47 m. ago DWP confirms major PIP change to start in April for new claims

The measure is part of plans to reduce the Work Capability Assessment backlog and separate from the Timms Review.

Politics

52 m. ago Stranded review – this Italian crime show is like Agatha Christie, Lost and The White Lotus all at once

A hotel’s worth of rich guests cut off by snow, a dead body, the mafia and some supernatural antics there’s a banquet of melodrama to feast on in this soapy foreign-language seriesThe snow is crisp and even, up in the Italian Alps: how lucky the protagonists in the new Walter Presents series Stranded are to be spending Christmas at a four-star spa resort in the beautiful Vanoi Valley! The welcome is warm, the hot chocolate is decadent and the hotel building, bedecked with giant baubles, looks like a greetings card painting. But wait! Threatening music? Characters staring anxiously into space, because they clearly have a big dark secret? A guest in a witness protection programme, and another who recognises her as the witness in the forthcoming trial of his secret mafia brother? Attenzione! This Italian-made Green, Red and White Lotus might not be such a paradise. Bad stuff is about to go down.Specifically, this is several thousand tons of snow and the side of a nearby mountain. One a...

Events

61 m. ago SCO & Peter Whelan, Edinburgh review: 'full of festive spirit'

This was a joyful, celebratory afternoon of music from Peter Whelan and the SCO, writes David Kettle

Politics

1 hour ago Making Mary Poppins by Todd James Pierce review – the musical brothers behind the movie magic

Bob and Dick Sherman take centre stage in this well-researched account of how Walt Disney created a classicLike many kids of the VHS generation, I must have watched my taped-off-the-telly copy of Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964) well over 100 times. I probably knew every frame as well as Walt Disney himself, who invested 20 years in bringing it to the screen.The culmination of his live action achievements, Mary Poppins remained the project Walt was most proud of. A sophisticated, multi-Oscar-winning musical that proved the House of Mouse was about more than just cartoons, its box office success enabled him to expand his Florida ambitions for Disney World resort and shore up the company’s financial future. Continue reading...

Culture

2 h. ago Canada and the US to launch formal talks to review their free trade agreement in mid

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office says Canada and the U.S. will launch formal discussions to review the free trade agreement in mid-January

Politics

2 h. ago The Cow, Notting Hill, review: Udderly mad and ab fab, sweetie darling

Snakes, Beamish, minor royals: the Cow has it all, says Josh Barrie

Politics

2 h. ago Hysterical, captivating Broadway smash Oh Mary! arrives in London – review

Hysterical, captivating Broadway smash Oh Mary! arrives in London – review  The Independent

Politics

3 h. ago Parliament votes for cat to make final decision on future of TV station

A parliament has voted to give Nuodėgulis the power over whether the director-general of a national television and radio broadcaster should be removed from her role

Politics

11 h. ago 'I ditched Dr Pepper and Sprite for a tasty alternative to booze at parties'

I've been on a mission to find the best low-calorie fizzy drink alternatives to Sprite, Fanta and Dr Pepper and I've finally found a brand that ticks all the boxes

Politics

13 h. ago England in talks to replace controversial Snicko with new technology for fourth Ashes Test

ECB and Cricket Australia could bring in UltraEdgeSnicko hit by more bad decisions on day two in AdelaideThe England and Wales Cricket Board has held talks with Cricket Australia about the possibility of replacing the decision review system (DRS) technology Snicko with an alternative UltraEdge for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne after controversy on the opening two days of the Adelaide Test.In bilateral series, DRS technology is the responsibility of the home board, which in practice is passed on to the main domestic broadcast rights holder, in this case Fox Sports. However, the Guardian has learned that Cricket Australia’s free-to-air rights holder, Channel 7, has a DRS contract with Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company behind UltraEdge, so there is an alternative available should the hosts seek to make a change amid unhappiness from players on both sides. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Chery Tiggo 9 review – it’s big, clever and goes a long way in luxury

Chery flagship may make you wonder if you really need a Range Rover, especially with its 650-mile range

Politics

14 h. ago Democrats won’t release 2024 election loss ‘autopsy’, DNC chair says

Report on Kamala Harris’s loss to Trump would be a ‘distraction’ as party is ‘putting our learnings into motion’The Democratic National Committee won’t release a review of its election loss in 2024, saying it would be a “distraction” from helping the party win going forward.The party has been working on a so-called autopsy of 2024 since Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Dame Helen Mirren gasps in shock as she steps into 'beautiful and iconic' Repair Shop shop barn in first look at BBC's Christmas special

Dame Helen Mirren was overwhelmed by the 'beautiful and iconic' Repair Shop barn as she stepped inside to film this year's Christmas special.

Society

14 h. ago Trump and Epstein gossiped about sex in 'trophy hunt' for women, swimsuit model claims

Deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump's friendship was built on conversations about sex and "trophy hunting" beautiful women, according to a former Sports Illustrated model.

Politics

14 h. ago I tried Amazon’s £18 whisky and it’s far better than it has any right to be

A litre of whisky for under £20 hardly inspires confidence, yet Amazon’s budget blend turned out to be far more enjoyable than expected

Economics

14 h. ago Beau Greaves: ‘I started beating better players and the penny dropped: I can be good enough to do this full

Back at the PDC world championship for the first time since 2022, the women’s world champion means business, starting on Friday against the world No 22“When I was younger, they thought I was a mute,” Beau Greaves says with a wry smile, thinking about all the ways darts has changed her. “Never said owt in school, really shy. Didn’t really know what to say half the time. I suppose playing darts just brought me out of my shell. When you get popular, people want to meet you and talk. It’s matured me.”Greaves was 18 the first time she won the Lakeside women’s world championship, thrusting herself firmly into the crosshairs of public adulation. And even if she played like a natural born star, with her beautiful fluid throwing arc, she didn’t always feel like one. Endless interviews, viral fame, global domination: this was never what she had craved from the sport. She was Beau, and she just wanted to throw. Continue reading...

Sport

15 h. ago 'Beautiful' diamond bracelet called 'timeless' by happy shoppers slashed by 50%

The jeweller is hosting a Christmas event with up to 50% off selected rings, bracelets and necklaces

Politics

15 h. ago William Rush: Waterloo Road star and son of Corrie actress Debbie Rush dies aged 31

‘Our beautiful baby boy, William, passed away on 17th December,’ his mum, former Coronation Street actress Debbie Rush, announced

Events

16 h. ago Sentimental Value review – Stellan Skarsgård powers this starry, Oscar

The Scandi great plays a distant filmmaking father in Joachim Trier’s emotional follow-up to ‘The Worst Person in the World’

Politics

17 h. ago A Mind of My Own by Kathy Burke audiobook review – an honest and hilarious memoir

The no-nonsense comic actor and author further cements her status as a national treasure with her trademark gobby one-linersA lot of terrible things happen to Kathy Burke in her memoir, though you won’t find her mired in self-pity. Burke was a toddler when her mother died from stomach cancer, meaning she has no memory of her. In the Islington council flat where she grew up, she shared a bedroom with her alcoholic dad who would give up booze only to fall off the wagon and, at his worst, became violent. When a stranger on the estate called her ugly in front of her friends, she cannily deflected the insult with laughter. “I’m the best dancer at the ugly bug ball though,” she hooted, and did a little dance.Burke would find her tribe on London’s punk scene and, in her teens, got the acting bug and a place at London’s Anna Scher Theatre school. This put her on the path to a brilliant and varied acting and writing career that saw her appearing in comedy sketches with Harry Enfield and Fren...

Politics