61 h. ago False widow spider bite leaves father arthritic and with 'exploded' leg after venom takes over his body

Brian Smith, 43, from Maidstone in Kent, was forced to stay in hospital for three weeks after the spider plunged its fangs into his hand while he slept, causing his limbs to balloon.

Events

6 d. ago UK politics live: Starmer vows to ‘put national interest first’ as he seeks deal with Trump over car tariffs

The US is the second largest export market after the European Union for cars built in the UK

Politics

6 d. ago Aviation watchdog to look at rules on ‘resilience’ after Heathrow closure

CAA said it would consider whether it should take ‘further steps’ under Heathrow’s licence as part of a reviewBritain’s aviation watchdog will review the rules on “resilience” after the closure of Heathrow caused by a blaze at an electricity substation.Europe’s largest airport was closed in the early hours of Friday morning after the blaze at the Hayes substation in west London hit electricity supplies. No planes were allowed to take off or land, causing diversions which affected about 1,300 flights and roughly 250,000 passengers. Some flights resumed on Friday evening. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Aviation watchdog to look at ‘resilience’ rules after Heathrow closure

CAA says it will consider whether to take further steps under Heathrow’s licence as part of reviewBritain’s aviation watchdog will review the rules on “resilience” after Heathrow was closed because of a fire at an electricity substation.Europe’s largest airport was closed in the early hours of Friday last week after the blaze at the Hayes substation in west London hit electricity supplies. No planes were allowed to take off or land, causing diversions which affected about 1,300 flights and roughly 250,000 passengers. Some flights resumed on Friday evening. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Unseen photos show lost lido that was 'Merseyside equivalent of Disneyworld'

New Brighton Baths was once Europe's largest outdoor pool and a holiday hotspot. Its popularity was huge, with over 1m visitors passing through the gates within the first two months

Culture

8 d. ago Why was Heathrow airport slow to resume operations after substation fire?

Time spent switching power supply and rebooting systems raises doubts over resilience of Europe’s largest aviation hub

Society

1 week ago Heathrow closure chaos poses big questions for Europe’s largest airport as terror police drafted in

Ed Miliband described the blaze as ‘an unprecedented event’ and vows the Government ‘will have to look hard’ at ‘resilience’ for major institutions

Events

1 week ago When will Heathrow airport reopen? Everything we know so far about the Hayes fire and travel chaos

Up to 300,000 customers were set to fly through Europe’s busiest and largest airport on Friday

Events

1 week ago Trump’s demand that US could take over Ukraine’s reactors is not credible

US president’s plan for American firms to run power plants is unrealistic and is opposed by Putin and ZelenskyyAs a demand, it is Donald Trump at his most confusing. The American president appears, at least according to Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, to have told Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday that “American ownership” of Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants would be their best protection in future – although the Ukrainian president said on Thursday that “the issue of property, we did not discuss”.Of the four, the most significant, and the one that Trump has repeatedly referred to in the past week, is the vast, six-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. It is Europe’s biggest nuclear generator, located on the southern bank of the Dnipro River. Before the full-scale Russian invasion it produced about 20% of the country’s electricity but it is now on the frontline of Europe’s largest war since 1945. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Tourism minister hails adventure and wellbeing tourism after visiting Lost Shore Surf Resort

Tourism minister, Richard Lochhead, has hailed the success of adventure and wellbeing tourism in Scotland after he visited Lost Shore Surf Resort, Europe’s largest inland surf destination, near Edinburgh.

Politics

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Trump ‘wants Zaporizhzhia power plant for US’

White House has ‘moved beyond’ minerals deal; Zelenskyy expects ceasefire deal to cover civilian as well as energy infrastructure. What we know on day 1,121Europe live: latest news updatesDonald Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday that the US could own and run Ukrainian nuclear power plants as part of a ceasefire. The Ukrainian president said following their call that “we talked only about one power plant, which is under Russian occupation”, referring to Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power station. The White House said it had “moved beyond” the idea of taking possession of Ukraine’s mineral wealth as part of negotiations. “We are now focused on a long-term peace agreement,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.Kyiv was “ready” to pause attacks on Russia’s energy network and infrastructure, Zelenskyy said, write Shaun Walker and Pjotr Sauer. Zelenskyy indicated he did not yet consider a ceasefire to be in place, instead saying it could be established quickl...

Politics

2 w. ago Urgent warning to Britons as South American SPIDER arrives in the UK: Egg sac from venomous arachnid hitches a ride on a bunch of Aldi bananas

A shopper got an unexpected freebie with her bananas when she discovered an egg sac thought to be from a venomous South American spider.

Events

2 w. ago One of Europe's largest theme parks is set to open this spring

Hossoland, a fairytale-themed adventure land, is due to open on Poland 's northern coast on May 31.

Politics

2 w. ago How a tiny village in a deserted part of Spain became a centre for gay weddings

A couple of hours’ drive from Madrid, Campillo de Ranas has played a huge role in promoting same-sex marriage – and revived the fortunes of the ‘black villages’ of GuadalajaraDriving north-east out of Madrid on the A2 motorway, the industrial sprawl seemed as never-ending as the roaring river of traffic. The change, when it came, was sudden and complete. After Peñarrubia the heavy traffic vanished, and with it the industrial estates and dull dormitory towns. We were now in Guadalajara, a province of Castilla-La Mancha which, with an average of just five inhabitants per square kilometre, has been described as “the largest demographic desert in Europe”.The Spanish call places like this la España vaciada. The word for “empty” is vacío, but vaciada means “emptied”, as if there were something deliberate about the way the fabric of rural Spanish society has been worn threadbare by depopulation and underdevelopment. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Intern of the Jedi: film sector turns to franchise favourites in effort to woo talent

Careers fair at Pinewood is among initiatives to lure young to an industry hit by cost inflation, writers’ strikes and an advertising recessionIn a corner of a cavernous hangar in Buckinghamshire, a group of Jedi are honing their lightsaber skills, Deadpool and Chewbacca are posing for photos, while a squad of Imperial stormtroopers make their presence felt by arresting a passing reporter.Pinewood Studios is pulling out all the stops – including a stunt display at the underwater stage famous for scenes including the sinking Venetian villa in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale – to wow young attendees at the third edition of Europe’s largest free careers fair for the film industry. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi as Ukraine expected to push for air and sea ceasefire during US talks – Europe live

Ukrainian president will be holding talks with Mohammed bin SalmanThe UK rejected Russian allegations that two British diplomats were suspected of carrying out espionage activities (9:04) as “malicious and baseless,” saying it is not the first time Russia made similar accusations.Visitors from around the world have been flocking to the Pompidou Centre in Paris this weekend, seizing the last opportunity to enjoy Europe’s largest temple of modern and contemporary art before it closes its doors for a five-year overhaul. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago Europe's largest venomous spider found in UK nursery after crawling out box of olives

A nursery owner in West Sussex got quite the fright after the spider was found on a shipment of olives from Cordoba.

Events

3 w. ago Europe's largest spider with venomous bite hitchhikes to UK in delivery of olives

A nursery owner in West Sussex got a shock after an eight-legged stowaway was found on a shipment of olives from Cordoba, with the giant spider spotted crawling across the floor

Events

3 w. ago Germany’s access all areas pass allows unlimited train travel and public transport – for just £1.60 a day

Hamburg to Munich and Cologne to Berlin: £48 buys a month of travel in central Europe’s largest nation

Economics

3 w. ago Urgent warning to Britons as Europe's largest SPIDER arrives in the UK: Venomous arachnid with 'huge appetite' hitches a ride on a delivery of olives

The Spanish funnel-web spider was spotted at a nursery in West Sussex after a shipment of olives from Cordoba was unloaded.

Events