5 hours ago Alan Titchmarsh admits there are two plants he'd happily ban from gardens forever

Former Gardeners' World favourite Alan Titchmarsh is a huge fan of plant life, but he told the Talking Gardens podcast there are two garden staples that he'd happily never set eyes on again

Politics

5 hours ago ‘Bob Dylan was an endearing young scallywag!’ Barbara Dane, the singer who burned a path through folk, blues and activism

The US singer-songwriter, who has died aged 97, encountered Louis Armstrong and more as she championed civil rights as much as music. In her final interview conducted last week, she explained why she was still angryAs a singer-songwriter who was as devoted to social change as she was to her craft, Barbara Dane, who has died aged 97, is a singularly inspiring figure in American music.Amid a crop of reissues and a new film, I spoke to her just last week over the phone as she was cared for in a home hospice in Oakland, California, due to heart disease. As a singer, songwriter and activist over almost 80 years, finding kinship with everyone from Bob Dylan to Louis Armstrong, she demonstrated formidable quantities of courage and compassion, as documented in that new film, The 9 Lives of Barb...

Events

6 hours ago Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for black pepper and bay leaf chicken curry

This simple, weeknight curry still feels fancy and indulgent thanks to a dash of single cream and clever spicingThis is a lovely weeknight curry that, thanks to the dash of single cream to finish, also feels rich and indulgent. I must admit to buying ready-diced free-range chicken to cut the prep time down even further. If you have a few handfuls of spinach in the fridge, you could definitely chuck that into the pan to wilt in the last couple of minutes of cooking, not least to add a plant point. Continue reading...

Politics

9 hours ago Alan Titchmarsh says 'I begin to worry' and shares two plants he would 'ban' from garden

Alan Titchmarsh has been a gardener for decades and has a good eye for plants, but there are two flowers he'd happily never see again

Politics

10 hours ago Starmer and Streeting invite ‘entire nation’ to contribute to consultation on reforming NHS – UK politics live

Labour invite the public to share their experiences, views and ideas on fixing the NHS in a nation-wide consultationGood morning. When the Labour government came into power, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, declared on his first day in office “the policy of this department is that the NHS is broken”. The government is going to published a 10-year health plan to fix it, and it is due to be published next spring.Streeting has said the plan will involve three main elements: moving from analogue to digital; more focus on primary care, not hospital care; and more focus on prevention. Keir Starmer explained them in a speech on the NHS in September.Members of the public, as well as NHS staff and experts will be invited to share their experiences views and ideas for fixing the NHS via the o...

Politics

14 hours ago Does mood lighten or darken as clocks go back? Britons urged to join study

Project examines how switch to winter time affects wellbeing – either positive or negative – and time perceptionDoes the prospect of darker evenings make you feel gloomy, or will you relish the extra hour in bed for one morning? Scientists are launching a study to better understand how the annual switch back to winter time affects people’s wellbeing and time perception – and they need your help.In the UK, the clocks are due to go back at 2am on Sunday 27 October. Previous studies have largely focused on the negative effects of the spring transition to daylight saving time (DST) on people’s sleep, cognitive performance and propensity to accidents, but less is known about the impact of the autumn change – or how these biannual events affect our perception of the passage of time. Continue ...

Politics

29 hours ago Seasalt Cornwall's 'toasty' waterproof winter coat has shoppers raving

The Plant Hunter Waterproof Parka Coat from Seasalt Cornwall is available in six colours and in three lengths, regular, tall and petite

Politics

30 hours ago My fall fashion staple this year is an XL blazer – why do men hate it?

The growing popularity of menswear fashion has women ditching crop tops for shoulder pads. But why are men still bothered by a woman dressed in loose-fitted suit? Kaleigh Werner

Politics

32 hours ago Ukraine attacks Putin explosives plant with hundreds of kamikaze drones

Clouds of white smoke were seen rising from the Sverdlov plant in Nizhny Novgrod following the series of devastating attacks after Ukraine sent hundreds of kamikaze drones into Russia

Events