A 15th century Chinese box which went unnoticed for decades has sold for £288,000 (about $358,000), smashing its expected price at auction.

A new milkshake inspired by McDonald’s mascot Grimace has taken the internet by storm after inspiring a new TikTok trend. The limited-edition milkshake is part of the new Grimace Birthday meal that was rolled out in the US this month to mark the 52nd anniversary of the character’s introduction. Who is Grimace and what is in his viral milkshake? Grimace is a purple character first revealed by McDonald’s on 12 June 1972 when he appeared in an advert where he was known as “Evil Grimace” after running off with milkshakes. In 2012, Roy T. Bergold Jr., the company’s previous vice president of advertising, described Grimace as “a soft, plush, two-armed blob of a sweetheart”. McDonald's explained: “Grimace is from Grimace Island and comes from a huge family (including his Grandma Winky, aunts Millie and Tillie and his Uncle O’Grimacey!).” Since he stopped appearing in adverts in 2003, the grinning purple blob began fading into obscurity, aside from the odd Thanksgiving parade appearance or Twitter mention. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Now, his character has remerged in a major way, helping to spark a trend thanks to the birthday meal which features a purple-coloured milkshake. The Grimace milkshake is a purple limited edition berry-flavoured drink, “inspired by Grimace’s iconic colour and sweetness”, according to McDonald’s. It contains berry flavouring, vanilla soft serve and whipped cream. It is available with the Grimace Birthday Meal, available in the US, where customers can choose either a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets with fries. The limited-edition shake is available only “while supplies last”. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Lewis Hamilton has signed a new contract with Mercedes, extending his stay with the Silver Arrows until the end of 2025. The 38-year-old joined Mercedes from boyhood team McLaren in 2013 and has won six of his seven world titles under the guidance of boss Toto Wolff. George Russell, who joined as Hamilton’s team-mate in 2022, has also extended his deal to the end of 2025. Hamilton has been linked with Ferrari this season but the Brit has finally put all the speculation to bed by putting pen-to-paper on a fresh deal, reported to be in the region of £50m-a-year - a rise of approximately £10m. “We have never been hungrier to win,” Hamilton said after the contract was confirmed. “We have learnt from every success but also every setback. “We dream everyday of being the best and we have dedicated the past decade together to achieving that goal. “Being at the top does not happen overnight or over a short period of time, it takes commitment, hard work and dedication and it’s been an honour to earn our way into the history books with this incredible team. “We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again. I’m grateful to the team who have supported me both on and off the track. “Our story isn’t finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do.” Hamilton has not won a race since his contentious championship defeat to Max Verstappen at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi - and is currently fourth in this season’s Drivers’ Standings. Hamilton won his first world title with McLaren in 2008, before claiming success again in 2014 and 2015. He missed out in a tight title battle with team-mate Nico Rosberg in 2016, before sealing four straight titles from 2017-2020. Hamilton has claimed 82 of his 103 race victories at Mercedes, while 2022 was the first season in his career when he failed to register a victory. He has not won a race since Saudi Arabia in December 2021. More to follow... Read More Lewis Hamilton says ‘totally wrong’ weather forecast cost Mercedes a podium spot Max Verstappen survives dramatic rain chaos to claim record-equalling victory at Dutch GP Lewis Hamilton, an 18-month drought and an eighth world title further away than ever Lewis Hamilton gives update on F1 movie starring Brad Pitt amid Hollywood strikes F1 2023 calendar: All 23 Grand Prix this year Toto Wolff insists George Russell’s loss of form is a ‘myth’

Standard Chartered Plc will offer at least 20 weeks of paid leave to new parents starting next month,

Miriam Margolyes has shared a health update after heart surgery, revealing that she now has part of a cow’s heart. Back in May, the Harry Potter actor underwent a minimally invasive procedure called a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) to replace a narrow aortic valve after it fails to open properly. Appearing on the Table Manners podcast, Margolyes, 82, discussed the heart operation with hosts Jessie Ware and her mother, Lennie. “I’ve got a cow’s heart,” Margolyes revealed. “Well, not the whole heart. I’ve had an aortic valve replaced by a cow’s aortic valve.” Jessie asked if that was “common”, with Margolyes joking: “I think it’s rather refined, actually… I don’t know how common it is, I’d never heard of that operation. But it saves you from having open heart surgery, which would be infinitely more invasive.” Further discussing the surgery, Margolyes explained: “They made two little holes in your groin, one in each groin. and then they shoved this thing through. And I don’t know how they pull it up but they sort of pull it up with strings, into your heart. “And then when it comes to the point when it’s in your heart, they pull a little string and it goes pow! And lo and behold, your artery or your aortic valve is shoved unceremoniously to the side, and the cow’s aortic valve says, ‘Moo, I’m here.’ It’s rather amazing.” Margolyes also shared that she would “probably” use a wheelchair soon due to her bad back, but had “just sort of accepted” that it was going to be necessary. On her new fandom and being seen as a “national treasure”, thanks to her outspoken nature, she added: “It’s lovely to hear that you like me and you approve of me. But I truly am a little old lady. Trying to make a living. Trying to keep going.” Last month, the actor released her new memoir, titled Oh Miriam: Stories from an Extraordinary Life. In the book, which was full to the brim with revelations, Margolyes wrote that her current state of disability meant that she now is mostly unable to perform on the theatre. Describing herself as “semi-crippled”, she wrote that “usually that means you have to stop”. “I don’t think I can do theatre again unless I’m playing a character similarly disabled,” she said. “I know Maggie [Smith] and Eileen [Atkins] and Judi [Dench] and Vanessa [Redgrave] still tread the boards, and they’re older than me – but they’re fitter, b***** it, and good luck to them!” Read More Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan and Miriam Margolyes among 2,000 artists calling for Gaza ceasefire 11 biggest revelations from Miriam Margolyes’ hilarious new memoir Miriam Margolyes says Steve Martin was ‘horrid’ on film set: ‘Perhaps he was method acting’ Call The Midwife ‘should come with a health warning’ My kids don’t have sushi in their packed lunches – does it make me a bad mum? Adele reveals she’s three months sober after being ‘borderline alcoholic’ in her 20s

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