61 m. ago Cocktails and checkmates: the young Britons giving chess a new lease of life

Laid-back clubs proving a hit in London, Birmingham and elsewhere as people look for new ways to socialiseOne of the liveliest spots on a Tuesday night in east London’s Brick Lane isn’t a restaurant or a streetwear brand pop-up, it’s a chess club – or chess club-nightclub hybrid, to be exact.Knight Club is the unlikely crossover between chess and London’s fervent nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago ‘They take the money and go’: why not everyone is mourning the end of USAID

When Donald Trump set about dismantling USAID, many around the world were shocked. But on the ground in Sierra Leone, the latest betrayal was not unexpectedEarlier this year, Donald Trump appointed a 28-year-old Doge alumnus, Jeremy Lewin, to oversee his administration’s approach to global aid. Lewin’s primary task has been to gut the US’s aid funding. In an interview with the New York Times, Lewin argued that the traditional approach, which he termed the “global humanitarian complex”, didn’t help poor countries “progress beyond aid”, instead keeping them dependent. The system, he continued, has “demonstrably failed”.This isn’t just the Trump administration’s view. For decades, there has been a robust debate in academic and policy circles, discussed over drinks by development practitioners, written about by critical economists and postcolonial independence leaders, and percolating into the broader consciousness, that aid isn’t working, or at least not as promised. When the news of T...

Politics

2 h. ago ‘I felt violated’: the Italian women taking on porn sites over doctored images

Giorgia Meloni, Sophia Loren and writer Francesca Barra among prominent figures to have ‘nudified’ photos posted on sexist forumsAs she reeled from the discovery of a pornographic website featuring AI-generated images of herself naked, the prominent Italian journalist and writer Francesca Barra said the question that struck her the most came from her young daughter.“She asked me: ‘how do you feel?’,” Barra, 47, said. “But what I heard was another more subtle question that my pre-adolescent daughter perhaps didn’t have the courage to ask, and that was: ‘If it happened to me, how would I handle it?’.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Number of Scots kids carrying out murder bids soars as campaigners demand action

Shocking new figures show there were 17 cases involving 20 children between April and June compared to just five for the same period in 2024.

Events

4 h. ago Jennifer Aniston and ex Brad Pitt enjoyed secret reunion months before THAT flirty SAG Award moment in 2020

Jennifer Aniston and her ex-husband Brad Pitt shocked their fans in January 2020 when they had an unusually warm reunion at that year's Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Events

5 h. ago In their darkest moments, too many Australians are being met with lethal force instead of love and care | Lorena Allam

Police are often not equipped to deal with mental health callouts. Alternative first responders are better placed to de-escalate tension and reduce harmWhen police tasered and killed Clare Nowland – a 95-year-old aged care resident with dementia – after her nursing home called triple zero for help managing her behaviour, her family were devastated and the public was shocked.How could a frail and elderly woman on a walking frame, albeit grasping a steak knife, die in such a violent way? Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago Scale of workplace violence and abuse ‘shocking and unacceptable’, says charity

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust commissioned polling to assess workers’ experiences and is calling for the law to be strengthened.

Events

7 h. ago Father and teenage son bond over ’90s club hit for John Lewis Christmas campaign

Alison Limerick’s Where Love Lives provides the soundtrack, with fellow British artist Labrinth contributing a new version of the track for the ad.

Events

7 h. ago Sporting CP boss and club chief clarify stance on Wolves manager links after update

Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking to appoint a new manager after sacking Vitor Pereira following Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Fulham

Society

8 h. ago Emmerdale fans spark 'recast' concern as Archie Breckle returns to the village

Emmerdale fans were left asking the same question as Jai Sharma's son Archie made a return

Politics

8 h. ago Granit Xhaka pegs back Everton to deny Moyes winning return to Sunderland

David Moyes, the manager who oversaw a disastrous relegation for Sunderland eight years ago, found a very different club on his first return to the Stadium of Light. Back then, Sunderland were on a downward slope. Now, things are on the up.Régis Le Bris’ impressive Sunderland moved up to fourth place ahead of Saturday’s home game against Arsenal after a 1-1 draw against Moyes’ Everton side. A deflected strike from the impressive Granit Xhaka cancelled out Iliman Ndiaye’s brilliant opening goal. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Katie Price shocks fans with tiny waist snaps amid 'weight loss worries'

Fans of Katie Price have been left stunned by unbelievably small waist pictures after latest treatment.

Economics

9 h. ago Leonardo DiCaprio, 50, shocks as he ditches signature mask while out with girlfriend, 27, amid Oscar buzz

Leonardo DiCaprio made the rare move of stepping out without his go-to disguise while leaving Nobu with his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti and pal Tobey Maguire.

Events

10 h. ago Kim Kardashian goes NUDE for magazine cover as she uses only body paint to protect her modesty

Kim Kardashian shocked fans as she stripped off for her latest sizzling shoot this week.

Politics

10 h. ago Carly Rae Jepsen is pregnant: Call Me Maybe singer expecting first child one month after shock wedding

Carly Rae Jepsen is expecting her first child with new husband Cole M.G.N.

Society

11 h. ago Frail Katie Price shocks fans with unbelievable tiny waist pics as weight plummets

WARNING: This story contains images some people may find distressing – Katie Price has shocked fans with her slimmed down waist while undergoing another tweakment

Events

11 h. ago Juan Mata pinpoints major problem Man United are trying to fix

Juan Mata has reflected on his former club Manchester United as Ruben Amorim tries to keep their resurgence going

Politics

11 h. ago Leonardo DiCaprio, 50, shocks as he ditches signature mask while out with girlfriend, 27, amid Oscar buzz

Leonardo DiCaprio made the rare move of stepping out without his go-to disguise while leaving Nobu with his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti and pal Tobey Maguire.

Events

12 h. ago The BBC accused of 'shocking' breaches of impartiality by a senior whistleblower

The BBC has been accused of 'shocking' breaches of impartiality by a senior whistleblower.

Events

12 h. ago Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe, 22, and Nottingham Forest fan among victims of train stabbings

Defender was injured in ‘shocking’ attack on London-bound train, club says in statement

Sport