31 minutes ago If people refuse to work they WILL lose their benefits, insists Labour as Starmer's vows to crack down on huge welfare bill is branded a 'hollow promise'

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall was involved in a toe-curling exchange on Sky News as she was grilled about Labour 's new welfare crackdown.

Economics

54 minutes ago ‘We recognise it in this very primal way’: Stephen Fry, Brie Larson, Chris Ofili and more on why we can’t get enough of Greek mythology

Love, death, grief, power, revenge: Greek tragedies get to the essence of the human experience. Here, writers and artists select their favourite plays, music and films inspired by the classics, from The Hunger Games to a Santana hitGreek myth is not a stable thing. There is no such thing as a canonical, “original” version of a Greek myth. The stories that remain to us – the material of classical plays and poetry, and of visual culture from pottery to pediments – are already elaborations and accretions. In the ancient Greek and Roman world, stories were adapted and remade to serve the needs of the moment. The Greek tragedians often took the germ of an idea from the Homeric epics, and built an entire plot from it. Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, for instance, is in dialogue with Homer’s Odyssey: b...

Politics

77 minutes ago Storm Bert: Wind warnings in place in several counties across island of Ireland

The worst of the storm has passed but there is still a risk of fallen trees and travel disruption in some counties.

Events

79 minutes ago Pollution up in Greater Manchester as bosses insist Clean Air Zone won't help

Transport bosses insist that air pollution is actually falling

Politics

82 minutes ago The Celtic AGM was a panto season preview but Rangers version looks set to be a gritty drama with incomplete cast

The Rangers AGM is rapidly approaching after Celtic's eventful afternoon with shareholders

Events

91 minutes ago Flooding now likely in 50 parts of Wales and further 60 areas put on alert

People have been urged to take care and avoid flooded areas

Events

1 hour ago Cold weather payments triggered in UK snow – check if you’re eligible and when to expect money

Snow has begun to fall across the UK

Economics

1 hour ago World will be ‘unable to cope’ with volume of plastic waste in 10 years, warns expert

Countries must curb production now and tackle plastic’s full life cycle, says Norwegian minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim ahead of key UN talks this weekThe world will be “unable to cope” with the sheer volume of plastic waste a decade from now unless countries agree to curbs on production, the co-chair of a coalition of key countries has warned ahead of crunch talks on curbing global plastic pollution.Speaking before the final, critical round of UN talks on the first global treaty to end plastic waste, in Busan, South Korea, this week, Norway’s minister for international development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, acknowledged the split that had developed between plastic-producing countries and others. She represents more than 60 “high ambition” nations, led by Rwanda and Norway, who want plast...

Events

1 hour ago Urgent Gen Z popular food warning as bowel cancer rates soar among young

Bowel cancer cases have risen in younger people, and health experts have warned Gen Z and Millennials to avoid certain foods in order to reduce the risk of the disease

Events

2 hours ago Victoria Beckham distanced herself from humiliated Meghan Markle for 'one key reason'

Meghan Markle and Victoria Beckham were said to be close friends in the early days of the duchess' relationship with Prince Harry but are now said to have a 'frosty' relationship.

Politics