3 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Oreshnik missile sparks anger at UN security council

Strike on Lviv that used nuclear-capable ballistic missile a ‘dangerous, inexplicable escalation’. What we know on day 1,420 The US and Britain have condemned Russia for dropping a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile on Ukraine. At an emergency meeting of the UN security council, Tammy Bruce, US deputy ambassador, called the Lviv strike a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation”. Britain’s acting UN ambassador, James Kariuki, called the attack “reckless”, adding that “it threatens regional and international security and carries significant risk of escalation and miscalculation”.Russia claimed the Oreshnik targeted an aviation repair factory. Ukraine has not confirmed what was hit but said the missile struck during a wider attack using drones and other rockets. The rarely used, multiple warhead Oreshnik missile is thought to be in limited supply – Ukraine’s military and special forces claim to have destroyed at least one of them on the ground in Russia. Observers have rated the...

Events

11 h. ago Nationwide expands scheme that saves customers up to £300,000 every month across UK

The bank has launched the new feature to tackle fraud as Brits face up to eight scam calls a month

Economics

12 h. ago ‘Her time has come’: did Mondrian owe his success to a cross

Piet Mondrian found fame, fortune and glory with his grid-like paintings filled with basic colours. But did many of his ideas come from Marlow Moss? Our writer celebrates an extraordinary British talent who died in obscurityIn 1972, the mighty Kunstmuseum in the Hague bought three paintings by a little known British artist called Marlow Moss. The prestigious art gallery was keen to show the enormous influence of Piet Mondrian – the famous Dutch painter acclaimed for his black grids lit with bold blues and brash yellows – on such lowly also-rans as Moss.Yet, should you visit the Kunstmuseum today, you’ll find the Moss works positioned front and centre, while a similar piece by the great Mondrian, who would later become the toast of New York, is hidden behind a pillar. Why the volte-face? Because it is now widely recognised in the art world that it was as much Moss who influenced Mondrian as the other way round, at least when it came to the double or parallel lines he started using in...

Politics

12 h. ago Brits called up for WW3 conscription set for surprise payday as details explained

British soldiers who are hit with a military draft might be in for a very uncomfortable surprise when they see just how much the government will pay them for their service

Politics

19 h. ago Most likely Brits to fight first in WW3 revealed as full conscription rules explained

As tensions with Russia escalate and military experts warn the UK may need to reintroduce conscription, here's who would be most likely to serve first based on historical precedent and military requirements

Politics

61 h. ago Pub chiefs urge Keir Starmer to radically slash tax to save Britain's boozers

The British Beer & Pub Association called for talks with ministers on the future of pubs ahead of a new package of support measures being unveiled next week

Politics

67 h. ago Conscription ages for women in UK if WW3 starts as Putin's pal lists Europe targets

With global tensions showing no signs of easing up, experts have urged that Britain's army numbers aren't high enough if we were to go to war. Here we look at the rules for women if conscription was introduced

Politics

3 d. ago Did Leonardo da Vinci paint a nude Mona Lisa? I may have just solved this centuries

It is one of the most tantalising – and entertaining – puzzles in art, stretching from the Louvre to the Loire via, well, Norfolk. And our critic thinks he has just worked it outIncreased security after the recent heist has made the queues at the Louvre even slower, yet on this rainswept, very wintry morning, no one grumbles. After all, the Mona Lisa is waiting inside for all these tourists who have come from the world over. Leonardo da Vinci’s woman – swathed in dark cloth and silk, smiling enigmatically as she sits in front of a landscape of rocks, road and water – draws crowds like no other painting. But if the Mona Lisa can attract such attention fully clothed, what would the queues be like if she was nude?Strangely, this is not just amusing speculation – because in 18th-century Britain, she was. An engraving issued by a publisher called John Boydell gave libertine Georgians the opportunity to hang “Joconda” in their boudoir. It must have been popular because many copies survive...

Politics

3 d. ago Women between these ages at risk of conscription in the event of a WW3 draft

During WW2, women aged 20 to 30 faced mandatory military service - but how would conscription work today for women if we were faced with an active war situation

Events

3 d. ago Britain calls for transition in Iran to 'fair and democratic' government as protests grow in Tehran

Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Iran’s capital and in other cities

Politics

3 d. ago Brits who dodge WW3 conscription could be hit with humiliating alternative

As global tensions rise and WW3 fears grow, history shows how British conscientious objectors faced public shaming through the white feather campaign, military tribunals and alternative civilian service

Events

4 d. ago PM faces call to rule out use of British bases if US attacks Greenland

US officials have said they could use ‘military means’ to ‘acquire’ the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

Events

5 d. ago Simon Yates announces surprise retirement with ‘deep pride and sense of peace’

British cyclist calls time aged 33 after a 13-year career‘Now feels the right moment,’ says Giro d’Italia winnerSimon Yates, one of Britain’s most storied riders and the winner of last year’s Giro d’Italia, has stunned cycling by announcing his retirement at 33.The Visma-Lease a Bike rider announced on Wednesday that he is quitting with “deep pride and a sense of peace” after a 13-year career that gleaned two grand tours, 10 elite stages and 36 professional races. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago How Stranger Things has started a travel boom to a magical waterfall in Iceland

Even though the show was set in a fictional town, one surprising filming location in particular has caught the attention of many.

Politics

5 d. ago Five groups likely to be called up to military as Brit conscription warning sounds

Military experts warn these five groups could face UK conscription if World War 3 erupts – from young men aged 18-25 to former soldiers, despite government denials

Events

6 d. ago Search launched for Brit missing in Thailand last seen in Christmas Day Facetime call

Mark Counsell, 31, from Pontypool, South Wales, is believed to be in Thailand or in Kuala Lumpur and was wearing a khaki-coloured Fred Perry T-shirt

Events

6 d. ago Stranger Things set to air 'surprise extra episode' tomorrow, claim fans

Stranger Things may not be over after all. Fans claim the season 5 finale is a Vecna-manipulated illusion and Netflix’s latest tease is fuelling the fire

Politics

6 d. ago ‘Melancholy magic’: how Judi Dench and a host of stars came under the spell of the greatest comedy in history

The Twelfth Night Reunion gathers some of the grandest names in British theatre, including Simon Callow and Stephen Fry, to explain why Shakespeare’s play continues to bewitch audiencesMany of us decline into our dotage. Actors slip into their anecdotage. Two of the best programmes in the rather arid TV Christmas schedules featured Judi Dench touchingly reminiscing about her love of Shakespeare. The great dame is also one of the glittering ensemble in The Twelfth Night Reunion, a one-off event conceived and hosted by Gyles Brandreth and recorded at the Orange Tree in Richmond, London, a year ago, where a group of actors share their memories of the play.Now available on YouTube, it is like an upmarket version of The Graham Norton Show with two heart-stopping moments.The Twelfth Night Reunion is on YouTube Continue reading...

Culture

8 d. ago Homes in seaside town had the steepest price rise in Britain after it was called 'the best place to live'.. but what do residents actually think?

House prices in Plymouth have risen almost 13 per cent in the last year - faster than any other UK city.

Society

1 week ago Homes evacuated as bomb squad race to seaside town after 'explosives' found

A bomb squad was called to a British seaside town after 'a quantity of items of concern' including potentially explosive material were found at a property – and a number of homes have been evacuated

Events