6 d. ago Monsters of California review – three friends search for one’s missing father in sci

Blink 182’s Tom DeLonge’s directorial debut is nicely shot and benefits from a good cast – but its meandering journey through UFOs and a urinating Bigfoot can be a bit bumpy Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge directs and co-writes this sci-fi slacker comedy which sees a trio of stoner wastrels hoping to investigate what happened to the father of one of their number, who mysteriously disappeared many years ago and is presumed dead. It’s a slightly frustrating experience, because the film has got loads going for it but could be just that little bit better. So many of the ingredients are right: it’s nicely shot and directed, and the casting feels on point – it’s not so much that you buy these evidently non-teenage actors as teenagers, but that their presence is part of a noble tradition of adults playing teens in films. It’s as cosily familiar to anyone who came of age in the 1990s as baggy skate trousers and a band hoodie.This sense of cultural time capsule extends to the characters themselves: ...

Events

6 d. ago Monsters of California review – three friends search for a missing father in Tom DeLonge’s sci

Blink 182’s DeLonge’s directorial debut is nicely shot and benefits from a good cast – but its meandering journey through UFOs and a urinating Bigfoot can be a bit bumpyBlink-182’s Tom DeLonge directs and co-writes this sci-fi slacker comedy which sees a trio of stoner wastrels hoping to investigate what happened to the father of one of their number, who mysteriously disappeared many years ago and is presumed dead. It’s a slightly frustrating experience, because the film has got loads going for it but could be just that little bit better. So many of the ingredients are right: it’s nicely shot and directed, and the casting feels on point – it’s not so much that you buy these evidently non-teenage actors as teenagers, but that their presence is part of a noble tradition of adults playing teens in films. It’s as cosily familiar to anyone who came of age in the 1990s as baggy skate trousers and a band hoodie.This sense of cultural time capsule extends to the characters themselves: they ...

Events

1 week ago The Guardian view on China, Africa and disappearing donkeys: an unexpected crisis offers a clue to perils ahead | Editorial

The surging export of hides created domestic tensions – and shows how globalisation plays out in unexpected waysWhat can help to protect women’s health, boost the incomes of impoverished families and thus allow girls to avoid early marriage? What – when it disappears – can set back children’s education, damage mental wellbeing, drive conflict within communities and become a vector for racial hatred?The humble donkey has rarely been in the spotlight. Yet Chinese demand for its skin proved so destabilising that African governments agreed to a continent-wide ban on the slaughter of the animal for its hide last year. This week, officials are meeting in Ivory Coast to discuss implementation.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago AIMEE WALSH: 'Palestine activists aren't terrorists, as Labour seek to ban group lobbying for Gaza freedom'

Protest is a civil right, so why are the British Government planning to proscribe Palestine Action? Critic Aimee Walsh argues that the Labour government is weak on what matters: the genocide in Gaza

Events

2 w. ago Met Police introduces patrols to protect women and girls at concerts

The operation began on June 5 at Beyonce’s concert at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Events

2 w. ago MPs are set for crunch vote on decriminalising abortion TODAY as biggest law change in more than 50 years seeks to protect women

Currently abortion is a criminal offence in England and Wales unless it takes place before 24 weeks into a pregnancy and with the approval of doctors.

Politics

3 w. ago Police are working 'night and day' to catch Ballymena rioters after alleged sex attack on local girl sparks violent disorder

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has welcomed a reduction in disorder on Saturday night after several consecutive days of rioting and attacks on police officers.

Events

3 w. ago Elderly man challenges riot police on his mobility scooter while wearing a Roman helmet in Ballymena

A video has gone viral showing a mobility scooter rider in Ballymena challenging riot police.

Events

3 w. ago How Ballymena boiled over: After horrifying riots sparked by two Romanians being accused of raping teen, RICHARD KAY meets the victims

But as dusk falls, the mood is transformed into something rather more sinister. Gangs of masked youths stalk the streets, barricades are set ablaze and the acrid smell of burning tyres fills the air.

Events

3 w. ago Petrol bombs and fireworks launched at police as Ballymena riots spread across Northern Ireland in fifth night of violence after 'alleged attempted rape of local girl, 16, by two Romanian teens'

Crowds of masked thugs gathered in Portadown where a protest had been held earlier in the evening before it descended into carnage.

Events

3 w. ago The Guardian view on riots in Northern Ireland: racist violence does not express ‘legitimate grievance’ | Editorial

Politicians must analyse the forces behind mob unrest, but not in terms that make excuses for itA reputation for political violence is one reason Northern Ireland has historically attracted fewer immigrants than the rest of the UK. In that context, increasing diversity could be read as a measure of progress; a peace dividend after the Troubles. That isn’t how it has felt to families cowering in fear of racist mobs this week. The riots started in Ballymena, ostensibly triggered by the arrest of two boys, reported to be of Romanian origin, accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. A community vigil mutated into a racist rampage. Masked thugs targeted the local migrant population. When police came to quell the pogrom, officers were attacked with bricks, fireworks, petrol bombs. There was contagion. Windows were smashed and a fire started at a leisure centre in nearby Larne that had been used as a temporary refuge for those fleeing the Ballymena violence. There were outbreaks of di...

Events

3 w. ago Inside the Ballymena riots: How 'attempted rape of local girl, 16, by two Romanian teens' ignited wave of anti

One single fact appears to have provided the spark to ignite Ballymena in flames.

Events

3 w. ago Ballymena riots: Police arrest man and woman with victim 'traumatised' by days of violence

Police in Northern Ireland have faced four consecutive days of violence in the wake of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena that sparked riots, leaving residents terrified

Events

3 w. ago Family of girl 'sexually assaulted by Romanian teens' plead with Ballymena rioters to end violence as town braces for fourth night of chaos

Northern Ireland 's police chief Jon Boutcher said the young girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena had been 'further traumatised' by the rioting since Monday.

Events

3 w. ago History is repeating itself in my hometown and it’s terrifying to watch

Like everywhere in Northern Ireland, Ballymena has suffered its share of atrocities. Now it’s happening all over again, writes Kate Devlin

Events

3 w. ago How a peaceful protest erupted into nights of violence and rocked a Northern Irish community

A demonstration organised on social media called for a ‘peaceful protest to show our anger at what cannot and will not be tolerated in this town’. But after three nights of violence, terrified families are fleeing Ballymena and displaying their nationalities on their front door

Events

3 w. ago Watch: Homes left smashed and charred after multiple nights of violence in Ballymena

Homes have been destroyed after several nights of unrest in Northern Ireland, where rioters hurled petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks at police.

Events

3 w. ago AIMEE WALSH: 'Ballymena riots aren't noble acts to protect women

Riots broke out in Ballymena, a Northern Irish town, after two teenagers were charged with the attempted rape of another teenager. Don’t be fooled, this is not about protecting women, writes critic Aimee Walsh

Politics

3 w. ago Northern Ireland riots latest: Petrol bombs and fireworks hurled at police as Ballymena violence spreads

Violence has broken out in Ballymena for the past three nights after angry mobs went on the rampage through the town’s streets

Events

3 w. ago Ballymena riots: DUP minister to be referred to standards commissioner after leisure centre fire

Prior to the fire, Gordon Lyons posted on social media that the leisure centre had been used to accommodate several people following riotous behaviour in the town of Ballymena

Politics