NewsBeat

Survivors of fire at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court await resettlement plans

Published

6 hours ago

10 February 2026

Survivors of fire at Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court await resettlement plans

HONG KONG (AP) — The deadliest fire in Hong Kong in decades last year left thousands of residents without some of their friends, family or the place they called home. More than two months later, the occupants of the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex are not only waiting for answers about what happened, but longing for a new place.

Authorities are yet to unveil plans for long-term resettlement after surveying the residents’ preferences. The Lunar New Year on Feb. 17, meanwhile, is stirring recent memories of celebrating the festival in what is now a largely burnt complex.

The massive blaze that engulfed seven apartment buildings killed 168 people on Nov. 26, 2025, shattering a close-knit community. Authorities blamed substandard scaffolding netting and foam boards from the buildings maintenance project for rapidly spreading the fire. Although some arrests were made, an independent committee is still investigating the cause.

The Associated Press talked to four families who lived in the complex or lost their loved ones there. Here’s what they said:

No place to call home

When flames devoured towers of the Wang Fuk Court complex, Pearl Chow, 87, fled her apartment with essential documents, like her title deed. Her grandson, Dorz Cheung, 33, rushed from his office to find her safe nearby, but the fire was raging.

That night, Chow went to a friend’s home and didn’t sleep, while Cheung watched the flames for hours, crying while clutching his friend. They both miss old photos lost in their home in Tai Po, a suburban district in the city’s north.

Now they are separated into two temporary housing units on separate floors, each around 100 square feet (9.2 square meters). Chow was satisfied, but Cheung couldn’t call it home.

“Only permanent residence is called home. That’s the root,” he said.

Chow still regularly returns to Tai Po for church and grocery shopping, despite the hourlong journey. They want to be resettled in Tai Po, where they lived for decades, in a unit about the same size as their old apartment.

“I am an elderly person. When they finish building, I may have gone to my heavenly home,” she said with a laugh.

Data from the 2021 population census showed over one-third of some 4,600 residents in the complex were aged 65 or above.

While the government proposed measures to combat bid-rigging in building maintenance and enhance fire safety in January, Cheung feels their resettlement hasn’t been addressed. He said he lost his sense of security with the authorities after the blaze.

“We can only wait, be tossed around like a ball,” he said.

A temporary refuge

Kit Chan, 74, lived in her 460-square-foot (43-square-meter) apartment for over 40 years and raised her children with her husband in the complex, where neighbors helped look after each other’s children.

Chan had planned to spend the rest of her life there, but the blaze forced the couple into a studio unit at a youth hostel half the size of their apartment. Weeks ago, they heard some fire victims were asked to move out, and that distressed her.

“It’s like being unable to get by in my final years,” she said.

She hasn’t been asked to leave, but is uncertain how long they can stay.

Chan initially wanted to be resettled in a new home built on the fire site, but the government estimates rebuilding will take about a decade — too long for her to wait. She can compromise on a similar-sized apartment in another district with good transport.

Her husband, Keung Mak, 78, hopes they can return to their old home just to have a look. It has memories like their family and wedding photos. “Many people hope they can at least see how badly it was burned,” Mak said.

Weighing time against place

During past Lunar New Year celebrations, Isaac Tam’s family used to visit neighbors on their floor with gifts. Now, the familiar faces he has known for years are scattered across the city.

The loss of their two apartments in the fire was heartbreaking. His parents cried, and his 92-year-old grandfather grew thinner. But Tam, 23, said at least all his family members were alive.

Last weekend, they were preparing to move into temporary homes, smaller than their old apartments and farther from the city center. They shelled out money to renovate them.

While he said the government’s handling is not as bad as some say, he still worries about his grandfather adjusting to a new district with temporary housing. Back in Tai Po, the grandfather used to have a morning dim sum routine with his friends.

As they await the government’s resettlement plans, they have been weighing apartments in another district that will be ready sooner than units in Tai Po, which he prefers because he grew up there.

Time is their priority, given the grandfather’s age, Tam said.

“I also fear he can’t wait until we secure an apartment of about 400 square feet (about 37 square meters),” he said, regardless of the district.

Grieving for mother and hanging on to memories

Phyllis Lo’s mother called her after seeing thick smoke outside her door when the blaze started. On the call, knowing she might not survive, her 74-year-old mother asked Lo, 48, and her brother to live well. Lo immediately rushed to her childhood home and called again minutes later. No one answered. The next morning, police told her they found her mother’s body.

After learning that a mix of issues including substandard materials were used in the building maintenance project and failed fire alarms, Lo wondered if the tragedy could have been avoided if each government department had done a better job. While she couldn’t determine who should bear responsibility, she blamed herself for not monitoring the project for her mother more closely.

What bothers her most is the lack of transparency — when she can see her burnt apartment, how authorities will use the $589 million relief fund. She hopes to get updates from the nine-month investigation.

She wants her childhood home rebuilt at the fire site, but considers the proposed timeline of about a decade unreasonably long.

As the Lunar New Year neared, Lo made turnip cakes — a tradition she inherited from her mother. “Maybe she is still everywhere and still seeing us now. I really want to be with her,” she said in tears.

Rebuilding community is challenging

In an emailed reply to The Associated Press’ questions, the government said it attached great importance to the residents’ long-term accommodation arrangements and had already received survey replies from over 95% of the homeowners. It did not give a timeline but said its task force is analyzing their preferences and that the government will announce the plans after finalizing them.

Jack Rozdilsky, professor of disaster and emergency management at York University in Canada, said the city is moving to a disaster recovery phase and noted that concrete plans for continuous mental health and trauma coping aid play a key role in long-term success for any resettlement measure.

Rozdilsky saw the community survey on resettlement as a good sign because a one-size-fits-all proposal will not satisfy the households.

While rebuilding living spaces is complicated, he said, reconstructing a community is much harder. He said understanding what promoted community at the housing complex before the fire and incorporating those features — be it a bus stop or a gathering point in a park — would help.

“Very small things matter,” he said.

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Richard Holden Torn Apart For Trying To Attack Labour ‘Chaos’

Published

2 minutes ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Richard Holden Torn Apart For Trying To Attack Labour 'Chaos'

A senior Tory MP was offered a bleak reality check after he tried to criticise chaos engulfing the Labour government right now.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden tore into Keir Starmer on Monday as the prime minister’s No.10 operation fell apart and the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for him to resign.

But LBC presenter Ben Kentish reminded Holden of just how much drama unfolded under the last three Conservative prime ministers, too.

Holden claimed Starmer was at risk of being a “lame duck prime minister, not wanted by his own MPs, not wanted by his own leader in Scotland”.

Kentish replied: “You sound an awful lot like the last four years of Conservative governments – lame duck prime ministers, accused of ethnical misjudgments, not wanted by their own MPs, chaos for the country.

“You haven’t got a leg to stand on when it comes to this.”

Holden insisted that Rishi Sunak had plenty of backing and that Conservative MPs stood up to Liz Truss when “things were quite clearly going in the wrong direction”.

Holden replied: “Labour MPs don’t have the spine, because they’re people who are jockeying for position and they want to try and pin all the issues going forward on that.”

But Kentish hit back: “You defended Boris Johnson when he stood by [Owen] Paterson when he had broken lobbying rules, he kept Priti Patel in cabinet despite the fact that she had been found to bully civil servants, he broke his own lockdown laws and mislead parliament about it – and you went out there and said he’s still the right man for the job.

“So when it comes to Keir Starmer and Peter Mandelson – I accept it’s an almighty mistake – but this kind of holier-than-thou, whiter-than-white approach, it reeks of hypocrisy.”

Their exchange comes after the prime minister’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and his director of communications Tim Allan resigned within 24 hours of one another.

Their shock departures came as the scandal around Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US – despite his links to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – reached fever pitch.

After Sarwar urged Starmer to quit, there were fears cabinet ministers would follow suit – but, remarkably, senior Labour figures all publicly rallied behind the beleaguered prime minister.

Starmer also told Labour MPs that he was “not prepared to walk away” last night.

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All stores to close as UK fashion retailer in administration

Published

11 minutes ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

All stores to close as UK fashion retailer in administration

The company’s brand and intellectual property have been sold but stores including one in Scotland are in the hands of administrators.

LK Bennett moved from its position in Edinburgh’s boutique quarter in George Street to Multrees Walk before moving again to a concession in John Lewis.

It was reported that around 90 jobs were at risk as all its stores face closure. An earlier administration saw 15 stores close, including one in Glasgow.

A statement on the company website said John Noon and Mark Firmin of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed joint administrators of LK Bennett Fashion Limited.

Read More:

It continued: “Immediately following their appointment, the LK Bennett brand and related intellectual property was sold to LKB IP Holdings, LLC, a Gordon Brothers affiliated entity.

“The LK Bennett stores were not included in the transaction and continue to trade under the administration. Online sales via the LK Bennett website continue for the foreseeable future.

“The company’s affairs, business and property are being managed by the joint administrators, who act as agents of the company and without personal liability.”

It added: “The joint administrators, the joint administrators’ firm and any of the joint administrators’ partners, employees, agents or advisers will not bear any liability, whether personal or otherwise under or in connection with the terms and conditions nor any other policy.”

The company listed nine shops and 13 concessions. Administrators will operate the outlets for “up to three months”, Drapers reported.

NatWest Group is parent of Royal Bank of Scotland <i>(Image: Getty Images)</i>

The Edinburgh-based owner of Royal Bank of Scotland has clinched its biggest acquisition since the financial crisis.

NatWest Group has this morning announced the £2.7 billion acquisition of Evelyn Partners, ramping up its presence in the private banking and wealth market which it currently serves through its Coutts boutique operation.

It is the bank’s biggest acquisition since receiving a £45.5bn bailout during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, when it was known as Royal Bank of Scotland at parent group level. The bank made its full return to private ownership in May last year.

NatWest declared the Evelyn deal creates UK’s leading private banking and wealth management business, overseeing more than £125bn of assets under management and administration with the addition of Evelyn’s £65bn of AUMA.

Edinburgh New Town Cookery School is known for its intensive diploma courses, which prepare students for careers in top restaurants, catering businesses, and food enterprises across the UK and internationally. <i>(Image: Supplied)</i>

The founder of the prestigious Edinburgh New Town Cookery School has announced her retirement after a 50-year career in the industry.

Leading culinary educator Fiona Burrell trained chefs, entrepreneurs and home cooks throughout her five decades in the sector before stepping down.

Fiona started started work as a teacher at Leiths School of Food and Wine founded by Dame Prue Leith in 1983. (Image: Supplied)

Ms Burrell said: “When I founded the school, my goal was to give people skills that would stay with them for life, but also the confidence to use those skills to change their own futures.

“Seeing students transform their careers, start businesses, or simply find joy in cooking has been the most rewarding part of my work.”

Ms Burrell began her career in Edinburgh in the 1970s, later working in kitchens in London before joining Leiths School of Food and Wine in 1983.

She rose from teacher to principal during her 12 years at Leiths, contributing to several of the school’s cookbooks. After leaving, she became a consultant, recipe developer, food stylist and columnist, also appearing on television and radio.

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Brentford vs Arsenal FC: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds

Published

17 minutes ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Brentford vs Arsenal FC: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds

The Gunners’ advantage now stands at six points over second-place Man City after they eased past Sunderland on Saturday, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring a brace off the bench.

Mikel Arteta will hope his side can continue to build their advantage here as a tricky run, which will see them play Tottenham, Chelsea and Brighton in consecutive matches, looms at the end of the month.

They now sit seventh, and can take one step closer to achieving their European dream with an upset in front of their home support.

Date, kick-off time and venue

Brentford vs Arsenal is scheduled for an 8pm GMT kick-off on Thursday, February 12, 2026.

The match will take place at the Gtech Community Stadium in west London.

Where to watch Brentford vs Arsenal

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7pm ahead of an 8pm kick-off.

Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.

Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Matt Verri at the ground.

Brentford vs Arsenal team news

Keith Andrews will not be able to call upon loanee Reiss Nelson for this match, regardless of whether he had recovered from a niggling hamstring injury, as he is ineligible to face his parent club, Arsenal.

Kevin Schade is also out of action after being sent off against Aston Villa. This match will be the second of his three-match suspension, meaning he will also be forced to sit out an FA Cup meeting with giant-slaying Macclesfield.

Elsewhere, Fabio Carvalho, Antoni Milambo and Josh Dasilva are all long-term absentees.

Mikel Merino will miss out for Arsenal as expected after he underwent surgery on a broken bone in his foot this week.

It remains to be seen whether Leandro Trossard can be involved after he was forced off late in the Sunderland match.

Injury doubt: Leandro Trossard

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

The same is true of Bukayo Saka, who is recovering from a hip injury. Arteta has promised that he will return “soon,” with some reports suggesting he is targeting a comeback for the north London derby at the end of the month.

Martin Odegaard should return for this derby, though, while Max Dowman remains unavailable.

Brentford vs Arsenal prediction

Arsenal are in fine form at the moment, but will need to keep their wits about them as they face the upwardly-mobile Brentford.

Andrews’ Bees have proven their fearlessness and grit on various occasions this season, and will be all too happy to take advantage of any Arsenal slip-ups at the Gtech.

Whether mistakes are made, though, is another question entirely. Arteta’s side has appeared comfortable since the Man United blip, in spite of injuries to Saka and Odegaard, and Gyokeres finally finding form can only be a good thing.

At the double: Viktor Gyokeres scored a brace last time out for Arsenal

AFP via Getty Images

Head to head (h2h) history and results

The Bees last beat Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 campaign, with their 2-0 home win sealed by a late goal from now-Gunner Christian Norgaard.

Brentford vs Arsenal match odds

Odds via Betfair (subject to change).

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The railway’s dismal record on digital connection needs urgent action

Published

25 minutes ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Every young person in London deserves a pathway to a brighter future

Hours that could be spent working, are swallowed by poor connectivity. Lost productivity reduces competitiveness, undermines wellbeing, and stifles regional growth. Countries that invest in seamless digital infrastructure allow workers to reclaim those hours, cut carbon emissions by encouraging rail travel, and unlock new opportunities for flexible working.

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Every young person in London deserves a pathway to a brighter future

Published

33 minutes ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Take Ely, a sixth-former at West London Free School. He studies physics, maths, further maths and politics, but his career pathway isn’t confined to the classroom. Through H&F’s Pathway Bond, he’s gained work experience with cutting-edge bio-tech firms like Sequoia Genetics, Biome Technologies and Fresh Canvas in the White City Innovation District.

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NewsBeat

When will it stop raining? Flood warnings issued across UK

Published

53 minutes ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

When will it stop raining? Flood warnings issued across UK

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued warnings for 99 areas in the UK, mostly across southern England, the southern Welsh border, and the East Midlands.

However, flooding is possible in a further 170 locations.

At least 300 properties have been flooded so far, the EA estimates.

Environment Agency issues flood warnings across UK this week

Andrew Hitchings, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “With another band of rain on its way, we need the public to remain vigilant to the risk of flooding.

“As well as significant groundwater remaining likely in parts of Dorset and Wiltshire, there are risks of significant river flooding impacts on the Somerset Levels, with minor river flooding impacts expected in parts of the East Midlands and probable in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.”

The warnings follow what the Met Office described as “the wettest January on record” for parts of the UK, including Cornwall and County Down.

A yellow weather warning for rain remained in place for much of southern Wales and England until midnight on Monday, while yellow warnings will be in place in parts of eastern Scotland on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Met Office says disruption and possible flooding could be seen in eastern Scotland on Tuesday, with 15-30mm of rain likely to fall widely and 40-60mm possible in places over higher ground.

Mr Hitchings said: “So far, more than 16,000 homes and businesses have been protected but sadly 300 have suffered flooding and our thoughts are with those communities affected.

“Our teams will continue to do all they can to support local people, with pumps, temporary barriers and by clearing waterways to ensure flood water can drain away.”

When will it stop raining in the UK?

The persistent rainfall has already pushed England above its seasonal winter average for rainfall, with parts of the West Country recording more than 30 consecutive days of rain.

Simon Partridge, senior operational meteorologist at the Met Office, warned that the unsettled weather is likely to continue.

Mr Partridge said: “There is currently no sign of any prolonged dry weather for the next seven to 10 days.”

The Met Office forecast warns of further rain this week, before turning colder this weekend.

Recommended reading:

Today, (February 10), there will be a cloudy start for many with outbreaks of rain, before a “spell of heavy showery rain” moves into the south and “outbreaks of rain” continue in the north.

Wednesday (February 11) will see cloudy conditions continue with “outbreaks of rain for most”.

The Met Office adds that the outlook for Thursday (February 12) to Saturday (February 14) will be “unsettled at first with further outbreaks of rain. Turning colder from Friday with a chance of snow showers, particularly in the north”.

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Cambuslang Library to remain open with additional funding

Published

1 hour ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Readers will still be able to use the facility for a further 12 months while work continues to find it “a permanent new home”

Cambuslang residents have welcomed news of a further chapter in the story of the town’s library, which is now set to remain open for another year.

Readers and staff had been concerned that two years of additional funding announced after the library was originally announced for closure in 2024 was due to expire next month – but now South Lanarkshire Council has announced that it will continue to be retained for the next 12 months.

The additional funding will be used to maintain the service “while efforts continue to find a new home in a community hub”, with the area’s community council currently working to scope out local options.

Located at Cambuslang Gate, the town’s library was one of seven included in a list of 35 community facilities to be closed by South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture following a £750,000 budget cut two years ago.

A £150,000 future libraries fund was then established by the council to “provide time for plans to be developed for alternative models of provision”, with some of the under-threat facilities since moving into new spaces, including Halfway and Blantyre respectively now being run from as part of LEAP Project’s community hub and in the area’s leisure centre.

Now council leader Joe Fagan has announced a further year’s funding for Cambuslang, with the authority this week confirming that the library “is to remain open for a further year as efforts continue to find it a permanent new home”.

Cambuslang Community Council chair John Bachtler told the Rutherglen Reformer that residents are “very pleased and relieved” by the reprieve keeping the library open past March – as the group leads the efforts to secure its long-term location.

The group is currently looking at two locations on Main Street to establish a community hub, and remains in discussion with the local authority about future funding and staffing.

John said: “The library is such a vital resource for so many people in Cambuslang – now the third-largest town in South Lanarkshire – and it absolutely needs to be retained.

“We’re grateful for the efforts of our elected members, especially our Cambuslang West councillors, to make the case for the library during difficult budget negotiations within the council.

“For the past 15 months, the community council has been looking at the feasibility of a new community hub on Main Street which could accommodate the library and other activities in a way that is financially self-sustaining; we are in discussion with the landlords of two buildings that would have space.

“The council has been supportive in providing funding for professional surveys and valuations, but there are crucial questions of how the library, and importantly the staffing, would be funded in a future hub. We have a meeting with council officials later this month to discuss these questions further.”

Constituency MSP Clare Haughey said the confirmation of extended funding had come after a period of concern among library users and staff in which they had feared as recently as last week that no funding was allocated to keep the library’s doors open after the end of the current financial year.

The Rutherglen representative said on Facebook: “I welcome the council finally committing funding to Cambuslang Library post-March after public and political pressure.

“I’m really grateful for the efforts of Cambuslang Community Council who are seeking to find an alternative when South Lanarkshire Council shamefully stops funding any library provision in Cambuslang in the near future – residents deserve so much better than the services they are receiving.”

South Lanarkshire Council leader Joe Fagan said: “We have already taken steps to keep Cambuslang Library open, and I can confirm that temporary funding will continue while a permanent solution is found.

“This will be a relief to local library users and provide them with certainty and a good degree of comfort. The council will continue to work with the community to secure a permanent solution for local services buffeted by the twin terrors of rising costs and government under-funding.”

*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

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The most nostalgic Y2K beauty buys and where you can still get them

Published

1 hour ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

The most nostalgic Y2K beauty buys and where you can still get them

When brows where thin, makeup was thick and times were simple (Picture: Metro/Getty/MAC/Charlie/Britney Spears/Maybelline/Eylure)

Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more

In 2026, the beauty industry is inundated with thousands upon thousands of products – from must-have lengthening mascaras and glass skin face masks to K-Beauty buys and filter-perfect concealers.

The list goes on.

With the 2016 throwback trend taking social media by storm, we thought we’d follow suit and throw it back to when beauty was simpler: in the Y2K era.

This is back when products like Maybelline’s Dream Matte Mousse Foundation were everywhere (and was even applied to lips), Lip Smackers were the collectables everyone was after from Claire’s Accessories, and everyone smelt of CK One or DKNY Be Delicious.

So, why not relive the glory days of the beauty world and shop some of the most nostalgic Y2K beauty products below?

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Best Y2K beauty picks

L’Oreal Paris Elnett Hairspray

L’Oréal Elnett is the hairspray that defined polished Y2K hair, boasting a strong hold without the dreaded crunch. Loved by hairstylists and beauty editors alike, it kept blowouts sleek, fringes perfectly in place and up-dos immovable all night.

The fine mist and brush-out formula made it feel grown-up and glamorous, earning it a permanent spot backstage at fashion shows and in bathroom cabinets everywhere. And who could forget that unforgettable smell?

shop £3.86 (save £1.29)

Benefit Hoola bronzer

One of, if not the most recognisable bronzer of the era was none other than Benefit’s Hoola.

Launching in 2001, it quickly flew off the shelves as the product that would transform your visage from pale to sun-kissed in seconds. If you owned Hoola, you used it – generously.

shop £33

Urban Decay Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette

Back when smokey eyes became a big thing, with the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton sporting the look, the darker and more dramatic the eye look, the better.

The palette that would help achieve this would be Urban Decay’s OG Naked eyeshadow palette. Packed with a variety of natural nudes and soft shimmers, it was everyone’s go-to.

shop £39

MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation

A true cult classic, MAC Studio Fix Fluid was the foundation of THE 2000s and early 2010s.

Known for its full coverage and matte finish, it helped create that flawless, camera-ready complexion seen on celebs like Kim Kardashian. With a then-impressive shade range, it became a makeup-counter staple and the foundation many people used for their first.

shop £34

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade

We all remember when heavily filled-in brows were a thing, right? Well, this was the product to help you achieve that look and say goodbye to skinny brows.

When it launched, it single-handedly defined the heavily filled-in, sharp-edged brow trend of the early 2010s. Waterproof, ultra-pigmented and long-lasting, it was a favourite of makeup artists and YouTubers alike.

shop £19

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara Blackest Black

When most of us think of an iconic mascara, our minds instantly take us to the Maybelline Great Lash, always remembering that pink and green tube sticking out of our mum’s and nan’s makeup bags.

Despite being around since the 1970’s, this was the trusty product everyone owned to give them that natural, lash-defining finish.

shop £4.80 (save £3.19)

Charlie Red Body Spray

No, Charlie wasn’t that annoying boy that broke your heart; it was the body spray everyone had in the school PE bags, filling changing rooms and classrooms with the iconic scent.

Sweet, bold and unmistakably ’90s-meets-Y2K, it became one of the most recognisable fragrances of the era, the scent equivalent of lip gloss and butterfly clips. If you grew up then, this smell is pure time travel.

shop £1

Lancôme Juicy Tubes Lip Gloss

No product screams Y2K quite like Juicy Tubes. Ultra-glossy, slightly sticky and impossibly shiny, they were the lip product of the early 2000s.

Loved by celebrities, pop stars and beauty editors, they came in sheer, frosted and glittery shades that made lips look instantly plump. Owning one felt luxurious, and pulling it out of your bag was a status move.

shop £21 (save £5)

St Moriz Professional Medium Tanning Mousse

Fake tan was non-negotiable in the 2000’s, especially when the likes of TOWIE took over UK television.

St.Moriz quickly became a favourite for many as it delivered that bronzy glow at a bargain price. It was great for night outs, special occasions and summer glows, and now it’s still so many people’s go-to.

shop £4.99

Britney Spears Fantasy Eau de Parfum Spray

The singer’s Fantasy fragrance wasn’t just a perfume; it was a pop culture moment.

Launched in 2005, the sugary sweet blend of kiwi, white chocolate and musk perfectly captured peak Britney-era energy. The pink bottle alone became iconic and would be found on everyone’s vanity. For many, it’s the ultimate nostalgia fragrance.

shop £49 (save £27.01)

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

The Body Shop itself is a brand that is steeped in pure nostalgia, and before ‘self-care’ was a buzzword, there was the high street hero.

The Shea version of their body butter was and still is a rich, comforting formula that aims to replenish dry skin. Thick, nourishing and instantly recognisable by scent, it was a staple in bathrooms throughout the 2000s.

shop £19.94

Eylure False Lashes – Volume No. 112

Flash lashes became a requirement in the late 2000’s, and Eylure was the brand that everyone went to to get them. Volume No. 112 delivered full, fluttery lashes that added instant drama, perfect for nights out, parties and early Instagram selfies.

Affordable and easy to apply, they helped normalise strip lashes as an everyday glam essential, cementing Eylure’s cult status.

shop £8 (save £2)

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In sight: Gaia beneath the waves

Published

1 hour ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

A 40-tonne sculpture unveiled late last year beneath the waters of Tokunoshima in Japan waits to be reclaimed by fish and coral

Ocean Gaia, unveiled late last year beneath the waters of Tokunoshima in Japan, is both a sculpture and a sanctuary.

Resting five metres below the surface, the 40-tonne piece appears to sleep within a vast limestone cradle, its folds echoing the sand circles created by the white spotted pufferfish and the mountain ridges that line the island.

Although monumental at 5.5 metres wide, the work feels intimate, its stillness amplified by drifting light and the quiet shift of currents. The pregnant figure is Gaia, meaning Earth, the mother of life. She cradles her belly as she sleeps. The sculpture is perforated around the edges so that fish and coral can claim it over time.

Jason deCaires Taylor is the artist behind this work and many of the world’s underwater museums. By using low-carbon, pH-neutral materials designed to be colonised, the surrounding environment gradually transforms the artworks. The sculpture acts as an artificial reef that provides new habitats for marine life while drawing tourists away from natural, fragile areas.

“Ocean Gaia stands as both a symbol of renewal and a gesture toward reconnection between people, the sea and the continuity of life itself,” Taylor told Positive News.

Taylor hopes it will encourage younger islanders to rediscover their coastlines and feel rooted again in the waters that shaped their culture. The result is a quiet meditation on renewal, creation and hope rising from the deep.

Photography: Jason deCaires Taylor

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NewsBeat

Appeal for next of kin for Westhoughton man John Nugent, 86

Published

1 hour ago

10 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Appeal for next of kin for Westhoughton man John Nugent, 86

John Nugent, 86, died at his address on Singleton Grove, Westhoughton on Friday, February 6.

Officers have stated that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

GMP shared the appeal to help trace the relatives of people who have died before establishing a cause of death.

In UK law, there is no legal definition of “next of kin”, but it is usually understood to be the closest relative, whether a partner, parent, child or sibling.

It is believed John, who was born in Ireland, had previously lived in Farnworth and lived in Altrincham before that.

So far, no members of John’s family have come forward.

Those with more information should Call the Police Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 4687 as soon as possible.

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