2 h. ago I Fagiolini to bring 'emotional power of harmony' to the Lammermuir Festival

Acclaimed vocal ensemble I Fagiolini will take up a four-day residency at this year’s Lammermuir Festival, offering opera, a mighty choral masterpiece, several other vocal works and even a discussion. David Kettle talks to the group’s founding director Robert Hollingworth about what’s in store

Politics

3 h. ago White House defends DC takeover of police after city alleges ‘brazen usurpation’ in lawsuit against Trump administration – live

Trump police takeover will create ‘immediate, devastating, and irreparable harm’ for DC, federal lawsuit saysDC sues Trump administration over ‘hostile takeover’ of city policeWashington DC’s only Home Depot was busy with contractors and customers on Thursday morning – but the Hispanic day laborers who usually gather and wait for work under the parking lot’s sparse trees were nowhere to be found.Two days earlier, masked federal agents swarmed the area and made several arrests, which were photographed by bystanders and posted on social media. Juwan Brooks, a store employee who witnessed the raid, said the agents grabbed anyone who appeared Hispanic. Continue reading...

Society

3 h. ago As Netanyahu starves Gaza, there is a whole new battle to be fought in Israel – against complacency | Aluf Benn

Here in Tel Aviv, beaches and restaurants are packed. Amid that distraction, the PM is playing his power games and purging his generalsAluf Benn is editor-in-chief of HaaretzThe extreme heatwave that has hit our region this week does not distinguish between Israelis and Palestinians. But while we Israelis hide in our air-conditioned houses, offices and cars, the besieged residents of Gaza can only add the unbearable hot and humid atmosphere to their struggle to eat, drink and sleep, in constant fear of death. The starvation crisis that has exploded in Gaza this summer, following Israeli-imposed restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid, continues to worsen despite mounting international pressure to allow in more food, medicine and critical supplies. And the killing has never stopped, while Israel is preparing for the next stage of the war to “annihilate Hamas”.Most Israelis are self-immunised to the horrors being endured by Palestinians in Gaza. Told by our government and mainstr...

Politics

3 h. ago 'My mum’s got dementia and my kids are too scared to visit her'

Resident agony aunt Coleen Nolan has advice for a struggling reader whose mum's illness is making him feel guilty because he doesn't really want to go see her any more

Politics

3 h. ago 🚨 BREAKING: London City Lionesses sign Spain defender Jana Fernández

🚨 BREAKING: London City Lionesses sign Spain defender Jana Fernández  Yahoo Sports

Politics

3 h. ago London City Lionesses sign Spanish international defender Fernández

London City Lionesses sign Spanish international defender Fernández  Yahoo Sports

Politics

4 h. ago Why I withdrew my book from an LGBTQ+ literary prize | Jason Okundaye

The Polari first book prize claims to promote trans rights and trans voices. But when I saw the longlist, I had to actLast week, I withdrew my nomination from the longlist for the Polari first book prize. The awards had become mired in controversy due to the nomination of the Irish author John Boyne, best known for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, for the main prize for his novel Earth. Four days before the longlist announcement, Boyne had written in the Irish Independent, celebrating JK Rowling “as a fellow terf” and saying of women who had “pilloried” her for her gender activism: “For every Commander Waterford, there’s a Serena Joy standing behind him, ready to pin a handmaiden down as her husband rapes her.”I think such a viewpoint is abhorrent, but Boyne is free to hold whatever views he wants. What was unacceptable was a statement from the Polari prize addressing the backlash, emphasising its commitment to “support trans rights and amplify trans voices”, but defending Boyne’s in...

Politics

5 h. ago New York explosion horror as black smoke surrounds Manhattan after 'blast'

Chilling videos are circulating on social media shows a massive cloud of black smoke rising from one of the streets of New York city as residents flee the area

Events

5 h. ago Bridge of Allan street to close again for final repairworks after reopening following two year closure

Residents last month welcomed the reopening off Sunnylaw Road, which had been out of bounds since May 2023 when the section of wall there collapsed, but the route will close once again for the final repairs.

Economics

5 h. ago Illegal car meet at Trafford Centre turns into expensive evening as dozens hit with fines

'These car meets are extremely dangerous and a huge risk to our residents'

Events

6 h. ago Enzo Maresca demands Chelsea transfer and suggests two Blues stars can't replace Levi Colwill

Chelsea are set to be without defender Levi Colwill for the majority of the forthcoming campaign and Enzo Maresca believes the transfer market could present a solution to the Blues

Sport

6 h. ago Mikel Arteta: Martin Odegaard deserves to be Arsenal captain ‘by a mile’

Former Gunners defender Tony Adams had called for Declan Rice to be given the armband instead.

Politics

6 h. ago Macron condemns ‘antisemitic hatred’ after attackers chop down tree honoring murdered Jew

The commemorative tree for Ilan Halimi was felled on Wednesday night, seemingly with a chainsaw

Events

6 h. ago Surrey residents hear 'scary' 'sonic boom' which caused London homes to 'shake'

Surrey residents hear 'scary' 'sonic boom' which caused London homes to 'shake'  Surrey Live

Politics

6 h. ago Sonic boom shakes homes across London and Kent as RAF Typhoons scrambled to intercept private jet

Residents in parts of Essex, Kent, Suffolk, London and Cambridgeshire reported hearing a 'loud bang' just before midday on Friday.

Politics

7 h. ago Emmanuel Macron decries ‘antisemitic hatred’ after memorial tree cut down

French president responds to felling of olive planted in memory of young Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 The felling of an olive tree planted in memory of a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 caused outrage in France on Friday, with Emmanuel Macron promising to punish an act of “antisemitic hatred”.Politicians across the political spectrum condemned the act as an attack against the memory of Ilan Halimi, who was kidnapped by a gang of around 20 youths in January 2006 and tortured on a low-income housing estate in the southern Paris suburb of Bagneux. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago MPs to debate doubling skilled worker visa residency requirement after backlash at new immigration rules

More than 250,000 people signed two official petitions against Home Office plans to make more difficult for immigrants to Britain to qualify for permanent residence

Events

9 h. ago Hong Kong’s population stabilises for first time in a decade

The city recorded an inflow of 18,200 residents during mid-2024 to mid-2025

Politics

10 h. ago Marjorie Taylor Greene says Zelensky ‘doesn’t want peace’ ahead of Trump

The MAGA firebrand launched her fiery attack on X just hours before the crucial peace talks in Alaska

Politics

10 h. ago Bruges mayor expects Rangers invasion for Champions League showdown as Scots cops asked to help amid bus crisis

Dirk De Fauw has also warned that there's a law against travelling to the Jan Breydel Stadium without a ticket

Events