4 h. ago Nightclub owners who renovated bar themselves could face manslaughter charges after ‘sparklers caused fire killing 40’

MANSLAUGHTER charges could be handed down to the owners of the Swiss ski resort nightclub after a deadly inferno killed 40 people trapped inside. The married couple who bought the venue in 2015 turned it from a rundown café into a party hotspot for the après-ski crowd at Crans-Montana. Jacques Moretti, 49, did most of...

Events

8 h. ago Swiss inferno nightclub owners say they can't 'sleep nor eat' and defend safety of 'deathtrap' ski bar

The couple who own the Swiss nightclub where dozens perished in an inferno on New Year's Eve have said they can't 'sleep nor eat' following the tragedy

Events

12 h. ago A look back at some of the deadliest venue fires in the last 100 years

These catastrophic events underscore the persistent dangers associated with crowded venues

Events

22 h. ago One of Switzerland's worst tragedies left about 40 people dead after a fire in an Alpine resort bar

A New Year’s party at a Swiss Alpine bar turned into a tragedy after about 40 people died in a fire and another roughly 115 were injured, mostly seriously

Events

41 h. ago A look at some of the worst fires in bars, nightclubs and music venues

A fire at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in the early hours of New Year’s Day has left dozens of people presumed dead and around 100 injured, according to authorities

Events

63 h. ago My big night out: I realised I could leave the house party behind – and everything else that made me feel small

It was New Year’s Eve and there had been fireworks, drinking and dancing. Amid it all, I felt ashen and cold. As I walked out, I felt my first surge of quiet liberationWe drove out along the coast one afternoon, to a fireworks shop a couple of towns along. It was late in the year, and the light was low and dismal, rain scudding the windscreen. In a couple of days’ time it would be New Year’s Eve, and then our small town would scatter itself to parties held in bars and houses and nightclubs, and out along the harbour. At midnight, there would be an amateur firework display on the roof of the old lido.In the shop that afternoon, some of the fireworks sat behind a glass-fronted cabinet. They had names like Stinging Bees, Vendetta and Sky Breaker, and beneath each item was a small laminated caption: “One hundred shot roman candle firing high whistling bees,” read one. “Twenty-five secs of time rain salutes. Noisy,” read another. Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote has 'worst year of her life' after devastating fire

Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing star Georgia May Foote has admitted 2025 was the 'worst year of her life' after her beauty salon burnt down in a fire

Events

4 d. ago The photographs that defined 2025 – and the stories behind them

As wars in Ukraine and Gaza continued, anti-government protests erupted around the world. Amid the violence, there were moments of humanity, sporting glory and stunning natural beauty. Photographers reflect on the moments behind the picturesA man cries out in distress as a fire spreads across multiple buildings on a housing estate in Hong Kong Tyrone Siu/ReutersA massive fire broke out around 3pm at Wang Fuk Court, a densely packed housing estate in Tai Po, and I arrived about an hour later. By then, the flames were raging across multiple blocks, with thick black smoke. Unsafe bamboo scaffolding and foam may have led to what became Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades. Residents were streaming out in panic, while emergency crews fought a losing battle against the inferno spreading from one tower to the next. Continue reading...

Culture

6 d. ago From Central Cee to Adolescence: in 2025 British culture had a global moment – but can it last?

Despite funding cuts and shuttered venues, homegrown music, TV, film and, yes, memes have dominated the global zeitgeist over the past 12 years. Now this culture must be future-proofed from the forces of globalisationOn the face of it, British culture looks doomed. Our music industry is now borderline untenable, with grassroots venues shuttering at speed (125 in 2023 alone) and artists unable to afford to play the few that are left; touring has become a loss leader that even established acts must subsidise with other work. Meanwhile, streaming has gutted the value of recorded music, leading to industry contraction at the highest level: earlier this year the UK divisions of Warners and Atlantic – two of our biggest record labels – were effectively subsumed into the US business.In comedy, the Edinburgh fringe – the crucible of modern British standup, sketch and sitcom – is in existential crisis thanks to a dearth of sponsorship and prohibitively high costs for performers. Our film ind...

Politics

1 week ago The Coolest London Music Venues Proving That Nightlife Isn't Dead

The Coolest London Music Venues Proving That Nightlife Isn't Dead  Hypebae

Events

1 week ago Spanish villagers devastated by forest fire win €468m in lottery prizes

Mayor of La Bañeza says winning El Gordo Christmas lottery ‘is something that has fallen from the heavens’When the village of La Bañeza in Castilla y León was engulfed in one of the worst forest fires in Spanish history, the rain came too late to save it.But now the Christmas lottery has showered its 10,000 inhabitants with hundreds of millions of euros. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Leona Lewis is forced to cancel her concert last minute as 'heartbroken' star reveals health woes

The singer, 40, was set to perform at music venue Voltaire in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday but has had to cancel due to a sore throat.

Politics

2 w. ago Ten minutes of terror: how the Bondi mass shooting unfolded in real time – video

Warning: this video contains footage that may be distressing to some viewers. At 6.41pm Sunday, on a footbridge overlooking Archer Park at Bondi beach, two gunmen opened fired in what would become Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre. Guardian Australia's video team has pieced together footage posted to social media, showing the attack from different angles‘We are all human beings first’: Jews and Muslims embrace at vigils for those killed in Bondi beach terror attack‘We need to be here’: a paddle-out for Bondi – in pictures‘Pandemonium’, a woman in labour and every bandage in the clubhouse: how lifesavers became first responders in the Bondi shooting Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago New bar in historic venue hopes to 'bring some fabulousness to the area'

It's going to be ‘loud, proud and fabulous’

Politics

2 w. ago 'It’s properly beautiful': Manchester venue celebrates after being named best in the country

'This is intergenerational energy'

Culture

3 w. ago London venue ‘appalled’ after antisemitic imagery allegedly screened at Primal Scream gig

Roundhouse apologises after animation projected behind band appears to show Star of David entwined with swastikaA music venue in London has apologised after antisemitic imagery was allegedly displayed on stage during a Primal Scream gig.A video appearing to show the Star of David entwined with a swastika appeared to be screened during the Scottish band’s show at the Roundhouse in Camden on Monday. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Former live music venue in Paisley could be transformed into aparthotel under new plans

Request for permission submitted to convert New Street site, previously home to The Cave, into seven-unit facility.

Society

3 w. ago UK’s biggest concert arenas face huge tax hikes sparking ticket price fears

London’s O2 Arena and the Co-op Live in Manchester are among the venues facing substantial increases

Economics

3 w. ago Concert ticket prices may rise after arenas hit with soaring taxes

Smaller music venues across the UK are also in line for painful rates bill rises

Economics

3 w. ago Four members of same family killed in Goa nightclub fire that left 25 dead

Officials say the Birch nightclub had contravened multiple safety regulations and that the basement had no fire safety exitFour members of the same family on their first holiday to Goa were among the 25 killed in a deadly fire at a nightclub in the popular Indian tourist state on Saturday night.The massive blaze broke out at just before midnight at Birch by Romeo Lane, a buzzing bar, restaurant and nightclub in north Goa’s Aporna district. Continue reading...

Events