92 m. ago ‘It was very difficult to hold on to’: are Michelin stars a blessing

The esteemed restaurant guide has struggled to stay relevant, with some leading chefs even barring reviewers or asking for their stars to be removed. Is this the end of fine dining?Time was, the ultimate honour for any ambitious chef was to gain a Michelin star or two. Better still, three. But these days, the world of fine dining is in a state of flux. Far from going to any lengths to schmooze critics or diners, restaurateurs are taking them on, from publicly berating customers who don’t spend enough to ejecting anyone who even threatens to leave an unfavourable review.Nowhere is this gear change more noticeable than in attitudes towards the esteemed “red book”, the Michelin Guide. Last October, Giglio, a restaurant in the Italian town of Lucca, asked for its star to be removed from the guide. It had become a burden, according to co-owner, Benedetto Rullo. Many diners were deterred by the prospect of “fussy” food and a formal atmosphere. “One should be able to go to a fine restauran...

Politics

92 m. ago A ‘strange dance’: media mogul Saad Mohseni on making TV under the Taliban

Once dubbed the ‘Afghan Rupert Murdoch’, Mohseni’s media business was founded after the fall of the Taliban and is now navigating their returnSaad Mohseni wants more female faces on his Afghan TV channel. He hopes he might get a deal with the Taliban for him to air a historical drama – in which all the women have been through the menopause.“If a woman menstruates, [the showing of an uncovered female face] is haram [forbidden], right?” Mohseni said. “But as soon as they go through, you know, menopause, then you can have them uncovered. It’s ridiculous, it’s so offensive. So now we try to negotiate with [the Taliban] to do a soap opera that’s going to have these women over the age of 50. We have to try.” Continue reading...

Culture

4 h. ago I stayed at the 'haunted' luxury hotel where medieval monks lived and one thing was exceptional

The Priory's revamped restaurant is a jewel in the crown of Wales' hospitality

Society

7 h. ago Female hockey fan turns heads after being caught on live TV wearing a NSFW T

A female hockey fan sitting behind the Dallas Stars bench was caught on live television wearing a NSFW t-shirt, with NHL fans keeping their eyes glued to her any time she appeared.

Sport

8 h. ago Adele makes rare appearance with her fiancé Rich Paul amid music break

The Grammy winner announced her hiatus in late 2024 toward end of her Las Vegas residency

Politics

10 h. ago Martin Lewis MSE warning to anyone who has moved home since 1993

If you've moved house in the last 31 years, especially to a different council area, you could be one of the 800,000 households eligible for a Council Tax refund worth £100s

Events

10 h. ago Grim WW3 warning as nation faces 'very difficult situation' and admits 'we're not ready'

All of Germany's 579 war bunkers are reportedly not fit for purpose should World War Three break out, after an expert said it's 'a very, very difficult situation we have here'

Events

12 h. ago Safest part of the world to live in if WW3 broke out uncovered by nuclear war expert

A nuclear war expert has explained where the safest place to live would be if World War III was to break out, and it's not in Europe or America as you might expect

Events

13 h. ago F1 employee quizzed over 'massage wand' in Saudi Arabia as another has 'toy' confiscated

The girlfriend of an F1 employee had her adult toy confiscated at the airport as she travelled to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with another female embarrassed by strict laws

Politics

13 h. ago Shocking footage emerges of moment NBA star DeMar DeRozan shoved fan to the floor in restaurant brawl

The incident, which reportedly occurred on Friday night, has been laid bare by stunning new footage, and shows the NBA superstar standing over the man as he lays on the floor on his back.

Events

13 h. ago The Illegals by Shaun Walker review – Russian spies hiding in plain sight

The strange stories of the agents who lived apparently normal lives in the west as part of Soviet espionage programmes make compelling readingOne muggy afternoon in June 2010, Don Heathfield and his wife, Ann, were relaxing over a bottle of champagne with their two sons, Tim and Alex, when they heard a loud knocking at the door. The family was celebrating Tim’s 20th birthday at their comfortable home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after lunch in a restaurant. Tim’s mother went to answer the door, calling out as she did so that some of his friends must have arrived to wish him a happy birthday. Instead she found a group of men dressed in black waiting on the doorstep. Bellowing “FBI”, they barged their way into the house and handcuffed Ann and her husband, before marching them outside and driving them away.Alex assumed that there had been a terrible mistake; his parents were much too boring to warrant such a dramatic arrest. But there was no mistake. His parents were not Don Heathfield...

Events

14 h. ago Dame Prue Leith says she ‘hasn’t got much longer’ to spend with her husband

The restaurateur, 85, stepped back from presenting ‘The Great Celebrity Bake Off’ last year

Politics

14 h. ago Chelsea break Fulham hearts as Pedro Neto completes stunning turnaround

These are the moments that turn seasons. Credit goes to Enzo Maresca, whose substitutions altered the flow of this west London derby and provided Chelsea with the foundations to break Fulham’s hearts with a stunning turnaround at Craven Cottage.Fulham were clinging on to their 1-0 lead when Maresca took off his only striker, Nicolas Jackson, and replaced him with Tyrique George with 12 minutes left. The 19-year-old winger soon conjured a fine equaliser and there was time for Chelsea, who had not won on the road since December, to revive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League when Pedro Neto lashed in a firecracker of a shot in added time. Continue reading...

Politics

15 h. ago 9 popular restaurant chains of the 70s, 80s, 90s and noughties we have lost, including much

They were some of the most popular restaurants and takeaways of their day.

Politics

15 h. ago Famed scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki DEFENDS Katy Perry's space trip and says the pop star is being 'picked on' simply because she's female after controversial Blue Origin flight

Famed Australian scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Jeff Bezo's all-female Blue Origin space flight.

Politics

16 h. ago Trans activists proudly show themselves off in female toilets despite Supreme Court ruling saying they are NOT women

The landmark Supreme Court hearing ruled that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex, meaning transgender women are no longer considered women in the eyes of the law.

Events

17 h. ago Joe Rogan DESTROYS Katy Perry's absurd behavior... and reveals symbol that strikes at her vacuity

Joe Rogan brutally roasted the all-female Blue Origin space flight as he laid into fans fawning over their 'achievement' on the short trip to the edge of space in his latest podcast episode on Saturday.

Events

19 h. ago Full list of bank holidays still to come after Easter in Scotland in 2025

As people enjoy the Easter Sunday, many are already planning their next chance for a break in 2025.

Politics

19 h. ago Zara McDermott beams as she returns home from romantic break with Louis Tomlinson

Zara McDermott did little to hide her loved up appearance as she smiled for the cameras on return to the UK following a trip to Malibu with new man Louis Tomlinson

Politics

20 h. ago He banned her from using social media, cut her off from friends and tried to break into her home

Chris Lambeth was jailed for 13 months

Events