59 minutes ago Severance season two review – this weird, wild show is impossibly mesmerising

Adam Scott’s workplace thriller is back – and somehow even more clever, trippy and heartbreaking than before. A total TV triumphIt has been a three-year wait for fans, but the creators of Severance clearly haven’t wasted a minute of it. The first series was fantastically stylish, clever, trippy and compelling. The second is even more so. It demands all your concentration and takes you down rabbit holes so deep and twisted that you may meet yourself coming back. One half of your brain tries to keep up with developments while the other half is trying to digest what it all means. You are effectively severed yourself.When we left our four heroes, Dylan (Zach Cherry) had broken into the security room and tripped the switch that awoke his three friends’s Innies in the Outie world, in the hope of shining a light on Lumon’s cruelties towards employees and its ultimately-unknown-but-surely-not-morally-sound purpose. Mark (Adam Scott) discovered that his supposedly dead wife, Gemma (Dichen La...

Politics

59 minutes ago UK weather maps reveal '10cm per hour' snow and torrential rain TWIN THREAT will batter Brits

Brits are facing both heavy snow and torrential rain later this month as shocking new weather maps show a huge storm is set to bring 10cm per hour of the white stuff

Society

9 hours ago Can Augustinus Bader’s £77 the rich cream be rivalled by this £21 Korean moisturiser?

The Korean alternative boasts a very similar ingredients list

Economics

10 hours ago SHOKZ OpenRun Pro 2 review: can these bone conduction sports headphones bring the bass?

Designed to loop around the back of your head and hook over the top of your ears, they may not be traditional, but these open-ear headphones are taking the running world by storm

Sport

59 minutes ago UK failing to match EU in fight against ‘forever chemicals’, say scientists

Experts criticise Defra’s decision not to use OECD definition of PFAS, with one asking if move is ‘politically based’What are PFAS, how toxic are they and how do you become exposed?Leading scientists have criticised the UK government for failing to take stronger action to tackle “forever chemical” pollution and refusing to match moves in the EU to ban non-essential uses of the substances.Last year, 59 experts in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) sent a letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) asking it to follow the science, which has established that PFAS do not biodegrade and that despite variations in toxicity, this persistence itself is sufficiently worrying that all PFAS should be regulated as one class. Continue reading...

Events

59 minutes ago Mac Miller’s posthumous album is a wonderful, if unsettling, reminder of a talent lost

Unlike your typical bucket-scraping rattlebag of audio oddities thrown together to con extra cash from grieving fans, this record feels complete and cohesive

Science

4 hours ago Labour blasted over 'toothless' grooming probes: Ministers finally announce 'local reviews' into child abuse scandal

Yvette Cooper announced five local reviews into badly hit towns, as Labour backtracked after previously insisting that no new investigations were needed.

Politics

7 hours ago Less, please, of this overblown Oliver! PATRICK MARMION reviews Oliver! at London's Gielgud Theatre

Thanks to a famously unbeatable roster of music hall tunes - from Food Glorious Food to Consider Yourself - it's a big, beaming, toe-tapping lark.

Society

13 hours ago Fears shops will run out of bottled water after burst pipe at treatment plant leaves 40,000 homes without supply in Conwy

Around 40,000 households in north Wales face having no water as five schools have been forced to temporarily shut their doors after a pipe burst at a treatment plant. 

Economics

2 hours ago Review launched over antidepressants 'which have been linked to suicide' after Lady Gabriella Windsor's husband Thomas' death

Senior coroner Katy Skerrett raised concerns last week over whether there is 'adequate communication' regarding the risks of suicide with the drugs sertraline and citalopram

Events

18 hours ago Jenufa at the Royal Opera House review: symbolic, psychologically probing and more potent than ever

This revival was Jakub Hrusa’s first production as Covent Garden’s music director designate – the venue is in safe hands

Science

4 hours ago Calorie labelling on menus and food products has ‘small’ effect, review finds

Labelling led to an average 1.8% reduction in the calories people bought – equating to 11 calories in a 600 calorie meal – or around two almonds.

Politics

19 hours ago Italy to crack down on fake reviews of hotels and restaurants with tough new law

Plans would see ID and proof of visit needed before reviewing a business online

Society

15 hours ago Boots slashes price of 'beautiful scent that lasts all day' with 'classy bottle' to just £24

The Versace Woman Ejson Eau de Parfum is usually priced at £66, but is on sale for just £24 for a limited time only, and has received dozens of glowing reviews

Economics

3 hours ago Why frail Katie Price's friends say they're terrified she could die soon: In cry for help they reveal new surgery fears and why it may be too late: KATIE HIND

It was at a very Z-list launch party for reality show Geordie Shore last week that Katie Price kissed her on-off friend Kerry Katona.

Events

23 hours ago The Crow Girl is a gripping whodunit that brings a Scandi chill to the West Country

Excellent performances from Eve Myles and Dougray Scott illuminate a series that’s not afraid to get much darker than the average streaming thriller

Science

5 hours ago Why, after all these years, Donkey Kong is still the gorilla of my dreams PETER HOSKIN reviews Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

This was a masterpiece of a platformer. Full of colour, character and some of the most enjoyably demanding levels that this jumptastic genre has to offer.

Politics

17 hours ago Can YOU tell what work these beauty experts have had done? One spent £20,000, another's on Ozempic... and one's all natural

Can you tell from their photos who's never touched tweakments and who's had more than £20,000 worth of work?

Economics

4 hours ago Lady Gabriella Windsor's husband Thomas' death sparks review over antidepressants 'which have been linked to suicide'

Senior coroner Katy Skerrett raised concerns last week over whether there is 'adequate communication' regarding the risks of suicide with the drugs sertraline and citalopram

Events

5 hours ago 'This is espionage storytelling of the highest quality': The best Thrillers for January

Geoffrey Wansell reviews the best Thrillers out now.

Politics

18 hours ago Aldi's 'smoky' new £18 whisky is the 'ideal tipple' for celebrating Burns Night

Aldi's award-winning range of whisky's now boasts a new bottle that is the "ideal tipple" for celebrating Burns Night on January 25.

Economics

5 hours ago 'My book of the year': The best Contemporary fiction of January: So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne, The Book of George by Kate Greathead, A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay

Sara Lawrence reviews the best contemporary fiction out now.

Events

5 hours ago 'An irresistible confection of fabulous food and curdled relationships': The best paperback fiction out now

Jane Shilling reviews the best paperback fiction out now.

Politics

19 hours ago Thousands left without water and schools forced to close after pipe burst at treatment plant

Around 40,000 households in north Wales face having no water as five schools have been forced to temporarily shut their doors after a pipe burst at a treatment plant. 

Economics

5 hours ago The Short Stories you should be reading now: Saying Dirty Things in Regional Accents by Neil Campbell, Your Sons and Daughters Are Beyond by Rosie Garland, A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo

Eithne Farry reviews the best Short Stories out now.

Politics

19 hours ago Amazon reduces 'elegant' £60 perfume that 'leaves lasting impression' to £20

The 'mesmerizing' perfume is currently marked down by 65% for a 100ml bottle, saving shoppers almost £40

Economics

13 hours ago Labour backs down over grooming gangs: Whitehall fixer to undertake 'rapid audit' into scale of child sex abuse in Britain

Yvette Cooper told MPs she had asked Baroness Louise Casey to oversee a three-month review into gang-based child sexual exploitation.

Events

6 hours ago Teacher's lunchtime boozing in Morrisons car park exposed as colleague notices odd act

Rhian Williams, 61, has been banned from teaching after drinking half a bottle of wine during a lunch break before returning to school to teach a class for year eight students with additional learning needs

Politics

23 hours ago Economic growth could fall 50% over 20 years from climate shocks, say actuaries

Exclusive: Report by risk experts says previous assessments ignored severe effects of climate crisisGlobal economic growth could plummet by 50% between 2070 and 2090 from the catastrophic shocks of climate change unless immediate action by political leaders is taken to decarbonise and restore nature, according to a new report.The stark warning from risk management experts the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) hugely increases the estimate of risk to global economic wellbeing from climate change impacts such as fires, flooding, droughts, temperature rises and nature breakdown. In a report with scientists at the University of Exeter, published on Thursday, the IFoA, which uses maths and statistics to analyse financial risk for businesses and governments, called for accelerated action by political leaders to tackle the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Economics

13 hours ago Surprise finding sheds light on what causes Huntington's disease, a devastating fatal brain disorder

Scientists are unraveling the mystery of what triggers Huntington’s disease, a devastating hereditary disorder that strikes in the prime of life

Events

7 hours ago Return of the mild man of rock (who shaped Ed Sheeran): ADRIAN THRILLS reviews DAVID GRAY: Dear Life

The inspiration for David Gray's new album goes right back to White Ladder, his slow-burning 1998 breakthrough.

Politics

23 hours ago Global economy could face 50% loss in GDP between 2070 and 2090 from climate shocks, say actuaries

Exclusive: Report by risk experts says previous assessments ignored severe effects of climate crisisThe global economy could face 50% loss in gross domestic product (GDP) between 2070 and 2090 from the catastrophic shocks of climate change unless immediate action by political leaders is taken to decarbonise and restore nature, according to a new report.The stark warning from risk management experts the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) hugely increases the estimate of risk to global economic wellbeing from climate change impacts such as fires, flooding, droughts, temperature rises and nature breakdown. In a report with scientists at the University of Exeter, published on Thursday, the IFoA, which uses maths and statistics to analyse financial risk for businesses and governments, called for accelerated action by political leaders to tackle the climate crisis.This article was amended on 16 January 2025. The headline of an earlier version said that economic growth could fall by...

Economics

14 hours ago Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announces local grooming gangs inquiries after mounting pressure

The reviews will focus on the ‘cultural drivers’ of child sexual exploitation gangs and police forces will be asked to reopen "cold cases"

Events

8 hours ago North Wales without water: Tens of thousands could be without supply until SUNDAY after a single pipe burst

Supply issues first became a problem for residents in the Conwy county on Wednesday, after a major water main was reported damaged at the Bryn Cowlyd Water Treatment Works in Dolgarrog.

Politics

24 hours ago Amazon's £9 mould solution that 'gets to work immediately' and costs nothing to use

"As soon as I put these in the bedrooms they were actively collecting water so you could see they were actually working"

Economics

15 hours ago Home Secretary Yvette Cooper set to announce local grooming gangs inquiries after mounting pressure

The review will focus on the ‘cultural drivers’ and ethnicity of child sexual exploitation gangs, it is understood

Events

8 hours ago The Ordinary’s new serum claims to address signs of ageing – but does it work?

The formula’s hero ingredient is set to make a big buzz in the skincare world in 2025

Politics

28 hours ago Amazon shoppers swap Dyson and Shark for 'game changing' £70 cordless vacuum

The vacuum is a number one best-seller on Amazon and has had thousands of five-star reviews.

Economics

17 hours ago California wildfires: How and why did fire hydrants run dry across Los Angeles?

Critics have erroneously blamed California environmental policies and empty reservoirs for lack of water

Events

8 hours ago People 'scoop water from sea' to flush toilets as tens of thousands without supply

Farmers have been left without water for their livestock and pet owners are going thirsty so that their animals can drink

Politics

17 hours ago David Ellis reviews the Regency Cafe: the king is dead, long live the king

The Regency is up for sale and set to change. But that’s no bad thing, says David Ellis

Events

10 hours ago Scientists closer to bringing woolly mammoth back from extinction with scientific breakthrough

A group of scientists says they will bring back the woolly mammoth by late 2028, and they just announced that they raised $200million to do it. The new funding brings them closer to their goal.

Politics

19 hours ago TikTok ban live: Is app going to disappear? Donald Trump and MrBeast scramble to avoid shutdown

Supreme Court is reviewing the legality of legislation that would force TikTok to be sold or be banned

Events

11 hours ago Biden ramps up bird flu spending as scientists fret about H5N1 response. Here’s what to know

While cases of bird flu in humans have steadily climbed since last fall, health officials maintain the risk to humans is low

Politics

19 hours ago The Crow Girl on Paramount+ review: this Bristol crime thriller is as bleak and harsh as a Nordic winter

There’s a black vortex of depravity in this tightly-plotted series – but it is compelling

Events

11 hours ago Local reviews into grooming will get answers and bring change, says Cooper

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said local reviews would provide more answers and change than a nationwide probe.

Politics

19 hours ago ‘Women are the best to women’: has Iceland found the antidote to toxic ‘girlboss’ feminism?

Fifty years ago, Icelandic women went on strike, kickstarting a gender revolution. Today, the concept of ‘konur eru konum bestar’ is everywhere – including the female-led coalition governmentWalking in steady procession, mittened hand in mittened hand, we descend in our swimsuits into the icy cold North Atlantic Ocean, singing. Usually the women sing an Icelandic song as they enter the waves, but this Saturday, for my benefit, they have chosen to sing You Are My Sunshine first. It’s 11am but the sun is only just rising, the ocean waves lapping and the sky shades of pink and purple. The big black rock in the middle of Reykjavík’s Skarfaklettur beach is dusted in snow. The water is apparently around zero degrees. When we are about waist high, my thighs go numb and the chain of hands breaks up. For a second I feel alone as I start to lose my breath and the others disappear into the water. But then Guðrún Tinna Thorlacius, known as Tinna, arrives to ask if I am OK. She looks at me with ...

Events

11 hours ago Scientists on cusp of scientific breakthrough reveal when they'll bring woolly mammoth back from extinction

A group of scientists says they will bring back the woolly mammoth by late 2028, and they just announced that they raised $200million to do it. The new funding brings them closer to their goal.

Politics

22 hours ago Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter review – swashbuckling Hammer horror still has bite

Directed by legendary writer Brian Clemens this macabre vampire yarn is marked by the Edgar Allan Poe template but has a charm and humour all of its ownThe sword fighting vampire genre never really took off, but it wasn’t for the want of trying by this very enjoyable Hammer horror from 1974, a macabre swashbuckler written and directed by British genre legend Brian Clemens; his sole feature directing credit in fact. Clemens was a prolific writer who did so much to get TV audiences addicted to The Avengers, The Persuaders and The Professionals and it surely must have occurred to him that this trio of vampire-hunting leads could well have been spun off into a recurring TV series, perhaps under the aegis of Lew Grade.German star and international co-production veteran Horst Janson plays Captain Kronos (dubbed by British actor Julian Holloway), a blond ex-army officer in a hilarious panto military outfit, roaming what appears to be a nameless Ruritanian-Transylvanian central European lan...

Events

12 hours ago 10 fragrances that smell far more expensive than their high street price tags

Diptyque, Hermès, Aerin Our go-to perfume brands easily set us back over £100 a bottle. Ahead, we've listed our favourite affordable fragrances to spritz right now.

Politics

23 hours ago The Crow Girl review – a gripping crime drama that fills you with hope for the world’s good people

This confident, stylish adaptation of a Scandinavian bestseller is an extremely well-made thriller about the race to track down a serial child killerThe most striking thing about The Crow Girl is the sight of young male bodies lying dead all over the place. It’s quite shocking. Those poor boys, you think. Isn’t it terrible? How could anyone ? It has the twin effects of drawing you deeper into the plot and showing you how inured we have become to the sight of young dead female bodies used as scenery and plot points. It’s good to be reminded now and then, I think, of what we deem normal and where we draw our cultural lines and have our consciousnesses and consciences shaken awake.Now that I’ve crow-barred that outrageous feminist point in – to business! This psychological thriller has been adapted by Milly Thomas from the Scandinavian bestseller of the same name by Erik Axl Sund. Eve Myles plays domestically harassed wife and mother (though in a far more credible way than is customary...

Events

12 hours ago RedNote: Is TikTok’s Chinese alternative any safer than the app facing a potential US ban?

China-based RedNote has experienced a huge surge in downloads from users both from the US and across the world

Politics

25 hours ago Readers' Letters: It's cultural cowardice to remove Robert Burns from Higher English subjects

According to Neal Ascherson, (London Review of Books, June 1st 2023), just off Friedrichstrasse in Berlin, there is a faded bronze plaque set into a wall. It commemorates the barricade fighters of the 1848 revolution, who defended themselves against the Second Royal Regiment of Prussia. The words on the plaque, says Ascherson, include a German translation of Robert Burns' - 'It's coming yet, for a that/That man to man the warld oer/Shall brothers be for a that'.

Events

12 hours ago Falkirk council plan to lose over 100 properties as communities take on buildings

An update on Falkirk Council's massive property review shows many venues are already transferring

Politics

27 hours ago Motorists warned of hefty fine if caught driving while ill as it could be 'breaking the law'

Feeling under the weather? Experts reveal how driving while sick could land you in serious trouble—with fines, points, or even a ban on the cards.

Events

13 hours ago UK politics live: Labour announce rapid national grooming gang review in partial climb down as Musk responds

Home secretary’s announcement marks partial government climbdown on grooming gangs scandal

Politics

28 hours ago British expats living in the Palisades reveal the business they have built from the ground up has been reduced to ash in the LA fires

Mandy and Raymond Church (pictured), 66 and 67, had spent the last 40 years building up their plumbing business in the Pacific Palisades.

Events