45 minutes ago Shakira reveals Chris Martin checked in on her ‘every day’ after her split from Gerard Piqué

The ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ singer split from her partner of 11 years in 2022

Politics

50 minutes ago Dozens of UK Amazon workers suffer serious injuries leading to union anger

New data over recent years reveal blindings and amputations, prompting calls for more focus on safety for vulnerable staff

Events

51 minutes ago The Christmas that went wrong: I met my new girlfriend’s family – and talk turned to my book on masturbation

My partner’s family knew I was writing about self-discovery and self-pleasure, but I wasn’t prepared for where the discussion would take usI flew from London to New York on Christmas Eve 2014 to spend Christmas Day with Cassie’s family. It’s the sort of thing you’re supposed to do when you’ve been going out with someone for 10 years, but I’d only known Cassie a few months. She came out to her father about dating me and it didn’t go down well. Then, a few weeks later, she told him over a family dinner that I was writing a book about masturbation. Her sister and mother took her aside in the kitchen afterwards. “Why didn’t you just tell him she’s writing a book on travel, or something?” her sister asked.Spending Christmas Day together was supposed to smooth things over, but no sooner had we sat down to eat than her father asked me about what I was writing. Maybe he thought I’d changed my mind, and gone for something a bit more Downton Abbey? Cassie’s sister looked at me intently, darin...

Politics

51 minutes ago Best of 2024: As a teenager, John was jailed for assaulting someone and stealing their bike. That was 17 years ago – will he ever be released? – podcast

Every Monday and Friday for the rest of December we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2023, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it.From June: Indeterminate sentences are devastating to mental health, but prisoners with mental illness are less likely to be released. The result is a vicious cycle whereby the most vulnerable inmates often have the least chance of getting out – as John’s case shows. By Sophie Atkinson Continue reading...

Events

56 minutes ago GB Energy will bring opportunities and risks for Scottish financial institutions

Funding challenges and generational divides will come into play when the headquarters in Aberdeen opens for business, writes Chris McLauchlan

Events

1 hour ago 'I tried viral smashed Brussels sprouts recipe and it's sure to convert any haters'

The controversial vegetable is a Christmas dinner staple, and by adding a couple of simple ingredients, you can transform them into something much more tasty

Politics

3 hours ago BBC Death In Paradise's Don Gilet divides viewers as they 'miss Ralf Little'

Don Gilet has divided Death in Paradise fans in his role as DI Mervin Wilson, with some declaring they "can't take to" the new addition and demanding the return of Ralf Little

Events

4 hours ago Number of bus passengers set to reach 100,000 on Christmas Day thanks to expanded services

Operators are meeting demand fuelled by a fall in the proportion of young people able to drive, said industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

Politics

5 hours ago Trump vows to rename Denali, North America’s tallest mountain, as Mount McKinley

Democratic former President Barack Obama renamed the mountain using the local natives’ name of Denali in 2015, after a decades-long naming battleUS president-elect Donald Trump has said he will rename Denali, Alaska natives’ name for North America’s tallest mountain, after William McKinley, the 25th US president who was assassinated in 1901.Democratic former President Barack Obama in 2015 officially renamed the mountain as Denali, siding with the state of Alaska and ending a decades-long naming battle. The peak had been officially called Mount McKinley since 1917. Continue reading...

Politics

5 hours ago Labour MP invites Donald Trump ‘home’ to visit the Scottish island where his mother was born

Exclusive: Torcuil Crichton, whose party leader Keir Starmer is expected to offer the US president-elect a state visit, sent the message in a Christmas card

Politics