1 hour ago Those who object to music events shutting off parks are branded nimbys. But this time, I’m on their side | Moya Lothian

A high court dispute over a south London park shows the limits of private interests encroaching on public spaceA grassy south London oasis erupted into a turf war this week. From Monday, visitors to Brockwell Park would have seen calling cards left by both sides. The provocation? A sturdy 3-metre-high boundary fence, encircling large swathes of the 50-hectare (125-acre) stretch that has been designated for music festivals this summer. Daubed on the structure were signs of discord: graffitied messages in stark white lettering. “You fucked our park,” read one. “We fucked your wall.”Brockwell is now the hottest front in a conflict that has started to rear its head in the capital every summer. A week ago, it made the front pages in the form of a bombshell high court ruling against Lambeth council. The authority responsible for the park lost a case brought by Protect Brockwell Park (PBP), a group of local residents and park users who argued that the council had not obtained the proper pl...

Politics

2 h. ago The huge indoor playbarn with beach and dinos that keeps winning awards

The playbarn has a huge indoor beach as well as dinosaurs, princesses and has just been named "Best Family Experience"

Events

2 h. ago The lost outdoor pools and water parks we used to have on our doorsteps

Whenever the temperatures soared, we used to head to these brilliant spots in Greater Manchester to cool off

Politics

2 h. ago 25 fun things to do for families in Manchester this May half term

If you're looking for things to keep the kids happy over the school holidays, look no further

Politics

2 h. ago My cultural awakening: a punk band told me quit drinking. So I did

As a teen, I was surrounded by binge culture. But then a band called Minor Threat taught me it was radical to be sober – and it changed my lifeI started drinking when I was 14. It was how we’d have fun as kids in Aberdeen – I didn’t come across any youth clubs or anything particularly productive. You drank beer or alcopops in some shady lane, and you drank so quickly that you’d get drunk but then be sober enough to get home at 11pm so your parents wouldn’t notice anything. It wasn’t drinking for pleasure: binge drinking was just what everyone – regardless of social groups – seemed to be doing.During my teenage years I worked at a newsagent and I would read Kerrang! every week, which was extremely formative for me in discovering music. It’s incredible how many new bands I was introduced to, and just how my music taste evolved – from nu-metal bands such as Korn to Rage Against the Machine and, most influentially, Fugazi. Continue reading...

Culture

2 h. ago NSW floods: estimated 10,000 properties damaged after deadly flooding as communities face ‘mammoth task’

SES warns the ‘worst impacts that people feel are often after the event’ as areas reel from ‘devastating’ floodsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn estimated 10,000 properties may have been damaged in record-breaking flooding in New South Wales and thousands remain isolated, as communities begin to clean up after “devastating” impacts.Flood waters have begun to subside in some areas and weather conditions have improved on the mid-north coast, where severe weather warnings were cancelled on Friday night.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago Was the Black Lives Matter rebellion all for nothing? It may feel like that, but I have seen reasons for hope | Jason Okundaye

It is easy to look back at 2020 and feel aggrieved, even fooled. But in the British city where slaver Edward Colston’s statue was pulled down, I found cause for optimismIt has been five years since George Floyd, a Black man who lived in Minneapolis, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer. The killing, captured in a distressing 10-minute video that quickly flooded social media timelines, sparked something that felt like an international revolution: protests took place across the world, forcing countries and cities to reckon with their present and historical treatment of Black people.In Britain, protests reached fever pitch when activists in Bristol toppled a statue of Edward Colston, the slave trader and deputy governor of the Royal African Company, and hurled it into the harbour. Bristol, once a major slave-trading port, had maintained a veneration of Colston that was increasingly divisive. The statue in particular had been a key focus of tensions: attempts to add a s...

Politics

3 h. ago Cyber brothels, AI girlfriends, and VR intimacy: How worried should we be about the sex tech industry?

No kids, no animals. But inside Europe’s first cyber brothel, which uses a combination of sex dolls and AI to cater to its users’ demands, pretty much anything else goes. Olivia Petter explores the growth of today’s new tech-augmented sex scene, and asks what the rise in AI bots and cyber sex means for the future of human relationships.

Politics

3 h. ago The M6 motorway services I'm obsessed with and so are my kids

It boasts a massive indoor playbarn, an M&S and it's dog-friendly too

Politics

3 h. ago Moment wealthy 'crypto bros' are dragged out of their stunning NYC mansion for kidnapping and torturing their business partner for WEEKS

Several wealthy 'crypto bros' living in a lavish New York City brownstone allegedly lured a former business partner to the residence, where they kidnapped and tortured him for weeks.

Economics

5 h. ago Mum leading youth violence campaign urges kids to speak up in wake of Kayden Moy's death

Kayden Moy, 16, died after he was allegedly stabbed to death at Irvine Beach last weekend.

Events

7 h. ago I had a midlife crisis, an affair and lost my job and mother. Then I discovered a cheap, little

It is ten years since my life imploded in my mid-40s. I wish I'd known back then what I know now: that a midlife crisis is not only a good thing, but essential for all women.

Society

10 h. ago Prince William and Kate welcome new family addition their kids absolutely 'love'

Prince William and Kate Middleton are said to have welcomed a number of new family members into Adelaide Cottage tucked away on the expansive 655-acre Windsor Home Park

Politics

10 h. ago Nicole Kidman reveals major decision she regrets over her natural hair after viral wig fails

Nicole Kidman is owning up to her biggest beauty regret - just as buzz swirls around her ever-changing hairstyles and the use (and misuse) of wigs.

Events

10 h. ago I've lost my job over Tiktok driveway stunt: Builder admits he only has himself to blame for video that falsely claimed drive was torn up after homeowner refused to pay bill

Alex Gray told MailOnline he had 'more than learned his lesson' after sparking outrage with a stunt that was viewed almost one million times.

Society

11 h. ago Family share Skegness Butlin's break from hell, with blood stains and handcuffs

Tiffany Martin went with her partner and kids to the chain's resort in Skegness, and was left fuming with the state of the accommodation and the lack of customer service

Events

11 h. ago US Justice Department pardon lawyer pledges 'hard look' at plot to kidnap Michigan governor

The U.S. Justice Department’s new pardon attorney says he is going to take a “hard look” at two men who are in prison for leading a conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020

Society

12 h. ago Key moments from the second week of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial

The second week of Sean Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial featured a dozen witnesses who described the music mogul's physical attacks on others or who provided testimony addressing the government's charges

Politics

12 h. ago Pentagon lost contact with Army helicopter on flight that caused jets to nix landings at DC airport

The Army is telling The Associated Press that military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on the flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings this month at a Washington airport

Transport

13 h. ago Coronation Street fans 'crying' as Lisa Swain asks Carla Connor important question and 'work out' what's next

It's been a tough week for the detective sergeant as she lost one of her own in a brutal attack and it was Carla she turned to for support

Politics