6 h. ago Brigitte Bardot was the woman so alluring the term 'sex kitten' was coined just for her... but who turned her back on men, movies and motherhood to become a firebrand animal rights activist

BRIAN VINER: Her death, at 91, was announced on Sunday just weeks after the animal-welfare foundation that carried her name denied reports of her diminishing health after a 'minor' surgical procedure.

Events

12 h. ago Brigitte Bardot’s image complicated by her controversial politics

Film star turned animal rights activist was anti-immigration and was repeatedly convicted of racial hatred, particularly towards Muslims Brigitte Bardot – a life in picturesBrigitte Bardot, hailed as the French Marilyn Monroe, was the first major film star to channel her glamour and fame into supporting France’s far right, who she backed for more than 30 years.Up until her death on Sunday, Bardot had expressed her contentment at Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Rally party’s rising share of the vote before the 2027 presidential race. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Film icon Brigitte Bardot's trailblazing life as she dies aged 91

Film icon Brigittte Bardot - who has died at the of 91 - shunned life in the spotlight as a libertine and sex symbol for a life in far-right French politics and as a animal rights activist

Events

19 h. ago Photos remembering Brigitte Bardot, iconic French actor and activist

Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist, has died. She was 91.

Culture

20 h. ago Brigitte Bardot, 1960s sultry sex symbol turned militant animal rights activist dies at 91

Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist, has died

Events

42 h. ago BBC viewers issue same complaint as David Walliams appears in controversial episode

BBC panel series Would I Lie To You? returned to screens with its Boxing Day special featuring David Walliams, sparking viewer complaints on social media.

Politics

42 h. ago ‘It brings you closer to the natural world’: the rise of the Merlin birdsong identifying app

Merlin has been trained to identify the songs of more than 1,300 bird species around the worldWhen Natasha Walter first became curious about the birds around her, she recorded their songs on her phone and arduously tried to match each song with online recordings. After a friend recommended Merlin Bird ID, a free app, she tried it in her London garden and was delighted to discover the birds she assumed were female blackbirds – “this is how bad a birder I was” – were actually song thrushes and mistle thrushes.“I’m obsessed with Merlin – it’s wonderful and it’s been a joy to me,” says Walter, a writer and human rights activist. “This is what AI and machine-learning have been invented for. It’s the one good thing!” Continue reading...

Politics

42 h. ago BBC sparks backlash from viewers over unexpected David Walliams appearance

Would I Lie To You? returned to screens on Boxing Day with David Walliams appearing alongside Call the Midwife's Helen George, sparking viewer complaints on social media

Politics

53 h. ago BBC risks backlash after airing Boxing Day episode of Would I Lie To You? featuring David Walliams as he faces allegations of inappropriate behaviour

BBC One aired a festive edition of Would I Lie To You? on which Walliams appeared as a panellist, in the wake of allegations of inappropriate behaviour levelled against him.

Sport

56 h. ago BBC viewers furious as David Walliams featured in controversial Christmas show

Fans of the BBC have taken to social media to issue complaints after the channel aired a controversial Boxing Day episode of Would I Lie To You? featuring David Walliams

Politics

3 d. ago Wild animals are great gift givers – and there’s one present in particular I’d love to receive for Christmas | Helen Pilcher

Penguins hand over pebbles; scorpionflies give spitballs. But I’m hankering after a sea sponge presented by a dolphinThis Christmas morning, are you worried you didn’t choose quite the right gift for that someone special? I always try my hardest, but everywhere I turn I’m bombarded with unhelpful suggestions. No, I don’t want a candle that smells like turkey, because, well, we’ll be cooking turkey. Nor do I want a sunrise alarm clock that mimics natural light, because I can leave the curtains open. And I definitely don’t want a salmon DNA pink collagen jelly mask (Good Housekeeping’s Best for Beauty Lovers), because said DNA comes from milt. AKA semen. If I wanted fish sperm on my face, I would tickle some pollocks.So if, like me, you’re always looking for inspiration, my advice is: learn from the animal kingdom. Humans didn’t invent gifting. The practice has been around for at least 100m years, long before our species evolved. With a little help from natural selection, this has giv...

Politics

6 d. ago More than 75% of Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters think PM should open talks on joining EU customs union – as it happened

YouGov poll for the Times suggests even 40% of Conservative voters support such a moveWes Streeting, the health secretary, used an interview with the Observer published at the weekend to suggest that he favours joining a customs union with the EU. This is something that Keir Starmer has ruled out.But Labour supporters back Streeting on this. According to YouGov polling for the Times, 80% of people who voted Labour at the last general election say a future leader should open negotiations on joining a customs union with the EU. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago More than 75% of Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters think PM should open talks on joining EU customs union – UK politics live

YouGov poll for the Times suggests even 40% of Conservative voters support such a moveWes Streeting, the health secretary, used an interview with the Observer published at the weekend to suggest that he favours joining a customs union with the EU. This is something that Keir Starmer has ruled out.But Labour supporters back Streeting on this. According to YouGov polling for the Times, 80% of people who voted Labour at the last general election say a future leader should open negotiations on joining a customs union with the EU. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Tories call EHRC chair’s comments a ‘disgrace’ after she warns ‘demonisation of migrants’ bad for UK – politics live

Chris Philp says Mary-Ann Stephenson is dismissing ‘legitimate concerns about mass migration’The Green party has broadly welcomed the government’s animal welfare strategy. In a statement, the Green MP Adrian Ramsay said:There is much to welcome in the animal welfare strategy, but it must have real teeth to deliver for animals. Ministers must set clear timescales to phase out crates and cages, properly support farmers through the transition and not allow imports that don’t meet UK standards.I welcome the action on snares, hunting and puppy farming. Puppy legislation must end breeding for extreme, unhealthy traits in dogs. The strategy could go further for animals, particularly by ending greyhound racing, as the Welsh government is doing. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago ‘It’s upset us all’: New Forest residents unnerved by man leaving animal carcasses by churches

Case of man who apparently targeted Christians is latest in series of incidents in Hampshire of animal remains being dumped The people of the New Forest are accustomed to curious goings-on. The woods and heaths of the national park in southern England are the setting for all manner of tales of witches, pixies, cursed souls and rituals, and, even today, are a magnet for those fascinated by the otherworldly.But residents are aghast at the case of a local man who hit the headlines after admitting dumping the carcasses of animals, including black lambs, near churches in and around the forest, apparently targeting Christian worshippers. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago US justice department restores photo featuring Trump from Epstein files

Department says image was flagged by prosecutors before determining it posed no risk to survivors of late sex offenderThe US justice department said on Sunday it had restored an image it had removed a day earlier from the public release of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein after concluding that the photograph, which included within it a photo of Donald Trump, posed no risk of public exposure to victims of the late convicted sex offender.The justice department said the image had been flagged by federal prosecutors in New York for potentially exposing victims of Epstein. Its unexplained removal on Saturday triggered a chorus of accusations from Democrats about evident political interference in favor of the president, a former friend of Epstein. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago BBC cuts ties with David Walliams amid claims but he will still appear on Boxing Day

The Beeb made the comments following news the comedian had been dropped by his publisher HarperCollins over allegations of misconduct.

Politics

7 d. ago BBC under pressure to rip up Christmas TV schedule after David Walliams 'harassment' allegations: Star set to feature in Boxing Day special and two of his book adaptations will be shown today

The broadcaster appeared to rule out any further projects with the children's author after he was dropped by his publisher HarperCollins amid harassment allegations.

Events

8 d. ago US military to stop shooting live animals to train medics for the battlefield

Defense department will still allow stabbing and burning, and ‘weapon wounding’ on animals to test weaponsThe US military will stop its practice of shooting pigs and goats to help prepare medics for treating wounded troops in a combat zone, ending an exercise made obsolete by simulators that mimic battlefield injuries.The prohibition on “live fire” training that includes animals is part of this year’s annual defense bill, although other uses of animals for wartime training will continue. The ban was championed by Vern Buchanan, a Republican congressman from Florida who often focuses on animal rights issues. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Ghislaine Maxwell's ultimate humiliation: Epstein's sex trafficker girlfriend poses in outrageous outfits and exposes herself in dozens of photos released from the billionaire paedophile's files

From wrestling on a sofa to frolicking with celebrities and pulling suggestive poses, newly-released photos show Ghislaine Maxwell enjoying the ultimate life of frivolity with Jeffrey Epstein.

Economics