70 m. ago The friendship secret: why socialising could help you live longer

Neuroscientist Ben Rein is on a mission to show that being around others not only feels good, but can even improve recovery from strokes, cancer and heart attacks. So why are so many of us isolated and glued to our phones?‘I hate it.” I’ve asked the neuroscientist Ben Rein how he feels about the online sea of junk neuroscience we swim in – the “dopamine fasts”, “serotonin boosts” and people “regulating” their “nervous system” – and this is his kneejerk response. He was up early with his newborn daughter at his home in Buffalo, New York, but he’s fresh-faced and full of beans on a video call, swiftly qualifying that heartfelt statement. “Let me clarify my position: I don’t hate it when it’s accurate, but it’s rarely accurate.”He draws my attention to a reel he saw recently on social media of a man explaining that reframing pain as “neurofeedback, not punishment” activates the anterior cingulate cortex (a part of the brain involved in registering pain). “That’s genuinely never been st...

Society

70 m. ago My favourite family photo: ‘We’re plainly not allergic to our mother here, as her legend always had it’

Our politically engaged mother loved deriding me and my sister for being stroppy and delinquent. This picture tells another story – and is a testament to our sunny dispositionsMy mother, Gwen, liked to describe things in broad brush strokes. Me and my sister’s teenage years, mid-80s to early 90s, she’d cover with: “Zoe was delinquent, couldn’t get a word of sense out of her.” Or: “1986? That was the year Stacey was awful.” Going through photo albums to make a montage for her funeral, all her pictures from that era were testament to our ill-behaviour: me, sniffing a geranium, sarcastically; Stace, outside a cafe in an indeterminable European city where you can almost lip-read her stroppy “piss off” to camera in the still moment.Gwen was politically engaged – you’d come downstairs on a Wednesday morning to find a handwritten letter starting, “Dear Pérez de Cuéllar, I cannot deplore enough your silence on the matter of the Western Sahara” – and heavily involved in progressive politics:...

Culture

1 hour ago Monday’s briefing: Man Utd exit FA Cup but Arsenal still fighting on four fronts

Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts claimed a crucial 1-0 win at Dundee.

Sport

1 hour ago New 'sleeping bag' means babies with jaundice in Scotland can be treated at home

A new Hospital at Home service using sleeping bag-style garments will allow babies with jaundice to be treated at home.

Politics

1 hour ago Dear Coleen: I’m happy with my younger lover but I’m told it will fail

The woman told Coleen: "He is mature and I’m young at heart, so we meet in the middle."

Events

1 hour ago Russell Grant's horoscopes as Sagittarius told to embrace the moment

Today's star signs as Virgo urged to consider response and Capricorn told to embrace mystery.

Politics

2 h. ago Horror moment fire breaks out backstage at the 2026 Golden Globes

While A-listers took to the stage at the Golden Globes to accept their awards, disaster struck just feet away backstage.

Events

2 h. ago Claudia Winkleman style fingerless gloves are £4 in clever deal stack

The Traitors host is a big fan of wrist warmers - shoppers have found a pair on Debenhams in the sale, and love them so much they've 'bought two pairs'

Economics

4 h. ago Even if net migration reaches zero, voters will not forgive Labour while thousands keep crossing the Channel: STEPHEN GLOVER

What would happen to the prospects of Reform UK if net migration were to dip to almost zero, as some forecasters are saying could happen as soon as the end of this year?

Politics

4 h. ago Moment truck ploughs into crowd of Iranian protesters in LA before cops drag driver away

THIS is the moment a truck ploughed into a crowd of hundreds of anti-Iranian regime supporters. Chaos erupted after the U-Haul vehicle mowed through the demonstration outside a federal building in Westwood, Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. Emergency services were called to the scene around 3.30pm to reports that a man drove the truck through...

Events

6 h. ago 'This is our Berlin Wall moment. So why is Starmer all but silent on the plight of the Iranians?': A powerful intervention from the son of the late Shah of Iran

The chant resounds through the streets of Iran's holiest cities. 'The final battle. Pahlavi will return,' the protesters cry. 'Javid Shah! [Long live the Shah!].

Politics

7 h. ago Flood warnings issued across Scotland amid heavy rain and melting snow

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued a number of warnings and alerts.

Events

7 h. ago Starmer hails parental leave changes as putting ‘dignity back at heart of work’

The Government states this will offer an additional 1.5 million parents increased flexibility to share childcare responsibilities

Politics

7 h. ago Scotland's Stuart Hogg is late hero as Montpellier continue fine run of form

Experienced back lands winning kick in Challenge Cup clash

Politics

7 h. ago Celtic relish the chase as Arne Engels warns Rangers and Hearts that champions are back in the title hunt

The Hoops are up for the battle again as Engels and the squad believe they owe it to Martin O'Neill to keep producing the goods

Events

7 h. ago Hearts' gloved superhero pulls off moment to match Sunderland gasps and strengthen Scotland case

Dundee 0-1 Hearts: Keeper’s incredible moment could be defining in title race

Politics

7 h. ago Scott McTominay lights up San Siro for Napoli but Man Utd loanee and dismissed Antonio Conte have nights to forget

Scotland star nets two equalisers to earn draw at Inter

Politics

8 h. ago Raphinha doubles up as Barcelona sink Real Madrid to lift Spanish Super Cup

Supercopa de España: Barcelona 3-2 Real MadridRaphinha 36 73, Lewandowski 45+4; Vinícius 45+2, García 45+7Football is wild sometimes, and this was one of those times. A night that didn’t always make sense but was a lot of fun ended with every player on the pitch inside the Barcelona penalty area and the ball dropping through the crowd to Raúl Asencio, standing there on the edge of the six yard box. The board had gone up with six minutes on it, those six minutes had passed and now here it was, his moment and another twist: the chance to somehow take the Super Cup final to a penalty shootout.Instead, with the clock on 96.43 Asencio headed at Joan García. On his line, the goalkeeper grabbed the shot and held on hard; his team had done the same, two goals from Raphinha and another from Robert Lewandowski enough to take the trophy, goals from Vinícius Júnior and Gonzalo García not enough to take it from them. Whether they will be enough to keep Xabi Alonso in his job remains to be seem; ...

Politics

8 h. ago Martin O'Neill pulls back Celtic shower curtain after Nancyball nightmare and there could be light at end of the tunnel

Michael Gannon was at Parkhead on Saturday to see the club legend return like he'd never been away

Politics

9 h. ago Trump’s military threats risk sabotaging Iran’s moment of change

Editorial: There is a danger that US intervention now could unite the regime, fracture the opposition, derail the uprising and repeat the West’s worst mistakes

Events