6 h. ago ‘A little light in the dark’: the former Chinese police officer bringing bubble tea to wartorn Ukraine

Brother Dong is one of a growing band of Chinese volunteers who are lending their support to UkraineAre you looking for a way to stay sane in an environment that has been torn apart by war? Then perhaps what you need is a bubble tea.That is the philosophy guiding Brother Dong, a Chinese-German volunteer in Ukraine. The 52-year-old former officer in China’s People’s Armed Police drives once a month from his home in Frankfurt to collect a haul of tapioca pearls from a warehouse in Berlin. From there he drives across Poland to reach Ukraine. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago New Year snowstorm to bring 11 inches of snow as Met Office issues 5 yellow warnings

A New Year snowstorm is set to hit the UK with parts of the country told to expect 11 inches, around 30cm, of snow and travel disruption as 2026 arrives

Events

9 h. ago Met Office issues snow warning as New Year brings Arctic freeze that has sent temperatures plummeting to

The Met Office has issued a 42-hour yellow warning for heavy snow showers and gale-force winds in Scotland from 6am on New Year's Day until the end of Friday.

Events

33 h. ago Scotland weather: Snow forecast issued by the Met Office ahead of New Year's Day

Watch the Met Office video forecast, as brisk northwesterly winds are forecast to bring wintry showers to the north.

Society

4 d. ago Duckett and Bethell were dangled out to dry by failings of a slack set

No rational judge could have expected England’s fall guys to succeed at the MCG where they were thrown on to a festive bonfireGuess who just got back today? Those wild-eyed boys that had been away. This was a day of brittle, over-caffeinated cricket, on an MCG pitch streaked with faint green ridges. But it was also a day when the boys were, however briefly, back in town.Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell have been the two protagonists in the grainy, Zapruder-style footage from England’s six-day, mid-series jig-about by the sea. True to apparent recent form, both were here for a good time not a long time as England were bowled out for 110 in 29.5 overs. Both batted like men groping for the light switch in the dark against a new ball that seamed the width of the bat at times. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Duckett and Bethell were dangled out to dry by failings of a slack setup | Barney Ronay

No rational judge could have expected England’s fall guys to succeed at the MCG where they were thrown on to a festive bonfireGuess who just got back today? Those wild-eyed boys that had been away. This was a day of brittle, over-caffeinated cricket, on an MCG pitch streaked with faint green ridges. But it was also a day when the boys were, however briefly, back in town.Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell have been the two protagonists in the grainy, Zapruder-style footage from England’s six-day, mid-series jig-about by the sea. True to apparent recent form, both were here for a good time not a long time as England were bowled out for 110 in 29.5 overs. Both batted like men groping for the light switch in the dark against a new ball that seamed the width of the bat at times. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Auf Wiedersehen, pets: Duckett and Bethell were (briefly) back in town but failings lie at the top | Barney Ronay

No rational judge could have expected England’s fall guys to succeed at the MCG where they were thrown on to a festive bonfire by a lack of red-ball cricket and a slack set-upGuess who just got back today? Those wild-eyed boys that had been away. This was a day of brittle, over-caffeinated cricket, on an MCG pitch streaked with faint green ridges at the start, like an under-ripe, peeled potato. But it was also a day when the boys were, however briefly, back in town.Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell have been the two protagonists in the grainy, Zapruder-style footage from England’s six-day, mid-series jig-about by the sea. True to apparent recent form, both were here for a good time not a long time as England were bowled out for 110 in 29.5 overs. Both batted like men groping for the light switch in the dark against a new ball that seamed the width of the bat at times. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Hopes for Christmas peace breakthrough in Ukraine as Zelensky offers DMZ in wartorn east in possible deal with Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky has said a new plan to end the war could freeze the front line while allowing for the creation of demilitarised zones. The Ukrainian President said the 20-point plan agreed with the U.S. is still under Kremlin review, though Russia is unlikely to drop territorial demands. He added there are still points in...

Politics

1 week ago Israeli troops kill six Palestinians sheltering in Gaza school, say hospital chiefs

Attack brings total numbers of Palestinians killed by Israel to 401 since October ceasefire took effectThe Israeli military killed six Palestinians, including a baby, who were in a school that sheltered displaced people in Gaza City on Friday, hospital officials have said. The attack brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israel to 401 since the October ceasefire took effect.Israeli troops fired over the ceasefire line which they have withdrawn to, killing the Palestinians and wounding a number more, the Palestinian civil defence said in a statement. It added that it was only able to recover the bodies after coordinating with the UN, to ensure they did not also come under Israeli fire. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Israeli troops kill five Palestinians sheltering in Gaza school, say hospital chiefs

Attack brings total numbers of Palestinians killed by Israel to 400 since October ceasefire took effectIsrael Defense Forces killed five Palestinians, including a baby, who were in a school that sheltered displaced people in Gaza City on Friday, hospital officials have said. The attack brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israel to 400 since the October ceasefire took effect.Israeli troops fired over the ceasefire line which they have withdrawn to, killing the Palestinians and wounding a number more, the Palestinian civil defence said in a statement. It added that it was only able to recover the bodies after coordinating with the UN, to ensure they did not also come under Israeli fire. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago German prosecutors bring charges against Greensill officials over role in bank’s collapse

Bremen lawyers say three unnamed people charged with crimes relating to bankruptcy and misrepresentation of bank’s financesGerman prosecutors have brought criminal charges against three people involved in running Greensill Bank for their role in the 2021 collapse of the lender.The Bremen public prosecutor’s office said the unnamed people were charged with crimes related to the bankruptcy, as well as the misrepresentation of the German bank’s finances. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Met Office: 2026 will bring heat more than 1.4C above preindustrial levels

Forecast is slightly cooler than the record 1.55C reached in 2024, but 2026 set to be among four hottest years since 1850Next year will bring heat more than 1.4C above preindustrial levels, meteorologists project, as fossil fuel pollution continues to bake the Earth and fuel extreme weather.The UK Met Office’s central forecast is slightly cooler than the 1.55C reached in 2024, the warmest year on record, but 2026 is set to be among the four hottest years dating back to 1850. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago Green sleeves? Laundry detergent being tweaked owing to gen Z’s love of matcha

Japanese green tea named stain of the year as survey finds Aperol spritz and bubble tea are also leaving their markIt used to be curry sauce, egg yolk and red wine that ruined Britain’s clothes but in a sign of the times laundry detergents are being reformulated to tackle stains left by matcha lattes, Aperol spritz and bubble tea.In a month when year-end gongs are dished out, from BBC Sports Personality to Pantone’s Colour of 2026 (a white called “cloud dancer”), matcha has received the dubious accolade “stain of the year”.Matcha (39%).Aperol/Cocktails (38%).Lipstick/bronzer (37).Protein shakes/sports drinks (35%).Bubble tea (35%).Nail polish (35%).Sriracha/hot sauces (34%).Deodorant (33%).Makeup/foundation (32%). Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Chancellor’s Budget to help bring down inflation from spring, say Bank officials

Clare Lombardelli, deputy governor of the central bank, pointed towards the continued easing of inflation on Tuesday.

Economics

3 w. ago All hail Avatar! How event movies are trying to bring back the box office blockbuster

Ahead of James Cameron’s latest Avatar sequel hitting the big screen, we look at how studios aim for ‘theatricality’ to get streaming film fans from sofa to cinemaIf anyone still knows how to fill a movie theatre, it’s James Cameron. Having broken the all-time worldwide box office record in 1997 with Titanic and again 12 years later with Avatar, his work is the acme of big-screen spectacle.His latest offering, Avatar: Fire and Ash, arrives in radically different circumstances. With several years now between us and the pandemic, it is clear that theatrical box office is likely not coming back to what it was: US total box office for 2025 currently stands at $7.6bn (down from $11.3bn in 2019); the worldwide haul is expected to be around $34.1bn, a 13% drop from pre-Covid times. All the more onus on Cameron’s hypertrophic Smurfs to bring in the box office cavalry at year’s end. And hopefully supply some further indications about the magic elixir needed to break the Netflix’n’chill stran...

Sport

3 w. ago Multiple UK weather warnings as Storm Bram brings 90mph winds with Brits told to prepare

The Met Office has issued 8 weather warnings as Storm Bram brings winds up to 90mph and heavy rain battering Brits across parts of UK as the wild weather is set to begin this evening

Events

3 w. ago Russia launches attacks across Ukraine as Miami peace talks continue

Targets of more than Russian 650 drones and 51 missiles include western regions with sirens sounding in eastern Poland Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine in the early hours of Saturday, as US and Ukrainian officials continue talks in Miami that the White House hopes will bring an end to the conflict.Russia used more than 650 drones and 51 missiles overnight, Ukraine’s armed forces said, with drones targeting locations across the country, including in the western regions hundreds of miles from the frontline. Warning sirens also sounded in parts of eastern Poland, close to the Ukrainian border. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago A year on, divine Mbappé returns to the Cathedral where everything changed | Sid Lowe

Frenchman’s epiphany after a missed penalty at San Mamés in 2024 has led to a sensational 2025. Real Madrid are purring againKylian Mbappé returned to the Cathedral where he experienced his epiphany in 2024, his resurrection born after hitting rock bottom, and delivered something like salvation. Exactly a year since he missed a penalty there, a bad moment he later said was a good one, the Frenchman was back at San Mamés on Wednesday night.Last time, he missed a second penalty in a week, an awakening accompanying failure; this time, he scored two goals in an hour and set up another, light let in through the dark again. As the Frenchman headed off the pitch early, Madrid 3-0 up against Athletic Bilbao with 15 minutes left, he embraced Xabi Alonso, who is still his manager. Continue reading...

Politics

last month Relaxed Gary Lineker spotted by fans on streets of Mexico with his son and daughter

The former England and Barcelona striker looked relaxed as he walked beside Bella Lineker, wearing a light blue shirt, dark coloured shorts, and brown sandals.

Politics