5 h. ago The rise of digital money poses significant challenges for regulators

Bank of England is at crossroads over the use of crytocurrencies and establishing a financial framework for transactionsThere are those among us who like the idea of swiping and tapping their way through life, armed with a lifetime of digital information as they enter buildings, book online appointments and take train rides to work.Others are not so keen, fearing that big brother databases chock full of personal details will one day control their movements, if that is not happening already. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Mother and child metres away from crash on Cardiff street where speeding happens 'every day'

Residents on Paget Street have been calling for action against speeding for decades, but the council keeps asking for evidence that traffic calming is needed

Events

30 h. ago Taylor Swift album day: Everything happening in London to celebrate The Life of a Showgirl release

The singer’s 12th studio album has arrived to global fanfare, with the capital hosting TV appearances, radio interviews, screenings and fan-led events to mark its release

Culture

45 h. ago Everything that happened on a day Manchester hoped it would never see

The terror attack that has shaken the world on the Jewish community's holiest day

Politics

58 h. ago Manchester synagogue stabbing: Four injured in car and knife attack as Starmer flies to London to chair Cobra meeting

Police shoot suspect behind the attack which happened on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar

Events

3 d. ago Israel to close last remaining route from southern Gaza to the north as it continues offensive on Gaza City – Middle East crisis live

Hamas has said it will review the outline of Trump’s Gaza plan, as leaders across the Middle East voiced support for the proposalThe Australian government has said it is “deeply concerned” about the safety of its citizens on board a flotilla to Gaza, with expectations the boats could be intercepted by Israeli forces as early as Wednesday afternoon Australian time.The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said they have been in contact with six Australians confirmed to be on flotilla consisting of more than 40 ships.I’m deeply concerned by the alleged drone attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla and the risks to the safety of Australians and other passengers onboard.Australia calls on all parties to respect international law and international humanitarian law, and to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the flotilla.I think people feel pretty calm. And because everybody is really, really concerned about what’s happening in Palestine every single day, it really kind of...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Indolent and not photogenic’: can I make my reluctant cat a social media star in seven days?

Olly isn’t an obvious influencer – but that could be said of many of the felines who rule online. Here is what happened when I set out to turn him into a sensationA day at work for Mark Wardle can include accompanying cats to Hollywood film sets or high-end magazine shoots. As an “animal talent booker and fur whisperer” (a title that makes me immediately regret my own career path) Wardle manages about 60 pets, many of them cats, at the pet influencer agency Urban Paws.His is not a unique job. In the UK and beyond, pet influencer agencies – including one devoted to cats, Feline Stars – have begun to proliferate. The reason, Wardle notes, is simple: many of these animals now have “more reach and followers” than their human counterparts, with enough clout to land primetime TV spots. It is, after all, an industry riding the wave of a global pet economy projected to surpass $500bn by 2030. Continue reading...

Culture

4 d. ago What will happen if there's a government shutdown at day's end

Washington is just hours away from yet another federal government shutdown

Politics

4 d. ago Etsy witch who cast spell on Charlie Kirk days before his assassination says she ‘regrets’ what happened

‘Our spells are spiritual in nature and we do not perform actions that are intended to cause physical harm,’ the self-proclaimed witch said

Politics

5 d. ago Waiting for Godot review – Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s unlikely reunion

Hudson Theatre, New YorkThe Bill & Ted stars land on Broadway for Jamie Lloyd’s disorienting and intermittently engaging take on Samuel Beckett’s classicWaiting for Godot is, as the saying goes, a play in which nothing happens, twice. Two men, old acquaintances, spend a day waiting for someone named Godot – a man? God? Absolution? Nothing? – who never arrives. Instead, they encounter a strange, imperious man and his enslaved companion, then a boy who assures: tomorrow, Godot will come. The next day the same, almost.Samuel Beckett’s modernist masterpiece, one of the most influential and widely performed plays in the English language, disorients the viewer by disassembling theater down to its essentials: performance and interpretation, which even the most seasoned Godot veterans are still debating. The play’s nonsensical ramblings, existentialist themes and lack of clear meaning have absorbed the absurd realities of places ravaged by prolonged, costly waiting – war-torn Sarajevo, ...

Politics

5 d. ago US fan ugliness at the Ryder Cup was merely a reflection of Trump’s all

European players were subjected to slurs and crude insults about their families. They were no surprise as public discourse in America has broken downBy the time Europe finished the job, finally, on Sunday, the golf had the last word. But until the thrilling denouement, the lasting memory of this Ryder Cup threatened not to be a single swing of the club so much as the ugly backdrop: galleries that drifted from partisan into venomous and the organizers who let the line slide until it snapped.It didn’t happen all at once. For the first day and a half of golf’s most intense rivalry, it was New York-loud without being unruly. Then Saturday afternoon arrived and the tenor shifted. Rory McIlroy, the visiting lightning rod, kept stepping off shots as volleys of abuse landed in the quiet of his pre-shot routine. Shane Lowry played teammate and minder. Justin Thomas, not exactly a shrinking violet, began shushing his own end of the grandstand so his opponents could putt. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Mum orders Christmas present months early and 'heart runs cold' when she opens it up

A mum said her 'blood went cold' when she realised what had happened with her son's Christmas present just two days before the big day - and it was his main present

Politics

1 week ago Lanarkshire Inner Wheel clubs host joint dinner at Radstone Hotel

The Inner Wheel is supporting the United Nations Campaign which runs from November 25 to December 10 which also happens to be Human Rights Day.

Society

2 w. ago Pressure is a privilege for England who must deliver when it matters against France | Ugo Monye

Everything appears to be in place for the tournament hosts who will be judged on what happens in the next eight daysWithout disrespecting any of the opposition the Red Roses have faced, England’s World Cup starts now. Since the draw John Mitchell and his players would have had a pretty good idea they would be locking horns with France for a place in the final. We’re into the sharp end of the tournament and, such are the resources available to England, it would be crazy if they hadn’t plotted for a semi-final against Les Bleues in advance.There is plenty of expectation on the Red Roses but pressure is a privilege and they have dealt with everything that has come their way so far. There is expectation because they are 31 matches unbeaten. England have repeatedly demonstrated they are not just a side who perform at World Cups: their consistency in tournament cycles is clear to see. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago 'I ate McDonald's every day for 700 days and this is what happened'

A man claims to have eaten a McDonald's meal every single day for 700 days - and says he has no intention of stopping anytime soon as he enjoys the taste, convenience and price point

Politics

2 w. ago 'I thought nosebleeds were hay fever but now my nose has been amputated'

Ellen Mccleary, 46, first started having nosebleeds in July 2023 and put it down to hay fever, which she gets frequently, but as the nose bleeds happened up to three times a day, the mum-of-six called her GP

Politics

2 w. ago Furries, memes and discord: A deep dive into the internet communities and  political polarisation at the heart of the shooting that shocked America

Across this series, we'll piece together what happened on the day Kirk was gunned down, track the investigation as it unfolds, and examine the forces that led to such an act of violence. Listen now.

Events

2 w. ago Unai Simón: ‘Winning a cup with Athletic fulfils me more than 10 titles anywhere else’

Athletic Club’s goalkeeper on hosting Arsenal in the Champions League and the magic of San Mamés“Sometimes you need some luck; that was mine,” Unai Simón says. “What I thought might happen in five, six, seven years happened in 19 days.”It was August 2018, Simón was 21 and although he had been training at Athletic Club for a decade, and with the first team for three years, the son of police officers from Vitoria didn’t think there was a chance of playing in Bilbao any time soon, if at all. It was all he wanted but he didn’t even live there any more, moving 800km in search of an opportunity with second division Elche. Which is when weird things started to happen. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump announces second U.S. military strike on drug cartels in escalating war with Venezuela

Just a day after President Donald Trump told reporters he would 'see what happens' when asked if he would strike the country again, he launched a fresh military strike on another boat.

Events

3 w. ago My husband died in horrifying circumstances on our way home from my pregnancy scan. I gave birth the next day... and I still don't know what happened: GEORGINA KLOTZBACH

The couple had just come from a scan appointment and, with only days to go, had been busy preparing for their baby's arrival. But an hour into the journey, everything changed.

Events