97 minutes ago The Christmas that went wrong: The day was saved by the new friend I’d made on a drunken night out

I was alone in New York during the pandemic, in the aftermath of a breakup and unable to go home. A Korean family taught me to believe in the kindness of strangersLike many Jewish families, the Wolfsons take Christmas extremely seriously. Latkes and smoked salmon are served before homemade cranberry sauce and brussels sprouts. My dad’s hand-painted menorah, which he made during the ceramics cafe boom of the early 2000s, sits proudly underneath the Christmas tree.As such, I had never missed a Christmas with the family – although there had been some near misses. In 2019, we spent Christmas by my dad’s hospital bed after his stroke – us sipping on hospital canteen gingerbread lattes, him having Christmas dinner in the guise of vanilla-scented protein, fed through a tube. In 2020, I saw my family only from six feet away, double-masked and on the doorstep. I delivered presents, but they were not opened for a few days, to let any stray virus dissipate. Continue reading...

Politics

2 hours ago Scots Labour received Cammy Day sexual harassment complaint years before suspension

SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: The complaint from a constituent alleged Day had sent persistent and unsolicited intimate images which made the person feel uncomfortable.

Events

3 hours ago London’s Heathrow Airport rocked by Christmas season flight cancellations due to windy weather

London’s Heathrow Airport rocked by Christmas season flight cancellations due to windy weather  New York Post

Society

3 hours ago ROBERT HARDMAN: The market was strewn with gold paper. Not Christmas wrapping ... but foil to cover victims

This should have been the busiest day of the year in the Old Marketplace in Magdeburg, writes ROBERT HARDMAN, with squeals of excitement from the fairground rides. Instead, all stand empty.

Events

3 hours ago Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv strikes Russia in major drone attack 1,000km from frontline

High-rise residential buildings hit in Russian city of Kazan but no casualties reported; Zelenskyy reveals meetings with CIA chief. What we know on day 1,033 See all our Ukraine war coverage Ukraine staged a major drone attack on the Russian city of Kazan, 1,000km (620 miles) from the frontline, on Saturday, damaging residential buildings and temporarily shutting down the airport. A drone smashed into a high-rise apartment block and damaged a skyscraper in the city of more than 1.3 million but there were no casualties, local officials said. Videos posted on Russian social media networks showed drones hitting a high-rise building and setting off fireballs. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said two drones hit a 37-storey apartment block and that Ukraine had been targeting an unspecified industrial facility but that it suffered no damage.Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Saturday without specifically mentioning the strike on Kazan: “We will definitely contin...

Events

4 hours ago It's the question all Antiques Roadshow fans want answered... did they sell their priceless heirloom? 10 owners of the series' most extraordinary items reveal what they did next

The question Fiona Bruce is asked most about Antiques Roadshow is what happened next to the heirlooms featured on the show? Here we reveal some of the poignant and surprising answers.

Culture

4 hours ago From Birds of a Feather's camel in Milton Keynes to Leslie Ash's turkey fire drama... The Christmas TV secrets they didn't want you to  know

A Christmas TV special is as much a staple of the Big Day as The Queen's - and, latterly, The King's - Speech.

Events

4 hours ago Inside Cheryl and Bear's first Christmas without Liam: Friends reveal how his family are rallying round, the 'great lengths' Cheryl is going to... and what's happened to ex

KATIE HIND: How Cheryl is doing her utmost to fill the void in the life of her seven-year-old son Bear this Christmas after the tragic death of his pop star father Liam Payne

Politics

4 hours ago You're a genius if you spot the inaccuracy in this picture in 8 seconds

Discover whether you're a modern day Albert Einstein with this deceptively difficult brainteaser that you need to solve in just eight seconds or less. And no, we can't give away any clues on this one

Politics

4 hours ago The full story of how the vast Merthyr sinkhole happened and what's being done to make it safe

Paul Edwards, of Edwards Diving Services, has been leading the work after Storm Bert caused a giant hole to swallow up a driveway and part of a road

Politics