWatching politicians promise one thing, then do another, is a common experience in all democratic countries. Situations in which voters do not expect a politician to keep his word, and in many instances fervently hope and pray he will not, are rarer. Donald Trump, the US president-elect, fits this latter category. When Trump threatens to subjugate Canada, a Nato ally, by force, unilaterally annex Greenland, the autonomous territory of a friendly EU state, and override Panama’s sovereignty for bogus security reasons, most people assume he is not serious and his remarks carry little real significance. This response, while comforting, is a mistake.It’s entirely possible that Trump, pumped with hype, hot air and testosterone in the lead-up to his 20 January inauguration, is being gratuitously disruptive. He likes to shake things up. It amuses his Make A...

Politics

16 hours ago Delighted David Gray reveals Hibs next target after moving into top six for first time

Hibs unbeaten run extends after win over Motherwell

Events

17 hours ago Rory McIlroy trails Tiger Woods earnings despite pocketing hefty PGA Tour bonus

Rory McIlroy was unable to end his major championship drought in 2024, but the Northern Irishman still pocketed a huge windfall during the previous calendar year

Politics

17 hours ago 'I vomited lumps of flesh after my weight loss surgery – it nearly killed me'

A mum-of-one endured a terrifying ordeal following weight loss surgery that left her hospitalised for months, after surgeons admitted they had removed too much of her stomach

Events

18 hours ago Woman who lost 13.5 stone after making one 'permanent' change looks unrecognisable

'Mentally and physically I'm the fittest and the strongest I can be, and this is a permanent lifestyle change for me'

Politics

17 hours ago Richard Hammond's daughter brands him an 'idiot' as she reflects on his car crashes

Top Gear and The Grand Tour star Richard Hammond's daughter branded him an 'idiot' while discussing the dangers of his job in a chat resurfacing in the wake of his marriage split

Events

19 hours ago As resolutions go, Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘nothing in moderation’ is a stinker | Alison Phillips

Between Elon Musk, a free-for-all Facebook and Donald Trump, truth and decency are likely to have a hard time of it in 2025How did we get to a week in which the world’s richest man could label our safeguarding minister and women’s rights campaigner Jess Phillips a “rape genocide apologist”, and the boss of the world’s biggest social platforms could abandon moderating even the most despicable content in the US?Let’s go back 30 years. It’s 1995, cargo pants were slung low, Oasis were riding high. We were all going to Live Forever. And then the New York supreme court ruled against a long-forgotten company called Prodigy, which hosted online message boards. An unknown user had posted a message that the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont (which had inspired The Wolf of Wall Street) had committed fraud. Stratton Oakmont sued for defamation and a crucial question was asked: was the site that hosted the comment responsible for it, in the way a traditional publisher would be for a comment on it...

Politics

17 hours ago Jude Bellingham’s dad hits back of the net as firm's assets enjoy huge 1014% increase

Former Non-League footballer and policeman Mark Bellingham, whose 21-year-old son signed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 for a potential £112million, owns a firm with net assets which hit £8.1million

Events

19 hours ago Tunng: Love You All Over review – a delightfully quirky return from the folktronica pioneers

(Full Time Hobby)The inventive English six-piece deliver another slice of whimsy, wit and gentle musical experimentationThe arrival of Tunng 20 years back was a gamechanger for British folk, allying its pastoral themes with gentle electronica and an often surrealist sense of humour. Sometimes it was folk horror on the high street as people were changed into hares; at others it became tripped-out domesticity. The group are still at it – a six-piece reunited around the core duo of Mike Lindsay and Sam Genders.Indeed, this eighth studio album, their first in five years, consciously returns them to early days, becoming something of a tribute to themselves; there is even the return of a favourite character, Jenny, still impatient for change. Their default setting remains tumbling acoustic guitars led by the soft-sung vocals of Genders, but backings remain as inventive as ever. Sixes arrives in a jumble of warped percussion and clanging bells, whereas Levitate a Little relies on woodwind ...

Politics

18 hours ago Los Angeles wildfires force new evacuations as 13 people missing and 22 arrested

Fire chiefs warned of a ‘significant flare-up’ on the blaze's eastern edge, with flames now moving northeast

Events

19 hours ago 'Tampon Girl' unrecognisable years on from grim Tampax video that made her infamous

Giovanna Plowman, better known as the 'Tampon Girl', sent the internet into a frenzy back in January 2013 when she went viral in a video where she sucked her own used Tampax – she's now unrecognisable

Politics

19 hours ago Real Madrid vs Barcelona XIs: Predicted lineups, confirmed team news and injuries for Spanish Super Cup final

Clasico rivals meet in Jeddah in pursuit of domestic silverware

Events

19 hours ago Netflix's fastest ever sequel hailed by fans who say hero 'should be knighted'

The follow-up to a beloved 2023 film has been released to rave reviews from fans of the first movie on Netflix

Politics

20 hours ago Michelle Keegan breaks silence after husband Mark Wright's tragic family loss

Fool Me Once star Michelle Keegan has shared a moving tribute to husband Mark Wright's late grandfather following the 92-year-old's death earlier this week

Events