64 h. ago Your dog loves you more than you realise if they do any of these 5 things

Pet owners may not realise their dogs are showing affection all the time, but experts say there are five subtle behaviours that reveal just how much your furry friend loves you

Politics

5 d. ago My big night out: I danced alone in a nightclub – and realised I could make my own good time

I had gone out with friends to mark the end of university, and one by one they disappeared. With the music throbbing, I learned I could be comfortable in my own companyBetween the ages of 16 and 21, the big night out wasn’t just a hobby, it was a calling. Getting together with friends, getting drunk, being blasted by music, meeting new friends in the smoking area, getting more drunk, somehow making it home eight hours later – these were things I excelled at, the precious moments where I could try to lose myself and avoid the anxiety that inevitably came with daybreak.The escapism wasn’t just selfish fun. It felt like a necessary avoidance of reality, which for me consisted of having a mother with a terminal illness who would die when I was 19, leaving me at university to cope with my grief. Going out, dancing and chatting rubbish to friends was one way to survive. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Strictly fans 'in mourning' as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman present last ever show

Fans of Strictly Come Dancing were in tears as they realised the Christmas special would be the last time Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman would be seen presenting together

Politics

1 week ago Little boy from Love Actually has wild connection to Elon Musk in real life

The little boy from Love Actually is one of the most cherished Christmas characters of all time, but you may not realise, in real life, he has a wild connection to Elon Musk

Politics

1 week ago Dear Coleen: I'm getting married in July but slept with someone in Ibiza

"It was more than just sex for me – I realised I really like this woman and spending time with her also made me realise that I shouldn’t be getting married."

Politics

1 week ago ‘It’s an open invasion’: how millions of quagga mussels changed Lake Geneva for ever

The molluscs are decimating food chains in Switzerland, have devastated the Great Lakes in the US, and this week were spotted in Northern Ireland for the first timeLike cholesterol clogging up an artery, it took just a couple of years for the quagga mussels to infiltrate the 5km (3-mile) highway of pipes under the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL). By the time anyone realised what was going on, it was too late. The power of some heat exchangers had dropped by a third, blocked with ground-up shells.The air conditioning faltered, and buildings that should have been less than 24C in the summer heat couldn’t get below 26 to 27C. The invasive mollusc had infiltrated pipes that suck cold water from a depth of 75 metres (250ft) in Lake Geneva to cool buildings. “It’s an open invasion,” says Mathurin Dupanier, utilities operations manager at EPFL.Mathurin Dupanier indicates the water cooling systems that were blocked by the invasive quagga mussels. Photographs: Phoebe We...

Events

3 w. ago 'I tried popular Christmas dessert for first time and realised I'd been living a lie'

What are you having for Christmas dinner dessert? There's something Danielle Kate Wroe had never tried until recently, and she wants to convince you to sample it too

Politics