8 h. ago Gen X is the least financially secure generation — and most Americans say they need six figures to live comfortably

Compounding financial pressures are making the dream of a single-income household a thing of the past, analysts say

Politics

45 h. ago ‘Full of delightful surprises’: why Spy is my feelgood movie

The latest in our series of writers recommending their go-to comfort watches is an ode to Paul Feig’s 2015 comedy starring a never-better Melissa McCarthyIt has a plot and a cast that seem cooked up during a hallucinatory fever dream. It shouldn’t work, but it does – and so splendidly, too. In Paul Feig’s comedy Spy, Melissa McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a timid CIA desk agent who gets sent out into the field by her fearsome boss (Alison Janney) after the death of her slick Bond-like colleague, Bradley Fine (Jude Law, in a rare comedic turn). The cast is full of delightful surprises. Rose Bryne is a stiletto-clad Oxford-educated villainess with quips so brutal that she makes Regina George look like Barney. Peter Serafinowicz does a game turn as an – admittedly very pre-#MeToo – cringey Italian pervert figure named Aldo (“like the shoe store found in American malls”).And in the film’s most magnificent twist, Jason Statham parodies the hard-as-nails action leads he’s played over the ye...

Politics

5 d. ago BAE Systems funding provides 300 jobs boost for Scottish shipyards

“We welcome the additional funding from Scottish Enterprise that will help secure shipbuilding in Glasgow for generations to come” – Simon Lister, BAE Systems

Politics

9 d. ago BBC examining plans that could lead to US consumers paying for its journalism

Corporation has been targeting audiences across the Atlantic as it tries to shore up revenue streamsSenior BBC figures are examining plans that would lead to American consumers paying to access its journalism, as the broadcaster looks to the US to boost its fragile finances.The corporation, which is facing fierce competition from streamers and falling licence fee income, has been targeting US audiences as it attempts to increase its commercial revenues outside the UK. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ‘He taught the world how to smile’: Brian Wilson bandmates pay tribute along with Bob Dylan, Elton John and more

Beach Boys members Al Jardine and Mike Love give lengthy tributes to late songwriter, with Jardine calling him a ‘humble musical giant’• Brian Wilson: a life in pictures• Twelve of Brian Wilson’s greatest songsFollowing his death aged 82, Brian Wilson’s Beach Boys bandmates have been among those paying tribute to one of the great figures in American popular music.Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Al Jardine described Wilson as “a real gentleman, a real musical intellect, who taught the world how to smile.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Japanese frigate arrives in Australia as Tokyo bids for defense deal

The Japanese stealth frigate JS Yahagi has docked in Australia's northern-most city of Darwin as part of Japan’s push to secure a $6.5 billion contract to build Australia’s next-generation naval fleet

Economics

2 w. ago UK defence secretary confirms plans for drone deliveries as Ukraine military aid meeting opens – Europe live

John Healey says Europe needs to continue supporting Ukraine ‘for our security today, tomorrow and for future generations’Opening, Nato’s Rutte reiterates the aim of achieving a “durable and lasting peace” in Ukraine as he praises president Trump’s “effort to get there."“Let’s pray that we will get there as soon as possible, but in the meantime, [it’s about] making sure that you have what you need to stay in the fight and to make sure that whenever it ends, Putin will know that he should never, ever again, try to attack Ukraine so again,” he said. Continue reading...

Events

last month Use ‘secret code with family’ to stop AI Deepfake scams says expert

The public should create secret passwords with their family and friends to help them identify whether they are really interacting with them or an AI-generated deepfake impersonating them, a cyber security expert has said.

Society