39 h. ago Pennsylvania House advances bill legalizing recreational marijuana

Pennsylvanians 21 or older would be allowed to legally purchase and use marijuana under a bill that has passed the state House on Wednesday

Politics

48 h. ago Keir Starmer slams Kemi Badenoch as 'climate defeatist' but she says he's 'on another planet' in net zero row

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was first to raise winter fuel payment cuts, saying her party ‘wouldn’t balance (the public finances) on the back of pensioners’

Politics

49 h. ago PMQs: Starmer under fire from Tories, Lib Dems and SNP on winter fuel payment cuts and net zero

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was first to raise winter fuel payment cuts, saying her party ‘wouldn’t balance (the public finances) on the back of pensioners’

Events

3 d. ago Chaos in Germany as Friedrich Merz fails to be elected chancellor after MPs rebel amid anger at AfD being designated 'far right',  country's huge bill to defend Ukraine and migrant crisis

Merz, the conservative leader, was expected to win the vote on Tuesday.

Events

3 d. ago Friedrich Merz fails to be elected German chancellor in historic first for country's parliament

Merz, the conservative leader, was expected to win the vote on Tuesday.

Politics

4 d. ago Maga media mob: meet the new rightwing faces in the White House briefing room

A banjo player and a Black Maga influencer, among others, now attend Trump administration press briefingsA disgraced ultra-conservative banjo player ousted from his Grammy-winning band; a far-right conspiracy theorist with alleged ties to Russia; a TikTok creator known as “Maga Malfoy” for his resemblance to the Harry Potter character; and an extremist social media “influencer” once banned from Twitter for posting a video depicting sexual abuse of a child.These are just some of the “new media” personalities courted by the White House to take part in a series of alternative briefings championed by Donald Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Texas governor signs largest US school voucher law in win for conservatives

State becomes 16th to allow public funds to be used for private schools, which opponents say will benefit mostly wealthier childrenThe Texas governor Greg Abbott on Saturday signed a law making more than 5 million students eligible to use state funds for private schools, a watershed moment in the conservative campaign to remake public education in the US.Texas is allocating $1bn for the first two years of the program to offer parents vouchers to pay for school. It is the 16th state to make all students eligible to receive public funds for private education. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Fight starts TODAY for Tories to win back trust: Bloodbath at polls but top Conservatives rally round leader as she vows to reverse party fortunes

An electoral bloodbath led to the Conservatives being wiped out across swathes of local authorities, losing more than 550 councillors and control of 14 councils.

Politics

6 d. ago Doctors have tense meeting with Wes Streeting and vote to go on strike again over pay

The British Medical Association is balloting resident doctors in England over possible strike action after leaving a meeting today with Health Secretary Wes Streeting

Politics

6 d. ago Doctors have tense meeting with Wes Streeting and call vote to go on strike again over pay

The British Medical Association is balloting resident doctors in England over possible strike action after leaving a meeting today with Health Secretary Wes Streeting

Politics

7 d. ago Reform win control of first two councils, crushing the Conservatives

Nigel Farage's party has secured enough seats for a majority at Staffordshire County Council which the Conservatives had held

Politics

7 d. ago ‘I won’t vote for that’: Senior Republicans dig their heels in over Medicaid cuts as they try to push through Trump agenda

Lawmakers tell The Independent they’re determined to protect ‘vulnerable citizens’ – but for Mike Johnson, the cuts have to come from somewhere

Politics

8 d. ago Justice for Phish! How the jam band shaped US culture – without awards or big hits

They were snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But their dedicated followers – from Bernie Sanders to Maroon 5 – know they exemplify a uniquely American traditionBernie Sanders has called them “one of the great American rock bands”. They’ve been together since 1983, selling out stadiums and hosting festivals where they’re the only band on the bill, drawing tens of thousands. Last week, they won the fan vote for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with 330,000 votes, beating the runner-up, the rock supergroup Bad Company, by 50,000.Yet outside the US, Phish may be best known as the inspiration for Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food flavor. They’ve never had a significant mainstream hit. And when the Hall of Fame inductees were announced on Sunday, Phish wasn’t among them. Bad Company was. Many fans seemed unbothered: “Phish is too out there, too innovative, not mainstream,” wrote one on a fan message board. “Hall of Fame just isn’t a Phish thing.” Added another: “Let the d...

Events

8 d. ago Celebrity Big Brother star Donna Preston spills house secrets after 'wild experience'

Comedian Donna Preston and pop star Chesney Hawkes appeared on Good Morning Britain to reveal how they passed the time in the Celebrity Big Brother house

Society

9 d. ago Canada election results live: Trump congratulates Carney even as White House repeats ‘51st state’ taunt

Liberals projected to win more seats than Conservatives in what is still a remarkable victory

Politics

9 d. ago Canada election results live: Carney vows ‘Trump will never break us’ as Liberal Party falls short of majority

Liberals projected to win more seats than Conservatives in what is still a remarkable victory

Politics

9 d. ago Senate Democrats to mark Trump’s ‘100 days from hell’ with marathon speeches

Minority leader Chuck Schumer accuses president of ‘acting like a king, a despot, a wannabe dictator’Trump’s first 100 daysUS politics live – latest updatesDemocratic senators will on Tuesday mark Donald Trump’s 100th day in office with marathon floor speeches intended to highlight his administration’s failures, seizing on his divisive tariff policy and attacks on the judiciary to argue he was not joking when he mulled governing as “a dictator”.Republicans, meanwhile, praised the president’s actions over the first 100 days, though the House speaker, Mike Johnson, acknowledged “some bumps along the road” he described as the necessary byproduct of the radical changes Trump campaigned on. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Canada election results live: PM Carney vows ‘Trump will never break us’ as rival Poilievre loses Parliament seat

In a remarkable victory in the Canadian election, the Liberals are projected to win more seats than Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party - but it isn't clear yet if they will secure an outright majority

Politics

9 d. ago Canada’s election in numbers: How Mark Carney’s Liberals won power in Trump’s shadow

The Liberal Party under Mark Carney secured a win just shy of a majority with the Conservatives seeing their best performance in 14 years

Politics

1 week ago Canada election 2025 live: Carney vows ‘Trump will never break us’ after win as rival Poilievre set to lose seat

In a remarkable victory in the Canadian election, the Liberals are projected to win more seats than Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party - but it isn't clear yet if they will secure an outright majority

Politics