4 h. ago My weirdest Christmas: I took a family friend to A&E – and he went from peaky to barely responsive on the way

He insisted he was OK, but he didn’t look it, and when he tried and failed to eat Christmas lunch we knew it was time for a mercy dash to hospitalOur family friend has always been a larger than life figure. Witty, unsentimental – and not one to say no to another brandy. At family parties, he’s the one gossiping about the latest scandal to catch up with a local MP, or regaling us with tales of the outrageous philandering of various Sheffield Wednesday players over the past 40 years. He could make anything – a jacket potato, a broken relationship – funny, somehow.We would often spend Christmas morning with him and his family, before going our separate ways. But, one Christmas, about 10 years ago, when he was supposed to be meeting family abroad, he fell down the stairs, whisky in one hand, suitcase in the other, and broke his ribs. The hospital had patched him up and told him not to fly. So, here he was back with us in Sheffield, making the best of it, but looking increasingly peaky. ...

Politics

28 h. ago My weirdest Christmas: I tried to catch out Santa with a whoopee cushion – but the Big Man outwitted me

Who was Santa, really? Aged eight, I devised a cunning plan to catch him in the act, involving a booby trap and a camera. Unfortunately, the joke was on me It was Christmas Eve, 1987. The cold war was beginning to emit its last frosty guffs, Thatcher had set her sights on gay children, and Michael Fish was keeping his head down. In England’s deep south, my sister and I conspired in our bedroom. We are twins: she got the brains; I, being the eldest by a full six minutes, was to inherit the estates and titles, except there were none because my idealistic pinko parents had spent their working lives in public service.Earlier in the year, my sister had attempted to prove the existence of God. Worried about the health of her pet rabbit, Wodger, she penned him a letter pleading for help, with a rather clever “Please tick if you have read this” box at the end. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago My weirdest Christmas: I was flirting wildly with my crush – then a rogue wave ruined everything

At a Barbados beach barbecue, I attempted to attract the attention of handsome Dwayne. I ended up with drenched hair and no sunglasses or bikini topChristmas in Barbados is different. Forget snow and scarves – we do Christmas in flip-flops, sweating through church services and pretending to feel festive because there’s tinsel on a palm tree. Everyone’s singing Mary’s Boy Child as if they’re auditioning for Caribbean Idol, and someone’s auntie is halfway through a bottle of Mount Gay before 11am.But my weirdest Christmas was when I was about 19 – that magical age when you’re convinced you’re grown, but you still have braces. My mum had taken me “back home” to spend the holidays with family. I was excited because 1) I needed a break from university, 2) I could finally escape the British winter, and 3) I was ready to find a husband. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Family friend issues heartfelt update on day of vigil for nine

Aria Thorpe, 9, tragically died from a single stab wound at her home on Monday December 15 - a vigil was held in her home town of Weston-super-Mare on Thursday night

Politics

3 d. ago BREAKING NASCAR icon Greg Biffle and family killed in fireball plane crash, friend says

Multiple fatalities have been reported after a Cessna C550 private jet, which was owned by Biffle, smashed into the runway at Statesville Regional Aiport

Events

3 d. ago NASCAR icon Greg Biffle and family killed in fireball plane crash, friend says

Multiple fatalities have been reported after a Cessna C550 private jet, which was owned by Biffle, smashed into the runway at Statesville Regional Aiport

Events

5 d. ago I knew Rob Reiner's monster son Nick his whole life: Family friend reveals his 'grunting' and violent outbursts... how he always SMELLED... and sign everyone missed at age 11

Rob and Michele Reiner's son Nick was a deeply troubled child who went into violent rages from a young age, according to a family friend who has known the 32-year-old all his life.

Politics

6 d. ago Inside the Reiners' tragic final days: Family friend reveals the secrets from behind closed doors... and what REALLY sparked Hollywood bloodbath

On Sunday afternoon the couple was found dead in their Brentwood home, their throats cut. Nick on Monday morning was arrested and charged with murder.

Events

7 d. ago Assad family live in Russian luxury as Bashar ‘brushes up on ophthalmology’

Family friend, sources in Russia and Syria, and leaked data help give rare insight into life of dictator’s reclusive householdIn 2011, a group of teenage boys spray-painted a warning on to a wall in their school playground: “It’s your turn, Doctor.” The graffiti was a thinly veiled threat that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, a London-trained ophthalmologist, would be next in the line of Arab dictators toppled by the then raging Arab spring.It took 14 years, during which 620,000 were killed and nearly 14 million displaced, but eventually the doctor’s turn came and Assad was deposed, fleeing to Moscow in the middle of the night. Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago Never be honest in Hollywood – even if you’re Quentin Tarantino | Dave Schilling

Success doesn’t mean you can speak your mind – and criticizing Paul Dano is like kicking a bunny at a birthday partyThere are many things Hollywood is known for: lavish parties, subtle (or not so subtle) plastic surgery, the concept of juice as a meal. What it is not traditionally known for is honesty. I live in Los Angeles, work in the entertainment industry when I’m not moonlighting as a semi-reputable journalist and have done my fair share of lying or, more accurately, omitting the truth. One of the least pleasant experiences in town is being asked to give honest feedback to someone who is at best an acquaintance. It’s worse yet if that person is a friend, lover or family member who actually takes your opinion seriously. Overall, the notion of offering honesty to a peer is akin to rubbing poison oak on your privates.And yet, despite knowing how gruesome this can be, I still solicit feedback on scripts, films and even nascent ideas I’m toying with. Naturally, I feel guilty doing i...

Politics

1 week ago Moment jealous ex tells friend to kick down door of family home before he murdered his former partner's sister and three children in arson attack

Sharaz Ali, 40, set fire to the home of Bryonie Gawith in a botched revenge attack on his former partner Antonia Gawith in August last year.

Society

1 week ago I’m a dog expert – here’s the exact amount of time it’s safe to leave your pooch home alone

A NEW survey of over 5,000 dog owners has revealed that an astonishing 97 per cent think of their dogs as being part of the family and nearly half consider them as their best friend. Meanwhile, almost half of Scots - 49 per cent - went even further and described their pooch as being like...

Politics

1 week ago Man who died after falling from hot air balloon took his own life, inquest finds

Jesus Lato Garzon was described as a "much-loved son, family member and friend"

Events

2 w. ago Student describes ‘horror show’ ICE deportation to Honduras at Thanksgiving

Any Lucia López Belloza, 19, was detained at Boston airport while on the way to see family in Austin for a surprise tripAny Lucia López Belloza had not seen her parents and two little sisters since starting her first semester at Babson College, near Boston in August. A family friend gave her plane tickets so she could fly home to Austin and surprise them for Thanksgiving.The 19-year-old business student was already at the boarding gate at Boston airport when she was told there was an “error” with her boarding pass; when she reached customer service, she was handcuffed and arrested by what she believed were two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago My demonic ex sent me sick video as he ‘dug up’ our baby’s grave & heated up iron to disfigure my face

IT was love at first sight when Kaceylee Hookey and Tayla White locked eyes - or so she thought.  Within hours of meeting through a family friend, in August 2020, the pair were inseparable. But what started as a dream for Kaceylee would soon turn into a living nightmare. Kaceylee, then 17, tells The Sun:...

Politics

3 w. ago Chilling moment emotionless killer Ernestas Juska told cops 'I killed my mum's friend'

Chilling footage shows the moment Ernestas Juska was arrested by police after stabbing a family friend to death in his home while she slept

Events

3 w. ago Man 'excitedly' slaughtered woman before vile sex act on corpse

Depraved Ernestas Juska has been jailed for life for the brutal murder of Nina Denisova, a family friend who suffered a horrific fate at the hands of the killer

Politics

3 w. ago BREAKING: Depraved Ernestas Juska jailed for murdering family friend in her sleep before horror sex offence

Ernestas Juska, 21, told police he killed Nina Denisova as he wanted to 'lash out' and hurt someone

Events

3 w. ago Eating Thanksgiving dinner at dinnertime is ludicrous. Here’s why | Dave Schilling

Dining at 3pm allows for an ideal holiday schedule. Let’s retire the term ‘dinner’ from our Thanksgiving lexiconWithout question, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I relish the opportunity to appreciate all the wonderful things about life. I also love that it is simultaneously a holiday all about complaints, criticism and arguments. Every holiday should contain such multitudes. I might be feeling grateful for my blessings while also wishing the gravy had more salt in it. There’s something uniquely American about turning a holiday that’s meant to be a joyous celebration of abundance into a chance to vehemently disagree about something trivial.Of course, I love arguing about trivial things. In fact, that might be what I’m most grateful for. Thanksgiving traditions are fertile ground for arguments. What to eat and, even more crucially, when to eat. Every year, someone in your life – a family member, friend, know-it-all writer – will tell you they have settled the eternal debate abou...

Politics

3 w. ago Five of the weirdest Christmas specials put to the test, from mince pie wraps to Yorkshire pudding pizza

Fancy a Yorkshire pudding Christmas dinner pizza? Unfortunately, it’s entirely possible this year, report Josh Barrie and David Ellis

Politics