91 m. ago To Be Frank review – Fun Lovin’ Criminal drummer offers up life lessons from many irons in fire

Documentary portrait of musician’s varied career is engaging if a little too easy in its admiration for its subjectMusician Frank Benbini is most probably known best as the drummer from Fun Lovin’ Criminals and a latter incarnation of UB40, although as this documentary (which Benbini executive produced) reveals, he’s got a lot of different irons on the proverbial fire; these include a beat combo called Uncle Frank and a reggae group called Radio Riddler. There are other side projects as well, musical and music-adjacent – the occasional bit of barbering with an old friend from Leicester with whom he co-owns a salon, and DJing on BBC Radio Leicester.Clearly the man has a strong work ethic despite a hard partying image and songs about getting high. A few of his colleagues and employees dare to suggest that he can be a bit of hard taskmaster with a combustible temper. You can’t help wonder what sort of film might have emerged if this weren’t being directed by one of Benbini’s best frien...

Events

2 h. ago Nicola Sturgeon defends her tax arrangements as she claims sympathy for Angela Rayner

Nicola Sturgeon defended her tax decisions following criticism that it was wrong of her to avoid paying a higher amount on her non-Holyrood earnings.The former First Minister also said she sympathised with Labour’s Angela Rayner.

Politics

2 h. ago From now on, Labour has one mission only. It must focus on saving Britain from Farage | Polly Toynbee

The hard right doesn’t speak for most voters. The progressive cause is not yet lost, but there is an urgent need for energy, purpose and claritySign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and moreLabour has just one overriding task. Forget all the other missions and milestones: Britain faces a peril that was beyond imagining a short time ago. Saving the country from Nigel Farage is the urgent, patriotic duty of this government; it is vital that it prevents an extremist, racist, authoritarian takeover which would be against the will of the overwhelming majority of the population. Nothing else matters more.The Labour government has come adrift. It lacks direction and purpose. Its many welcome policies are missing any thread to make sense of them. Now a new role and function have arrived, uninvited. It’s not a political choice but an obligation when the country is under at...

Events

2 h. ago Infamous 'Uranus in retrograde' will turn the lives of three zodiac signs upside

A major shift in the planet Uranus may lead to big time tech headaches and relationship issues for many in the coming months.

Politics

3 h. ago ‘Looks so sizzling they could fry an egg!’ How the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice adaptation changed my life

The 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic, starring Colin Firth, has its own fan group, has inspired university courses and was even featured in the Barbie movie. What’s behind its enduring appeal? I was born in the wrong century – or so my mother says, while I protest from my writing bureau, wax seal in hand, ready to dispatch an Austen-style letter to a friend. But as I put out the candle flame with my antique snuffer, I wonder if she might be right. For me, the past has always felt like home – I grew up on a literary diet of classic fiction, seasoned with a love of my Regency hero, Jane Austen.So when the BBC dramatisation of her most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice, first aired in 1995, it was manna from heaven for me, especially as an A-level English literature student. My pre-binge-era classmates and I delighted in the weekly suspense. We chattered of Mr Darcy’s intense looks, so sizzling they could fry an egg; laughed over the unfiltered comments of a dramatic Mrs Benne...

Politics

4 h. ago Nepal rolls back social media ban after deadly protests rock capital

Thousands joined the ‘Gen Z’ demonstrations, which protesters said reflected their frustration with the ban and anger over alleged corrupt officialsNepal’s government has lifted its ban on 26 prominent social media apps and messaging services after at least 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured in clashes on Monday.The country’s communication and information minister announced the ban would be rolled back hours after demonstrators protesting against the block surged towards the parliament complex in the capital, Kathmandu. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Nepal lifts ban on social media platforms after protests where police killed 19 people

Nepal’s government has lifted its ban on on social media platforms after violent street protests in which 19 people were killed

Events

7 h. ago Could what you eat change your personality... and is the brain to blame for dictating our food choices

Is your evening meal having an effect on your personality? It might sound absurd, but the old idea, first popularised in the 19th century that 'you are what you eat' might be truer than we thought.

Politics

8 h. ago French police patrolling beaches for migrants are 'dysfunctional and officers lack the right training'

Marc Alegre of the Unité police union, which represents officers in Calais and Dunkirk, said cash had been spent on the wrong type of vehicles.

Events

11 h. ago I visited pretty market town home to 'poshest pub crawl' where houses sell for £750,000

This pretty market town, with its high street bursting with boutiques, is delightful even on a rainy day

Economics

11 h. ago Coronation Street fans cry 'so wrong' as Lisa Swain rocked by blast from past after four years

Fans of the ITV soap haven't held back as they responded to Lisa being rocked by someone from her past - and she thought they were dead

Politics

13 h. ago Balzan prizes of nearly $1 million awarded for democracy studies and advances in leukemia treatment

The Switzerland-based Balzan Foundation on Monday announced four awards of nearly $1 million for excellence in the humanities and hard sciences

Events

14 h. ago Headaches, bouts of violent anger and working too hard... for 10 years Matt had no idea what was wrong with him

Matt Earl, a primary school teacher, was out with his colleagues when one made a comment that struck a nerve. 'It just set something off inside me. I felt myself boiling with rage.'

Politics

15 h. ago Mike Tyson called out 'delusional' Floyd Mayweather ahead of 2026 fight with £295m man

Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr are set to go toe-to-toe in an eight-round boxing bout next spring, but the verbal sparring between the two is already well underway

Economics

15 h. ago Your breakfast coffee could be a very bad idea for your health

Two-thirds of Americans drink the stimulating beverage every day — consuming as many as three cups

Politics

15 h. ago Greater Manchester dad thought he had acid reflux, he was wrong

'Advances in research and better treatments mean I'm still here to enjoy more precious time with my loved ones'

Politics

16 h. ago James Whale's funeral: Nigel Farage, Eamonn Holmes and Matt Goss among mourners saying goodbye

The funeral of radio great James Whale has taken place in Maidstone, Kent, as mourners from the world of showbiz and politics said goodbye to the popular broadcaster

Politics

16 h. ago James Whale's funeral: Eamonn Holmes joins Lizzie Cundy, Nigel Farage, Jeremy Kyle and Matt Goss in leading the mourners following his tragic death from cancer aged 74

James, who made a name for himself with his irreverent radio banter, died last month aged 74 following a long battle with cancer .

Events

16 h. ago Moment mass brawl breaks out between Brit tourists and Turkish shopkeepers in top holiday town

What started as a street dispute in Alanya exploded into a violent brawl that left tourists and shopkeepers trading blows in full view of stunned onlookers.

Politics

16 h. ago ‘If something goes wrong in childbirth, how will I know?’ The unflinching film about parenting with deafness

Giving birth is gruelling enough for mothers with hearing – but as the sisters behind gripping new drama Deaf explain, for disabled women labour can be brutal and traumaticEva Libertad spent months researching the script of Deaf, speaking to deaf women about pregnancy and parenthood for her drama about motherhood and identity. Almost immediately, the Spanish director knew the film needed a labour scene. “For all the women, giving birth had been a very traumatic event,” she says. She heard stories about women in labour not being informed of procedures, or having their hearing partners removed from the room, depriving them of an interpreter as well as support. “I left out some of the most difficult experiences.”Her film gives us a frighteningly realistic birth scene. “Push, push hard,” shouts a doctor behind a face mask at the end of a long, drawn-out labour. The woman giving birth is Ángela, who is deaf and can’t read the doctor’s lips because of their face mask. Frightened and alone...

Society