18 h. ago Wolverhampton cemetery’s extra fee for wider graves criticised as ‘fat tax’

Council says measure at Danescourt cemetery in Tettenhall is in response to increase in obesity levels in cityResidents of Wolverhampton have criticised what is being called a “fat tax” on burial plots after a city cemetery imposed a premium on wider graves.Danescourt cemetery in Tettenhall will charge an extra 20% to families whose loved ones need a 6ft-wide plot, as opposed to a standard 5ft grave. Continue reading...

Politics

38 h. ago ‘I don’t touch my phone. At home, I’d be scrolling’: why young people are flocking to independent cinemas

Young people are drawn in by the promise of a ‘no-distractions’ zone, rereleases of old classics and music documentaries by global artistsA new generation of film lovers is helping to drive an increase in cinema attendance across the UK. As the industry slowly recovers from the decline of audiences during the pandemic – there were 126.5m admissions in 2024 compared with 176.1m in 2019, the rise in younger people returning to cinema may be due to a newfound love for film developed during the lockdown years. Although figures are yet to be restored to pre-pandemic levels, admission rates are continuing to increase, and it is younger audiences in particular who are showing significant enthusiasm, with figures from the Cinema Advertising Association suggesting that under-35s make up 50% of cinemagoers across the board.This is a proportion, which includes all cinemas including mainstream multiplexes, has held steady over the last few years but the effect appears particularly marked on the...

Politics

45 h. ago 250 locals to be hired as event delivery partner unveiled for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

“There is no better city than Glasgow to host this forward-thinking delivery model and change the future of how major multi-sport events are delivered” – Phil Batty

Politics

45 h. ago ‘A whole spectrum of hatred’: women face increased violence in Milei’s Argentina as rights are eroded

In a country once lauded as a progressive bastion in Latin America, protections are being dismantled by a populist leader, and gender-based offences are on the riseIn the week before her murder, Fernanda Soledad Yramain lay awake at night listening as a motorbike circled the house where she was hiding. “She kept saying ‘it’s him’,” remembers Daniella Viscarra, Soledad’s sister-in-law with whom she had sought refuge in the Tucumán countryside. “She was scared all of the time.”A month earlier, in September 2024, 29-year-old Soledad had ended a relationship with her boyfriend, Francisco Timoteo Saldaño. They had been together since she was 14 and he was 35, and shared three children. In the final year of their relationship, Saldaño had turned violent. Continue reading...

Events

65 h. ago Europe’s Ryder Cup class of 2025 shapes up with familiar feel for US showdown | Ewan Murray

Captain Luke Donald could be able to keep changes from victorious 2023 team to an absolute minimum at BethpageIf continuity is key to Ryder Cup success, even the phlegmatic Luke Donald must be doing cartwheels. This also applies to those who believe the occasional away win is necessary if the event is to remain within the realms of serious sporting contest. The European class of 2025 is now very close to replicating the one that won in Rome in 2023, but with one quirk; Rasmus Højgaard replacing his twin brother, Nicolai. What the United States would give for such a settled scenario.Should Donald be so minded, he can keep change to an absolute minimum. Recreating a winning environment becomes so much easier when the characters involved are the same. When Europe slumped to comprehensive defeat at Whistling Straits four years ago, seven of the 12-man team were sampling an American Ryder Cup for the first time. At Hazeltine, in 2016, half of Darren Clarke’s European contingent were debu...

Politics

68 h. ago High pollution warning issued in London as capital braces for 34C heat

City Hall triggers warning as heatwave and existing pollution combine to increase ground-level ozone levels

Events

69 h. ago Girls Aloud star issues Strictly Come Dancing apology after major career move

Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts announced she would be returning to London's West End despite being tipped to appear on BBC Strictly Come Dancing

Politics

3 d. ago Girl, 6, suffers major burns in Home Bargains cafe as metal teapot falls on lap

Murphy Weatherston, six, was left in "agony" when a teapot fell over and into her lap while she was in the cafe at Home Bargains in Cumbernauld Westway Retail Park, North Lanarkshire

Events

3 d. ago Campaign highlights increased levels of violence against women and girls during and after major sporting events

Recent statistics and reports from frontline services have shown that incidents of domestic abuse and gender-based violence spike around the time of significant sporting occasions.

Sport

3 d. ago UK party leaders urged to end ‘pernicious currents’ of hatred fuelling anti

More than 200 refugee groups, charities and unions sign letter calling for action after weeks of protests outside asylum hotelsMore than 200 refugee organisations, charities and trade unions have signed an open letter calling on Britain’s political leaders to end “pernicious and insidious currents” of racism and hatred that underpin a slew of anti-migrant protests.The letter, coordinated by the campaign coalition Together With Refugees, has been signed by organisations including Amnesty International UK, City of Sanctuary UK, Care for Calais, Doctors of the World, the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Freedom from Torture, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, the Public and Commercial Services Union, Refugee Action and Safe Passage. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Major girl band star gives away huge clue that she's doing BBC Strictly

After going so close in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special in 2022, speculation is mounting that Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts will soon be confirmed for the new series

Politics

5 d. ago British riding star, 37, dies after horror fall during equestrian event

Sarah Yorke was competing her horse MGH HERA when she fell at the third fence on the course at the Aston-le-Walls. British Eventing chiefs abandoned the rest of the competition on Saturday

Events

8 d. ago British athletes could be allowed to compete in future Islamic Solidarity Games

Organisers say prospect would be ‘interesting to see’ISSA has desire to grow its international audienceOrganisers of the Islamic Solidarity Games, a quadrennial event with 57 nations competing in multiple sports, have left the door open for British athletes to take part in future saying such a prospect would be “interesting to see”.The latest edition of the Games is set to take place in Riyadh this November, and under the Saudi sports minister as president of governing body the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA), there is a desire to grow its international audience, which could involve inviting new countries to take part. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Alex Jones says she feels like she has ‘grown up’ with One Show viewers

Jones started in children’s TV and went on to co-host BBC’s The One Show, covering major events including royal weddings and Sport Relief.

Politics

8 d. ago WWE heads to ESPN: Sports network lands $1.6 billion deal for streaming major events

The five-year deal is valued at over $1.6 billion, according to a report.

Economics

8 d. ago Strict Spain rule could see tourists forced to pay 500 euro fine

A campaign across parts of popular Spanish areas highlights penalties for breaches of "respect" with the signs across some streets issuing the warnings in English and Spanish

Politics

8 d. ago Dumfries and Galloway Council taking steps towards gender equality and tackling violence against women

Dumfries and Galloway Council has joined the Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme led by the Close the Gap charity.

Events

1 week ago Consumed review – mothers and daughters clash in Women’s prize for playwriting winner

Traverse theatre, EdinburghBuried trauma surfaces at a family reunion in Karis Kelly’s darkly funny Northern Irish drama that attempts to capture a broader history of violenceKaris Kelly’s drama won the Women’s prize for playwriting in 2022 and you can see why. Set amid a family reunion dinner in Northern Ireland, only the women are present here. And in the way of many such theatrical reunions, it leads to an almighty blow-up, yet there is no hint of cliche. Kelly is a talented playwright navigating between black humour and pain.At the head of the table is Eileen (Julia Dearden), a foul-mouthed matriarch whose 90th birthday they are celebrating. Gilly (Andrea Irvine) is her daughter and the mother of Jenny (Caoimhe Farren), who left long ago for a life in London. Muireann (Muireann Ní Fhaogáin), the youngest, is Jenny’s London-born-and-raised daughter.At the Traverse theatre, Edinburgh, until 24 August. Then touring from 3 September.All our Edinburgh festival reviews Continue readin...

Politics

1 week ago Inside Formula Fixed the ambitious new cycling project that is challenging all the rules

EXCLUSIVE: Formula Fixed is ready to break all of cycling's rules as Daily Star Sport takes a deep dive into the new event that has been called a "cultural movement on wheels"

Politics

1 week ago Jess Phillips: Nigel Farage would enable ‘modern day Jimmy Saviles’

Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, condemned the Reform leader.

Politics