60 m. ago The best champagnes under £40 that experts drink at Christmas and New Year

It’s the time of year to celebrate with a glass of fizz.

Economics

2 h. ago I spent a month trying to smile like Zohran Mamdani – it’s no easy feat | Arwa Mahdawi

While the New York mayor-elect is constantly smiling in the face of his detractors, having a perma-grin didn’t come so easily to meAs a big fan of citizen science, I have spent the past month conducting a very important experiment. While I am not quite as hardcore as the American virologist Jonas Salk, who injected the polio vaccine into himself and his family before large-scale trials, this scientific inquiry has involved some personal pain. You see, I have spent the last month trying to smile like Zohran Mamdani. This is not, as I have discovered, an easy feat.Ever since the incoming mayor of New York became a household name, I’ve been intrigued by his perma-smile. His detractors call him a “jihadist”, and he smiles. He meets Donald Trump, and he smiles. Some Republican lawmakers launch a campaign to investigate his path to citizenship and deport him? He keeps on smiling. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him look angry. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Stop bathroom mould and damp by avoiding common extractor fan mistake

If you want to reduce mould and damp forming in your home, make sure you're not making this common mistake with your bathroom extractor fan - experts say one simple change can make a big difference

Politics

4 h. ago Are YOU richer than your neighbours? Our calculator reveals how you stack up, if you're middle or lower class and exactly how your household compares with others in your area and the rest of Britain

Are you better or worse off than your neighbours? But it's difficult to know where your income fits in the neighbourhood pecking order without asking intrusive questions.

Politics

4 h. ago UK to hold inquiry into foreign financial interference in domestic politics

Review, which will focus on effectiveness of political finance laws, follows conviction of former Reform politician for accepting bribesUK politics live – latest updatesAn independent review into the impact of foreign financial influence and interference in domestic politics from Russia and other hostile states has been announced after one of Reform UK’s former senior politicians, Nathan Gill, was jailed for accepting bribes from a pro-Kremlin agent.Amid growing concern inside the security services and parliament over the scale of the foreign threat to British democracy, the government-commissioned inquiry will focus on the effectiveness of the UK’s political finance laws. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Are YOU richer than your neighbours? Our calculator reveals how you stack up, if you're middle or lower class and exactly how your household compares to others in your area and the rest of Britain

Are you better or worse off than your neighbours? But it's difficult to know where your income fits in the neighbourhood pecking order without asking intrusive questions.

Politics

5 h. ago The ultimate Christmas wine guide, by HELENA NICKLIN: What to pick for your turkey, pud and trimmings

If there's one thing guaranteed to lift the spirits at this time of year, it's the promise of a table laden with good food, great company and a glass of something delicious.

Politics

6 h. ago New cancer treatment to be made of uranium from nuclear reactors

The cutting-edge method could help tackle the hardest to treat cancers

Events

6 h. ago Homes will heat up for cheaper if you do quick thermostat job

One expert has shared a simpke heating maintenance tip that could help reduce bills this winter.

Society

6 h. ago Why would someone buy my bag of random tat on Vinted? | Zoe Williams

The assorted items that I would class as rubbish sold within five minutes – and I have never wanted so much to engage in dialogue with a buyerWe have a lot of differing opinions about Vinted activity in my household. My son thinks [sic] “old people have a massively inflated idea of how much things are worth”, so he would never flog anything on my account, lest he get tainted with oldness. It was hard to know where to start on this argument, between “maybe we just have nicer stuff”; “the worth of everything is determined by the price people will pay for it, in a citizen economy”; and “I am not old”.My daughter, conversely, is happy to funnel her wares through me, which is how I arrived at peak Vinted, its very spirit in a single item: I posted a bag of random tat for £2. It sold within five minutes. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago How do you make perfect roast potatoes? Chefs share 3 things you need to know

Lots of people want to know the best method to make perfect roast potatoes. According to top chefs, such as Jamie Oliver, there are a few things you need to know to achieve success

Politics

7 h. ago TfL delays 'complex' work to replace historic glass roof at London Underground station

TfL delays 'complex' work to replace historic glass roof at London Underground station  My London

Politics

8 h. ago How to clean yellow pillows in 30 minutes using 2 household items

Pillows can turn yellow for a number of reasons, with the most common being sweat. This can make them a hotspot for bacteria to thrive, including bed bugs

Politics

8 h. ago Bird flu virus is adapting to infect cows, Scots scientists warn

Researchers have warned that the disease can infect cow cells and tissues more effectively than older strains.

Events

8 h. ago Poached eggs come out 'perfect' within 5 minutes using simple method

A cooking enthusiast has shared a simple yet effective recipe trick for poaching eggs that takes just five minutes.

Politics

11 h. ago Scotland 'one bad Budget away from losing high streets as we know them'

SRC Director David Lonsdale warned that failing to lower business rates “will likely mean investment shifts to more attractive and cost-effective locations in down south.”

Politics

16 h. ago DANIEL HANNAN: Why are we giving asylum to young men from countries we'd love to visit on our holidays?

Crimes by illegal immigrants no longer shock us. Their very frequency has a numbing effect.

Events

20 h. ago Cameron Menzies cracks in the cauldron as darts faces an uncomfortable truth

The Scotsman is a wry, slightly daft ex-plumber who wears his heart on his sleeve. So why does the Ally Pally crowd enjoy goading him?By the time Cameron Menzies finally leaves the arena, the blood gushing from the gash on his right hand has trickled its way down the whole hand, down his wrist, part of his forearm and – somehow – up to his face. Smeared in crimson and regret, and already mouthing sheepish apologies to the crowd, he disappears down the steps, pursued by a stern-looking Matt Porter, the chief executive of the Professional Darts Corporation.The physical scars from Menzies’s encounter with the Alexandra Palace drinks table after his 3-2 defeat against Charlie Manby will be gone within a few weeks. Most probably there will be a fine of some sort. What about the rest? Man loses game of darts, punches table three times in fury, goes to hospital, repents at leisure: simple cause and effect. But of course this is not, and this is never, the whole story. In a way this tale is...

Events

21 h. ago Farmers are considering suicide so Labour's inheritance tax raid doesn't hammer their kids, Starmer is warned as one of his own MPs says he has disrespected the countryside

Labour MP Cat Smith accused the PM of disrespecting the countryside over changes to agricultural property relief that will come into effect in April.

Events

22 h. ago Disaronno ‘may contain glass’ recall among eight food warnings ahead of Christmas

The FSA has issued new advice to consumers

Events