England search for final Australia wicket in thrilling first Ashes Test

Ben Stokes inspired a heroic England fightback to put the visitors in a superb position heading into day two of the first Ashes Test in Perth, where the tourists will be chasing the final wicket of the first innings.

The England captain grabbed the ball belatedly in Australia’s first innings after the tourists collapsed to 172 all-out to produce a fabulous five-wicket haul with some clever strategy helping along the way.

As one of five seamers, England’s bowling overwhelmed Australia, who surprisingly started without their expected opener Usman Khawaja, with the rules preventing him from taking to the field after a prolonged absence during the England innings. “Poor management … beyond a joke,” said the former Australia player Tom Moody.

Behind the menacing bowling of Stokes, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Australia were left with just Nathan Lyon and debutant Brendan Doggett in the middle to break down the 49-run deficit overnight.

Follow all the latest updates from Perth, analysis and reaction to an already pulsating first Ashes Test down under

Trump praises New York mayor Mamdani in unexpectedly cordial meeting

After months of attacking New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mandani as a “communist,” President Donald Trump now says the Democratic Socialist will be “a really great mayor” for his home city after a closed-door meeting at the White House.

Seated behind his desk in the Oval Office while Mamdani stood next to him during what became a half-hour love-fest between the two men, Trump told reporters he’d congratulated his hometown’s next chief executive and pledged to help him bring prices down for New Yorkers.

“I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor — the better he does, the happier I am,” Trump said.

“I will say there’s no difference in party. There’s no difference in anything, and we’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York.”

For his part, Mamdani described the meeting as “productive” and “focused on a place of shared admiration and love” between him and Trump — New York City — and “the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers, the eight and a half million people who call our city their home, who are struggling to afford life in the most expensive city in the United States of America.”

“We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities. We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out. And I appreciated the time with the President. I appreciated the conversation. I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers,” Mamdani said.

The astonishingly convivial photo opportunity then morphed into a question-and-answer session with White House reporters and select MAGA influencers who were brought into the room to witness the moment, with multiple questioners attempting to bait the men into attacking each other.

Asked about his previous comments calling Mamdani a “communist” — including one posted to Truth Social just one day ago — Trump implied that Mamdani’s views might change in the future and predicted that the youngest mayor-elect in New York history “is going to surprise some conservative people.”

When the mayor-elect was similarly pressed on past comments in which he’d called Trump a “despot,” the president jumped to Mamdani’s defense by telling reporters: “I’ve been called much worse than a despot, so it’s not that insulting.”

And after another reporter pushed Mamdani to say whether he was “affirming” prior comments in which he referred to the president as a “fascist,” Trump came to the rescue once more and implied that he did not have a problem with the attack.

“That’s OK — you can just say ‘yes,’” Trump said.

Trump and Mamdani would continue to take questions for roughly 28 surreal minutes, during which the president repeatedly showed surprising affection for the 34-year-old, marking a complete 180-degree reversal from the vitriol he’d showed towards the soon-to-be former New York State assemblyman dating back to his improbably victory over former governor Andrew Cuomo in the city’s July mayoral Democratic primary.

After Mamdani shocked the nation — and the world — by defeating the three-term ex-governor in what would become the first of two matchups between him and the scion of a storied Empire State political dynasty, Trump seized on the future mayor’s avowed Bernie Sanders-style socialist politics to make him the focus of attacks against both him and the Democratic Party writ large.

He even threatened on multiple occasions to pull federal funds from his birthplace, leading some Republican figures to float outlandish ways of denying him the mayoralty if he won the November general election — with some pushing for federal authorities to strip Mamdani of his naturalized citizenship.

But in a surprising twist of events, Trump announced that he would sit down with the mayor-elect this week, writing in a Truth Social post on Thursday that “Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani” had requested the meeting.

And as they faced the assembled press afterwards, the president appeared genuine in the affable feelings he showed for Mamdani and expressed what seemed like admiration at the throngs of journalists who’d flocked to the White House to cover their sit-down.

“He’s different than you know, your average candidate — he came out of nowhere,” Trump said, referring to Mamdani’s shock primary victory four months ago.

“And then, all of a sudden, he wins a primary that nobody expected he was going to win. It’s a great, great tribute. It’s an amazing thing that he did.”

He acknowledged that there would inevitably be “topics” on which he and Mamdani will have disagreements but suggested that they would be able to settle those differences “for the good of New York.”

“I don’t care about affiliations or parties or anything else. I want to see if this city could be unbelievable. If he could be a spectacular success, I’d be very happy,” he said.

He also told reporters that he’d be “comfortable” living in his hometown under a Mamdani administration despite his past criticisms.

“We agree on a lot more than I would have thought — I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job,” he said.

BBC board member resigns over ‘governance issues’ at broadcaster

A BBC board member has resigned, citing “governance issues”, as the broadcaster faces a tumultuous period of leadership changes.

Shumeet Banerji, who has held the position since 2022, confirmed his resignation on Friday.

He said in a letter that he was “not consulted” about the events leading up to the resignations of the director general, Tim Davie, and BBC News chief executive, Deborah Turness.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Shumeet Banerji today notified the BBC board of his resignation. Mr Banerji’s term on the board as a non-executive director was due to end at the end of December and we thank him for his service.

“The search for a replacement is already well underway and we will update further in due course.”

Mr Banerji is the founder of Condorcet, an advisory and investment firm focused on early and development stage technology companies.

His blaming of the corporation’s governance issues appears to be a direct criticism of chair Samir Shah and other members of the board, the BBC reported.

His resignation comes as Mr Shah and board members Sir Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson are expected to give evidence to the culture, media and sport committee of MPs on Monday.

The members will likely face questions over claims of “systemic issues” within the organisation, which were first made in a leaked document written by Michael Prescott, the former independent external adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards committee.

The report made accusations of several instances of bias at the organisation, including a Panorama episode that edited parts of a speech made by Donald Trump before the attack on the US Capitol in 2021.

The claims made by Mr Prescott, which resulted in a threatened lawsuit of up to £5bn from Mr Trump, prompted the resignations of Mr Davie and Ms Turness earlier this month.

Mr Shah apologised for an “error of judgement”, and said the BBC accepted that the way in which the speech was edited “did give the impression of a direct call for violent action”.

The board member, who earned a base fee of £33,000 a year, was responsible for “upholding and protecting the independence of the BBC by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgement”, according to the BBC’s website.

“He is also responsible for ensuring that the BBC fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain, and promotes its public purposes.”

Saplings grown from illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree to be planted

The first saplings grown from the iconic Sycamore Gap are set to be planted after the beloved tree was illegally felled, the National Trust has announced.

Five saplings will go in the ground on Saturday as National Tree Week kicks off, with more than half of the 49 “trees of hope” from the sycamore to be planted over the course of the week.

The tree, which stood for more than a century in a dip in Hadrian’s Wall, was deliberately cut down overnight in September 2023, prompting a national outcry and a police investigation.

Earlier this year, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were found guilty of its illegal felling and were sentenced to more than four years in prison.

The saplings – 49 to mark the sycamore’s height in feet when it was cut down – were grown from the seeds and material rescued from the felled tree, which grew on land cared for by the National Trust, and were nurtured at the charity’s plant conservation centre.

The first places to plant the trees, which are now between four and six feet tall, include the Tree Sanctuary in Coventry, where a teenage trio set up a project to rescue their city’s trees.

Saplings will also be planted on Saturday at a site commemorating the Minnie Pit mining disaster in Staffordshire and at the former military base and location of the protest camp at Greenham Common, Berkshire, which reopened to the public in 2000.

Later in the week, saplings will be planted at The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, at Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland, and at a veterans’ charity, Veterans in Crisis, in Sunderland.

Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian’s Wall properties, said: “It’s incredible to think that this weekend, the first ‘offspring’ of this very famous tree will be planted – it feels like just yesterday that those tentative first shoots appeared.

“Over the next couple of years, the saplings will really start to take shape, and because sycamores are so hardy, we’re confident they’ll be able to withstand a range of conditions.”

The very first sapling grown from the Sycamore Gap tree was gifted to the King last summer and will be planted on behalf of the nation at a later date.

More than 500 applications were received to host one of the 49 saplings, the National Trust said.

One of the successful applicants is the Tree Amigos, who set up their Tree Sanctuary for unwanted trees in 2023, and will be planting their tree of hope on Sowe Common North on Saturday.

Martina Irwin, a co-founder of the Tree Sanctuary, said: “Planting the sapling today will be really special and gives us a great opportunity to connect even more people, especially young people, to nature.

“We’ve chosen to plant it among some other ‘saved’ trees that we have planted on Sowe Common, serving as a beacon to inspire respect, understanding, and a sense of responsibility toward all trees.

“We hope the planting of the Sycamore Gap tree sapling will encourage the next generation of young Tree Amigos to join in with future tree-planting projects in Coventry.”

Hilary McGrady, director general of the National Trust, said: “It was the quick-thinking of our conservationists in the aftermath of the felling that has allowed the Sycamore Gap tree to live on.

“The team has cared for these 49 hopeful saplings beautifully and they’re now ready to be given to communities, where they’ll become a source of inspiration, a place to reflect, a home for nature, or simply a reminder that there are always good things worth fighting for, even after something so senseless.

“We’re looking forward to seeing them thrive.”

Early next month, an additional sapling which was given to the school closest to the Sycamore Gap, Henshaw Church of England Primary School, will be planted in its grounds.

And another 15 saplings will be planted in each of the UK’s national parks in early 2026, including one in Northumberland where the original sycamore stood.

Millie Mackintosh on the life-changing moment she decided to go sober

This year Millie Mackintosh released a book called Bad Drunk. In it, she recounts her experiences of alcohol abuse, anxiety and the moments that inspired her to give up drinking for good.

In an appearance on The Well Enough podcast she delved deeper into the stories in the book and reflected on the impact alcohol had on her health and what might have happened had she carried on drinking.

“I’ve had alcohol poisoning probably twice and you really feel like you’re going to die,” she told podcast host Emilie Lavinia. “It really does destroy lives and for a lot of people, the only way to abstain is just to completely stop.”

Discussing her decision to go sober for good she explained, “one of the biggest shifts for me was getting really informed.”

“I just downloaded all the podcasts I could find about quitting alcohol. I bought books. I wanted to consume as much information as I could. I think I started with the Andrew Huberman podcast which was called something like, What Alcohol Does to Your Body and Brain. That was a real shift for me.”

Mackintosh revealed how she had found sobriety challenging in the beginning, but how the benefits of her new lifestyle now far outweigh those of her old one.

“Positives for me really are at the time that I’ve got back, the time that I’m not spent hungover. Not having that feeling of dread when I wake up on the weekend and actually being able to get out the house early, enjoy the day with my kids. And I really wasn’t able to enjoy parenting when I’d been drinking the night before. And I love being a mum. I mean, it’s hard, but I love it. And it was really stealing my joy.”

Mackintosh also shared some of the things that helped her to stay sober, despite the world around her celebrating drinking and encouraging it in almost every social situation.

“For me, a sober coach weekly was what I did for about six months. So I had that support. Have a couple of people close to you that know, and when you’re going to those events, just have a wingman with you, have someone with you that knows that it’s gonna be a bit tricky for you to get through that social anxiety without a drink. Someone that can squeeze your hand, someone that can just kind of just be your support – cause it’s hard.”

Psychopharmacologist Professor David Nutt also appeared on the podcast. Nutt is an expert on the harms caused by drugs and alcohol and the creator of alcohol alternative, Sentia. He explained that for anyone considering their alcohol intake, “the key message is that people should think about their drinking. And when you start to do that, you realise several things. You realise that a lot of the drinks you drink don’t have any value at all.

“Be objective about drinking as you would be about any other aspect of health, like weight or blood pressure or cholesterol or whatever. This is a serious thing you are doing. It’s a drug. And the second point is, take it seriously. It’s actually quite challenging to confront a friend with a concern about drinking because they can often turn on you.”

Mackintosh reflected on her own experiences with friends and the times those closest to her had tried to raise the issue of her drinking.

“I had so many disastrous ones, but in the last year there was a comment from a best friend who said, ‘I just can’t see you do this to yourself anymore’. She said, ‘you can’t, you just can’t handle it. You’re too sensitive. It just doesn’t agree with you.”

Six months after that exchange and after having experienced alcohol poisoning and ending up in hospital more than once, Mackintosh stopped drinking alcohol.

The podcast also covered the safe limits of alcohol consumption, myths about small amounts of alcohol being good for you and what alcohol does to the body long term. Nutt explained how some German experts had assessed alcohol through the European food safety testing regime and found that the safest amount was limited to 150ml per year.

This information is at odds with the national safety guidelines, however Nutt expressed that no amount of alcohol is really good for the body and that myths about red wine and tequila being healthy present skewed data or simply aren’t true.

“We give a very protected place to alcohol because we enjoy it. And it’s part of our heritage. Almost every cell in the body will be affected by alcohol. It’s quite toxic.”

“You have a scrape on your skin, you kill the bugs with alcohol. If it can kill bugs – bugs are tougher than your skin cells. So it’s potentially toxic to every cell in the body,” said Nutt.

Mackintosh explained that, “a lot of people, you know, they start drinking as soon as you can get your hands on it. For me, it was probably about 12.”

She also talked about her experiences with alcohol through her teens and twenties, falling out with friends and how alcohol affected her experience of becoming a parent. “My girls were the ultimate motivation to stop. They were six months and two when I stopped. And now nearly four and five and they’ll have no memory of me drinking.”

“I’d say the gift is also the emotional sobriety that you get when you stop drinking the toxic substance. […] You can really start doing the work on yourself to become fully emotionally sober. And that’s really the work that I’m doing now.”

“Anything in your life that is making you unhappy, whether it’s alcohol, whether it’s a person, whatever it is – that toxic habit. Don’t wait to change. Just do it because you never know how long you’ve got left. Life is short and if something is stealing your joy, make the change.”

Listen to the episode here and watch the full episode on YouTube. Well Enough is available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Black Friday cruise deals – enjoy luxe all-inclusive trips for less

Already dreaming about your next unforgettable escape? Picture this: gazing at a postcard-perfect horizon, margarita in hand, before tucking into delicious, made-to-order dining amid superyacht inspired luxury…

Well, it’s time to make waves, Sailor: Virgin Voyages’ Black Friday offers are here, running from 21 November – 4th December, with epic savings to be made across 2025, 2026, and their newly-launched 2027 sailings. What’s more, you can get 80 per cent off a second ‘Sailor’ and up to $500 in free drinks – find out more at Virgin Voyages.

And these aren’t just any cruises; these are award-winning, exclusively adult cruises, providing a playground at sea for discerning grownups, with no buffets, and certainly no beige (they favour red, instead). There’s over $1,000/£750 in value built right in, from WiFi and group fitness classes to essential drinks and award-winning dining – all with no hidden extras. Prices are all-in, and stay that way, leaving you to focus on pure, effortless indulgence.

Exemplifying the modern luxury and romance of sailing, there are no  lacklustre, elbows-at-the-ready meals to be queued for here: instead you’ll enjoy freshly prepared food from over 20 unique eateries, guaranteeing culinary flair with distinct, delicious flavours. And prepare to have dinner with a view – every single restaurant on board has panoramas out to the ocean.

When you’re not eating (or sipping), explore the ship’s sleek, design-led spaces. Think nautically cool cabins with roomy rain showers and heavenly hammocks made for lazy afternoons. Hit The Manor, Virgin’s sexy, disco-glam nightclub reached through a mirrored corridor straight out of a K-pop video. Or lose yourself in The Red Room, where cutting-edge shows and dance parties keep the energy high till sunrise. Then there’s The Groupie – your private karaoke den for those ‘we’re definitely forming a band’ moments (crafted cocktails highly encouraged).

Need inspo for which cruise to choose? How about this one: 2026 sees the introduction of one of Virgin Voyages’ most highly anticipated routes – the debut of its sailing to Alaska, running from May to September aboard Brilliant Lady.

The ship will take 16 memorable journeys roundtrip from Seattle (with some from Vancouver), lasting from between seven to 12 nights. You’ll experience the region’s wild beauty and authentic ports which most cruise lines skip, from the dramatic fjords of Tracy Arm to hidden gems like Haines (the Bald Eagle capital of the world) Icy Strait Point, an indigenous-owned destination perfect for whale watching and adventure, and Sitka – where you’ll find a blend of Russian and Native heritage – taking you deeper into America’s Last Frontier.

You can also immerse yourself on-land via Virgin Voyages ‘Shore Thing’ experiences, with over 250 excursions crafted for adults, including bear spotting, dog sledding, glacier hikes, and indigenous-led cultural immersions, designed for adults – not busloads. And with longer port times, you’ll be able to explore exciting destinations like Alaska’s capital, Juneau, without feeling rushed; there are no early departures here, so you can spend a generous eight unhurried hours marvelling at the epic panoramas from the Mount Roberts Tramway, watching whales in Auke Bay, or visiting epic natural wonders like the Mendenhall Glacier.

And it’s never too late to think even further ahead; Virgin Voyages has also just launched its new 2027 itineraries, expanding to a range of fresh destinations. Feeling hot, hot, hot? A few of them depart from Miami and take in the Caribbean, such as the St Thomas, US Virgin Islands cruise – a brand new port which also stops at Tortola, Antigua and St Kitts and Nevis – and the shorter Cayman Isles and Bimini Beach cruise, where you can swim with stingrays, bask in the sun, and savour authentic Caribbean cuisine.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, there’s the Greenland & Transatlantic cruise, where you’ll sail from  Iceland’s hip capital, Reykjavik to Greenland’s colourful villages, Qaqortoq and Nuuk, before making your way towards New York City. And the best part? If you take advantage of Virgin Voyages’ Black Friday offers, from 21 November – 4th December 2025, you’ll make significant savings plus get up to $500 in free drinks. Which leaves all the more money to spend on Christmas presents….

Anchors away! To set sail in style, book now at virginvoyages.com

Defence Secretary underpaid tax on second home after council ‘error’

The Defence Secretary John Healey has admitted he did not pay enough council tax on his London home.

Mr Healey underpaid around £1,500 in tax that was due under the second home council tax surcharge introduced in April, The Telegraph reported.

He should have paid around £3,000 a year to Westminster City Council for a home that he rents but only paid half this amount and rectified the mistake after being approached about it on Thursday, according to the newspaper.

He put this down to an “administrative error” by the local authority, which has since acknowledged it had issued an incorrect tax notice and apologised for the oversight.

A spokesperson for the Defence Secretary said the error lay with the local authority and that Mr Healey had “fulfilled all his obligations” by declaring the flat a second home on the relevant paperwork when he moved in.

The council tax owed, including the second homes surcharge, has now been paid in full.

MPs representing constituencies outside London can claim for the cost of renting a second home, including council tax and other related expenses.

Mr Healey is MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough in South Yorkshire.

A source close to the Cabinet minister said he paid the notice issued to him in good faith.

A spokesperson for Mr Healey said: “The Secretary of State fulfilled all his obligations as a tenant by notifying Westminster Council of the second home status of the tenancy on the council tax registration form when the tenancy began.

“Westminster Council made an administrative error which failed to classify it as a second home for council tax purposes, and led to an incorrect council tax notice being issued.

“The council have accepted fault and apologised for the error.”

A Westminster City Council spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State filled in the form correctly and registered the address as a second home.

“There was an oversight by the council and we did not register it as a second home. This led to an incorrect council tax notice being issued. We apologise for the error.”

Starmer refuses to rule out manifesto-busting tax rises 12 times in TV interview

Sir Keir Starmer refused to rule out manifesto-busting tax rises for working people 12 times in an interview, even as said it was “important that politicians stick to their word”.

During a trip to the G20 summit in South Africa, the prime minister declined to recommit to manifesto pledges ahead of next week’s Budget, widely seen as make-or-break for his government.

The chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to hike taxes on Wednesday as she scrambles to fill a multi-billion-pound black hole in the nation’s finances.

Asked whether leaders should follow through on their pledges, Sir Keir told Sky News: “Yes, it is important that politicians stick to their word.”

He added that “we’ve obviously got big decisions to make in the Budget”.

But he evaded questions on whether Labour’s pre-election pledge to voters would be broken, despite multiple follow-ups. These included whether income tax thresholds will be frozen, meaning inflation pushes more and more people into paying higher rates.

Earlier this week the Labour refused to rule out a freeze on income tax thresholds.

The Tories have said extending the freeze would breach Labour’s manifesto promise not to hit working people with extra tax.

Ms Reeves has been warned that a combination of higher borrowing, sluggish economic growth and Labour U-turns means she must raise taxes or tear up her flagship borrowing rules in the Budget, potentially risking market turmoil.

In his interview, Sir Keir pointed to years of austerity, a “botched” Brexit deal, the pandemic and the Ukraine war.

Earlier, Ms Reeves warned Britain had to take “a different path” on the economy and could not continue to “muddle through” in an interview with The Times Magazine.

On Friday, the government suffered another blow as official figures showed government borrowing was £3bn higher in October than the Office for Budget Responsibility had expected.

In her interview, Ms Reeves said: “Borrowing is too high, but you can’t cut it overnight. Public services are a mess, but we haven’t got loads of money to throw at them and we have to use what we’ve got well.

“We can’t just carry on like this and muddle through. We have to make some decisions to get on a different path.”

But she also hit out at her critics, saying she was “sick of people mansplaining how to be chancellor to me”.

Earlier this week Stephen Millard, the deputy director for macroeconomics at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, told The Independent that the positives of extending the freeze on thresholds would include that it “raises revenue, though later on in the parliament rather than now, and widens the tax base, negating, to a degree, the need for a rise in the basic rate”.

However, he said any freeze could break the party’s manifesto pledge and hit middle-income households, which will be more likely to have to pay tax at the higher rate in the future.

“And it may not calm markets, given it’s a promise about future taxes, which could always be gone back on, rather than a rise in taxes today,” he warned.