65 h. ago Hamburg Ballet dancers accuse artistic director of creating ‘toxic environment’ – reports

More than half troupe’s dancers write to minister criticising Demis Volpi – and five soloists announce resignationEurope live – latest updatesBallet dancers at a top German company have reportedly written an excoriating critique of their new artistic director, accusing him of creating a “toxic work environment.”More than half of the 63 dancers making up the troupe have complained of untenable working conditions under Hamburg Ballet’s artistic director, Demis Volpi, who joined the company last September, taking over from the US choreographer John Neumeier. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago EU’s ‘chocolate crisis’ worsened by climate breakdown, researchers warn

Cocoa one of six commodities vulnerable to environmental threats in ‘extremely worrying picture’ for food resilienceClimate breakdown and wildlife loss are deepening the EU’s “chocolate crisis”, a report has argued, with cocoa one of six key commodities to come mostly from countries vulnerable to environmental threats.More than two-thirds of the cocoa, coffee, soy, rice, wheat and maize brought into the EU in 2023 came from countries that are not well-prepared for climate change, according to the UK consultants Foresight Transitions. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Alan Cumming on the magic of Pitlochry Festival Theatre: 'I love the soup to nuts aspect of the place'

As Pitlochry Festival Theatre gears up for its summer season, the venue’s new artistic director Alan Cumming tells Joyce McMillan what makes it so special

Culture

4 d. ago Company decides not to rebuild chlorine plant with history of fires, explosions and toxic clouds

The company that operated a Georgia chlorine plant with a history of explosions and chemical fires that created toxic clouds has decided not to rebuild its Conyers manufacturing plant

Events

5 d. ago The King's new wheels! Monarch combines his love for cars and the environment and 'splashes £160,000 on an EV' for his collection

The monarch, famed for his passion for the environment, is reportedly set to splash out a staggering £160,000 on a brand-new Lotus Eletre - an all-electric 'hyper-SUV'.

Politics

6 d. ago ‘Fight back and don’t let them win’: actor Pedro Pascal decries Trump’s attacks on artists

Comments at Cannes come after US president’s social media posts against Bruce Springsteen and Taylor SwiftPedro Pascal has sharply criticised Donald Trump’s attacks against artists, as the director of a conspiracy theory satire starring the actor said he feared the political messages of films could be weaponised by US border guards.“Fuck the people that try to make you scared,” the Game of Thrones and The Last of Us actor said at a press conference at the Cannes film festival, promoting Ari Aster’s new film Eddington. “And fight back. And don’t let them win.” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Theatre puts a finger in the wound’: Willem Dafoe returns to his first love in Venice

He is a transfixing screen presence – but he lives for the raw thrill of the stage. As he takes over the Venice theatre biennale, the star lets us know what to expect: cut-up plays and a Pinocchio unlike any otherSitting in his house in Rome, an overstuffed bookcase and a distressed wooden door behind him, Willem Dafoe scrunches his hair as though kneading the thoughts in his head. The 69-year-old, Wisconsin-born actor could pass today for any genial, bristle-moustached handyman in checked shirt and horn-rimmed specs. (Perhaps he even built the bookcase and distressed the door himself.) But it’s that hand that is the giveaway: it keeps scrunching as he talks until the hair is standing in jagged forks. As a visualisation of what is happening in his brain, it is second to none.We are speaking in April on the anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth (and death), which feels apt given that it is Dafoe’s two-year appointment as artistic director of the international theatre festival at the Ven...

Politics

1 week ago Foreign overfishing in Senegal fuels migration to Spain, a report finds

A report from a London-based environmental group says illegal overfishing and destructive practices by foreign vessels are responsible for increased irregular migration to Spain from Senegal in West Africa

Politics

1 week ago ‘A horror movie’: sharks and octopuses among 200 species killed by toxic algae off South Australia

Karenia mikimotoi algae can suffocate fish, cause haemorrhaging and act as a neurotoxin, one expert saysGet Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an emailMore than 200 marine species, including deepwater sharks, leafy sea dragons and octopuses, have been killed by a toxic algal bloom that has been affecting South Australia’s coastline since March.Nearly half (47%) of the dead species were ray-finned fish and a quarter (26%) were sharks and rays, according to OzFish analysis of 1,400 citizen scientist reports.Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but Trump cancels almost $8bn in projects

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but Trump cuts almost $8bn in projects

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but almost $8bn in projects now face cuts

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago Plastics industry pushed ‘advanced recycling’ despite knowing problems – report

Producers promoted chemical recycling – processes used to break plastics into constituent molecules – but knew of limitationsPlastic producers have pushed “advanced recycling” as a salve to the plastic waste crisis despite knowing for years that it is not a technically or economically feasible solution, a new report argues.Advanced recycling, also known as chemical recycling, refers to a variety of processes used to break plastics into their constituent molecules. The industry has increasingly promoted these technologies, as public concern about the environmental and health effects of plastic pollution has grown. Yet the rollout of these technologies has been plagued by problems, according to a new analysis from the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), a fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Soprano Patricia Racette to become artistic director of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Soprano Patricia Racette will become artistic director of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, filling a key management position of a company she has been associated with since her debut there in 1993

Culture

2 w. ago ‘Everything we built – gone’: how the wildfires decimated LA’s music scene

January’s blazes in California have devastated the livelihoods of performers, technicians and other music industry pros. They reveal what they lost – and how they’re rebuildingWithin the ashes of what used to be Christopher Fudurich’s home in Los Angeles, some objects from his garage music studio were still identifiable. Microphones charred and blackened, a scorched keyboard and melted cables among the toxic debris. Not just objects; a life’s work, passion and creativity burned up. “Things I’d been collecting since I was a teenager,” says the songwriter, producer and sound technician. “Just gone.”This was the reality confronted by Fudurich, and thousands of other Angelenos, following January’s wildfires. Their homes have been damaged or levelled, their possessions destroyed. The fortunate ones fled with what they could; for Fudurich that was some treasured vintage synthesisers, a bag of clothes and his passport. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Is a River Alive? by Robert Mcfarlane: a beautiful overture for our dying rivers

There’s been a lot of noise about the state of our rivers these past few years, and quite right too. An Environment Agency report in 2020 revealed that not a single river, lake or stream in England was classified as in “good health” and during last year’s general election campaign, politicians felt the need to compete over what their parties would do to end the scandal of raw sewage entering the water system. There’s no doubt that, for a large section of the public, the issue has touched a nerve.

Events

3 w. ago 'It's rough as toast round here': Horror as man and woman found dead in home

'It's a nice community and a safe environment. This kind of report doesn't make you feel safe any more'

Events

4 w. ago Reeves hints at priority as she says ‘trading relationship with Europe arguably more important’ than US – UK politics live

Chancellor said she understood the focus on possible deal with US, but added the EU remained ‘our nearest neighbours and trading partners’Water company bosses face up to two years in prison if they cover up illegal sewage spills under new laws coming into force, PA Media reports. PA says:The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said no prison sentences have been handed to water company executives since privatisation despite widespread illegal sewage discharges, and the tougher penalties were essential because some firms have obstructed investigations.Environment secretary Steve Reed said: “Bosses must face consequences if they commit crimes. There must be accountability. From today, there will be no more hiding places.”I’m now pretty optimistic that we are moving in a good direction.In the end, I think everybody understands that this is about our security in Europe. It requires cooperation between democracies, friends, allies, countries with the same values.The...

Politics

4 w. ago Circa/LPO/Gardner review – Exhilarating, exquisite and extraordinary as Ravel melds with acrobatics

Royal Festival Hall, LondonMultitudes festival opened with a stunningly effective collaboration between the Australian circus company and the London Philharmonic OrchestraThe Southbank Centre’s cross-genre Multitudes festival opened with a double bill of Ravel’s ballets Daphnis et Chloé and La Valse, played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner, and performed by the Australian company Circa with choreography by their artistic director Yaron Lifschitz. Circa’s style amalgamates circus and acrobatics with contemporary dance, and the combination of athletic beauty, agility and strength suits Ravel uncommonly well.Rather than use the music as accompaniment to display, Lifschitz worked with the score rather than against it, though he dispensed with Daphnis et Chloé’s narrative, replacing it with a sequence of contrasting abstract tableaux, now exhilarating,now erotic, always rooted in the pulse and throb of the music, played with exquisite finesse and detail by the LP...

Politics