9 h. ago 'Berlin Wall 2' must be demolished after being built in middle of housing estate

The council issued an Enforcement Notice ordering the landowner to remove the unauthorised structure dubbed by locals as the 'Berlin Wall' between two housing estates

Politics

57 h. ago The missing lynx: how the rise of border walls has split up wildlife populations

In an age of growing hostility to migrants, there are 10 times more barriers on borders than when the Berlin Wall fell. But as well as the human cost, animals are unintended victimsThe lynxes of the Białowieża forest once freely prowled through 1,420 sq km (548 sq miles) of ancient woodland. Then, in 2022, the habitat was abruptly sliced in two. Poland built a 115-mile (186km) wall across its border with Belarus to stop refugees and migrants entering the EU. About 15 lynxes were left stranded on the Polish side of the forest, forced into a genetic bottleneck.The 5.5-metre high barrier, which is topped with wire and cameras, also dissects the forest’s population of bison, wolves and elk. Researchers monitored 10 sites along the border, walking along sections and counting signs of humans and wildlife. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Boris Johnson warns Ukraine ‘gets nothing’ from Trump’s peace proposals

The former UK prime minister, who built the international coalition backing Ukraine, has demolished the US president’s peace proposals

Events

8 d. ago Shakespeare 'would be turning in his grave' after local council orders £1.7million theatre built without planning permission to be demolished

The Arden, the newest of three stages at Titchfield Festival Theatre in Hampshire, is still hosting performances despite being declared illegal by a planning inspector in August 2024.

Economics

1 week ago Saturday Night Live has lost its bite, so why would we want it here? | Sarah Manavis

The once fearless, now formulaic, satirical show is on its way from the US. Can it bring back the fun?What makes good satire? The answer might vary depending on who you ask. What is more unifying, however, is what doesn’t. Most would agree it’s things like punching down, cheap jokes, obviousness or, worst of all, failing to actually be funny.We saw a unique combination of all of the above last weekend, when the American live sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) attempted to parody the hit HBO series The White Lotus, setting it among current White House staff. Alongside middling caricatures of Donald Trump and the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the pre-recorded skit portrayed the English actor Aimee Lou Wood, who has a gap between her teeth, and her character from the show, Chelsea, as uncharacteristically stupid, with bulging eyes and buck teeth. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Saturday Night Live lost its bite long ago, and it’s unlikely to find it on British TV | Sarah Manavis

The once fearless, now formulaic, satirical show is on its way from the US. Can it bring back the fun?What makes good satire? The answer might vary depending on who you ask. What is more unifying, however, is what doesn’t. Most would agree it’s things like punching down, cheap jokes, obviousness or, worst of all, failing to actually be funny.We saw a unique combination of all of the above last weekend, when the American live sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) attempted to parody the hit HBO series The White Lotus, setting it among current White House staff. Alongside middling caricatures of Donald Trump and the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the pre-recorded skit portrayed the English actor Aimee Lou Wood, who has a gap between her teeth, and her character from the show, Chelsea, as uncharacteristically stupid, with bulging eyes and buck teeth. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago AP PHOTOS: Chinese factories seek to expand their business outside the US

Massive sheets of aluminum hang in Danny Lau’s factory as workers bustled about painting them with oil coating in China's southern industrial city of Dongguan.

Culture

2 w. ago Sadiq Khan confirms plan for almost 300 affordable homes next to North Middlesex University Hospital

All of the homes will be available either for social rent or shared ownership, and “will meet the highest standards of design and energy efficiency”

Politics

2 w. ago Celebrity Big Brother Late And Live thrown into chaos as housemates spot 'hidden' presenters in middle of broadcast

Presenter Will Best, 40, and David Potts, 31 - who won the show last year - headed into the camera runs to see what the housemates were up to.

Society

2 w. ago A house in the middle of a farm off the M4 was hiding a big secret

The property had been renovated and cut off the National Grid but seemed to be requiring huge amounts of power from a generator, which prompted suspicion

Society

3 w. ago Middle East crisis live: Israeli attack on tents housing journalists in Gaza kills at least two, say Palestinian medics

Airstrikes hit media tent outside Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, say medics, injuring nine othersAs we mentioned in the opening summary, ten Britons have been accused of committing war crimes while fighting for Israel in Gaza. Here is some more of the story, written by the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique:Michael Mansfield KC is one of a group of lawyers who will on Monday hand in a 240-page dossier to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit alleging targeted killing of civilians and aid workers, including by sniper fire, and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, including hospitals.The report, which has been prepared by a team of UK lawyers and researchers in The Hague, also accuses suspects of coordinated attacks on protected sites including historic monuments and religious sites, and forced transfer and displacement of civilians. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Israel has chosen military occupation over a ceasefire in Gaza. Where does this end? | Sanam Vakil

The latest escalation and attempts to dismantle the Palestinian leadership are utterly at odds with peace negotiationsSanam Vakil is a senior research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham HouseAgainst the pleas and protests of hostage families desperate to secure the release of their loved ones, the Israeli government is moving ahead with the military occupation of the Gaza Strip. On 2 April, the defence minister, Israel Katz, announced plans to seize large areas of Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas’s remaining infrastructure and establishing new security zones that will split Gaza in two. This escalation, which began in mid-March with intensified airstrikes, is intended to encourage a mass exodus of the local population, and has led to substantial civilian casualties. Despite the international outcry over more than 50,000 deaths, 110,000 civilian injuries and significant displacement of Palestinians, the Israeli government rationalises and justifies ...

Events

4 w. ago Life and death decisions, a gobs**** and our very own Berlin Wall

Welcome to this week's 'Unmissable', our digest of the stories we think you might have missed

Events