69 m. ago London skyline set to be transformed after 'jewel like' skyscraper approved for construction in Square Mile

The vacant office block at 130 Fenchurch Street, known as Fountain House, will be demolished to make way for two new high-rise towers at a cost of £300 million

Events

79 m. ago Aberdeen on the rise as £11m property deal boosts city’s fortunes

“There is plenty of scope to add value in the longer term, with investor appetite for the Granite City at its highest in years” – John Rae, Knight Frank

Economics

82 m. ago Charlotte Church turns to witchcraft offering 'ancient wisdom and elemental magic' following HUGE cost of running holistic retreat

Charlotte Church has started offering witchy weekends at her holistic Welsh retreat, The Dreaming, after pumping more than £500,000 into the venture to keep it afloat.

Politics

88 m. ago US ‘undermining global health’ by threatening to strip funding from aid projects that do not fit its political agenda

Trump administration reported to be planning expansion of ‘global gag rule’ to halt any initiatives promoting diversity, equity and inclusionThe Trump administration plans to export its “war on woke” by forcing foreign governments, non-governmental organisations and international bodies to abandon working on diversity, equity and inclusion or face being stripped of US funding.The plans have been called an attack on other nations’ sovereignty and one health organisation warned of “unimaginable effects” including a rise in deaths and violence, as safe clinics for vulnerable groups close. Continue reading...

Politics

88 m. ago The best gig I ever saw cost £4. Spiralling concert prices are a cultural disaster | John Harris

Tickets for big tours have vastly outstripped inflation, while smaller artists and venues struggle. The magic is in danger of being snuffed out entirelyThe 21st century may be a time of human estrangement, but the pleasures of watching our favourite band or singer play live surely unite millions of us. There is something about the whole ritual that crystallises what popular music fundamentally is: a profoundly democratic artform that will always soundtrack the lives of just about everybody.But perhaps all that is on its way out. When it comes to big names, gig-going is becoming absurdly expensive. The ticket market is now both byzantine and hierarchical, often carving up audiences into no end of tiers. Thanks to the exploitative absurdity of “dynamic pricing” and resale websites, it also charges people much more than even the original face-value ticket prices. To track what’s going on in terms of average price rises can therefore be very difficult. But in the face of an ongoing cost...

Economics

95 m. ago Louis Tomlinson says Liam Payne death was 'impossibly difficult' despite own tragedies

One Direction star Liam Payne tragically fell to his death at an Argentina hotel in October 2024, and his band mate Louis Tomlinson has opened up about the devastating loss

Events

98 m. ago Adjani Salmon: 'We joke on set that Dreaming Whilst Black is a documentary'

Dreaming Whilst Black has come a long way since the days of being a webcast. Now with a BAFTA under his belt, its creator chats typecasting, comedy and the diversity boom

Politics

2 h. ago NHS drugs prices set to rise as Starmer to cave on Trump demands

The threat of Trump tariffs means that the UK will need to pay US pharmaceutical companies more money

Politics

2 h. ago Biossance skincare review: squalane products for hydration and radiance

From facial oils to eye cream and hydrating mists, Biossance harnesses squalane to deliver glowing, nourished skin - and we’ve tested them

Politics

2 h. ago Shares in UK lenders rise after watchdog softens car loan compensation costs

Lloyds Banking Group, Close Brothers Group, and Barclays shares were all moving higher on Wednesday morning.

Politics

3 h. ago Huge British rock band cancels tour dates due to agonising health issue

Rock band Stereophonics say they've had to cancel a string of their upcoming concerts, with frontman Kelly Jones telling fans the decision was "not taken lightly"

Society

3 h. ago The Decadence by Leon Craig review – queer haunted house tale fails to chill

Privileged university friends retreat to the countryside, in a gothic novel mostly made up of vibesIn many ways I am the ideal reader for this queer haunted house novel from the author of the 2022 short-story collection Parallel Hells. As a teenager I was a passionate fan of gothic literature; I love a haunted house novel, and believe The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters’s masterpiece of the genre, is yet to be bettered. It’s an admiration that Leon Craig shares. She also cites Donna Tartt’s The Secret History as an influence, which gives some clue to the setup that greets the reader in The Decadence. Namely, privileged university friends retreat to a haunted country house – inherited, naturally, by one of the group – to indulge in an array of illegal substances and sexual configurations. Bring it on, I thought.But though I tried very much to care about them, the twists and turns in the characters’ relationships did not make much of an impre...

Events

3 h. ago Grow review – polished pumpkin growing caper stuffed with perky charm and comedy talent

Featuring the likes of Nick Frost, Jane Horrocks and Golda Rosheuvel, this family heartwarmer makes for perfectly serviceable seasonal fareThis perky British kids’ movie lists five different people in the writing credits (two of whom chipped in with “additional material”); this may explain in part why its story beats arrive with such metronomic precision, and the characters feel as if they were grown hydroponically in a lab. Which is of course ironic because the setting is a family-run farm where agronomist-owner Dinah (Golda Rosheuvel) decides to go organic after being inspired by her magical niece Charlie (Priya-Rose Brookwell, adorable) who can sense plants’ emotions by touch.Having only been recently introduced, for reasons the otherwise overpolished script fails to explain, Charlie and Dinah get to know each other over the course of a few seasons – which just so happens to be the length of time it takes to grow a pumpkin for the annual village competition. Charlie hopes to use ...

Politics

3 h. ago Quaint Welsh town with 'beautiful' gardens and charming high street

The market town boasts a delightful high street, a weekly farmers' market, and a serene garden with a "glorious array of medicinal plants and herbs"

Politics

3 h. ago All visitors and patients told to wear face masks again at hospitals in one area of Wales

It comes after the health board has seen a steep rise in winter illnesses across their hospitals

Science

4 h. ago FTSE 100 Live 08 October: Index at record as gold tops $4000, Lloyds shares rise

Lloyds Banking Group shares today rose during a record-breaking session for the FTSE 100 index.

Politics

4 h. ago Edwyn Collins Albert Hall review: Inspirational Orange Juice frontman pays an emotional farewell to Manchester

Edwyn Collins played his final gig in Manchester on Tuesday evening when he appeared at the city's Albert Hall

Economics

5 h. ago Victoria Beckham 'awkward' admission as 'intimate' details shared in Netflix documentary

A Netflix documentary centred on Victoria Beckham premieres today, offering an exclusive look at her rise from pop star to fashion powerhouse, and fans 'can't wait'

Events

5 h. ago The Future of Truth by Werner Herzog review – profound, or just a prank?

The director’s provocative seventh book takes in toupees, AI and a pig in a sewer. Should we take him seriously?At 83, Werner Herzog is a living legend who can and does do precisely what he wants. Like the strange, enchanting films for which he is best known, Herzog’s seventh book defies the usual conventions of structure, narrative arc and the delineation of fact from fiction, even as it addresses the very subject of truth.This slim volume sets out Herzog’s views on truth in a world where technologically enhanced falsehoods proliferate. These appear to be an elaboration of Herzog’s Minnesota Declaration, the 12 statements he made in 1999 at the Walker Art Centre in Minneapolis. Much like the declaration, The Future of Truth contains strong, gnomic opinions which include despising cinéma vérité because it obscures more than it illuminates, as well as a plethora of surprising sentences such as “rather die than wear a toupee”. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: different looks but still all about the zoom

First new design in ages, upgraded camera, serious performance and longer battery life make it a standout yearThe 17 Pro is Apple’s biggest redesign of the iPhone in years, chucking out the old titanium sides and all-glass backs for a new aluminium unibody design, a huge full-width camera lump on the back and some bolder colours.That alone will make the iPhone 17 Pro popular for those looking to upgrade and be seen with the newest model. But with the change comes an increase in price to £1,099 (€1,299/$1,099/A$1,999), crossing the £1,000 barrier for the first time for Apple’s smallest Pro phone, which now comes with double the starting storage. Continue reading...

Society