Is ‘coasting’ the perfect way to enjoy an alcoholic drink this New Year’s Eve?

Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations often used to result in a hangover the next day, but with moderation now the order of the day the new drinks industry buzzword is “coasting”.This involves choosing a white wine, lager or even a cocktail that is about half the strength of the traditional version of the drink – meaning you can have the same number of drinks without feeling the worse for wear.Vanessa Pearson, Ocado Retail’s trading manager for beers, wines and spirits, credits “coasting” for a “huge increase in customer interest in mid-strength wine”. In 2025 its sales of these types of wines soared 4,000% as the nascent category gained ground.As the name implies, “mid-strength” drinks occupy the middle ground between no and low-alcohol (nolo) and standard options

Coral Adventurer passengers return with diverging accounts of cruise ship drama

A passenger onboard the Coral Adventurer has told the ABC she won’t travel with the luxury cruise liner again, after it was grounded on a reef off Papua New Guinea at the weekend.Ursula Daus alleged her life was in “danger” as a result of the incident. But other passengers told the ABC their experience was more positive, after landing at Cairns airport on Tuesday.The Coral Adventurer was refloated on Tuesday with the assistance of a tug.It grounded on Saturday off the east coast of PNG, about 90km from the nation’s second-largest city, Lae

Oasis reunion and Taylor Swift vinyls fuel boom year for UK music industry

Nostalgia surrounding the Oasis reunion tour, alongside Taylor Swift fans’ clamour for vinyl, contributed to another boom year for the UK music industry, as physical formats continued their comeback.Music lovers listened to the equivalent of 210.3m albums by UK artists during 2025, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) annual report, up 4.9% on 2024 and the 11th year of growth in a row.Female pop artists and touring middle-aged male rockers led the way in the charts, while sales were further bolstered by Britain’s enduring love affair with the British-American band Fleetwood Mac

Channel tunnel power outage disrupts thousands of journeys

A power outage in the Channel tunnel has disrupted thousands of journeys ahead of the new year celebrations, with all passenger and vehicle trains suspended for several hours while engineers raced to repair the fault.As Eurostar foot passenger departures for the continent were first delayed, then cancelled, the halls of St Pancras International station in London filled with stranded travellers awaiting updates. At Folkestone in Kent, tailbacks formed as drivers hoping to catch the shuttle faced seven-hour delays.By Tuesday evening, engineers were still struggling to restore full service, with the Channel tunnel operator, Getlink, saying trains were running on only one of the tunnel’s two tracks, travelling in alternate directions.The technical glitch began on Monday night, according to Getlink, with “an incident related to the power supply to trains”

Eurostar disruption: Channel tunnel partially reopens but ‘significant’ delays ongoing – as it happened

With the rest of the evening’s trains leaving their stations again, we’ll draw our live coverage to a close.Eurostar and LeShuttle services between the UK and Europe were suspended for most of Tuesday due to a power supply problem in the Channel tunnelThe timing of the power failure was terrible given it came the day before New Year’s Eve, with many travelling to end-of-year holiday destinations.A LeShuttle train which stopped in the tunnel was also to blame for the delaysTravellers scrambled to find other transport and accommodation options after all Eurostar services were postponed between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.Some trains in Europe not using the Channel crossing – e.g

Fashion brand LK Bennett on brink of collapse

The upmarket fashion brand LK Bennett appears to be heading for collapse for the second time in six years.On Tuesday the company filed an application with the high court to appoint an administrator to the business, which employs about 280 staff.The move suggests that the clothing chain, which was founded by Linda Bennett in 1990 and is now owned by China-based backers, appears to have failed in its widely publicised efforts to unearth a saviour.Should LK Bennett appoint administrators it will be the second time in recent years it has entered insolvency proceedings – despite its reported high-profile fans, who include the Duchess of Cambridge and the former prime minister Theresa May.In 2019 the business collapsed into administration after its owners failed to find a new financial backer