35 minutes ago Rufus Wainwright: ‘I had a great party trick, but it once blew up in my face’

The singer-songwriter on his most memorable fan, his love of Chappell Roan, and his close friend and nemesis Jake ShearsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you could have a sandwich named after you, what would be on it?I would have a really gross sandwich named after me that nobody would want to eat. The one time I tried to cook – many, many years ago, when I was in college – I decided to make all the things that I love and put them in one dish. And so it was brussels sprouts, macaroni and cheese, merguez sausages, extra blue cheese and broccoli. And it was literally grey. So yeah, it would be something revolting like that, between two pieces of cardboard. Continue reading...

Politics

41 minutes ago BBC Strictly Come Dancing's JB Gill has 'tough' week amid pal Liam Payne's funeral

Strictly Come Dancing contestant JB Gill previously paid tribute to the late One Direction member Liam Payne, describing his former X Factor co-star as a 'very good friend'

Politics

1 hour ago Moscow bans adoption of Russian children to countries that allow gender transition

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill banning adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legal

Politics

1 hour ago Starmer accused of ‘letting off’ City lawyers while stripping cash from pensioners in Budget

Calls for reform of tax paid by law, accountancy and private equity firms instead of controversial cuts to winter fuel payments

Economics

2 hours ago Couple accused of stealing nearly $1m of Lululemon products from stores

Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were arrested on 14 November in Minneapolis-St Paul A couple has been accused of stealing nearly $1m worth of Lululemon products from its stores across the US.Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were arrested on 14 November in Minneapolis-St Paul and have each been charged with one count of organized retail theft, according to a criminal complaint filed in Minnesota and reviewed by multiple outlets. Continue reading...

Events

2 hours ago Keir Starmer played the China card in Rio – and sent a message to a hawkish Donald Trump | Simon Tisdall

The PM and other western leaders are cosying up to Beijing. If the president-elect imposes punitive tariffs on Chinese imports, he will give Xi the upper handBoth were lawyers before they became politicians, but that’s where the similarities between Keir Starmer and Richard Nixon end. The former US president resigned in disgrace at the height of the Watergate corruption scandal exactly 50 years ago. Britain’s prime minister may have been unwise to accept free tickets from Arsenal FC – but he’s not in Nixon’s league.Except, perhaps, was there just a touch of Tricky Dicky about Starmer’s meeting with China’s president, Xi Jinping, at last week’s G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro? Watergate aside, Nixon is famous for his groundbreaking 1972 visit to Beijing, which opened the way to normalised r...

Politics

2 hours ago 836lb ‘cursed’ emerald worth $1bn must return to Brazil, US judge rules

The rare Bahia Emerald, which was mined in Brazil in 2001 and smuggled to the US, has long been the subject of competing claims of ownership

Events

2 hours ago Man charged with attempted murder after bus attack leaves victim fighting for life in Brixton

Detectives do not believe any weapons were used in the incident but police enquiries are ongoing

Events

3 hours ago Dispersal order in force across Manchester city centre amid reports of youths 'gathering to cause trouble'

The order, signed by a senior police officer at 12.13pm today, gives Greater Manchester Police extra powers to order people to leave the city and lock them up if they refuse

Sport