41 m. ago Family of girl 'sexually assaulted by Romanian teens' plead with Ballymena rioters to end violence as town braces for fourth night of chaos

Northern Ireland 's police chief Jon Boutcher said the young girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena had been 'further traumatised' by the rioting since Monday.

Events

47 m. ago Israel’s Iran threat is familiar, but it is unlikely to attack without US backing

Israel has threatened to destroy Tehran’s nuclear programme before, ultimately holding back in absence of Washington’s supportThe withdrawal of non-essential US personnel from parts of the Middle East and the anonymously sourced US reports in the past 24 hours that Israel is on the brink of an all-out attack on Iran are all deeply alarming, but they are also familiar.The Israeli government has approached the same precipice, of a war to destroy Tehran’s nuclear programme, several times in the past two decades, going as far as honing detailed plans and conducting practice air sorties. Continue reading...

Events

91 m. ago The Guardian view on Iran’s nuclear programme: Trump undid a crucial accord. A new deal is urgently needed | Editorial

Diplomacy can do more to slow Tehran’s alarming progress than threats from IsraelA year into his first term, Donald Trump pulled the US out of the hard-won international deal that had slowed Iran’s advance towards nuclear weapons, and imposed punishing sanctions. Europe tried to keep the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) on life support. But the strangling of Iran’s economy, and the US assassination of Qassem Suleimani, the powerful head of its Quds force, undermined the country’s moderates and the progress on non-proliferation.The fallout of Mr Trump’s Iran policy is still becoming evident. On Thursday, the UN nuclear watchdog found, for the first time in two decades, that Tehran was not in compliance with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Iran vowed to “significantly” increase production of enriched uranium in retaliation, following a pattern of escalation in response to International Atomic Energy Agency criticism. US and European officials say th...

Politics

3 h. ago Terrified students leap from windows to save themselves after Air India flight crashes into medical hostel

In the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade, an Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad

Events

3 h. ago The reverence for Old Glory that inspired Flag Day arose decades after Betsy Ross sewed her first

The reverence for Old Glory that inspired Flag Day came decades after the lifetime of the woman often credited with sewing the first United States national flag

Politics

4 h. ago Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary

A chartered spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary's first astronauts in decades has been delayed indefinitely because of leak concerns at the International Space Station

Technology

5 h. ago Arnold Schwarzenegger wades in on government response to ICE protests in LA

Actor and former California governor called on bipartisan cooperation to ‘solve this issue’

Events

6 h. ago Hollyoaks star Tamara Wall collapses in supermarket as hero rushes to her aid

A Hollyoaks star, who has been a stalwart on the Channel 4 soap for more than a decade, collapsed in a Morrisons supermarket as a shop worker rushed to help her

Politics

7 h. ago Do house prices really double every 10 years? Why where you live has made a big difference

Property prices have risen far less in north England than south over two decades - but that is now changing, Zoopla data shows.

Society

7 h. ago Big Brother star Shilpa Shetty is filmed shouting at a tourist outside a restaurant in Croatia after row over dinner reservation

Shilpa Shetty was filmed shouting at a tourist while waiting for a dinner reservation in Hvar, Croatia on Monday.

Society

7 h. ago Britain on track to become a ‘National Health State’, says thinktank

Resolution Foundation says half of all public spending will be allocated to the NHS and social care by the end of the decadeBusiness live – latest updatesBritain is on track to become a “National Health State” where half of all public spending is allocated to the NHS and social care by the end of the decade, according to a leading thinktank.Rachel Reeves used her spending review on Wednesday to prioritise billions of pounds for the NHS as she outlined Labour’s priorities up to the next general election, while squeezing funding for other areas. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago Urgent alert for millions of high street bank customers to close accounts before Monday

Millions of customers of a particular high street bank have just days to close their bank accounts amid big changes

Economics

8 h. ago ‘Don’t try to keep the dead alive’ – Liam Payne’s new Netflix show can only be totally creepy TV right?

When a star dies, shows are left in a terrible quandary – carry on, use ham-fisted CGI or axe the thing entirely. As Payne appears in Building the Band, we delve into the unnerving world of posthumous televisionAt first glance, Netflix’s new series Building the Band comes off as a weird amalgam of every singing competition show you loved a decade and a half ago. There’s the core DNA of X Factor. The singers perform out of sight of everyone else, so it cribs from The Voice. Clearly, there’s heavy borrowing from Making the Band. Plus, this is Netflix, so everything looks a bit like Squid Game.But this odd mishmash of a format isn’t what will keep you away from Building the Band. No, what will keep you away from Building the Band is the posthumous appearance of Liam Payne. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago Belcea Quartet at Wigmore Hall review: a meticulous, lovingly shaped take on Beethoven

The quartet been playing Beethoven’s quartets for decades – they’ve recorded all 15 of them twice – now, they truly inhabit the work

Politics

8 h. ago An Indigenous nation in Canada hails historic constitution: ‘We’re now the architects of certainty for ourselves’

Product of decades-long process aims to restore Heiltsuk’s system of coherent governance destroyed by colonial powersWhen outsiders arrived in the lands of the Heiltsuk people, they brought with them a rapacious appetite for the region’s trees, fish and minerals. Settlers and the government soon followed, claiming ownership of the thick cedar forests, the fjords and the abundance of life. Heiltsuk elders were confused. “If these are truly your lands,” they asked, “where are your stories?”For the Heiltsuk, stories explain everything from the shape of a local mountain to the distinct red fur fringes on the sea wolves stalking shores. They tell of the flesh-eating monster baxbakwa’lanuxusiwe, whose entire body was covered with snapping mouths before it was destroyed by a shaman and became a cloud of mosquitoes. Continue reading...

Events

9 h. ago Council tax bills set to rise at fastest rate for two decades, economist warns

Rachel Reeves said that ministers will not be ‘going above’ the 5% annual increases in council tax.

Events

9 h. ago Poland manager Probierz quits after Lewandowski refuses to play under him

Striker was upset at way he had captaincy taken off himProbierz says his departure is ‘for the good of the team’Michal Probierz has resigned as Poland’s manager, days after Robert Lewandowski said he would no longer play for the national team under him.Lewandowski, Poland’s record goalscorer, said his trust had been betrayed and that he was very hurt by the way Probierz told him he was being replaced as the captain. The 36-year-old Barcelona striker said on Monday he received a short call from Probierz as he was putting his children to bed and that a statement about him losing the captaincy appeared soon after on the Polish football association’s website. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Coronation Street fans puzzled as beloved character's funeral 'disappears'

Viewers of the ITV soap were left confused and upset as they claimed the funeral of a beloved character was 'non existent' and 'low key' after scenes failed to air

Events

10 h. ago Welcome to the 'National Health State': Half of all public spending will go on NHS by the end of the decade despite alarm at dire productivity... and bosses STILL want more

A respected think-tank has insisted the UK is turning into the 'National Health State' after another major funding boost.

Economics

10 h. ago Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan audiobook review – love and conflict in Sri Lanka

The civil war transforms a young trainee doctor’s life as she copes with her feelings for a Tamil Tiger in last year’s Women’s prizewinning novelBrotherless Night opens with 16-year-old Sashi Kulenthiren, who hopes to be a doctor like her eldest brother, making tea when the kettle slips out of her hand, causing her to pour boiling water on herself. When a neighbour, K, hears her screams, he rushes over to help, cracking raw eggs over the scalds to soothe the pain. “So I began as K’s patient though he ended as mine,” Sashi reflects.Set in 1980s Sri Lanka, VV Ganeshananthan’s coming-of-age novel – which won the 2024 Women’s prize for fiction – is an epic and hard-hitting tale of family and survival as it documents life during the civil war between Tamil separatists and the Sinhalese majority that lasted three decades. Before fighting breaks out, Sashi’s most pressing problem is whether she will pass her exams at school. But soon violence and kidnapping become the norm, communities are...

Events