just now (551+ words) Piastri was fuming after a McLaren strategy error cost him the race win in Qatar on Sunday night Oscar Piastri missed the opportunity to close the gap even further to teammate Lando Norris in the race for the F1 world championship after a McLaren strategy blunder in Qatar. Pole-sitter Piastri looked comfortable in the lead in Lusail before an early crash triggered a safety car, with all but three cars diving into the pits on lap seven. Surprisingly, McLaren left out both Piastri and second-placed Norris. Losing the chance to make a "free" pit-stop, Piastri was then playing catch-up and although he closed in on eventual race winner Max Verstappen at the end, he could not catch the Red Bull driver and had to settle for second. On team radio immediately afterwards, the Australian said he was "speechless." While Piastri did…...

27+ min ago (524+ words) The bar even shared negative Google reviews while mocking leftists" outrage over their post An Idaho bar made a splash on social media after offering a month of free beer to customers who helped Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest undocumented immigrants. The Old State Saloon in Eagle, a suburb of Boise, told customers on social media Saturday that "anyone who helps ICE identify and ultimately deport an Illegal from Idaho gets FREE BEER FOR ONE MONTH at Old State Saloon!" The small town watering hole added that it "may award multiple months to one person if multiple illegals are deported." The post quickly gained attention from many in the MAGA world who lauded the effort, while comments from anti-ICE Americans were few and far between. The eyebrow-raising offer comes as the Trump administration has sent hundreds of ICE agents into…...

31+ min ago (766+ words) Senior officer issues extraordinary plea to the UK special forces community to "decide what you stand for" The head of the UK"s special forces (UKSF) knew soldiers had probably committed war crimes in Afghanistan but failed to act and conducted a "fake exercise" to cover it up, according to damning new testimony. One of the most senior special forces officers in the British Army told the Afghan war crimes inquiry that he first raised concerns that Afghans were being killed unlawfully and that stories were being invented to disguise the deaths in February 2011. In a new batch of documents released by the inquiry, the senior officer, known only as N1466, said he tried to get the special forces chief to act, but instead, the director conducted a "fake exercise" of a review that did not get to the bottom of…...

33+ min ago (759+ words) No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana, the only remaining unbeatens, are the top two teams for a seventh straight poll heading into their Big Ten title game clash on Saturday. No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Oregon each moved up a spot, and Texas Tech's No. 5 ranking is its best since it spent three weeks at No. 2 in November 2008. Mississippi remained No. 6 and was followed by Texas A&M, which slipped four spots after its 10-point loss at Texas. Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama rounded out the top 10 for the third straight week. The weekend results created two top-10 matchups in conference championship games this Saturday. Besides the Big Ten showdown, Georgia and Alabama will play for the Southeastern Conference crown. The other Top 25 matchup pits Texas Tech against No. 11 BYU in the Big 12. The Atlantic Coast Conference game matches No. 16 Virginia…...

35+ min ago (382+ words) Half (50%) of investors aged under 35 check their digital investment accounts at least once a day, research for a major bank suggests. This compares with only 11% of over-55s, according to the survey among more than 2,000 people for HSBC UK. The research indicated that nearly a fifth (19%) of under-35s investors will check their investments four to five times a day on average. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of 25 to 34-year-olds said they are active investors, putting away "459 a month on average " "90 higher than the average across all age groups of "369. Some 44% of people aged 25 to 34 said they would be willing to cut down on holidays and travel to prioritise investing for the longer-term, while 41% were reducing spending on eating and drinking out, according to the research carried out across the UK in October and November. More than a third (35%) of people who do not currently…...

35+ min ago (405+ words) The housing market could be set for a strong Boxing Day bounce this year as buyers who paused to see what the Budget would bring spring back into action. Several rumours had been circulating about potential property taxes before the Budget " and with the Budget and Christmas being close together this year, some house hunters who had been hesitant may resume their searches once the distractions of Christmas Day are over. Property website Rightmove often sees jumps in activity on its website on Boxing Day. Colleen Babcock, a property expert at Rightmove, said: "We usually see a bounce in market activity from a quieter Christmas Day into a busier Boxing Day and New Year, as many get going with their New Year move. "This year, many of those who put their plans on hold over the last few months due…...

36+ min ago (221+ words) Statistically, young Americans are waiting a lot longer to get married. But for the members of Generation Z who are tying the knot in their early twenties, Ellie Muir finds that their views on divorce are vastly different from their parents" generation Statistically, young Americans are waiting a lot longer to get married. But for the members of Generation Z who are tying the knot in their early twenties, Ellie Muir finds that their views on divorce are vastly different from their parents" generation "Not to sound unromantic, but at the end of the day, marriages are legal contracts," Newman tells me. "Any time a person enters into any other type of legal contract, they would hire an attorney and become educated on it. It"s a very reasonable thing to do." Out of Janse"s five closest friends from…...

46+ min ago (1096+ words) As a long-time fan of Oura, the new ring didn't disappoint I've been wearing my Oura ring for several years, and it's one of my favourite wearables. In fact, it's my favourite smart ring " and there are many options now available. What was once a product in a category all of its own, the Oura ring now faces serious competition, and yet, I believe it's managed to get out ahead of its challengers. A gateway into the world of biohacking, an older iteration of the fitness tracker provided my first experience of tracking biometric data to improve my health. Since then, I've become fascinated by the process of tracking health markers and have deliberated the benefits and criticisms of doing so. When testing the latest version of the ring " the generation 4 " I was reminded of all the things I loved…...

49+ min ago (536+ words) Saracens 29-36 Bath: Arundell's late try secured a crucial victory for Bath Henry Arundell sent Saracens crashing to defeat as Bath emerged from the international break with a 36-29 victory that propelled them two points clear the top of the Gallagher Premiership. With the title rivals on course for a 29-29 draw, Arundell pounced by running in his second try in the 76th minute having also opened the scoring for the champions with an early intercept. The decisive moment was made possible by the wing's England team-mate Max Ojomoh, a final-quarter replacement who skilfully caught Finn Russell's low pass and charged forward before timing the final pass to perfection. Ojomoh was the matchwinner in England's victory over Argentina a week ago and this was another influential performance from the playmaker who is hoping to retain his Test place in the Six Nations. It completed…...

56+ min ago (123+ words) The Independent co-founder Sir Andreas Whittam Smith dies at the age of 88 - Andreas Whittam Smith, co-founder and former editor of The Independent, has died aged 88, his family announced. - He launched The Independent in 1986 with colleagues, aiming to provide an antidote to the entrenched partisanship of Fleet Street journalism. - Under his leadership, the newspaper gained a devoted readership for its commitment to neutrality, intellectual rigour, and modern design. - Whittam Smith was knighted in 2015 for his significant services to the media and public life, recognised for his courage and championing of truth. - The Independent's editor-in-chief, Geordie Grieg, described him as a "heroic crusader for a global freedom for all press" who broke the mould of British newspapers....