Blind date: ‘Being Scottish definitely worked in my favour. He loves Scotland’
Great glasses, great Scottish accent, great punctuality. Yes, she’s great. What do you think Emmie made of you? I think Emmie is great, but it didn’t feel like a romantic connection. What do you think Dan made of you?
Source:The Guardian
December 27, 2025 06:36 UTC
The Cure: Guitarist and keyboard player Perry Bamonte dies aged 65
The Cure guitarist and keyboard player Perry Bamonte has died aged 65, the band has said. In a statement on The Cure's website,, external the band said the British musician died "after a short illness at home over Christmas", saying they were making the announcement with "enormous sadness". It read: "Quiet, intensive, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, 'Teddy' was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story." Having been part of The Cure's road crew from 1984, Bamonte was asked to join the band after the departure of keyboardist Roger O'Donnell in 1990.
Source:The Times
December 27, 2025 06:00 UTC
Directors of North Cumbria NHS trust to drive improvements
North Cumbria Integrated Care is responsible for acute and community hospitals in the area as well as a range of community health services. And while a number of exciting initiatives are underway in the trust, directors are working to drive improvements in key areas, ensuring patients in North Cumbria are safe and treatment is delivered within acceptable time frames. Performance issuesThe meeting of North Cumbria Integrated Care directors, which took place on Wednesday November 19. Supporting staffTrudie Davies, Interim Chief Executive of North Cumbria Integrated Care. In one case, a potentially harmful fault with an airways device was reported, the device was then completely removed from sites across the North Cumbria trust within hours.
Source:The Times
December 27, 2025 05:38 UTC
Are garden centres open on Boxing Day? Opening times for Friday, December 26
British Garden CentresBritish Garden Centres locations are closed on Boxing Day. “Our Garden Centres are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day …“Have a wonderful Christmas season.”To find your local branch’s opening hours over the festive season, you can check out British Garden Centres locator tool. DobbiesDobbies has confirmed that all of its garden centres shut up shop on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Trentham Garden Centre posted on Facebook: “The Christmas sale has begun at Trentham Garden Centre, part of Blue Diamond Garden Centres! One of the UK’s largest independent garden centre groups, it uses two distinct brand names: Klondyke Garden Centres for locations in Scotland, and Strikes Garden Centres for England and Wales.
Source:The Times
December 27, 2025 00:12 UTC
Diana’s team devoted time to ‘upstaging’ Charles, Irish officials told
The assessment is contained in Irish Government files that have been made public as part of an annual release from the National Archives of Ireland. The King conducted a two-day visit to Ireland while Prince of Wales in June 1995, after his separation from Diana in 1992. Ms Henney was described in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs’ document as “fiercely loyal” to Charles and “alive to every opportunity to advance his cause”. A Department of Foreign Affairs note shows officials were unsure if she was joking when she suggested that Diana may also want to visit Ireland. – This article is based on documents contained in the file labelled 2025/124/160 in the National Archives of Ireland.
Source:The Times
December 27, 2025 00:09 UTC
Australia v England: fourth Ashes Test, day two – live
Share8m ago 04.39 GMT 13th over: England 85-2 (Crawley 23, Bethell 15) Target 175: This is remarkably remarkable. Share15m ago 04.31 GMT What we can assume is the sixth, and final, session of the fourth Ashes Test is imminent. Share1h ago 03.26 GMT Starc drops Duckett 3rd over: England 15-0 (Crawley 4, Duckett 10) Poor again from Starc. View image in fullscreen Mitchell Starc drops a catch off Ben Duckett on day two of the fourth Ashes Test. View image in fullscreen Mitchell Starc bowls as England chase a 175-run target on day two of the fourth Ashes Test.
Source:The Guardian
December 27, 2025 00:00 UTC
Majority says climate change hurting affordability: Poll
A Yale University poll from earlier this month says most Americans see climate change as playing a role in hurting prices and the cost of living. Pollsters found that 65 percent of respondents believe climate change is contributing to rising costs at least “a little.” This includes 88 percent of liberal Democrats and 77 percent of moderate or conservative Republicans. “I find it stunning that even some people in the climate community say that we should stop talking about the climate because there’s a cost-of-living crisis going on,” Yale Program on Climate Change Communication Director Anthony Leiserowitz told The Guardian. “It’s a fundamental error to treat these issues as mutually exclusive — climate solutions are also cost-of-living solutions,” Leiserowitz continued. President Trump has long cast doubt on the science behind climate change, and his administration has sought to rollback efforts to mitigate global warming.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 23:57 UTC
Australia lead England by 46 runs after day one of fourth Ashes Test – as it happened
21h ago 07.13 GMT Australia will take a 46-run lead into day two of the Boxing Day Test even after being sent in to bat first and being all out before tea for 152. Share21h ago 06.52 GMT England all out for 110 Cameron Green comes on for his first over of the day and ends the England innings with a toe-crushing yorker. 24th over: England 91-9 (Atkinson 10, Tongue 0) Share22h ago 06.22 GMT Won’t someone think of the cricket boards? Share22h ago 06.06 GMT That’s drinks with the players likely to play through to 6pm local time. Someone has to try to disrupt Boland’s metronomic consistency.” Share22h ago 06.04 GMT WICKET!
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 23:37 UTC
VIP viewing: cinemas bet on luxury bars and beds to usher in a new film era
From champagne coolers to front row VIP beds, cinema owners are investing heavily in premium experiences as the industry gets its box office mojo back. It is also introducing VIP Beds, now in nine locations, which promise to “transform the front row into the best seat in the house”. “Over the last 18 months we have been looking at what we want to do next with Luxe, what we think our guests want next from their cinema experience. Big releases include Super Mario, more editions of Spider-Man, Avengers, Dune and Moana, a fifth Toy Story release and a third in the Jumanji franchise. “When the history books are written, this is the end of the post-pandemic period and new era of film.”
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 23:30 UTC
It’s Time to Accept That the US Supreme Court Is Illegitimat...
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Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 21:08 UTC
Storytelling is an ancient human art, not a corporate invention
Professional communications teams may now package storytelling as strategy, but the craft of storytelling is far older, and far deeper, than any job description. For over 30 years, the Society for Storytelling has championed oral storytelling in all its forms. In oral storytelling, teller and listener co-create meaning in the moment. Oral storytelling builds empathy, and strengthens listening and imagination. Oral storytelling underpins literacy, enriches vocabulary and invites playful thinking long before written text.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 20:54 UTC
Israel becomes first country to recognise Somaliland as sovereign state
Israel has become the first country to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state, a breakthrough in its quest for international recognition since it declared independence from Somalia 34 years ago. The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced on Friday that Israel and Somaliland had signed an agreement establishing full diplomatic relations, which would include the opening of embassies and the appointment of ambassadors. Somaliland controls the north-west tip of Somalia, where it operates a de facto state, and is bordered by Djibouti to the north-west and Ethiopia to the west and south. Not if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland,” Abdullahi told the Guardian. Cruz said Somaliland was an ally of Israel and that it had expressed support for the Abraham accords.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 20:54 UTC
Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak jailed for 15 more years in 1MDB graft scandal
The jailed former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has been sentenced to an additional 15 years after he was found guilty of abuse of power, in the biggest trial yet in the multibillion-dollar fraud scandal related to the state fund 1MDB. In the latest case, Najib had been charged with four counts of corruption and 21 counts of money laundering for receiving illegal transfers of about 2.2bn ringgit ($544.15m) from 1MDB. Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who was presiding, convicted Najib, 72, on all four counts of abuse of power. According to investigators, proceeds from the state fund were used to bankroll high-end real estate, a luxury yacht and precious artworks. Najib has apologised for allowing the 1MDB scandal to happen during his tenure, but maintains he knew nothing about illegal transfers from the fund.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 20:10 UTC
Emmanuel Macron wants EU to be digital gulag, claims Pavel Durov
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Source:The Times
December 26, 2025 19:31 UTC
Who could replace Keir Starmer as Labour leader? His rivals rated
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Source:The Times
December 26, 2025 19:21 UTC