Topic

Style

Jess Cartner-Morley’s February style essentials: joyful jumpers, 24-hour earrings and the world’s most flattering tee

In need of a February pep talk? Our fashion expert’s must-haves are here to lift your mood • How to dress in cold weather Let’s get real. Few of us look or feel at our most fabulous in February. It’s been cold and dark for, what, 18 months? Feels like it. Getting dressed feels less stylish self-expression than huddling for warmth. But there are reasons to be cheerful – or, more to the point, things that can bring you cheer. There is Valentine’s Day. (I will never understand why people like to sneer about Valentine’s Day. A daft festival of joy in the bleakest moment of the calendar. Take the w

18 Sept 2026, 14:06 UTC

Travel

Whisky galore – and now plenty more besides: exploring the Scottish island of Islay

Distilleries are the backbone of Islay’s economy and tourist trade. Thanks to their success, other businesses – from breweries and farms to restaurants and chocolatiers – are now thriving and adding to the island’s appeal The Paps of Jura disappear into the mist as I pedal along the shores of Loch Indaal, and the rain cloud I’ve been racing finally catches up. I stash my hire bike at Port Charlotte youth hostel, quickly change and make it to Lochindaal Seafood Kitchen just before the downpour. I’m soon warmed, by the welcome then by a bowl of creamy fish chowder. “We’ve plenty of fresh seafood

18 Sept 2026, 14:06 UTC

World

India: Are food safety rules too much to swallow?

Recent raids at India's luxury hotels and a wider crackdown on its food companies have renewed the debate about food safety standards and their enforcement in the country.

18 Sept 2026, 12:16 UTC

Business

Councils to share £5m in 'emergency food aid' as living costs rise

The money from the Welsh government will amount to around £200,000 to every council.

18 Sept 2026, 11:14 UTC

Science

This popular fermented food may help flush nanoplastics from the body

A kimchi-derived bacterium can bind to nanoplastics under gut-like conditions and may help carry them out of the body. In mice, the probiotic more than doubled the amount of nanoplastics detected in feces, pointing to a surprising potential use for microbes from fermented foods.

18 Sept 2026, 11:05 UTC