5 h. ago I read books every day — these are the 8 books to look out for in December

From new releases by well-known authors to hidden gems, here are some of the best books out in December that you'll want to add to your reading list

Politics

16 h. ago Post Office urges customers to send parcels before busiest day on December 8

Britons are planning on sending more gifts this Christmas compared to last year – up from 20% to 33%, according to a survey for the Post Office.

Economics

58 h. ago Expert reveals astonishing amount of water your Christmas tree needs each DAY in December to stop needle drop

DID you know that the carbon footprint from manufacturing and disposing of a single plastic Christmas tree is the equivalent to around 88lbs of greenhouse gasses? While the impact on the planet of disposing of a real tree by chipping it and recycling it into bark is pretty much zero. Of course I'm biased -...

Politics

3 d. ago Get into the holiday spirit with these festive TV offerings from comedies to rom

There’s something premiering nearly every day of December

Events

3 d. ago New film adaptation of Camus’s L’Étranger opens old colonial wounds

François Ozon’s handling of classic novel draws both praise and criticism, including from the author’s daughterMore than 80 years after it was published, Albert Camus’s L’Étranger remains one of the most widely read and fiercely contested French books in the world.Until now, few attempts have been made to adapt the novel, published in English as The Outsider, for television or cinema: it is considered problematic and divisive for its portrayal of France’s colonisation of Algeria. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Amazon's Fire TV Stick perfect for streaming is at it's lowest price ever with 60% off for Black Friday

Amazon has dropped prices on thousands of top-rated products across their site for the Black Friday countdown, with new deals going live every day, ending Cyber Monday, December 1.

Events

4 d. ago England plan extra training sessions in wake of howling first Ashes Test defeat

McCullum books extra time in nets before second TestAustralian captain Cummins may return from injuryA week of inactivity for England’s cricketers will end on Saturday following confirmation of additional training sessions having been scheduled in the wake of their howling eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the first Ashes Test.As reported by the Guardian on Monday, head coach Brendon McCullum has booked extra time in the nets ahead of the day-night second Test that starts in Brisbane on 4 December rather than send any first team players to the two-day England Lions match in Canberra this weekend. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Luigi: The Making and the Meaning by John H Richardson review – sympathy for a devil?

This nebulous study of Luigi Mangione veers close to romanticising him as a latter-day Robin HoodOn 5 December 2024, the New York Times ran the headline “Insurance CEO Gunned Down In Manhattan”. The newspaper then noted that Brian Thompson was “shot in the back in Midtown Manhattan by a killer who then walked coolly away”. The murder in broad daylight was indeed both cold and shocking. But many Americans had a different response: for those who had been denied health insurance or faced exorbitant healthcase costs, the news felt cathartic. Social media blew up. One post read: “All jokes aside no one here is the judge of who deserves to live or die. That’s the job of the AI algorithm the insurance company designed to maximize profits on your health.”Five days later, Luigi Mangione, a good-looking, 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate with a master’s in computer science, was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He awaits tri...

Politics

6 d. ago I’ve already read 42 books this year, but this is my standout favourite

This could be the best debut of the year

Politics

8 d. ago DVSA 'fault' rules learner drivers need to know before practical test

You need to pass your theory test before you book your practical - but before you get behind the wheel, read up on the latest guidance

Politics

9 d. ago Tim Dowling: my wife has always wanted to kick me out of book club. Now’s her chance

We have difffering views on my contribution to our book club: I see myself as its beating heart; my wife says I’m an interloperFor the first time in the history of book club, I can’t make it to book club. The scheduling conflict arises late in the day, which is galling because I’ve already read the book, and I can’t very well unread it.“You won’t be missed,” my wife says. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Agony uncle’ Bill Nighy leads rise of the celebrity podcast

Ill-advised, in which 75-year-old actor doles out advice and his innermost secrets, is fast becoming cult podcast of the yearBill Nighy is single. He has never read a self-help book, had no intention of becoming an actor and briefly went deaf after putting toilet paper in his ears to get to sleep. He has shutters, not curtains, in his bedroom, but has no idea what time he wakes up. If you invite him to a dinner party he will bring you exfoliating products, except don’t invite him, because he won’t come. He is good at making custard, but doesn’t cook because he lives alone “and it would be too sad”.The Surrey-born actor is as renowned for his suits as he is his singular ability to inhabit a role while remaining recognisably himself throughout. But almost 50 years into his career, Nighy is finally playing himself. A new podcast called Ill-advised casts the 75-year-old as an agony uncle, doling out advice and his innermost secrets to listeners from Italy to Mongolia to Scotland. The ac...

Politics

1 week ago Watch Jake Paul’s gruelling sweaty workout as he plots body transformation for heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua

JAKE PAUL has given fans a look into his gruelling training routine ahead of his blockbuster fight with Anthony Joshua. The pair are scheduled to face down in Miami, Florida on December 19th. The mega event, labelled Judgement Day, will be broadcast live on streaming service Netflix. Paul should already be in good condition, having...

Politics

1 week ago I am spending my retirement at sea: What life is like living permanently on board a cruise ship

Former high school language teacher Sharon Lane has read no less than 18 books since making an ‘investment in her life’. She tells Amelia Neath about moving aboard Villa Vie’s ‘Odyssey’ full time for a life at sea

Politics

1 week ago Best Betting Sites: Top UK Online Bookmakers for November 2025

Compare over 60 licensed and regulated betting sites in the UK and read our reviews of the best online bookmakers for November 2025

Politics

1 week ago Money lured Anthony Joshua to circus fight but he could really hurt Jake Paul | Donald McRae

The so-called Judgment Day will generate millions of dollars and attract huge ratings, but leave boxing a little more brokenThe unsurprising confirmation of “a colossal global showdown” between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua arrived on Monday morning with a dull thud. That grand description of an eight-round scrap between a former YouTuber and a former world heavyweight champion was supplied by Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, which also announced that the contest will be screened live on Netflix on 19 December and called Judgment Day.Boxing operates in a netherworld that appears to have sunk far beyond any fear of judgment, while Paul has always had delusions of grandeur as a novice pro. But even boxing may have to consider its own culpability should Paul be badly hurt and end up in hospital after this fully sanctioned bout with regulation 10oz gloves is held in Miami. Continue reading...

Sport

1 week ago Keep it short and find what you enjoy: how to start reading for fun

In a world full of distractions, it can be difficult to form a habit that needs attention. Experts advise on getting out of the rutMost of us read all day – texts, emails, menus, utility bills, social media captions and news stories. But fewer people are reading for fun.According to a 2022 report from the National Endowment for the Arts, 48.5% of US adults said they had read at least one book that year, down from 52.7% five years earlier, and 54.6% 10 years earlier. In the UK, a 2024 report found that half of UK adults do not regularly read for pleasure. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago She was a prison officer. He was a convicted rapist. How did she fall for him?

Cherrie-Ann Austin-Saddington was working in a men’s prison when she began a relationship with an inmate that would turn her, too, into a criminal. How do some of the most dangerous men in Britain get what they want – even behind bars?There was a moment in the summer of 2022 when 26-year-old Cherrie-Ann Austin-Saddington, a female prison officer in a men’s jail, had to make a choice. She was on her wing at HMP The Verne in Dorset, in the day room where inmates go to read books and newspapers, when a prisoner called Bradley Trengrove handed her a magazine. Concealed within its pages was a slip of paper with a number written on it – the number of his secret, illicit mobile phone. Under the watchful eye of the prison’s security cameras, Austin-Saddington had to decide what to do next.“I was thinking, do I report it? Do I not report it?” she says. “I wasn’t thinking, I’ll text him – that wasn’t in my head.” But she did not throw the piece of paper away. She kept it, and in the end decid...

Events

2 w. ago These are the busiest rail travel days you need to avoid this festive season

Passengers can enjoy an uncrowded trip on 24 and 31 December as well as New Year’s Day – as long as the line is open

Transport

2 w. ago 14 best Christmas books for kids, read by parents and children

From heartwarming winter tales to festive audiobooks, these are the titles for little ones to read this December

Society