21 m. ago Scotland’s most notorious catfish duped me & 100 others out of nudes – I turned detective to track them down

WHEN Abbie Draper received a Facebook friend request in late 2014, she didn't think much of it. Little did she realise she'd soon be switching from her job as an airline steward to full-on detective after falling victim to Adele Rennie, who has since become known as Scotland's most notorious catfish. Abbie, 35, from Kilmarnock,...

Politics

47 m. ago Iran cannot be bombed into democracy. But it can be helped to find its way there | Simon Tisdall

Independent media, civil society, the rule of law – these are the things that Iranians truly need. And there are ways for the west to help secure themSoon after becoming president in 2017, Donald Trump ordered an attack on an Islamic State (IS) underground complex in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The strike involved the first-ever use in combat of a GBU-43 massive ordnance air blast (Moab) “bunker buster” bomb – the US’s most powerful conventional weapon. The bombing killed about 90 insurgents but failed to crush IS. It also made zero long-term difference to the US’s losing battle with the Taliban.Yet that was not the point. Inexperienced Trump, who had famously avoided military service, was keen to show he was in charge, a commander-in-chief unafraid to make tough calls and send troops into harm’s way. He craved a big bang – a spectacular demonstration of unmatched US power. Like a teenager who unexpectedly obtains the keys to the family gun cabinet, he could not resist the tem...

Events

48 m. ago Blockbuster 'too complex for average viewers' on ITV tonight

Fans have defended the film as 'underrated' as one review saying it's 'too complex for average viewers'

Politics

1 hour ago Why the Lumie Bodyclock Glow sunrise alarm clock is the best wake

Our reviewer loved this wake-up light more than any other he’s tested – it’s even knocked his previous best sunrise alarm off the top spot• Read the full ranking in our sunrise alarm clock testSince I first tested sunrise alarm clocks last winter, I’ve come to suspect that there’s no such thing as getting up on the wrong side of bed. What we ought to be worried about is waking up on the wrong side of dawn.During summer (and other times of the year, for late risers), the sunrise begins to rouse us before we wake up. The brain kicks into gear and sends signals to initiate all sorts of bodily processes, from metabolism to hormone release, which helps us to feel ready for the day. It’s a fundament of our circadian rhythm – and we miss out on it whenever we wake before it gets light. Continue reading...

Events

1 hour ago Eight of the best affordable beach holidays, from Crete to the Costa de la Luz

Kick back and dream of summer with our pick of seaside gems, including a stylish Andalucian bolthole and a villa with views of StromboliWild, windswept and wonderfully unspoilt, the Costa de la Luz is the Spanish coastline time forgot; a great swathe of Atlantic drama, fringed with sandy beaches and small seaside villages and resorts. Hotel Madreselva, surrounded by the pine forest, wetlands, dunes and sea cliffs of the Breña y Marismas de Barbate nature reserve, makes a suitably tranquil base, with a palm-shaded courtyard, flame-walled pool area and 18 stylish rooms, all with a private patio. A minute’s walk from the beach at Los Caños de Meca, the hotel is perfect for watersports lovers, as well as exploring this unspoilt corner of Andalucia. The hilltop pueblo blanco of Vejer, a 20-minute drive away, has charm in spades, while Cape Trafalgar, a lighthouse with views over the Strait of Gibraltar, is 10 minutes’ walk along the beach.Doubles from £83 B&B, hotelmadreselva.com Con...

Politics

1 hour ago Long Lost Family shock as man discovered his 'parents' were really grandparents and sister was his mum

An extraodinary search for Scott Shearer this week on the emotional ITV show

Society

1 hour ago James Bulger killer Jon Venables' odd life after release and spiral into paedophilia

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. As James Bulger's family learn of Jon Venables' upcoming parole hearing, the Mirror takes a look at the killer's life after his initial release, and disturbing spiral into paedophilia

Events

1 hour ago 'We bonk for days at a time but my family doesn't approve of our naughty romps'

JUST JANE: Today our agony aunt Jane O'Gorman is dealing with a new issue from a Daily Star reader who is enjoying fun and passion but keeps being told she's selfish and rude

Politics

1 hour ago Ilhan Omar is under investigation for her skyrocketing wealth... as she berates reporters for questioning her about 'fraud'

House Republicans have launched an investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar after financial disclosures showed her family's wealth soaring from near zero to as much as $30 million in just one year.

Events

2 h. ago Departure(s) by Julian Barnes: Love, sex and a real sense of an ending

Julian Barnes will be 80 on January 19, an anniversary he is celebrating with the publication of this book, which he says will definitely be his last, although he’ll continue journalism, plus a sold-out conversation with his old mucker Ian McEwan at the Union Chapel next week.

Politics

2 h. ago Marc McNulty on Scotland caps, Reading nightmare, Spartans family affair and how cleaning now pays his bills

He's played in Scotland, England, Ireland, America and Australia but is now a stone's throw from home with Spartans - and Marc McNulty has absolutely no regrets.

Society

3 h. ago The pub that changed me: ‘It was a refuge from teenage pressures – and a portal to excitement’

At the Faversham there was thumping house music, projections of lava lamp bubbles, and bottles of K Cider. Rave culture had hit Leeds, and my friends and I plunged inI can mark out stages in my life by the pubs I’ve been to – and I started early. My grandparents used to take me to the Sandford Arms across the road from their house in Leeds on a Saturday afternoon to play the jukebox – and since I remember records like Boney M’s Rivers of Babylon this must mean I was about four. My other grandparents, meanwhile, actually ran a pub in the city centre. Their days usually started with my grandad, who did not have the bonhomie of a natural landlord, groaning to my grandmother: “You open up, Kath, I can’t face it!” Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago I made the secret soup world's oldest family swears by to help you live past 100 years

The Melis family from Italy held the Guinness World Record for the highest combined age among living siblings. Their favourite dish? Minestrone soup - and I decided to give it a try.

Society

4 h. ago I visited a village 90 minutes from Cardiff that has been chosen by Hollywood and instantly realised why

Hollywood rolled into this historic village and transformed it into Golden Globe winning Hamnet

Politics

4 h. ago Couples have 'so much fun' with 'perfect' Valentine's Day craft kits up to 40% off

Lovers tired of the same old dates have ditched traditional meals in favour of at-home crafts, hailing them 'such a cute idea'

Politics

5 h. ago Princess Eugenie 'cut off all contact' with disgraced father over Epstein scandal

It is understood Princess Eugenie, 35, refuses to speak to her father and did not visit him with her own family at Christmas following his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

Politics

6 h. ago My best friend died, then so did my dad, I knew exactly what was going to happen

"As soon as my dad was in hospital, I kind of knew... I've been here before. I know what's coming."

Events

6 h. ago David and Victoria Beckham dance away their family woes as they lark around with daughter Harper amid feud with estranged son Brooklyn

David and Victoria Beckham showed off their playful sides as Harper captured them dancing the night away at home in an Instagram video on Saturday.

Politics

6 h. ago David Byrne review – hope, humanity and dancing in a superbly paced and choreographed show

Brisbane Entertainment CentreSolo songs and Talking Heads classics mingle in a spectacular performance that doesn’t pull any punchesDressed from head to foot in iridescent orange, David Byrne and his 12-piece backing band look as if they’re about to burst into flames. On a vast, empty stage – uncluttered by amplifiers, microphones or any of the usual things that anchor a live performance – the former Talking Heads frontman is still full of twitchy energy.Thankfully, there’s no spontaneous combustion. The template for tonight’s spectacle remains the legendary Stop Making Sense tour of 1984 – via American Utopia – where the show is built in increments. It starts slowly with Heaven, from Talking Heads’ 1979 album Fear of Music, a song that has lost none of its existential power. Continue reading...

Culture

7 h. ago SARAH VINE: The real reason stars like Meghan are all obsessed with 2016

Barely has the new year got under way and already the internet has decided it's had enough of 2026. Social media is in the grip of a wave of nostalgia for 2016.

Politics