13 h. ago Shakespeare in war: bard’s ‘existential’ theatre takes hold in Ukraine

‘You can always find an intersection to Shakespeare’s world in such situations as we have,’ says translator, as Shakespeare productions boom across UkraineThe Ukrainian Shakespeare festival in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk did not open with a play. Another kind of performance was staged on the steps of the theatre, one that did not deal with sad stories of the death of kings but with tragedy unfolding in real life.This was theatre in a different sense: a rally involving several hundred people demonstrating on behalf of Ukrainian prisoners of war, thousands of whom are estimated to remain in Russian captivity. Continue reading...

Events

17 h. ago Shakespeare in war: Ukraine festival explores intersection to bard’s world

‘There is a big need for theatre to work with existential problems,’ says translator, as Shakespeare productions boom across UkraineThe Ukrainian Shakespeare festival in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk did not open with a play. Another kind of performance was staged on the steps of the theatre, one that did not deal with sad stories of the death of kings but with tragedy unfolding in real life.This was theatre in a different sense: a rally involving several hundred people demonstrating on behalf of Ukrainian prisoners of war, thousands of whom are estimated to remain in Russian captivity. Continue reading...

Events

27 h. ago Palestine Action spraying paint is not terrorism. As ministers abuse their powers, I feel a duty to speak out | Juliet Stevenson

We have laws to deal with crimes linked to protest. What this is really about is a government complicit in the Gaza atrocities seeking to silence dissentJuliet Stevenson is an award-winning actorStrongly worded emails are not doing it. Appeals to MPs are not doing it. Taking to the streets in our hundreds of thousands with banners and placards is not working. Elected representatives from every party in parliament have stood in the Commons and asked the government to act. Some government ministers themselves have condemned Israel’s starvation of Palestinians in Gaza. Every poll of public opinion shows that the nation demands we stop arming Israel, and wants to see an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. But none of these things are working.Keir Starmer and his cabinet remain impervious to all calls for humanitarian intervention, and Israel is still killing children in Gaza with the support of the British government.Juliet Stevenson is an award-winning actor Continue read...

Politics

36 h. ago DWP state pension payments to plummet as Brits born before 1959 set for 'bad news'

The DWP has issued a warning to those over the age of 66. Additional 420,000 pensioners are set to pay income tax this year, it has been warned

Economics

53 h. ago ‘Protections and concessions’ for PIP and Universal Credit explained

Hundreds of thousands will be ‘protected’ by the concessions, but 430,000 disabled could still be affected

Politics

56 h. ago Photos show Sudanese refugees who have fled to neighboring Chad in their hundreds of thousands

Nearly a quarter-million refugees have arrived in Adre, a border town in neighboring Chad and the humanitarian front line on the edge of one of the world’s most devastating wars is in danger.

Culture

56 h. ago Do YOU want to retire in the sun? The top spots that will slash your tax bill by thousands

With UK inflation remaining stubbornly high and fiscal drag biting into your pension thanks to frozen income tax rates, it might be time to reflect on where to spend the rest of your days.

Economics

58 h. ago Where YOU can retire to a place in the sun and slash your tax bill by thousands

With UK inflation remaining stubbornly high and fiscal drag biting into your pension thanks to frozen income tax rates, it might be time to reflect on where to spend the rest of your days.

Economics

68 h. ago Scissor Sisters' Glastonbury set plagued with issues as BBC viewers beg for 'fix'

Hundreds of thousands of music lovers have descended on Worthy Farm for the long weekend as the UK's biggest festival returns after a two-year absence from the calendar

Politics

4 d. ago The rules on taking children out of school for a term time holiday

Parents can save hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, by taking holidays in term time. But they risk fines and disrupting their child's education

Politics

4 d. ago Hundreds of thousands of pensioners face 'new' tax this year

The Chancellor is under fire as hundreds of thousands more pensioners are dragged into the income tax net, thanks to the triple lock and the personal allowance freeze

Economics

5 d. ago Jamaica to ask King Charles to refer issue of reparations for slavery to UK’s privy council

Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were shipped to the Caribbean island when it was a colony of the UKJamaica will ask King Charles to request legal advice on the issue of slavery reparations from the judicial committee of the privy council, the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories and some Commonwealth nations.Under the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, the king, who remains Jamaica’s head of state after the country gained independence from Britain in 1962, has the authority to refer matters to the council for consideration. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Keir Starmer in huge DWP benefit cuts climbdown as he offers deal to rebels

Hundreds of thousands of people will avoid losing their Personal Independence Payments after Keir Starmer was forced into major climbdown to avoid a humiliating Commons defeat

Economics

5 d. ago Keir Starmer prepares major DWP benefit cut concessions to welfare rebels

Leading rebels told The Mirror 'serious progress' has been made in crisis talks with No10 over the disability benefit cuts impacting hundreds of thousands of people

Politics

5 d. ago Israel closes the most direct route for aid to Palestinians in Gaza

Blockade will increase diplomatic pressure on Israel as Spain PM Pedro Sánchez describes situation as ‘genocide’Israel has closed crossings into northern Gaza, cutting the most direct route for aid to reach hundreds of thousands of people at risk of famine, as airstrikes and shelling killed dozens more people in the devastated Palestinian territory.The move to close the crossings on Thursday will increase diplomatic pressure on Israel as attention shifts from its brief conflict with Iran, back to the violence and grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Tropical storm slams into parts of southern China already reeling from deadly flooding

Latest storm raises fears of renewed flooding in areas still struggling to recover from impact of Typhoon Wutip, which killed at least five people and forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate just two weeks ago

Events

6 d. ago Glastonbury weather forecast: When rain could hit Worthy Farm this weekend as Met Office prediction revealed

Hundreds of thousands of festival goers expected to descend on Worthy Farm this week

Society

7 d. ago Over one million pensioners set to pay higher rate of income tax this year

The Personal Allowance will be frozen at £12,570 until April 2028.

Economics

7 d. ago Power to the people: 60 years of Cruachan, Scotland’s hollow mountain and an engineering marvel

Cruachan Power Station has been supplying clean energy to hundreds of thousands of homes for 60 years and with a major upgrade will do so for many more. The hydro power station, built into Ben Cruachan, and the immense Cruachan Dam servicing it, are a marvel of engineering and awe-inspiring in scale, finds Janet Christie. Photographs by John Devlin

Politics

8 d. ago Worried about inheritance tax on your pension? Don't let a scammer take advantage

A finance expert is warning savers to be wary of scammers offering easy 'solutions' to the tax change, which will happen in 2027.

Economics