81 m. ago No, age isn’t just a number – and the sooner we realise that, the happier we will be

It’s tempting to want to stay young for ever. But each new life stage brings gains as well as lossesSitting in a cafe recently, I saw a poster advertising a barista training course for young people interested in a career in hot beverages. Things in the NHS being what they are, I enjoyed losing myself in a fantasy future spent standing behind a sleek, shiny machine, having witty exchanges with customers and colleagues as I skilfully poured smooth, foaming milk into silky dark espresso, tipping and turning each cup to create my own unique artworks on the coffee surface.That was until I read the small print, which included the rather brutal definition of “young people” as aged 18 to 24. I realised, with an internal gasp, that my limited ability to pour liquid without spilling it was not the only obstacle to this career choice. There was a core personal reality here from which I had become totally untethered: the passing of time. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Woman spends £1 on charity shop outfit but is floored to discover its real worth

Danielle was left stunned when she discovered the true value of an item she'd picked up for a bargain price. The outfit was only £1 at a chairty shop, and people think it's "gorgeous"

Economics

2 h. ago Excavation to begin at Irish mother and baby home where 796 infants were buried in septic tank

Babies were buried, without coffins, one on top of the other in the 9ft-deep chambers of of a septic tank in Tuam, Galway

Events

2 h. ago True Crime fans told to watch Prime Video's new 'gut wrenching' documentary

One Night in Idaho: The College Murders is a four-part docuseries on Prime Video

Politics

2 h. ago Ulrika Jonsson shows off her toned figure in a white bikini amid the UK heatwave

Ulrika Jonsson showed off her toned figure in a skimpy white bikini as she posed for sizzling Instagram snaps while enjoying the heatwave - as she opened up about her recent sex life.

Events

2 h. ago Florian Wirtz to Man United transfer claim made as Liverpool told his true value

Manchester United have been used as an example to demonstrate that Florian Wirtz's record move to Liverpool still represents value for money despite having cost a British record transfer fee

Politics

2 h. ago State Pension payments could be frozen due to soaring costs of annual uprating under Triple Lock

Financial expert Claire Trott suggests further increases to the age of retirement may help control soaring State Pension costs.

Economics

3 h. ago EastEnders fans gobsmacked as they find out teen Oscar Branning actor's real age

EastEnders viewers were left stunned as they found out the age of Pierre Moullier, who plays Oscar Branning on the BBC soap, as the character returned to Walford this week

Politics

4 h. ago EastEnders fans speechless after finding out Oscar Branning star's real age

EastEnders teenager Oscar Branning is back on the soap but the actor’s real age has left fans gobsmacked

Politics

4 h. ago Is it true that it’s harder to build muscle mass and strength as you age?

Getting fit can be more difficult as you grow older, but a few tweaks to aerobic and resistance training can have a positive impact and reduce the risk of disease‘Your muscles become less responsive to exercise with age,” says Professor Leigh Breen, an expert in skeletal muscle physiology and metabolism at Birmingham University. “It’s not as easy to gain muscle and strength as when you were younger.”But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort. “The idea that exercise becomes pointless past a certain age is simply wrong,” he says. “Everyone responds to structured exercise. You may not build as much visible muscle, but strength, cardiovascular health, brain function and protection against non-transmittable disease all improve.” Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Woman buys outfit found in charity shop's £1 bin and is bowled over by true worth

Danielle managed to bag a "gorgeous" outfit for just £1 after finding it in a charity shop bin, but she was bowled over by its true worth when she realised its real value

Economics

6 h. ago Killer in the nest: how young storks are being strangled by plastic

Researchers in Europe found everyday plastics, especially farmers’ baler twine, being used by the birds as a building material and entangling their young. It is a problem that affects other species too, say experts in the US, UK and ArgentinaOn a late spring morning in the farmlands of southern Portugal, Dr Marta Acácio set her ladder against a tree and began to climb. Four metres up, she reached the giant white stork nest that was her goal. She knew from telescopic camera shots there was a healthy looking chick inside – and now she wanted to ring it.But when Acácio, an ecologist from University of Montpellier in France, tried to scoop up the chick, it would not come away: it was tethered to the nest by a piece of plastic baler twine. She turned the chick over and recoiled: its belly was a mass of maggots. Continue reading...

Events

6 h. ago Florian Wirtz to Man Utd transfer claim made as Liverpool told his true value

Former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel believes that, despite the high transfer fee, Florian Wirtz offers the Reds great value even with the 22-year-old German playmaker potentially becoming a British record signing

Politics

11 h. ago Fury over John Lewis plans to build hundreds of new flats in their town: Locals say they are 'already overwhelmed with plush new tower blocks and gridlocked streets'

Locals in the commuter town of Reading, Berkshire, have hit back at the retail giant's latest proposal to turn a former distribution warehouse into high-quality rental homes.

Politics

12 h. ago Scientists detect biggest ever merger of two massive black holes

Ripples in space-time from collision recorded by gravitational wave detector forces a rethink of how the objects formScientists have detected ripples in space-time from the violent collision of two massive black holes that spiralled into one another far beyond the distant edge of the Milky Way.The black holes, each more than 100 times the mass of the sun, began circling each other long ago and finally slammed together to form an even more massive black hole about 10bn light years from Earth. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Scotland's strength in depth has been exposed and it could have major rugby repercussions

Most important match of tour is lost and it’s ‘bitterly disappointing’

Politics

15 h. ago Kentucky mass shooter wounds state trooper and others before he’s gunned down at church

Multiple people injured in shooting at Kentucky church after suspect shot state trooper, police say

Events

16 h. ago Spencer Matthews takes brutal swipe at Vogue Williams ahead of her birthday

Irish TV presenter Vogue Williams married Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews in 2018, but he's made a savage age-related dig just months before the mum-of-three turns 40

Politics

18 h. ago Brian May: 40th anniversary of Live Aid ‘bittersweet’ without Freddie Mercury

Mercury, who was lauded for his impressive vocal range, died of Aids-related illness at the age of 45 in 1991.

Events

18 h. ago Kate shares a special moment with Charlotte at Wimbledon men's final after arriving with William and George

Princess Catherine and her husband Prince William brought their eldest son Prince George, 11, and Charlotte, 10, to watch the final while seven-year-old Louis was not in attendance.

Politics