87 m. ago Ironheart review – the small screen can barely contain the energy of this Black Panther spinoff

This rapid-fire new Marvel Cinematic Universe show for a younger audience is packed with cartoonish violence and flashy effects. Dominique Thorne’s reprisal of her Wakanda Forever role is stunningly charismaticAmid the usual welter of pre-emptive criticisms, hopes, dreams, doubts and hostilities that suffuse the internet whenever a new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – or any other alternative world beloved of a fandom – is announced, Ironheart (the 14th TV series in the MCU and following on from the events in 2022’s film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) has at last arrived.In the film, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne, reprising the role on the small screen, which can barely contain her charisma or energy) was the genius MIT student who invented the vibranium detector that rather kicked off the whole vibranium power struggle, then the metal exoskeletal suit that aided the Wakandans in their face-off with Talokan. At the end, she returned to MIT and that is where we find her...

Politics

87 m. ago Courts pushing back on corporate carbon offsetting claims, LSE report finds

Scrutiny of how companies plan to meet climate commitments is growing, with many successful legal challengesJudges across the world are proving sceptical of companies’ attempts to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by buying carbon credits, a report has found.In an analysis of nearly 3,000 climate-related lawsuits filed around the world since 2015, the latest annual review of climate litigation by the London School of Economics found action against corporations in particular was “evolving”, with growing scrutiny of how companies plan to meet their stated climate commitments. Continue reading...

Events

6 h. ago Hercules theatre review: Musical lacks a punch in new take of Disney classic, writes PATRICK MARMION

Hercules has been reduced from legendary hero to close to zero by a laboured new musical version of his derring-do, based on the 1997 animated film, writes PATRICK MARMION

Culture

8 h. ago Justin Bieber turns to son Jack for comfort as marital woes with Hailey deepens

As rumors swirl around Justin and Hailey Bieber’s marriage, a heartfelt post from the singer and a candid interview from the model have painted a more complex picture behind the scenes

Politics

9 h. ago Alexander Isak to Liverpool twist with ‘record offer prepared’ and Newcastle concerned

Alexander Isak has emerged as a standout target for Liverpool as they aim to add a new striker to their squad and the Newcastle star’s future has taken a fresh turn which could offer the Reds hope

Politics

11 h. ago Britain ‘must prepare for wartime scenario on home soil’, security review warns

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden says whole country must be ‘clear-eyed and hard-edged’ about threats faced major powers like China

Events

12 h. ago Britain must prepare for possibility of attack on UK soil, government warns

The government’s new security strategy said it has to actively prepare for potential wartime scenariosBritain needs to prepare for the possibility of being attacked on its own soil, the government has warned in its security strategy, laying out in stark terms the range of threats ministers say the UK now faces.Russia’s military buildup and Iran’s increasing attacks on dissidents abroad mean the country could soon find itself involved in a domestic war, the review says. Continue reading...

Events

13 h. ago Citroën C4 review: A quirky crossover hatch with standout comfort

Motoring writer Gareth Butterfield tests Citroen’s new C4 and finds there’s lots to like - and plenty to ponder on

Politics

14 h. ago UK must 'actively prepare for wartime scenario' on home soil, says government review

A recently published national security review has concluded that the UK must begin preparations for a "wartime scenario" on home soil for the first time in many years

Politics

14 h. ago Ford Explorer review: Stylish electric SUV is every inch a Ford

The Ford Explorer family SUV has a excellent range and drives well, although prices may take some by surprise

Politics

14 h. ago UK must ‘actively prepare’ for a war on home soil, major government review warns

The new National Security Strategy has been published with a grim warning as international turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine continues

Events

15 h. ago Best tennis shoes for men: Our top picks tested on all surfaces

High-performance tennis shoes for men - tested on various courts for comfort, support and performance

Politics

15 h. ago Kiefer/Van Gogh review – Anselm puts the nightmare into Vincent’s sunflower visions

Royal Academy, LondonThe Dutch artist looks like a prophet of the Holocaust when viewed through the 80-year-old German painter’s dark lens in this startling show, which makes you see how Van Gogh might have painted modern horrorsVincent van Gogh was born in 1853, in the middle of the comparatively peaceful 19th century. If he hadn’t shot himself in a cornfield at the age of 37, and had made it to his 60s, he could have witnessed all that end in the 1914-18 war. If he’d lived to 80, he would have read in his newspaper, at an Arles cafe table, of the election of Adolf Hitler as German chancellor, and in 1945, at 92, watched newsreel footage of the emaciated survivors of Belsen.Odd thoughts, but they are stoked by the Royal Academy’s strange and startling exhibition. This is an intimate encounter between the great living German history painter, to mark his 80th year, and his hero Van Gogh. It juxtaposes his responses to the latter, from teenage drawings to recent gold-spattered wheatfi...

Politics

15 h. ago Nuclear weapons threat to UK 'growing' as challenge 'more complex than Cold War'

The National Security Strategy review says the 'foundations of strategic stability' are being challenged, and tackling the nuclear weapons threat is 'likely to be more complex than in the Cold War'

Events

16 h. ago Dundee care home achieves perfect 10/10 score on carehome.co.uk

HC-One Scotland is proud to announce that Ballumbie Court, a nursing dementia care home in Dundee has achieved a perfect 10/10 review score on the independent care review website, carehome.co.uk. This exceptional rating places Ballumbie Court among the top 25 care homes in Scotland to receive a perfect score out of 1,377 homes listed nationwide.

Politics

16 h. ago Poop Cruise review – a fascinating look at a toilet disaster that still haunts passengers 12 years later

In 2013, more than 4,000 people on a malfunctioning 13-storey holiday boat had to spend days defecating into bags. This catch-up with passengers makes for a fun hour of unintentional comedyWith the latest instalments of the series Trainwreck, Netflix appears to be trying to grant us some brief summer break from the worst kind of horrors the true crime genre can offer. In contrast to previous episodes, which looked at the Woodstock 99 riots and Astroworld tragedy that saw 10 people die in a crowd crush at a massive Live Nation-organised concert – including a nine-year-old child – it has suddenly pivoted in tone.Last week it gave us Mayor of Mayhem, the tale of Rob “I am not a crack addict” Ford, the crack-addicted mayor of Toronto and his very un-Canadian way of doing municipal business. In coming weeks, there will be accounts of the balloon boy’s story, a private investigation agency run by soccer moms, and “the greatest shitpost ever made”. Whether this tonal change comes as a reli...

Events

16 h. ago Five standout moments that Lana Del Ray fans didn't see coming in Cardiff

There were a few twists which no one seemed to have predicted

Politics

17 h. ago JoJo Siwa shares she's 'escaping her sparkly bubble' and 'becoming a woman' as she vows to 'grow out of her comfort zone' in candid posts amid romance with Chris Hughes

The dancer, 22, previous said she's 'never been happier,' after she begun dating Love Island star Chris Hughes , even secretly flying to the UK on Monday to surprise him after 10 days apart.

Politics

17 h. ago Richard E. Grant is overcome with emotion as Ruth Jones treats him to a Gavin & Stacey tour in Wales after admitting show brought his late wife comfort in the last months of her life

The actor, 68, is working with Ruth, 58, on a new period drama and revealed his co-star had taken him out in Barry to show him where she had filmed her scenes as Nessa Jenkins.

Politics

19 h. ago Words of War review – Maxine Peake leads line as murdered Putin

Peake stars opposite Jason Isaacs, as Politkovskaya’s husband, in this sentimental look at the life of a woman who, 19 years after her death, remains a folk heroThis British-American co-production offers a dramatised portrait of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya (played by Maxine Peake) who was assassinated in 2006. Politkovskaya’s gutsy, impassioned reporting on the second Chechen war was highly critical of the Kremlin, the Russian army and Vladimir Putin personally. (The fact that she was murdered on his birthday was surely no coincidence.) Nineteen years after her death, she remains a folk hero worldwide for resistances to autocracy, especially given the rise in repression everywhere and constant threats to journalists.Given all that, the film deserves respect for the subject matter, even though this is a pretty basic rendition of Politkovskaya’s story, a little too sticky with hagiographic sentimentality and the cliches of crusading journalist-led movies. It also should be n...

Events