Two oil tankers in the Black Sea, allegedly part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” were attacked by Ukrainian forces using drones to evade sanctions. Kairos and Virat, two ships that were flagged as being inoperable in the Gambia, are reportedly no longer operational.
Published On 30 Nov 2025
Chelsea will be just three points adrift of their London rivals if they defeat league leaders Arsenal on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
Can Enzo Maresca’s side win this season’s Premier League against the odds?
Arsenal, who have lost the last 16 games to Liverpool on August 31, are currently unbeaten after 16 games as they attempt to end their 21-year Premier League title drought.
Chelsea are now feeling confident and on their own six-game unbeaten run following their 3-0 victory at home to Barcelona on Tuesday.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca responded to a question about the significance of a win on Sunday, saying, “We still have five or six months to go.” Where we are in February or March will be crucial, we’ll see when.
Chelsea are playing well enough to be champions, to put it simply.
Chelsea’s attack is comparable to Arsenal’s, even though Cole Palmer missed more than two months with an injury.
However, Arsenal’s incredible defensive stats set them apart.
In the past, a team needed to create significantly more chances than they did concede on a regular basis to win the title. This is done by averaging a + 1 non-penalty expected goals (npXG) difference per game.
Only Arsenal has managed to maintain that level of consistency this year, with Chelsea needing to develop defensively.
After defeating Liverpool, Tottenham, and Barcelona this term, Spain’s left-back Marc Cucurella expressed concern about their inconsistency with less powerful opposition.
The defender remarked, “I believe we lost points against teams you expect to win this season.”
Interesting: Under Jose Mourinho’s leadership, Arsenal’s exceptional defense threatens Chelsea’s record for the most clean sheets (25) and fewest goals conceded (15) in a Premier League campaign.
You can tell that they don’t concede goals, Maresca said. They are therefore the team to beat because they are the best team defensively and top of the league and Champions League.
Both teams play high pressing and a patient possession style, which is obvious stylistically.
The quality of the set pieces is another important factor. With 10 goals in 12 games and the highest overall average of 7.88, Arsenal are the league’s best attacking set-piece team. Conversely, Chelsea has the fourth-highest xG at 5.44 and is second with eight set-piece goals.
Arsenal has the second-best xG against (2. 10) in such situations, while Chelsea has the second-worst xG (6.40), despite conceding three more set-piece goals than Chelsea (33). Even though it improved last year, Arsenal’s game may still be causing trouble.
Based on their underlying statistics, Chelsea are unquestionably in the top four.
Despite dealing with the long-term injury that cost them the loss of crucial defender Levi Colwill, Chelsea’s defense is stronger this term.
The Italian appears more optimistic this time around after Maresca claimed his team were “not ready” to win the Premier League at this point last season despite supporters yelling “We’ve got our Chelsea back.”
The 45-year-old said, “For sure, it’s different than it was a year ago because we spent a second year together.
“Although it’s already November, it’s still very early. In March or April, it’s crucial to observe where we are. These players repeatedly demonstrated their ability to defeat[top] teams in their 18 months of playing together.
Maresca will try to avoid the same subpar winter run that almost cost his team last year’s Champions League qualification.
He did not consider qualification to be a requirement in 2024 or 2025, but it is in this season, with his manager’s future being evaluated at the end of the campaign.
Despite this, Chelsea’s management would consider any title challenge to be made this year to be ahead of schedule. During a sluggish first season, they only had to give Maresca a vote of confidence.
Chelsea was questioned at the time about their excessive rotation or age.
Following Colwill’s comments after Chelsea won the Conference League and Club World Cup at the end of last season, striker Liam Delap made the suggestion that he thought Chelsea could win either the Premier League or Champions League on Tuesday night.
Although rarely revealed publicly, BBC Sport is aware that a number of other players believe Chelsea will score those goals this year.
Fans of acclaimed actor Ben Stiller are only just realising how long he’s been acting as he celebrates a milestone birthday today (November 30). The US star, who has more recently turned his hand to directing rather than acting , rose to fame thanks to The Ben Stiller Show and movies like Meet the Parents.
And people have only just realised that Stiller, who turns 60 today, has been acting for a whopping five decades. Talking about the amazing feat on Reddit one woman shared: “Ben Stiller has been acting for five decades, longer than Benedict Cumberbatch has been alive.
“Ben Stiller, born 1965, first acted in 1975 in a television program called ‘Kate McShane. Benedict Cumberbatch was born in 1976″.
She also shared a screenshot from Wikipedia that reads, “At age 9, Stiller made his acting debut as a guest on his mother’s waning television series “Kate McShane.”
He appeared in several roles in “Clever Jack and the Magic Beanstalk” with the NYC’s First All Children’s Theatre in the late 1970s, including the title role.
Someone else wrote in the comments, “Being a nepo baby with talent pushed Ben Stiller’s career forward.”
A nepo baby is a person who has gained notoriety because their parents have, or have other reasons, been famous. So Ben does have talent, according to the Redditor.
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara are Ben’s parents. A husband-and-wife comedy duo starring Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara that was primarily well-known in the 1960s and 1970s.
Jerry passed away five years later, and Anne Meara sadly passed away in 2015.
They were well-known for their funny, funny humor about marriage and daily life, which made them very well-known in their heyday.
Jerry Stiller later gained acclaim for his television roles, most notably as Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens and Frank Costanza on Seinfeld.
Anne Meara appeared in films like Fame and Awakenings and Archie Bunker’s Place as well as a successful career in television, film, and theater.
Stiller and Meara were well-known for their comedic timing, chemistry, and contributions to American entertainment both together and separately. They are also known for bringing up Ben Stiller, a genius in comedy, and of course, they are.
It wasn’t difficult to get Ben into the family business because his parents were Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, both of whom were actors in movies, as one person wrote on Reddit. Anne and Jerry both appeared in 1970’s “The Out of Towners” and Jerry was in the original “Taking of Pelham 123.”
Stiller began his acting career at the age of nine by writing mockumentaries, and he was then given the opportunity to work on a variety-sketch series, The Ben Stiller Show, which he produced and hosted for its 13-episode run. He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Programme after airing the series on MTV in 1990 and on Fox in 1992 and 1993.
Stiller was a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedic actors who were unofficially known as the Frat Pack.
He made his directorial debut with Reality Bites (1994), and he later made his acting debut with The Cable Guy (1996), and Walter Mitty’s Secret Life (2013). Along cameo (2004), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Starsky &, Hutch (2004), and Tower Heist (2011) were also a few of his big studio comedies.
Stiller has appeared in comedies like Zoolander (2001) and Tropic Thunder (2008) in addition to Meet the Parents. His other film credits include the Madagascar franchise (1995–2012) and the Night at the Museum (1906–2014), both of which earned him more than $2.6 billion (£2 million) in Canada and the US on average, or $79 million (£60 million) per film.
Monarchs first began celebrating Christmas at Windsor Castle in the 12th century, and the grand tree unveiling is always one of the highlights of the royal year. “The state apartments at Windsor were designed as magnificent backdrops for ceremony and entertaining,” says Kathyrn Jones, Senior Curator of Decorative Arts at Royal Collection Trust. “Many of the spaces have high ceilings and plenty of gilding, which act as perfect frames for the Christmas trees.”
A tall Nordmann fir tree is traditionally imported from Windsor Great Park and displayed in the Crimson Drawing Room in St George’s Hall. The trees are installed in November, according to Kathryn, and the selection is typically made in September. We can be certain that we choose the healthy trees by picking them ourselves.
READ MORE: Smyths Toys issues alert to anyone shopping online this Christmas
The St George’s Hall centerpiece is roughly the size of a two-story building, measuring 20 feet tall. The giant fir needs a small army of volunteers to add twinkly lights and baubles to the decoration. It takes a lot of work to decorate it, Kathryn says, because it requires about 3, 000 lights. The balcony at the end of St. George’s Hall can be used to reach the tree’s top, but access to the upper branches requires a small cherry-picker.
Size is unquestionably important when it comes to tree decorations. According to Kathryn, “many of the foil decorations we use on the St. George’s Hall tree are 50 cm or larger in diameter, and many of the baubles are larger than footballs.” We also use fake foliage stems of all kinds, colors and textures, sparkling wired branches, ribbons, wreaths, garlands, and fake fruit, among others.
With the environment being a key concern for King Charles, sustainability is a major priority for Kathryn and her colleagues. “The decorations are recycled and reused as much as possible,” she tells us.
We alternate between the homes’ decorations to provide variety, and we source UK-made tinsel in the form of recycled and recycled. In the Royal Collection, there are no documented historical Christmas decorations. This is probably because they were worn or replaced when edible; for instance, in the 19th century, sweets and nuts were frequently tied to the branches.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who resided at Windsor Castle in the middle of the 18th century, are credited in large part for making it such a popular destination during the festive season. Kathryn points out that they shared Christmas traditions there and that this is largely responsible for the popularity of the Christmas tree in Britain.
The castle is still considered to be the most atmospheric of all the royal residences during the festive season, and as royal correspondent Katie Nicholl says, “It really comes into its own and is just magical for the public at Christmas time. Although the royal family are more focused on Sandringham for their own festivities, Windsor is where visitors get to see the trees and decorations in all their glory.”
Visitors can also take in the stunning garlands that line the Grand Staircase at the State Apartments, as well as the ornamental wreaths and foliage that decorate the grounds.
The Trust made the first-ever additions to the tiny rooms of Queen Mary’s dolls’ house in Windsor last year. These included elaborate miniature gilded-wood tree ornaments and designs inspired by 1920s embroidery and fringing.
As the largest and most famous dolls’ house in the world, it was built between 1921 and 1924 for Queen Mary, consort of King George V, by leading British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.
Over 1,500 artists, craftspeople, and manufacturers were represented in the dolls’ house, and a 45cm-tall model of a Christmas tree was created to celebrate its centenary last year. The tree has a partridge resting on one of the branches and contains miniature hand-painted golden pears, Kathryn says. “The tree proved to be very popular, so we will be displaying it again this year.”
The Edinburgh Palace of Holyroodhouse is renowned elsewhere for its festive splendor. The centerpiece is the wood-paneled Throne Room, which was replaced last year by two magnificent 12-foot trees.
Garlands, berries, and foliage dotted the stairs leading to the historic State Apartments, along with a 15-foot Nordmann fir tree and two elaborate mantels that transformed the storied Great Gallery. At the main entrance and gates, festive wreaths were greeted outside. The table was set in the Queen Victoria’s Royal Dining Room, which had a silver service and was laden with fruits and foliage.
Although Sandringham, a private royal residence, has a slightly more formal design, great care is being made to make the setting a little more opulent for the family’s annual gathering. A tall main tree and others in various sitting areas and corridors are typical sources of fires for the Norfolk estate. The trees are decorated with family-style ornaments that have been passed down through the generations.
At Clarence House in London, a custom that has now been in place for many years sees Queen Camilla invite children and their families to help with tree embellishment in the property’s library. Last year, her equerry Major Ollie Plunket used his military sword to hang the decorations, chosen by poorly youngsters being supported by Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity.
Millions of viewers watch the monarch’s annual Christmas Day speech from one of the most significant trees. The King delivered his speech at Fitzrovia Chapel in London last year, and the tree featured sustainable decorations like pine cones, metal bells, twisted glass, and glass baubles. The Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, which is the country’s oldest hospice, received the tree after the broadcast.
While that was the first time in nearly 20 years that the monarch delivered the Christmas Day speech outside a royal residence, another festive first has arrived this year in the form of a pop-up Christmas shop at Buckingham Palace Royal Mews. An area within the 200-year-old stables has been transformed into a boutique selling gifts, food and drink.
The store will display etched crystal wine glasses inspired by a wine-cooling vessel used by Queen Victoria, as well as gins made with botanicals from the grounds of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. The Guard Mouse, a children’s book from the 1960s that was just recently republished by the Royal Collection Trust, will also be decorated and served as candy. We are aware of our destination if we are stranded looking for last-minute presents.
Getty Images/Topical Press AgencySome of the sport’s most well-known figures have been reflecting on the humble beginnings of Britain’s first team as the season’s dramatic climax approaches. Over the course of the next 80 years, BRM won the world title at the bottom of a garden in the small town of Bourne, Lincolnshire.
It’s an incredible story, isn’t it? former F1 champion and broadcaster Damon Hill says. They “set out to conquer the world.”
The Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corpus via Getty Images/CORBIS/CorbisHill, the 1996 world champion, has a close relationship with BRM. Graham, his father, and the team won the team’s only championship in 1962.
“Hill recalls,” “One of the places that really made it possible for him to show what he had.” Essentially, he based his career on his success at BRM.
But that success was not quick.
In the Bourne market town of 1945, Raymond Mays, an ambitious racer and entrepreneur, founded BRM, or British Racing Motors as it was known today.
Raymond Mays has always wanted to compete in Grand Prix racing, according to Anthony Delaine-Smith, the owner of a bus company based in Spalding Road, where the former BRM factory once stood.
The idea was to combine industries with the construction of a British Grand Prix car after the war.
After World War Two, motor racing was recovering, and in 1950, a new Formula 1 World Championship was introduced.
For the project, Mays gathered about 40 British businesses.
Some of the top industrialists in the UK, including Sir Alfred Owen, who later purchased the team from Mays, helped him gain the support of him.
The Type 15 is “arguably Britain’s most significant Formula 1 car,” according to BRM today.
The green BRM soon competed alongside renowned marques like Ferrari and Maserati at Silverstone, despite not having the capacity to host the first Formula 1 World Championship race until 1950.
The leading driver of his day, Juan Manuel Fangio, accepted to drive the car in 1952, giving the business a new lease of life.
Former racing correspondent for BBC Radio 5 Live and The Observer Maurice Hamilton said: “To get Juan Manuel Fangio into your car was quite something.
National Motor Museum, Heritage Images, and Getty ImagesSir Jackie Stewart, a three-time world champion in motor racing, made his debut in Formula One while competing for BRM.
He claimed that the team was the “first to take on enormous responsibility” alongside top-tier drivers.
Juan Manuel Fangio was the best racing driver who had ever lived, having only driven once at BRM. Stewart, who joined the team in 1965, said, “I saw all of that.
Really, getting a ride with BRM was a very important part of my life. That was a significant event in my life.
Formula 1 and Formula 1 by Mark Sutton via Getty ImagesHe claimed that BRM’s success opened the door for Britain’s sizable motor racing sector, which, according to F1, is now worth £12 billion annually.
Stewart continued, “BRM started it off strongly, and we are now the world’s capital.”
Bis 1974, BRM won 17 grands prix, securing 63 podium finishes, and winning the 1962 drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
In 1952, Mays purchased the business, which was then sold to Sir Alfred Owen and his engineering firm Rubery Owen, but Mays continued to serve as team manager.
The BRM name is currently owned by brother Paul, cousin Simon, and uncle John, who is also known as Nick Owen, the grandson of Sir Alfred.
He referred to Bourne as the place where “everything happened,” from car and engine designs to tests at nearby Folkingham, which became “important to the BRM history” there.
McLaren, Williams, and Lotus became the first British teams to benefit from their success.
