2 h. ago PDC World Championship: Gian van Veen sets up final with Luke Littler

World No 1 Littler swats aside Ryan Searle 6-1 in semiVan Veen wins classic against Gary Anderson 6-3It’s barely a couple of years since a 16-year-old Luke Littler and a 21-year-old Gian van Veen came through a 96-player field at Milton Keynes to qualify for the final of the world youth championship. There’s a charming photo of the pair of them with their arms around each other, silly little smiles plastered on to their silly little faces, the cutest high-street haircuts you’ve ever seen. Two kids at the very start of an unforgettable journey.Did either of them foresee, in those sepia-tinted days of August 2023, that the journey would convey them this far, this fast? I reckon Littler did. There’s never been much room for doubt and scepticism in there. His whole world has been stepping up, throwing a dart and watching it go exactly where he wants it to. Four months later, he would go to Alexandra Palace and change the sport for ever. Continue reading...

Sport

2 h. ago Gian van Veen denies Gary Anderson in epic to set up final against Luke Littler

Van Veen wins classic against Gary Anderson 6-3World No 1 Littler swats aside Ryan Searle 6-1It’s barely a couple of years since a 16-year-old Luke Littler and a 21-year-old Gian van Veen came through a 96-player field at Milton Keynes to qualify for the final of the world youth championship. There’s a charming photo of the pair of them with their arms around each other, silly little smiles plastered on to their silly little faces, the cutest high-street haircuts you’ve ever seen. Two kids at the very start of an unforgettable journey.Did either of them foresee, in those sepia-tinted days of August 2023, that the journey would convey them this far, this fast? I reckon Littler did. There’s never been much room for doubt and scepticism in there. His whole world has been stepping up, throwing a dart and watching it go exactly where he wants it to. Four months later, he would go to Alexandra Palace and change the sport for ever. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago 'I'm a GP — stop a water bottle habit that risks diarrhoea and vomiting'

Dr Aarthi Sinha has shared a common mistake that could increase your risk of diarrhoea and vomiting

Events

7 h. ago French serum hailed 'incredible' for firming turkey neck heavily reduced for limited time

Made in France, it is formulated to help visibly improve horizontal lines on the neck and loss of definition on the jawline

Politics

8 h. ago The size of your head can reveal your risk for devastating neurological disease

The size of your head could determine if you'll be diagnosed with a devastating neurological disorder that is on the rise in the US, especially among patients in their late 40s and early 50s.

Events

8 h. ago Swiss ski resort fire: How New Year celebrations turned to tragedy as sparklers on bottles likely cause of blaze

40 people killed and 119 others injured in blaze that tore through a popular Alpine bar as revellers rang in the New Year

Events

9 h. ago Swiss ski resort fire: sparklers held too close to ceiling may have caused disaster, investigators say

About 40 people died in Crans-Montana bar fire, with experts saying it could take days to identify victimsSwitzerland resort fire – latest updatesInvestigators believe fountain sparklers mounted on champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling sparked the deadly fire that tore through a crowded bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 100.“Everything suggests the fire started from the burning candles or ‘Bengal lights’ that had been attached to champagne bottles,” the prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said on Friday. “These went too close to the ceiling.” Continue reading...

Events

9 h. ago Sparklers held near ceiling started Swiss ski resort fire, investigators believe

Footage and witness statements show blaze that killed about 40 was ‘very rapid’, prosecutor saysInvestigators believe fountain sparklers mounted on champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling sparked the deadly fire that tore through a crowded bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 100.“Everything suggests the fire started from the burning candles or ‘Bengal lights’ that had been attached to champagne bottles,” the prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said on Friday. “These went too close to the ceiling.” Continue reading...

Events

9 h. ago Sparkler candles on champagne bottles revealed as likely cause of Swiss ski resort fire that killed 40

Dramatic footage shows ‘flares’ on champagne bottles catching fire on the bar’s ceiling

Events

9 h. ago Investigation continues into the New Year's Eve bar fire in Switzerland, in photos

Swiss investigators say they believe sparklers on Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire at a Swiss ski resort when they came too close to the ceiling of a bar crowded with New Year’s Eve revelers.

Events

11 h. ago Switzerland resort fire ‘likely started by sparklers in champagne bottles’, says attorney general – live updates

Officials say 40 people were killed and 119 injured, with some in hospital still unidentified due to ‘horrific’ injuriesItaly’s ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado has said that all bar five of the 112 injured have been identified now, reports Reuters. Swiss officials are yet to give an update on this and have not shared the names of any victims or injured.Six Italians are still missing and 13 hospitalised, he added. Three Italians were repatriated on Thursday and three more will follow on Friday, he said.It’s the grief, as if we have all lost a loved one. Continue reading...

Society

11 h. ago Switzerland fire latest: Sparkler candles on champagne bottles revealed as likely cause of deadly blaze

Swiss Police have confirmed around 40 people have died after a fire ripped through a bar in a popular Swiss ski resort

Events

11 h. ago Desperate families of youths missing after NYE bar blaze release pics of loved ones & beg for info as at least 40 killed

DESPERATE families of youngsters still missing after a deadly inferno engulfed a Swiss bar have begged for information on their loved ones. Teenagers as young as 14 have not been seen or heard from since the disastrous New Year's Eve celebration. Their panicked families have released heartbreaking appeals in the hope of finding their whereabouts...

Events

12 h. ago Mum's desperate plea to find son, 16, and nine friends missing after Swiss ski resort fire

At least 47 people dead after sparklers inside champagne bottles appeared to ignite the venue’s basement ceiling

Events

14 h. ago Swiss nightclub fire footballer, 19, is in 'terrible pain' and has burns covering 30% of his body after he was caught up in deadly blaze, as parents rush to his hospital bedside

In a statement, FC Metz announced that their youth team player Tahirys Dos Santos, 19, is among those to have been injured and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Germany.

Events

14 h. ago Pictured: Moment champagne bottle sparklers turned New Year's Eve party into deadly inferno in Swiss ski resort bar

Image shows flames starting to take hold in the ceiling of the basement bar as sparklers are held aloft inside champagne bottles

Events

15 h. ago 'Better than Stanley' Ninja hot and cold bottle drops to £4.29 in rare New Year's deal

Perfect for taking to work or the gym, it will keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours, on ice for up to two days, or hot for 12 hours

Economics

16 h. ago Footballer, 19, badly burned in deadly Swiss nightclub fire with his team

In a statement, FC Metz announced that their youth team player Tahirys Dos Santos, 19, is among those to have been injured and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Germany.

Events

17 h. ago Moment waitress carried by colleague holds sparkler in the air before deadly blaze rips through Swiss nightclub, killing 47

Witnesses say a sparkler in a champagne bottle is believed to have caused the inferno in the Swiss bar, where around 200 partygoers had gathered to celebrate New Year's Eve.

Events

17 h. ago Miracle of the inferno: Witness reveals youth trapped in Swiss blaze sat down with crucifix in his hand 'and the fire just avoided him... he survived'

The fire broke out at around 1.30am local time (12.30am GMT) in the basement of 'Le Constellation', a popular venue located in the centre of the Alpine town of Crans-Montana.

Events