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As a boy of seven, Matthew Jukes was pressed into service as a wine waiter, welcoming guests to his parents' Brussels home with glasses of Veuve Clicquot champagne.

Next, he found himself pouring a white German riesling, and after that a red volnay from Burgundy. He was permitted to take a surreptitious sip of each.

It sent him scurrying to the bookcase. 'I went a bit Boy Scout and got the atlas out and thought it was fascinating you could have three very different drinks from around the world,' he recalled years later. 'It made me super-curious about wine.' 

That precocious inquisitiveness, that thirst for knowledge about wine, may not immediately have fired what was to become a lifelong passion – there was an early plan to be an astrophysicist. 

But Matthew, nevertheless, went on to become one of Britain's busiest and most influential experts.

And his sudden death while on holiday in Portugal aged 58 has shocked an industry where he was a veritable star. In a brilliant 40-year career, he combined the roles of critic, author, columnist, broadcaster, wine buyer, entrepreneur and charity fundraiser.

A gifted communicator with an infectious enthusiasm, he also caused a

Margaret Thatcher backed an extraordinary secret plan to wipe out South America's cocaine crops by unleashing swarms of leaf-eating moths over drug cartel plantations, newly released files reveal.

The scheme, developed during the height of Britain's war on drugs, would have seen thousands of insects bred by scientists at Porton Down in Wiltshire and air-dropped from helicopters over coca fields in Peru.

Government papers released by the National Archives show Thatcher's administration spent around £100,000 exploring the idea in a bid to curb the flow of the Class A drug reaching Britain.

At the centre of the plan was Eloria noyesi, a species of moth whose larvae feed almost exclusively on coca leaves, the raw ingredient used to produce cocaine.

Unlike most insects, the moth can consume coca leaves safely and process the chemicals without suffering any ill effects.

Officials believed the insect could provide a cheap and effective biological weapon against powerful drug trafficking organisations operating across Peru.

Documents from 1989 show military scientists were tasked with investigating ways to breed the moths in huge numbers before releasing them over illicit plantations.

According to Foreign

Russia stepped up attacks on Ukraine over the weekend amid intelligence warnings that Putin could invade Nato countries in Eastern Europe.

More than 200 missiles and drones hit Ukraine, which is running short of vital air defences, in a blitz on Saturday night.

The coastal town of Odesa bore the brunt, with a dozen injured and the city's largest sports arena, the Chornomorets Stadium, damaged.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the seaport had been hit, adding: 'In this way, the Russians are at war with the world's food security.'

Missiles also struck a high-rise apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, according to reports.

Footage showed smoke rising from the ten-storey building as officials said three people had died and 37 were wounded in the eastern city.

In response, Ukrainian drones killed five people and injured 24 in Russia's border region of Belgorod.

It came as US intelligence warned Vladimir Putin could order an attack on a Baltic state within weeks.

If you're looking for a way to avoid your strawberries going off, here's an unexpected suggestion – use seaweed.

An edible coating made from seaweed can keep the fruit at its best for at least four days at room temperature, say scientists, outperforming uncoated berries stored in a fridge.

The discovery was made by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, who say it could help cut spoilage, large scale food waste and reliance on refrigeration.

The coating is made from agar, a substance derived from red seaweed that is widely used as an alternative to gelatin and as a thickener.

On its own, agar forms a thick gel, but when the team combined it with zinc, an essential nutrient, and tannic acid, a naturally occurring plant compound, the material transformed – self-assembling into tiny microparticles that create a thin protective layer around the fruit.

Strawberries could last longer with the help of an unexpected ingredient

Police told drivers to leave their cars 'if you want to stay alive' as a van fire sparked a wildfire by a dual carriageway this afternoon.

Traffic came to a halt and drivers were ordered to the side of the road after flames from the van ignited 'tinderbox bracken' by the westbound A31 near the New Forest in Hampshire.

A policewoman told drivers to get out of their cars and move to the central reservation next to the road 'if you want to stay alive'.

Later a firefighter was overheard telling a police officer: 'We want all the cars and people off the carriageway. Unattended cars are basically bombs when they go off.'

A fire officer at the scene said: 'We believe it was a van that caught fire on the road and that set alight to the shrubs at the side of the road.'

The van driver is believed to have escaped.

Another fire officer said the blaze was out of control and would not be tamed until at least tomorrow. 

Hundreds of drivers remained stuck by the spreading fire while crews worked out how to evacuate them from the area. 

Customers signed up to news publications, dating apps and streaming services such as Netflix could be hit by higher prices at the start of next year, it was warned last night.

It comes after the Government unexpectedly brought forward plans to restrict rules around subscriptions.

Firms now say this gives them 'little to no time' to comply with the changes and meet the new deadline.

A source close to a coalition of businesses including publishers and tech firms said an abrupt decision to impose the crackdown in January rather than next spring as previously promised would force companies to bring their operations in line faster – costs they would then likely pass on to their customers.

Under a package of 'everyday fixes' to help ease the cost-of-living crisis, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that from January, new rules would be put in place that would end what he dubbed 'subscription traps'. 

These are where firms make it harder for people to cancel their subscriptions or have to renew them at a higher cost than initially advertised.

The rules will mean businesses will need to provide clearer information

French police did nothing more than watch as a baby and toddlers were carried aboard a dinghy to England yesterday.

Dozens of migrants clambered aboard the boat in the waves as tourists enjoyed lunch on the beach. 

The youngest hauled aboard was a baby who appeared to be just months old. There were a number of other youngsters and women, too, alongside many young men.

Remarkably they were boarding a small boat the French authorities had closely tracked for nine-and-a-half hours – and simply let it be – as it picked up multiple groups of passengers along the French coast.

The dinghy appears to have been launched near Dieppe at around 4am. 

This is far further south than from where boats usually leave, but people-smugglers are using new launch spots away from regular police searches. 

Soon after setting off it was followed by a French coastguard vessel – but only in case of a sinking.

After 40 miles it pulled in alongside Berck beach, then 12 miles further north it approached Camiers beach at around noon, where photographer Ioannis Alexopoulos saw the youngsters taken on board after groups of migrants had emerged from the dunes.

Labour has been accused of yet another pro-trade union stitch-up - after businesses seeking government contracts were hit with fresh demands.

Under changes to the 'social value' model used since 2012, private sector companies bidding for work will get extra points for giving union representatives access to their staff.

Small print in the document released last week shows weight will also be added to bids from firms offering flexible working, pay above the National Minimum Wage and 'progressive remuneration policies' to retain staff.

Critics labelled it yet another example of Labour kowtowing to union paymasters with moves that could hinder economic recovery via higher costs and more red tape.

It follows changes brought in by the Employment Rights Act in December, allowing union representatives to enter business premises to 'meet, support, represent, recruit or organise workers'.

And earlier this year, then Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, now Foreign Secretary, was criticised for demanding green energy firms introduce pro-union measures if they wished to keep access to government subsidies.

Incredibly, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham will today begin a summer cost-of-living tour in which he will ask the public for ideas on how the

The captain who was in charge of the boat that flipped and capsized near the Statue of Liberty has been arrested as the mother and daughter killed are named. 

Manuel Hernandez, 46, faces 13 charges of reckless endangerment after Sara Sanchez, 27, and her daughter, five-month-old Antonella Garcia, were killed when the boat capsized in New York Harbor on Saturday night.

The boat captain had allegedly been operating the 22-foot bowrider motorboat while it was dangerously overloaded with 14 people onboard when it turned over at around 10.30pm, the New York Police Department said. 

Emergency responders found Sanchez and her daughter at the scene and they were both airlifted to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn in critical condition, according to police. 

Both were later declared dead.

A large search and rescue operation was launched after the incident, as 12 people were rescued with minor injuries and transported to hospital.

Harrowing cries from loved ones of the victims could be heard at the hospital, the New York Post reported.

Multiple drones were detected flying over a restricted military airspace in Australia, with defence bosses having no idea who is responsible. 

The 'Unmanned Aircraft Systems' were seen hovering over tactical fighter jet defence hub, Williamtown RAAF base, between July 11 to 13. 

Commanders were instructed to close window blinds to prevent sensitive information from being observed. 

The Australian Defence Force are still trying to identify who was operating them and the reason behind the breach. 

The NSW Police Counter-UAS Unit is believed to be investigating why anti-drone weaponry wasn't used to take down the aircraft. 

The incident is particularly concerning given that Williamtown RAAF base is home to some of the nation's most sophisticated military aircraft, including F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and the E-7A Wedgetail.

A Defence spokesman told The Daily Telegraph it was aware of the 'uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) operating in the vicinity of Newcastle Airport and RAAF Base Williamtown'. 

'Defence employs robust, layered security measures to protect its personnel, establishments and capability,' he said. 

A Democrat hoping to replace Nancy Pelosi in Congress has taken down a 'racist and sexist' campaign website used to mock a rival after admitting the tone-deaf attack 'missed the mark.'

California state senator Scott Wiener launched an AI chatbot last Monday which impersonated his opponent, District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan.

That chatbot was branded 'racist and sexist' by Pelosi and a slew of other Democrats who called it 'a gross misuse of technology.'

Just five days after its launch, Wiener's campaign backtracked and said they would be taking down the website and the multiple billboards that promoted it.

Wiener said the bot, ConnieChan.ai, was meant to be a parody highlighting Chan's record on housing, public transit and other issues.

'Today, we are taking down the chatbot, and the billboards that promoted it will come down soon,' he announced Friday.

In a statement to the Daily Mail on Sunday, Wiener's team said: 'The conversation became about the tactic instead of the issues that actually matter to San Franciscans - housing and health care they can afford, transit