3 h. ago Nicola Sturgeon’s immense political talent is undeniable. The nationalism was the problem | Martin Kettle

Many of her admirers gloss over her desire to break up the UK as Scotland’s first minister. But in her open and touching memoir, it plays a starring roleNicola Sturgeon was – and still is – important, talented, personable and, to many, inspirational. She was also extremely lucky and often wrong, sometimes seriously so. There are examples of all these qualities in her newly published memoir, Frankly. Sturgeosceptics should concede at once that it contains much that is fascinating, especially about her relations with her charismatic mentor turned vengeful enemy Alex Salmond. Starry-eyed Sturgies should equally admit she made several deep and lasting errors that have left behind a divided nationalist party and movement.The book is more open and touching about private issues than most political memoirs, although Sturgeon deploys these qualities selectively. Many of the intimate reflections are about being a woman in politics. Other memoirs by female politicians – including those of Marg...

Politics

4 h. ago Drug dealers arrested at Spanish holiday hotspot where Jay Slater partied

The drug ring targeted sun-seeking British tourists in the Canary Islands, with dealers pretending to sell sunglasses, watches, and souvenirs while also offering dangerous drugs

Events

4 h. ago Drug dealers targeting Brits in Tenerife arrested on strip where Jay Slater partied

A total of 55 men were arrested across several locations in a joint operation by National Police and local officers

Events

17 h. ago Suspected drug dealer has morning 'turned upside down' in raids as five arrested

Officers raided two properties in Tameside

Events

42 h. ago Drug dealer who worked with Salford gangster Jamie Rothwell got involved in crime after life 'spiralled'

Jamie Rothwell faces a lengthy jail sentence

Events

45 h. ago Dangerous drug 'rampant' in Brit holiday hotspot as tourists have seizures on the streets

Another popular drug has emerged on to the party scene once again as dealers target tourists in Majorca, leaving them at risk of seizures, memory loss and even death, officials have warned.

Events

48 h. ago Emmerdale actor hints he's already leaving ITV soap just weeks after debut

Joe Absolom recently joined the ITV soap as dodgy drug dealer Ray and the actor appeared to hint that he'll be leaving the show later this year during his appearance on Good Morning Britain

Culture

66 h. ago Palestine Action has committed ‘violence’ and ‘significant injury’, No 10 says

Downing Street said evidence and security assessments shared in closed court supported the group’s proscription.

Events

4 d. ago Heroin dealers fined just £499 as punishment for Scotland's mounting drug deaths

The Sunday Mail can reveal the shockingly lenient punishments being handed out despite 1065 fatalities last year - the highest of any European country.

Economics

4 d. ago Girl, 2, was beaten with paddle, shot with BB gun then sold to drug dealer, cops fear

Girl, 2, was beaten with paddle, shot with BB gun then sold to drug dealer, cops fear  Daily Mail

Economics

4 d. ago I care more for my daughters' safety than the rights of foreign criminals. That's why I support every peaceful protest outside an asylum hotel, writes ROBERT JENRICK

ROBERT JENRICK: The news only seems to get worse: drug dealers, murderers and even reported spies from Iran have exploited our open borders.

Events

5 d. ago Full list of 33 River Island shops to close after court approval

River Island is set to close 33 stores and secure rent cuts on dozens more after a judge approved the fashion chain's major restructuring

Events

5 d. ago BBC release controversial podcast about notorious crime queen 'Big Mags' Haney who ran a heroin empire while posing as a community hero

The BBC has today released a controversial new six-part podcast on notorious Scottish drug dealer 'Big Mags' Haney.

Politics

5 d. ago Care worker GUILTY of sex crime against boy she fell 'in love' with after string of WhatsApps revealed

Lindy Leah has been convicted after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court

Economics

8 d. ago ‘They’re to put the brakes on cops’: Rio barricades turn favelas into fortresses

Police demolition squads fighting back against fortifications, while one local artist is using barriers as canvas to symbolise hoped-for peaceDeep in a mosaic of redbrick favelas on the fringes of Rio, a weapons dealer, a drug smuggler and a crime lord held court on a corner as darkness enveloped the streets they rule.An unnerving arsenal of assault rifles was on show as the trio fielded requests from customers, locals and staff, but the mood was relaxed. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Can’t Look Away review – a harrowing, heartbreaking indictment of social media’s ruthlessness

Bloomberg journalist Olivia Carville follows a small legal outfit as it takes Silicon Valley’s most powerful companies to task for endangering young users“Tweens are herd animals” and have “an addicts’ narrative”, according to internal documents revealed by a Facebook whistleblower to congress, making clear the levels of cynicism and obfuscation the company operates with in its quest to hook young people to its platform. Bad though that is, it’s not the worst example in this lucidly laid out and often harrowing indictment of social media’s ruthlessness; that would be the proliferation of drug dealers on Snapchat, which the company seems to have to some extent turned a blind eye to in the scramble to expand its user base.Based on the investigative work of Bloomberg journalist Olivia Carville, this film covers the attempts of minnow legal outfit Social Media Victims Law Center to net the sharks of Silicon Valley. It represents a host of families who have suffered heartbreaking losses ...

Politics

9 d. ago Former priest accused of leading evangelical Church of England cult says followers gave him ‘sensual’ massages to relieve tension headaches

Christopher Brain, who denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault, claims he engaged in kissing, massaging and stroking with ‘close friends’ from the Nine O’Clock Service, a court heard

Events

9 d. ago ‘Children are entering a hellscape’: the terrifying film about grieving parents taking on social media giants

Sextortion, suicide scenarios, unwanted sexual advances – all this and more is served up to teens on their phones. Can’t Look Away tells a devastating story of bereft parents trying to hold the likes of Snapchat to accountIn 2020, Amy Neville found her 14-year-old son Alexander dead in his bedroom. He had taken what he thought was an oxycodone pill, bought – according to Neville – from a drug dealer he met on Snapchat. The pill was a fake, laced with fentanyl. Four years later, his mum stood up in the California high school where Alex would have been a student to warn other parents and teenagers about social media. “We give our kids these smartphones. We let them have these apps. And that is the equivalent of dropping them off in the worst neighbourhood in our area.”Neville is featured alongside other bereaved parents in Can’t Look Away, a terrifying new documentary about kids and social media directed by Matthew O’Neill and Perri Peltz, based on extensive investigative reporting by...

Society

9 d. ago Thomas Partey close to joining Villarreal in week of court appearance

Former Arsenal midfielder has denied rape chargesPartey has agreed contract and taken medicalThe former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is poised to join Villarreal on a free transfer this week.Partey is due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday after being charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault last month, a few days after he left Arsenal having failed to agree a new deal. He has denied all the charges. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago I used to be an escort, and a former client wants to be friends. What should I do? | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

Do you feel ready to merge your past and your present? By considering a friendship with this man, you can see if this will work for youUntil four years ago, I was a sex worker – specifically, a high-end escort. In my experience, when clients treat you with respect and understand the boundaries, it’s possible to form a relationship not unlike that between a therapist and a client.One client I was particularly fond of was a man a few years older than me. He is on the autism spectrum, which makes him somewhat socially awkward, but he is intelligent, creative and empathetic – and passably handsome. I always felt he would make a wonderful partner for a woman who could see past his quirks. Continue reading...

Politics