44 m. ago Revealed: Government suggested demolishing and replacing Hammersmith Bridge or turning it into a 'monument'

EXCLUSIVE: Ideas for bridge’s future were ‘quickly’ dismissed but the crossing could potentially stay car-free forever, document reveals

Politics

57 m. ago Oleksandr Usyk drops huge new hint over Jake Paul fight... with one major twist

Usyk has previously suggested he has only two fights left before he retires

Politics

70 m. ago OpenAI limits AI images as Studio Ghibli art takes a dark turn

With criticism mounting over the allegedly harmful and unethical use of the new AI tool, OpenAI says it is investigating violations of its usage policy

Politics

2 h. ago US consumer confidence hit by tariff fears; Thames Water’s finance chief leaving within days – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsOver in Germany, the number of people out of work has risen at the fastest rate since October of 2024.The German labour office said the number of unemployed increased by 26,000 in seasonally adjusted terms to 2.92 million. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected that figure to rise by 10,000.“March marks the start of the so-called spring recovery on the labour market. This year, however, the economic slump is noticeably slowing it down.”One bright spot was the impressive 1.9% q/q (CE forecast 0.7% q/q) rise in consumers’ real incomes in Q4. The 4.2% rise in 2024 as a whole suggests households experienced the strongest real income growth in nine years.With consumer spending hardly rising, at 12.0% in Q4 (up from 10.3% in Q3), the saving rate remains unusually high, suggesting households are choosing to save rather than spend the bulk of those gains. Continue reading...

Economics

2 h. ago Here is the exact day and time to book your train for the cheapest tickets

There are always people suggesting ways I could save cash on my train travel. Some say book months in advance, others say leave it until the last minute to grab a cheap deal.

Politics

3 h. ago Tariff uncertainty risks ‘significant economic damage’; Thames Water’s finance chief leaving within days – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsOver in Germany, the number of people out of work has risen at the fastest rate since October of 2024.The German labour office said the number of unemployed increased by 26,000 in seasonally adjusted terms to 2.92 million. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected that figure to rise by 10,000.“March marks the start of the so-called spring recovery on the labour market. This year, however, the economic slump is noticeably slowing it down.”One bright spot was the impressive 1.9% q/q (CE forecast 0.7% q/q) rise in consumers’ real incomes in Q4. The 4.2% rise in 2024 as a whole suggests households experienced the strongest real income growth in nine years.With consumer spending hardly rising, at 12.0% in Q4 (up from 10.3% in Q3), the saving rate remains unusually high, suggesting households are choosing to save rather than spend the bulk of those gains. Continue reading...

Economics

3 h. ago Memorial plan for 2016 Pulse shooting on track after nearly a decade: ‘Like holding your breath’

After the onePulse Foundation aimed too high and folded, the City of Orlando stepped in to get the process under wayThere were times when Patty Sheehan doubted a memorial to the victims would ever be built at the site of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, where 49 people lost their lives in 2016 in what was then the country’s deadliest mass shooting.Among the lowest points for the long-serving city commissioner was when she discovered that a gift shop was included in an ambitious original proposal for a museum to remember the survivors and those killed when a lone gunman claiming allegiance to Islamic State terrorists attacked the gay club. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Tom Morello says fans should ‘arrive early’ to Black Sabbath show

Exclusive: Renowned guitarist shares some behind-the-scenes intel as the musical director for what is being billed as ‘the greatest heavy metal show ever’, as Ozzy Osbourne prepares to play his final gig

Politics

4 h. ago How has fascism in Britain got this far? Neoliberalism has opened the door for it | George Monbiot

Neoliberalism destroys democratic hope and the far right fills the political void. We need a new politics of belonging, not Labour’s craven appeasement of capitalThe democratic recession does not begin when a far-right party takes office. It begins when a centrist party crushes hope in democracy. When Keir Starmer’s government takes a chainsaw to people’s aspirations for a fairer, greener, kinder country, he cuts off not just faith in the Labour party but faith in politics itself. The almost inevitable result, as countries from the US to the Netherlands, Argentina to Austria, Italy to Sweden show, is to let the far right in.So what’s the game? Why adopt policies that could scarcely be better calculated to prevent your re-election? Why stick to outdated fiscal rules when projections suggest they’ll make almost everyone worse off, especially those in poverty? Why impose devastating attacks on wellbeing, such as sustaining the two-child benefit cap, freezing local housing allowance and...

Politics

4 h. ago The Orange and Other Poems by Wendy Cope audiobook review – an understated greatest hits collection

Read and contextualised by the poet herself, these gentle gems have an extra tang of immediacyA greatest hits collection from one of Britain’s best-loved poets, Wendy Cope’s The Orange contains themes of love, friendship, family and mortality. The 1992 title poem – which recently enjoyed a second life on TikTok, with users showing off their fruit-based tattoos – finds the author buying a large orange, sharing it with two friends and concluding: “I love you. I’m glad I exist.” After the Lunch is about falling in love on Waterloo Bridge while “high on the charm and the drink”, while Being Boring hails the virtues of a drama-free life (“No news is good news, and long may it last”).Cope is the reader, her delivery gently understated and frequently deadpan. In Loss, she reflects on the end of a relationship in which the woman “went through hell. His absence wasn’t a problem, but the corkscrew had gone as well.” Sometimes she breaks from the narration to share the context of a p...

Events

5 h. ago China’s Xi urges global CEOs to protect trade supply chains; UK’s 2024 growth revised higher, but households hoard cash – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsOver in Germany, the number of people out of work has risen at the fastest rate since October of 2024.The German labour office said the number of unemployed increased by 26,000 in seasonally adjusted terms to 2.92 million. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected that figure to rise by 10,000.“March marks the start of the so-called spring recovery on the labour market. This year, however, the economic slump is noticeably slowing it down.”One bright spot was the impressive 1.9% q/q (CE forecast 0.7% q/q) rise in consumers’ real incomes in Q4. The 4.2% rise in 2024 as a whole suggests households experienced the strongest real income growth in nine years.With consumer spending hardly rising, at 12.0% in Q4 (up from 10.3% in Q3), the saving rate remains unusually high, suggesting households are choosing to save rather than spend the bulk of those gains. Continue reading...

Economics

6 h. ago Sex offender may be relaxing in Benidorm say cops as they issue arrest warrant

One man who was found guilty of sexual assault has since fled the country before his official sentencing – with police enquiries suggesting he might be in Benidorm

Events

6 h. ago Nigel Farage wants huge change to how NHS is paid for that would hit families in the pocket

Nigel Farage has suggested that some British families could be forced to pay health insurance to use the NHS if he was Prime Minister - but Labour analysis shows eyewatering costs

Events

7 h. ago China’s Xi urges global CEOs to protect trade supply chains; UK’s 2024 growth revised higher – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsToday’s UK national accounts data also shows that people stashed away more of their money into savings at the end of last year.The household saving ratio, which measure the proportion of income that is saved, rose to 12% in October-December 2024, up from 10.3% in the third quarter of last year.One bright spot was the impressive 1.9% q/q (CE forecast 0.7% q/q) rise in consumers’ real incomes in Q4. The 4.2% rise in 2024 as a whole suggests households experienced the strongest real income growth in nine years.With consumer spending hardly rising, at 12.0% in Q4 (up from 10.3% in Q3), the saving rate remains unusually high, suggesting households are choosing to save rather than spend the bulk of those gains.Non-food stores – the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores – rose by 3.1% over the month. This put monthly sales volumes at their highest level since March 2022.“The exceptional volatility in rec...

Economics

7 h. ago Solar eclipse to appear over UK tomorrow, with clear skies forecast

Current weather forecasts for the date of the eclipse suggest most people in UK will be able to see the Moon pass in front of the Sun

Politics

9 h. ago Weather tracker: Heavy rain alerts in Queensland as floods cut off towns

Wettest March day for 15 years in some parts of northern Australian state, while storms and hail hit MediterraneanMore heavy rain has hit Queensland, Australia, just weeks after the devastation of Cyclone Alfred. Much of north and central Queensland was put under severe weather alert for heavy rainfall earlier this week, as six-hourly rainfall totals of 30-60mm were anticipated, with risk of seeing a total of up to 120mm locally in this time frame.In the north-west of the state, this rain allowed waters in the Haughton River to rise rapidly, with levels reaching 2.68 metres on Wednesday night, exceeding the 2.5-metre major flood level. Continue reading...

Events

11 h. ago UK weather: Mini heatwave maps show date temperatures will peak in every county

Temperatures are set to soar across the UK in the coming days as advanced weather modelling maps suggest a mini-heatwave is on the cards, impacting every inch of the country

Society

12 h. ago ChatGPT’s Studio Ghibli AI trend sparks debate over creativity vs copyright violation

Social media was flooded with AI-generated renditions of popular memes or photos in the style of Studio Ghibli

Politics

13 h. ago Solar eclipse: UK forecast for clear skies during first partial eclipse of 2025

Current weather forecasts for the date of the eclipse suggest most people in UK will be able to see the Moon pass in front of the Sun

Politics

15 h. ago Adolescence star Owen Cooper is 'booted OUT of running for the Best Actor Emmy'

Adolescence star Owen Cooper will be entered into ceremonies as Best Supporting Actor for his role as murder suspect Jamie Miller, multiple sources suggested.

Culture