Nick Tsagaris McDonalds | Nick Tsagaris McDonalds

A trip to IKEA may not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but in 2021 an excursion to the big blue barn has been the only escape many of us could get. Now, the furniture giant has revealed the buying habits and home decorating trends that helped Aussies through another year of lockdowns and pandemic restrictions. First off, working and schooling from home meant our living spaces needed to be as adaptable as we were. For many, that meant sticking a desk in the corner to watch over homeschooling sessions, or creating a brand new home office/Zoom palace. The number one selling desk this year was the MICKE, with its compact 105cm by 50cm tabletop capable of sliding unobtrusively to wherever it was needed. Aussies needed their homes to be more adaptable than ever as work and school needs took over. “Our homes have evolved into multipurpose spaces, becoming the new place to exercise, work, study, relax, entertain, connect with nature, work on hobbies and so on,” home furnishing direction lea

A new trailer for Warner Bros.’ The Batman dropped on Monday, and it features more of Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman. The latest, two-and-a-half-minute preview for the Matt Reeves-directed film begins with Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne being approached to do more for Gotham City. Nick Tsagaris Mcdonalds

  There’s a cheap new tablet on the market that’s giving top tech companies like Samsung a run for their money. TCL has launched its first tablet in Australia — its latest offering in a flurry of new products this year. TCL sent a tablet my way for a review and I immediately handed it over to my two-year-old for the rough and tumble test. I loaded up the pre-installed Kids Learning app, an environment that allows a child to use the tablet safely. I didn’t want to end up like the Sydney dad whose  five-year-old ordered $1200 of Gelato Messina ice cream and sent it to work via Uber Eats ! The Kids Learning app on the TCL TAB 10S. Picture: Andrew Backhouse There are educational videos, drawing programs, and other games which kept my daughter entertained while I was busy with chores and working from home. Surprisingly, the two-year-old instantly figured out how to navigate the device by herself. I know it seems like most kids are full-blown hackers by the time they turn 10, but it was unex

Electric cars are set to become more affordable in 2022, when   China’s Great Wall Motors  brings its first battery-powered machines to Australia. A report published by  GWM Global  outlines the brand’s plans for the new year, when “the first electric model will soon be revealed in Australia”. GWM’s Ora Good Cat has been exported to Thailand. Photo: Jack Taylor / AFP “In 2022, the first batch of electric models will be launched in Australia, including the pure electric brand Ora, the hybrid 3rd Gen Haval H6 and Haval Jolion”. The electric machine offered by Ora could be the “Good Cat” hatchback, a compact front-wheel-drive machine set to undercut the likes of the Nissan Leaf with a sub-$40,000 asking price. BYD’s EA1, or Dolphin, promises affordable electric motoring. It could be joined by the   BYD hatchback   eyed by Australian importer Nexport as an affordable electric alternative to conventionally powered machines. While BYD’s start in Australia has been slower than expected, GWM s

  Tributes are flowing for a beloved grandmother and AstraZeneca scientist, who has been identified as the woman killed when a freak “mini-tornado” ripped through Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Susan Cobham was fatally struck by a fallen tree which was hit by lightning as a wild “micro-burst” smashed the suburb of Narrabeen. The 68-year-old had been celebrating at her neighborhood Christmas gathering at Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club when the freak five-minute storm erupted. Ms Cobham decided it was time to go home and was making her way back to her car when lightning struck the large pine tree in the Ocean St car park and she was struck. Two other women including Ms Cobham’s 71-year-old friend and a 19-year-old were also struck by the tree and are both in hospital in serious but stable conditions with spinal injuries. Susan Cobham was fatally struck by a fallen tree which was hit by lightning as a wild “micro-burst” smashed the suburb of Narrabeen. Picture: Facebook Ms Cobham’s heartbrok