33 m. ago Premier League buildup, Old Trafford reaction and latest news – matchday live

News, discussion and buildup to the day’s actionGet in touch! Email us with your thoughts hereA few Optas ahead of today’s 12:30pm kick-off between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. The Dyche v Guardiola one doesn’t bode well for those hoping for an upset.● Nottingham Forest won their last Premier League match against Man City 1-0 in March last season, last winning consecutive league games against the Citizens in September 1995. Continue reading...

Politics

53 m. ago ‘Painful to hear!’ How podcasts’ rush to video is turning them into dreadful listens

From Joe Marler’s visual-only stunts to the incomprehensible shuffling sounds Steven Bartlett recently subjected headphone users to, dodgy audio experiences are on the riseTo understand where we are in the evolution of podcasting, the opening episode of Joe Marler Will See You Now is unexpectedly instructive. The podcast finds Marler, former rugby player and breakout star of The Celebrity Traitors, impersonating a psychotherapist and subjecting guests to “totally unregulated psychological testing”. The mock-therapy conceit is hardly a new one, but on paper it still has the makings of a successful pod. Celebrity host fresh from ratings-busting TV triumph? Check. Fancy studio setup for the viewing crowd? Check. Weird visual stunts that will leave audio listeners baffled? Er check?The big news in podcasting from the last 18 months has been the medium’s swift and unstoppable pivot to video. Where a podcast was previously defined as an audio recording available to stream online, it has s...

Politics

53 m. ago Republican behind Epstein files act responds to Trump ‘lowlife’ taunt

Kentucky’s Thomas Massie used the president’s insult to raise funds to run against a Trump-endorsed candidateA Kentucky congressman singled out by Donald Trump on Christmas as a “lowlife” after co-authoring a law requiring the federal government to release all of its Jeffrey Epstein files says the president attacked him for keeping a commitment to “help victims”.Thomas Massie then successfully sought donations for his run for another term in the 2026 midterm elections against an opponent that Trump – his fellow Republican – has already endorsed. Continue reading...

Politics

93 m. ago London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks 2025: Where to watch displays for free across the capital

Ringing in the New Year without rinsing out the wallet. Here's a grifter's guide to watching the London fireworks without a ticket

Events

1 hour ago London from the sky: Best aerial photos of the capital in 2025

These stunning shots tell the capital’s story over the past year from a unique perspective

Culture

1 hour ago ‘It restored my hope’: how community action is confronting racism in Belfast

An initiative linking people across race, class and faith offers an antidote to silence, hate and growing divisionDonate to the charity appeal hereAs a black woman in Northern Ireland, Maureen Hamblin knows that racism comes in many forms. “It’s not just the smashing in of shop windows,” she says. “It can be quiet, it can be silent.”Bystanders who hear racist remarks and remain mute, as if oblivious, amplify the hurt and leave victims feeling alone and isolated, a recurring experience that left Hamblin drained. “There was a time when I’d lost a lot of faith in white people, in white men.” Continue reading...

Events

1 hour ago A conversation between Joe Rogan and Mel Gibson summed up 2025 for me – and not in a good way | George Monbiot

From merrily dismissing climate science, to promoting irresponsible health claims, the podcast was an unintentional warning for our times Looking back on this crazy year, one event, right at the start, seems to me to encapsulate the whole. In January, recording his podcast in a studio in Austin, Texas, the host, Joe Rogan, and the actor Mel Gibson merrily dissed climate science. At the same time, about 1,200 miles away in California, Gibson’s $14m home was being incinerated in the Palisades wildfire. In this and other respects, their discussion could be seen as prefiguring the entire 12 months.The loss of his house hadn’t been confirmed at the time of the interview, but Gibson said his son had just sent him “a video of my neighbourhood, and it’s in flames. It looks like an inferno.” According to World Weather Attribution, January’s fires in California were made significantly more likely by climate breakdown. Factors such as the extreme lack of rainfall and stronger winds made such f...

Politics

1 hour ago Opposition anger as Guinea’s junta leader is frontrunner to be elected president

Mamady Doumbouya accused of betraying his promise to be the restorer of democracy after leading 2021 coupIn September 2021, a tall, young colonel in the Guinean army announced that he and his comrades had forcibly seized power and toppled the longtime leader Alpha Condé.“The will of the strongest has always supplanted the law,” Mamady Doumbouya said in a speech, stressing that the soldiers were acting to restore the will of the people. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago ‘A lot of men don’t open up’: Kidwild, the UK rapper unafraid to bare his soul

As a child he performed in the West End and appeared in a Stormzy video. But after his early music career faltered, he began to write about his troubled childhood – and hit a nerve From Newham, LondonRecommended if you like Dave, Bashy, Nemzzz Up next Debut mixtape planned for springIt’s a measure of how quickly Keaton Edmund, AKA Kidwild, has speed-run his way through a performing arts career that the rapper describes himself as being in the “comeback part of my life” at age 20. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago Morocco no longer continental pariah as Afcon showcases its global standing

Country pulled out of hosting 2015 tournament but has since become central figure within world footballIt is hard to conceive that Morocco, now the nerve centre for staging Africa’s marquee football events, was a continental pariah 10 years ago.Abruptly pulling out of hosting the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, over fears it would lead to the spread of the Ebola virus in the kingdom, forced the Confederation of African Football to move the tournament to Equatorial Guinea, with less than 90 days to prepare for its staging. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago I was there: England’s Euro 2025 glory was a surreal, almost psychedelic blur

Sarina Wiegman’s champions took supporters on the most thrilling and nail-biting ride in Switzerland that was in many ways even more enjoyable to cover than their 2022 triumphSurreal. Utterly surreal. A home Euros in 2022 had provided wave after wave of emotion, England’s win at Wembley the culmination of decades of growth, setbacks, fight and deep longing. Everyone sang from the same hymn sheet for that maiden Euros win: the written press, broadcasters, fans, sponsors, Football Association, players and Sarina Wiegman and her staff. There were tears – lots. Having begun covering women’s football for the Guardian via a weekly column before the 2017 Euros, then gone full-time before the 2019 World Cup, I felt as if I had lived that progression, journeyed with them, contributed, in some small way, to that growth.The 2025 edition was different, surreal, an almost psychedelic experience. In many ways better than 2022. This was England’s first major tournament win – male or female – away ...

Politics

1 hour ago New Battle of the Sexes is cynical bid for attention and own goal for Sabalenka

World No 1’s clash with Nick Kyrgios is on track to being one of the most inane tennis events ever conceived2025 was the year of Aryna Sabalenka for so many reasons. She reached three of the four grand slam finals, winning her fourth major title at the US Open and further positioning herself as a generational great. From her humble origins as a volatile, one-note ball-basher, the 27-year-old has admirably evolved into an increasingly complete player. Sabalenka is the best player in the world for a second year in succession.The fleeting tennis off-season is usually an opportunity for players and spectators alike to reflect on such great feats before the new season is upon them. This year, however, the December discourse has been derailed by the fast-approaching train wreck Sabalenka stands at the heart of. Continue reading...

Events

1 hour ago Horror movie 'cleverest since Blair Witch project' on Film 4 tonight

The film holds a near perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes

Events

2 h. ago The 10 celebs who’ve bagged HALF A MILLION POUNDS worth of free

IF you didn’t manage to get away on holiday amid the on-going cost of living crisis this year, fear not - this lot did it for you!  With millions of followers between them, celebs such as Maura Higgins, Millie Mackintosh and Kelly Brook were called upon by luxury hotels to showcase their destinations, gifting the...

Politics

2 h. ago Arsenal XI vs Brighton: Predicted lineup, confirmed team news, injury latest for Premier League

Gunners could get injury boost as they resume Premier League title bid

Politics

2 h. ago England seal first win in Australia for 15 years to avoid Ashes whitewash

England chase down 175 to win by four wickets inside two days in Melbourne

Events

2 h. ago Two F1 squads make richest sports teams list as McLaren miss out despite title wins

Two F1 teams featured in the top 50 for the 2025 season, but the most valuable franchise in the series was only the 26th most valuable in all of global sport this year

Politics

2 h. ago Has your car gone up or down in value in 2025? Biggest movers revealed

One of the most overlooked factors when looking at running costs to choose a next car is depreciation. Yet this could ultimately have the biggest hit on your bank account.

Politics

2 h. ago What you needed to know about tax in 2025: The top questions answered by our expert HEATHER ROGERS

Heather has fielded questions about accidental landlords, setting up a trust for a vulnerable adult, and avoiding inheritance tax if you own a listed building this year.

Politics

2 h. ago No gels, no foams: Catalonia turns to grannies to teach traditional cooking

Region famed for molecular gastronomy begins video project to collect and share rustic recipesCatalonia’s avant garde chefs have made a name for themselves with their revolutionary techniques and molecular gastronomy, yet they are fond of saying they are merely paying homage to the simple dishes served at their grandmother’s table.Maybe so, but now the grannies have been given a chance to show off the real thing under a Catalan government initiative called Gastrosàvies. Continue reading...

Society