38 m. ago ALISON BOSHOFF review: The Take That documentary that makes you wonder how so many parts of the 1990s pop culture passed the sniff test

ALISON BOSHOFF: The further away you get from the early 1990s, the more you wonder how on earth some parts of popular culture passed the sniff test.

Culture

3 h. ago Chinese solar panels for all... £15bn Warm Homes Plan offers massive housing upgrades to cut energy bills

The Government's Warm Homes Plan, announced today, will see millions of families able to access solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation for their properties.

Economics

3 h. ago New York’s Met Opera announces ‘necessary’ layoffs and pay cuts

‘Cost-cutting’ announcement comes amid uncertainty over deal struck with Saudi Arabia to perform in RiyadhNew York’s Metropolitan Opera has announced a round of layoffs, pay cuts and program reductions as it grapples with financial strain.The organization cited problems left over from the Covid pandemic, which drastically affected performing arts shows across the US and internationally. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Cheap loans for families to install solar panels, heat pumps and batteries

The measures form part of the Government’s £15bn ‘warm homes plan’.

Society

4 h. ago Families to get free solar panels under HUGE scheme to upgrade homes across Britain

A £15billion Warm Homes Plan - billed as the biggest homes upgrade plan in British history - will help to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030

Society

5 h. ago Brits compare UK town to 'living in a war zone' as residents scared to leave their homes at night

Walsall has been ranked the most deprived place in the UK

Events

5 h. ago Suspicious item found in Bristol home after terror arrest as residents evacuated

A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to join proscribed organisation Daesh during a pre-planned police operation in Horfield

Events

5 h. ago Starmer’s ‘keep calm’ Trump diplomacy bets on influence over popularity

Prime minister puts faith in ‘pragmatic’ solutions, while US president drops one diplomatic bomb after anotherIn his account of Tony Blair’s years in power, The New Machiavelli, Jonathan Powell sets out two opposing strategies for any British prime minister in dealing with their counterpart in the White House.The first, he says, is “cutting a bella figura” – parading for show – by openly criticising the US president, for which he gives the example of the French. The other, and the approach preferred by Powell, is to do diplomacy in private and build a close relationship, in the hope of having greater influence. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Thomas Skinner makes bizarre topless response to critic who slams his Reform antics

The ex-Apprentice star was pictured with Nigel Farage after joining his populist party, but bizarrely shared a shirtless snap in reply to a social media critic on Tuesday night

Politics

6 h. ago Spurs fans dissent with empty seats for crucial Champions League clash as pressure piles on Thomas Frank

Club had already reduced prices for pivotal Champions League clash

Sport

7 h. ago The world is facing irreversible water ‘bankruptcy’. Billions of people are at risk

Nearly three-quarters of the global population reside in nations deemed "water insecure" or "critically water insecure", UN researchers said

Economics

7 h. ago Wales coach Steve Tandy left trapped in middle of toxic Ospreys and Cardiff saga

Doubt over regions is fast escalating into a civil warSix Nations squad announcement overshadowedThe prevailing mood in Welsh rugby has frequently been dark but rarely this bible black. Once upon a time a Six Nations squad announcement would have topped the agenda across the country; on Tuesday it felt like a semicolon in a much bigger narrative. Even Wales have never selected seven players whose club is in imminent danger of being axed by their own union.The bare facts of the situation are increasingly stark for all involved. The existing owners of Ospreys, Wales’s most successful region of the past two decades, have just been controversially nominated as the preferred bidders for Cardiff, potentially clearing the way to reduce the number of Welsh professional sides from four to three. The internecine politics have become so increasingly toxic that Steve Tandy, the national head coach, had to plead for rugby-related questions at his lunchtime squad announcement. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago California hit by FOURTEEN earthquakes in less than 24 hours

Multiple earthquakes have broken out near two of California's most populated cities, and experts fear more aftershocks are coming.

Events

8 h. ago The Guardian view on the French far right: mainstream parties are running out of time | Editorial

A Paris appeals court will decide if Marine Le Pen can stand in next year’s presidential election. But legal troubles have not damaged the fortunes of her partyIn a Paris courtroom, the first act of the 2027 French presidential election is already under way. On Tuesday Marine Le Pen began to answer judges’ questions in her appeal against a conviction relating to the embezzlement of European parliament funds. If she wins, the far-right leader will be free to run for the presidency for a fourth time. If the sentence is upheld, her 30-year-old protege, Jordan Bardella, is almost certain to take her place in the race.Having presented the original verdict as an assault on democracy by judges bent on thwarting her political ambitions, Ms Le Pen has softened her stance. If the appeals court is swayed by arguments that offences committed by her National Rally party were inadvertent, a five-year ban on running for public office may be reduced or overturned. Even if she loses, however, her po...

Politics

8 h. ago Trespasser gives bizarre reason for climbing into Kensington Palace’s grounds twice

Derek Egan, 39, has been jailed after entering the grounds of the royal residence

Politics

8 h. ago Trump reportedly has secret plan to renovate another part of the White House

Officials have hinted that the president’s lavish new ballroom project, now estimated to cost up to $400 million, will ultimately ‘[enhance] mission critical functionality’

Politics

8 h. ago Man United transfer latest: Manuel Ugarte exit plan clear as update emerges on replacement

Manchester United have been quiet in the January transfer window and another exit looks to have been ruled out

Politics

8 h. ago This map shows how Andy Burnham will 'reindustrialise the birthplace of industrial revolution'

The mayor's new plan, which he called 'Manchesterism', could bring in thousands of homes, tens of thousands of jobs, and an economic boost worth billions

Events

8 h. ago Nigel Farage takes Keir Starmer to court to 'defend democracy' as Reform UK gets go

Nigel Farage's party said it was taking action to 'defend democracy' after more than a dozen councils asked to delay contests due on 7 May.

Events

8 h. ago Phil Collins breaks silence on incredible comeback plan after grim health battle

As one of the best-selling artists in the world gets ready to celebrate his 75th birthday, Phil Collins addresses rumours of a final farewell tour

Events