42 h. ago 'Reform is creating hatred again after racist election was held where I live'

As Nigel Farage takes to the stage in Birmingham, we visit a town 10 miles away where multicultural Britain is thriving – but voters fear a return to the past

Politics

53 h. ago Witham fire LIVE: Massive blaze rages as locals told 'stay away and shut doors'

Fire crews are tackling a huge blaze at an industrial building in Witham, Essex - with bright orange flames seen tearing through the structure and plumes of thick black smoke billowing into the sky

Events

53 h. ago Witham fire LIVE: 90 firefighters tackle huge blaze as locals told 'stay away'

Fire crews are tackling a huge blaze at an industrial building in Witham, Essex - with bright orange flames seen tearing through the structure and plumes of thick black smoke billowing into the sky

Events

59 h. ago Pretty UK seaside town has golden sands and people travelling miles for fish and chips

It's been named as one of the North East's most 'magical' seaside destinations by travel experts, with people travelling miles for the famous chippy and golden sandy beaches

Politics

66 h. ago Deadly passenger bus accident as it drops 1,000ft killing 15 and leaving 16 injured

The accident occurred near the town of Wellawaya, about 280 kilometers (174 miles) east of the capital Colombo, on Thursday night and the bus fell into a roughly 1,000-foot precipice

Events

6 d. ago Jamie Vardy gears up for another underdog story at feelgood minnows Cremonese | Nicky Bandini

Fans sang for the striker to ‘take us to Europe’ as he arrived in Italy to join an unfancied team brimming with positivityJamie Vardy had not reached his destination, but already he was getting a taste of what may await him, a crowd of Cremonese supporters greeting him at the exit of Milan’s Linate airport – 50 miles away from their team’s home town. Never mind the fact it was almost midnight on a Sunday. He hopped out of his car to sign autographs – one over a tattoo of his own face. They sang for him to “take us to Europe”.Even in a summer of famous names making unexpected late-career moves to Italy – from Kevin De Bruyne and Napoli to Luka Modric at Milan – Vardy joining Cremonese feels most improbable of all. A player who once finished eighth in the Ballon d’Or vote, signing for a club with a 16,000-seater stadium who have made only fleeting appearances in the top flight since they were founded in 1903. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Vineyards assess damage as wildfire rips through California wine country: ‘A devastating situation’

The growing threat of fires has shaken the Napa Valley wine industry, as fears of smoke-spoiled grapes and soaring insurance rates put vintners on edgeElton Slone and his colleagues at the Robert Craig Winery in Napa Valley had gathered for their annual pre-harvest company party last week – complete with copper pot carnitas and grape tacos – when one of his co-workers noticed an alert on her phone. The Pickett fire, a blaze that had started about 10 miles away near the town of Calistoga, was moving toward their vineyards on Howell Mountain.Knowing that the Glass fire – a 2020 blaze that damaged numerous wineries and spoiled a year’s harvest – had burned along the same path, Slone hoped no fuel remained for this new fire. “But that was not the case,” he said. Within the week, the winery’s Candlestick Vineyard would become “a sacrificial lamb for the town of Angwin” when firefighters lit a controlled burn on their property to control the larger fire. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Moment hero police officers smash their way into a burning house to save woman's life after spotting smoke on routine patrol

Police Constables Gregg Cartwright and Jamie Walker were driving through Sutton-in-Ashfield on August 13 when they noticed thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

Events

1 week ago Extraordinary moment hero police officers smash their way into a burning house to save woman's life after spotting smoke on routine patrol

Police Constables Gregg Cartwright and Jamie Walker were driving through Sutton-in-Ashfield on August 13 when they noticed thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

Events

1 week ago Work with partners on security guarantees ‘must be accelerated,’ Zelenskyy says

Specifics on Ukraine’s defence should be detailed ‘in near future’ as Finnish president says Russia deploying a ‘typical’ delaying tacticA combat drone, presumed to be Ukrainian, went off course and exploded over Estonia without causing any casualties, the Baltic state and close Ukraine ally said on Tuesday, AFP reported.Pieces of the drone, which left a crater on crashing, were discovered by an agricultural worker near the south-eastern town of Tartu, 75 kilometres (45 miles) from the border with Russia. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago ‘A dangerous moment’: the emboldening of Britain’s far right

In a summer of anti-migrant rallies, flags and nationalistic rhetoric, observers warn there is a lack of government voices pushing backThe Bell hotel in Epping has seen a lot since it was built in the 16th century as a coaching inn, serving travellers passing through the historic Essex market town and on to London, 15 miles to the south-west. This has long been a place that bustled with outsiders, though they have not always been welcome – the small green common opposite was once named after a beacon that local stories say was built to warn of invasion.Though now wrapped in ugly 1960s extensions that have stripped it of anything approaching charm, the unassuming building – close to agricultural land and a cricket pitch – is an unlikely place to spark a potential political crisis. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Halifax fire LIVE as huge black smoke billows over town and is seen for miles

Yorkshire has been bathed in a thick haze this evening following the outbreak of a large fire on Siddal Top Lane in Halifax, Yorkshire, with dramatic pictures showing black smoke

Events

3 w. ago As Ukraine battles to hold lines, Trump may find Putin difficult to persuade

Despite huge numbers of casualties, Russian leader believes he is slowly winning war – so he can afford to string talks outFor Ukraine, the break in the frontline is unfortunately timed. Lightly armed Russian saboteur groups – three on one count – cut though Ukrainian positions in the Donbas countryside east of the key junction at Dobropillia. Though one group has been eliminated, as of Tuesday two were thought to remain at large – and although their numbers are small for now, perhaps 20 to 30, the breach is significant.At the beginning of the year it was safe to visit Dobropillia, which had become a bustling market centre busy with soldiers and locals, nearly 15 miles north of the frontline in Pokrovsk. But since then the town, where once busy supply roads from Pokrovsk to Kramatorsk split, has come under sustained attack with glide bombs, while FPV (first person view) drones strike targets on the move. Continue reading...

Politics