3 h. ago DNA test confirmed alleged stalker was not Madeleine McCann, court hears

Investigating officer says he went against procedure to test Julia Wandelt, accused of campaign of harassment against McCann familyAn alleged stalker’s claim to be Madeleine McCann was ruled out after a DNA test proved conclusively she was not the missing girl, police have revealed in court.Julia Wandelt, 24, is accused of a campaign of harassment against the family of Madeleine, who went missing from Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 at the age of three. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago ChatGPT ‘upgrade’ giving more harmful answers than previously, tests find

Campaigners ‘deeply concerned’ about response to prompts about suicide, self-harm and eating disordersThe latest version of ChatGPT has produced more harmful answers to some prompts than an earlier iteration of the AI chatbot, in particular when asked about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, digital campaigners have said.Launched in August, GPT-5 was billed by the San Francisco start-up as advancing the “frontier of AI safety”. But when researchers fed the same 120 prompts into the latest model and its predecessor, GPT-4o, the newer version gave harmful responses 63 times compared with 52 for the old model.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago 9 best kids bunk beds in 2025, tried and tested for comfort and storage

Save space while still giving kids a place to play and rest

Politics

5 h. ago 9 best walking poles for 2025, tried and tested for all terrains

Whether you’re a hardcore hiker or a countryside rambler, these walking poles will see you right

Politics

6 h. ago 7 best coat stands and racks 2025, tested by an interiors editor

From traditional designs to modern takes on the classic, clothes racks are back in vogue

Politics

29 h. ago ‘Not difficult’: Wane explains omission of Jake Connor from England Ashes squad

Leeds half-back won the 2025 Man of Steel awardFirst Test against Australia at Wembley on 25 OctoberThe England head coach, Shaun Wane, has said the decision to leave Super League’s Man of Steel, Jake Connor, out of his squad for the Ashes was “not really difficult”. He added that he does not understand the obsession surrounding the exile of the Leeds Rhinos half-back.Connor is by far the most notable omission from the 24-man squad to take on Australia in the first Ashes series since 2003. It begins on 25 October at Wembley, with Tests at Everton and Headingley to follow on successive Saturdays. There are a number of surprise inclusions, including a returnfor Hull KR’s Joe Burgess after his two-try performance in the Super League Grand Final on Saturday. The winger has been out of the national side for a decade. Continue reading...

Events

35 h. ago 20 best stocking fillers for Christmas 2025, tested and approved by kids

From Bluetooth speakers to slime, these are the presents to get Santa some serious brownie points

Politics

44 h. ago Pat Cummins concedes he is ‘weeks away’ from bowling and unlikely to play in first Ashes Test

Australia captain to learn this week whether he will be fit for openerStar quick says he is ‘less likely than likely’ to face England in PerthPat Cummins has admitted he is unlikely to play in the Ashes opener, conceding a return to proper bowling is still some time away.Cummins is expected to learn this week whether he will be able to feature in Perth on 21 November, with officials conceding the quick is facing a narrow timeline. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago The Filter is one! 50 things we loved this year, from a sleep mask to the perfect pan

Twelve months, thousands of tests and a revolutionary potato masher – here are our readers’ and writers’ ultimate buys• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe Filter is turning one. Since we launched a year ago, we’ve run, hiked, camped and swum; we’ve drunk 455 cups of coffee; washed 34 loads of clothes; slept on mattresses for 2,240 hours, and much more, testing a total of 2,040 products – from coffee machines to gin – to bring you the most rigorous, informed and entertaining buying advice.We’ve even had a decent stab at identifying the preferred lipstick of a global icon. And we’ve helped you consume less – and look after your precious things, from your phone to your wooden kitchen utensils, to make them last longer. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Scientists develop first ‘accurate blood test’ to detect chronic fatigue syndrome

Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies neededScientists say they have developed the world’s first blood test to diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).There is no currently no test for the condition and patients tend to be diagnosed based on symptoms, which means many can go undiagnosed for years. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Pat Cummins expected to miss first Ashes Test as doubts grow over fitness for entire series

Australia captain set to be ruled out of opener against England in PerthStar quick yet to return to bowling as he recovers from back injuryAustralia captain Pat Cummins is expected to miss the Ashes opener in Perth as doubts grow around his availability for the entire Test series against England.Cummins has been sidelined with a back injury that the latest scan revealed has not yet healed. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Martin Brundle hosts another CHAOTIC Formula One grid walk with 'Lewis Capaldi interview'... before George Russell wins from pole

Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle was involved in two hilarious mix-ups as he attempted to interview musician Lewis Capaldi during the grid walk at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Politics

9 d. ago The best mattresses for back pain – and how to choose one, according to osteopaths and sleep scientists

Is a firm orthopaedic mattress best for your back? How soft is too soft? We ask the experts• The best mattresses in 2025, testedBritish backs are in crisis. Almost a million people in the UK are too sick to work because of back and neck problems, according to official figures, while the charity Versus Arthritis says 5.8 million experience “severe” back pain each year. The causes of back problems are complex, and treatments often fail to bring relief, especially where the pain is chronic and debilitating.Long-term back pain is unlikely to be cured by upgrading your mattress, and a doctor or physiotherapist should be your first port of call if pain is affecting your quality of life. But studies suggest that switching to the best mattress for your body type and sleeping position can genuinely help. I’m lucky to not experience chronic pain, but in years of testing mattresses, I’ve often suffered temporary backache after sleeping on a surface that doesn’t suit me. Switching to a more app...

Politics

1 week ago Break in 1991 Texas yoghurt shop murders sparks hope for cold cases: ‘There are other victims out there’

Advances in DNA testing led to a suspect in the deaths of four girls. Can lab results now link a serial killer to other violent crimes?On 6 December 1991, a Friday, Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas, both 17, were closing the frozen yoghurt shop where they worked while Jennifer’s sister, 15-year-old Sarah Harbison, and 13-year-old Amy Ayers, her friend, waited for a ride from Jennifer.Moments before midnight, a fire at the shop drew first responders, who discovered the four girls had been bound and murdered, with signs of sexual assault. The fire destroyed nearly all evidence, save for a shell casing that had rolled into a drain and trace amounts of DNA, including under Ayers’ fingernails. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Wallabies look to end Rugby Championship on high with turbulent times ahead | Jack Snape

Australia’s focus may be on beating the All Blacks on Saturday but R360 upheaval is looming and a change of coach just months awayThe Wallabies’ hopes for an unlikely Rugby Championship triumph are hanging by a thread ahead of their final match against the All Blacks in Perth on Saturday, and despite looming international upheaval the Australians are trying not to look further ahead.The final home Test for 2025 is followed by a trip to Japan and then Europe – a spring tour that will demonstrate the level of improvement under coach Joe Schmidt, who will hand over the reins to Les Kiss next year. The rugby calendar changes next year due to the anticipated start of a nations cup, and the hibernation of the Rugby Championship due to alternative plans made by the Springboks and All Blacks. Continue reading...

Sport

1 week ago Best vacuum cleaner deals 2025 on our tried and tested models

Bag a new handheld, upright or robot vacuum cleaner for less, with these top discounts

Economics

2 w. ago Best linen bedding sets in 2025, tried and tested for a relaxing night’s sleep

These sheets offer relaxed luxury in the bedroom

Politics

2 w. ago I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih review – a vivid testament to a life lived hornily

Nottingham ContemporaryLife is short, so let’s spend the time we’ve got having sex, the late artist seems to suggest in surreal and defiant paintingsMurni’s world is one of rampant shagging, unbridled hormones and irrepressible desire. Murni – or I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih, to go by her full name – was a Balinese artist who shrugged off all the norms and expectations that life chucked at her and instead made art with total abandon. By the time she died aged 39 in 2006, taken by ovarian cancer, she’d left behind a body of ultra-simple, mega-bold, hyper-colourful painting that functions as a testament to a life lived honestly, independently and very, very hornily.The earlier works here are stranger and more enigmatic than what comes later. Murni paints hybrid figures, half-plant, half-human, part-animal, part-woman. Branches grow out of bare bums, heads poke out of scale-covered fish bodies, long limbs loop and distend, bodies twist and undulate. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Gianni Infantino’s Faustian pacts face biggest test as prospect of Israel ban moves closer

Sport should not be used to normalise abnormal conduct and it’s no longer possible to dispute the idea that Israel shouldn’t currently be participatingOne big thing about deals with the devil. Faustian pacts. Soul exchanges. The get-you-in-front-of-me-Satan dynamic. The key thing here, an element that often gets overlooked, is that consideration must also flow the other way. This is in the end an exchange, and one you don’t get to default on. When Pauly buys a share in the restaurant, well, Pauly buys you too.Watching Gianni Infantino on stage this week at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards you wondered about this. There he is, our dear leader, alongside an iconic squad of fellow global rain-makers. To his left is a generic square-jawed galactic commander mail-order wellness powder type. On the edge of the group is a US politician who just looks like money made flesh, face as hard and blank as a government bond. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Best coffee machine 2025: I've tested DOZENS of coffee machines and these are all the ones I'd recommend

We've sipped our way through hundreds of espressos to find you the best coffee machine, whether you're looking for a feature-rich showstopper or a quick and easy pod machine

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