32 minutes ago UK explores plans for new rail line as alternative to axed HS2 northern leg

Feasibility study for a Birmingham to Manchester route to be launched by ministers

Politics

60 minutes ago Thomas Tuchel not expected to scout players in Premier League before 2025

German takes over as England head coach in JanuaryTwo of Chelsea’s backroom staff wanted by TuchelThomas Tuchel is not expected to attend Premier League matches to scout players before he begins his role as England’s head coach on 1 January.The German, who signed his contract to become Gareth Southgate’s long-term successor last week, is not under pressure from the Football Association to be a visible presence at games or do work behind the scenes before the turn of the year. The FA will keep Lee Carsley in interim charge for next month’s Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland, with the expectation that Tuchel will hit the ground running in January. Continue reading...

Politics

65 minutes ago Investigators found notebook detailing shooting plans and ‘shrine’ to past killings in home of accused Georgia mass killer

Colt Gray reportedly joked about the Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings in front of his mother, investigators revealed

Events

78 minutes ago Experts not convinced Government will save cash by limiting winter fuel payments

The Social Security Advisory Committee admonished the Government for not providing an impact assessment of its plan to scrap the universal payment.

Politics

78 minutes ago BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills breaks down in tears live on air during Liam Payne tribute

BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills broke down in tears live on air as he paid tribute to former One Direction singer Liam Payne.

Society

80 minutes ago Don’t tremble at Putin’s threats, Zelensky urges West as Ukraine seeks backing for ‘victory plan’

Ukraine president sought vital backing from the EU and Nato in a hectic day of Brussels diplomacy

Politics

85 minutes ago Major London tourist attraction makes rule change as it brings in new ban for all visitors

The museum has said it has been forced to act to protect its visitors, staff and collection

Politics

87 minutes ago M6 crash: Mum who died in horror smash with car 'going wrong way on motorway' pictured

Five people, including two children, died in the horror crash between a Skoda and Toyota on the major motorway as they passed near Tebay Services in Penrith, Cumbria on Tuesday

Events

89 minutes ago Billie Eilish review – a bravura arena set offers both energy and intimacy

Madison Square Garden, New YorkThe singer continues a wildly successful year with a major tour that gives fans a fast and furious ride through her biggest hitsHow can an artist who’s reached superstar status maintain the intimacy that their career was built on? For Billie Eilish, it’s a tricky dance and a trajectory I’ve seen play out first-hand. Around early 2016 an invite to a performance by an artist a publicist was very excited about popped into my email. “Hi love,” the message said. “Just wondering, did you get a chance to check out 14-year-old Billie Eilish?” With that, I ventured to a basement venue on New York City’s Lower East Side and witnessed one of her earliest sets. It was an impressive display of performance and songwriting. How could this girl be 14 and this good?In many...

Science

92 minutes ago ‘He had all the stuff you need to be a pop star’: how Liam Payne helped One Direction to global glory

Although he was less extroverted than his bandmates, his impressive vocals made him a cornerstone of the era’s defining boyband. So why did he struggle to accept his own greatness?Liam Payne was just getting started. His death is a heartbreaking endAt One Direction’s first audition together on The X Factor in 2010, Liam Payne – who died yesterday – is given the opening line. Singing Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn to Simon Cowell and Sinitta, Payne is only 16 yet has seemingly absorbed decades of pop stagecraft. It’s a difficult opening verse to sell to the judges – downbeat and low-register – but Payne nails it. Rippling vibrato denotes his trembling heart and matinee-idol acting sells the line “she showed me what it was to cry” as he glances off to one side as if slapped by the pai...

Politics