56 m. ago ‘Now it's about personal happiness’: popular Granny Wang dating show belies China’s plummeting marriage rate

Zhou Mei’s matchmaking show draws crowds in person and online, but young Chinese increasingly choose singledomThe crowd is sweltering under a red and gold awning, but Granny Wang has them rapt. Packed into the space in front of the 62-year-old’s small stage, and spilling out on to the wooden bleachers above, hundreds of people have gathered to hear Granny Wang – real name Zhao Mei – play matchmaker to young men and women at a daily show in a theme park in Kaifeng, an ancient city in central China’s Henan province.One man who volunteers to be set up comes on stage and tells Zhao that a previous relationship broke down due to a lack of time. “Well, now that you’ve met your ideal partner here, you’ll have the time,” she assures him, and the crowd cheers. Continue reading...

Culture

57 m. ago 'I was forced onto streets after marriage split but now have unique job'

Invisible Cities offers tours run by people who have experienced homelessness. For dad-of-two Andy it's been life-changing – and his clients love it too.

Politics

84 m. ago Zander Fagerson successor, judicious jackler, booming kicker

It’s a big season for Scotland’s key youngsters to come of age

Politics

87 m. ago Daughter helps find missing mum's body on girlfriend's porch after 'foul smell'

Shannon McCarthy from Jacksonville has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing her partner, Heather Sheppard, whose remains were discovered on a porch

Events

1 hour ago Vet shares five things he'd never do with his dog but not everyone agrees

A vet shared the five things he would never do with his dog as he issued a warning to pet owners everywhere - and while most people agree, some think it's too extreme

Politics

2 h. ago ‘I’m the one to beat’: is Taylor Swift’s Showgirl era set to take h to even greater heights?

Just-announced album already looks like it will make singer and partner Travis Kelce hysterically famous at a new level – and that may be precisely their planTaylor Swift’s podcast interview with her American football player boyfriend, Travis Kelce, this week yielded plenty of tidbits for fans. Across two hours of loose chat on New Heights, the show Kelce helms with his brother Jason – also a football player – Swift revealed she was obsessed with sourdough and lurked on baking blogs. The couple spent the summer with her family, caring for her 73-year-old father, Scott, after he had a quintuple heart bypass. She gave Kelce a lesson on Hamlet and taught him how to avoid internalising speculation about their two-year relationship. You could call them the tentpoles of the 35-year-old pop star’s brand: literary passions and professional self-awareness.One surprising revelation came near the end. Until the record-breaking 149-date Eras tour that Swift mounted from 2023-24, she said she ha...

Politics

2 h. ago ‘I’m the one to beat’: is Taylor Swift’s Showgirl era set to take her to even greater heights?

Just-announced album already looks like it will make singer and partner Travis Kelce hysterically famous at a new level – and that may be precisely their planTaylor Swift’s podcast interview with her American football player boyfriend, Travis Kelce, this week yielded plenty of tidbits for fans. Across two hours of loose chat on New Heights, the show Kelce helms with his brother Jason – also a football player – Swift revealed she was obsessed with sourdough and lurked on baking blogs. The couple spent the summer with her family, caring for her 73-year-old father, Scott, after he had a quintuple heart bypass. She gave Kelce a lesson on Hamlet and taught him how to avoid internalising speculation about their two-year relationship. You could call them the tentpoles of the 35-year-old pop star’s brand: literary passions and professional self-awareness.One surprising revelation came near the end. Until the record-breaking 149-date Eras tour that Swift mounted from 2023-24, she said she ha...

Politics

2 h. ago LookFantastic knocks over £20 off 'show stopper' designer perfume

'The best in my shelf. And the perfect go to for a date night/dinner night with your partner. The smell is mesmerising. The waiter walked past and turned around to ask what I was wearing. So definitely a show stopper perfume.'

Economics

3 h. ago Gardening expert warns 'don't get too comfortable' in August amid pest threat

While August is traditionally a time to kick back and relax in the sunshine, a garden expert has warned that Brits need to remain vigilant when it comes to one problem pest

Events

4 h. ago Scots dad drowns in Turkey after he's 'found motionless' during family boat trip

John Nelson's body was pulled from the water near Marmaris but sadly he could not be saved.

Events

4 h. ago Shady past of Virgin Atlantic passenger who threatened to 'gang rape' stewardess

Salman Iftikhar launched a prolonged and vile verbal assault on a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant on a plane for Lahore, Pakistan, and the dad was jailed last week

Events

6 h. ago Warning issued as common toxic substance could 'kill dog in minutes'

Dog owners are being urged to keep their dogs away from a common toxic substance that is found in freshwater and which can make them extremely ill and even lead to death

Events

9 h. ago Liverpool: Arne Slot pays fresh tribute to Diogo Jota after Reds win Premier League opener

A minute’s silence was observed in the striker’s memory ahead of kick-off

Politics

10 h. ago 'Abusive' man who murdered partner before attempting to stage false scene convicted after police uncover lies

It took a jury just six hours to find Clifford Cowen guilty

Events

12 h. ago Emmerdale's Mike Parr shares how fatherhood changed his life as he expects first baby

Emmerdale star Mike Parr, who plays Ross Barton in the hit ITV soap, is set to welcome his first child with partner Isabelle Du Plessis after confirming their romance in 2024.

Politics

13 h. ago Dog owner shares important reason to always watch pet's tongue during warm weather

An animal lover has issued a stark warning to pet owners urging them to keep an eye on their dog's tongue and the way they pant in the heat as it could save their lives

Events

13 h. ago Liverpool v Bournemouth live: Premier League season kicks off with seven debuts as Ekitike starts for champions

Will Liverpool get their Premier League title defence off to a winning start or can Bournemouth cause an upset at Anfield?

Politics

14 h. ago Clarkson's Farm star teases filming update after 'devastating' news

Jeremy Clarkson's partner and Clarkson's Farm star Lisa Hogan has delivered an update to fans.

Politics

15 h. ago Liverpool v Bournemouth live: Premier League season kicks off with Wirtz set to debut for new

Will Liverpool get their Premier League title defence off to a winning start or can Bournemouth cause an upset at Anfield?

Politics

15 h. ago Football Daily | A new Premier League season rolls off the assembly line with subplots galore

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!Will Liverpool canter to another title? Have Manchester City rediscovered their mojo? Have Arsenal finally found the missing pieces of the jigsaw? Will Chelsea’s midsummer Copa Gianni endeavours catch up with them? Can any or all of the three promoted sides make a decent fist of not going straight back down this time? Will Fulham finish 11th or 12th? How adverse an effect will being the father of twins going through the terrible twos have on the form of Jarrod Bowen? Some early clues to the answers of these and many other questions will be provided this weekend as the latest beautifully packaged model of the Premier League rolls off the assembly line, kicking off with tonight’s ding-dong between Liverpool and what’s left of a Bournemouth carcass that has been feasted upon by a wake of vultures during the transfer window. A club so resilient and resourceful that at one point they exhibited the massed ranks of their lame and halt Davi...

Politics