17 h. ago ‘I get to do whatever I want in the moment’: why more people are going to gigs, festivals and clubs alone

The number of solo festivalgoers has jumped since the pandemic, and even safety concerns aren’t dissuading lone ravers. We speak to some to find out whyFrom solo travel to dining alone, people have increasingly been embracing social activities by themselves in the years since the pandemic – even in the ultra-social contexts of live music and club culture.A recent survey by Ticketmaster found that the number of people who have attended either a weekend or day festival by themselves has risen from 8% in 2019 to 29% this year. Reading and Leeds festival introduced a campsite area for solo attendees this year, joining Download’s longstanding “lone wolf” area, and there are a growing number of social media pages such as London Solo Ravers, and WhatsApp groups such as Untitled Rave Community Project, for people venturing to nightclubs alone. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago People seen pulling driver from overturned van after horror crash

The collision involved a van and a car

Events

7 d. ago Mum's reaction is priceless as daughter scoops £1m jackpot on ITV's Win Win

Sienna McSwiggan scooped the biggest prize in British quiz-show history on ITV's Win Win with People's Postcode Lottery and later shared footage of the sweet moment she told her mum

Economics

1 week ago Strictly's La Voix reveals surprising thing she saw the Queen do at secret royal party

EXCLUSIVE: Strictly Come Dancing’s La Voix said she is one of the few people to have witnessed such a "normal" moment from the late Queen Elizabeth II

Politics

1 week ago Moment lorry ploughs into layby and crashes into parked cars leaving two people seriously hurt

Tracey Hosker, 35, of the village of Windmill Hill, Runcorn, was driving the box van (pictured) on the A34 southbound just outside Oxford on January 11 last year.

Events

1 week ago Eamonn Holmes inundated with support as he shares touching tribute

Eamonn Holmes took a moment to reflect on the loss of two important people in his life as fans were quick to support the star.

Politics

2 w. ago Driver recounts moment helicopter plummeted from sky and crashed onto freeway as multiple people remain critically injured

Several injuries have been reported following a medical helicopter crash onto a Sacramento highway on Monday evening.

Events

2 w. ago Term ‘disabled’ being used too widely, shadow work and pensions secretary says – UK politics live

Helen Whateley says ‘millions are sitting on the sofa at home’Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, was doing an interview round for the Conservatives this morning, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the faith and communities minister, was on the air on behalf of the government. They were both asked about the latest development in the flag phenomenon – the former footballer turned property developer Gary Neville saying that he took down a union flag flying at one of his building sites because he felt it was being used in a “negative fashion”.Asked if Neville (a Labour supporter) had a point, Fahnbulleh told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:I think he’s really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment I spent a lot of time going around our communities, talking to people. People are ground down. We’ve had a decade-and-a-half in which living standards haven’t budged and people have seen their communities held down. And you will get people trying to stoke division, trying to bla...

Politics

2 w. ago Tory plan to scrap green energy measures called ‘contradictory nonsense’ by environment groups – UK politics live

Shadow energy secretary’s plans dismissed as ‘dead wrong’ by environment groupsMel Stride, the shadow chancellor, was doing an interview round for the Conservatives this morning, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the faith and communities minister, was on the air on behalf of the government. They were both asked about the latest development in the flag phenomenon – the former footballer turned property developer Gary Neville saying that he took down a union flag flying at one of his building sites because he felt it was being used in a “negative fashion”.Asked if Neville (a Labour supporter) had a point, Fahnbulleh told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:I think he’s really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment I spent a lot of time going around our communities, talking to people. People are ground down. We’ve had a decade-and-a-half in which living standards haven’t budged and people have seen their communities held down. And you will get people trying to stoke divisi...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘First job bonus’ worth £5k planned for young people, Stride tells Tory conference – UK politics live

Shadow chancellor sets out spending plans as party conference continues in ManchesterMel Stride, the shadow chancellor, was doing an interview round for the Conservatives this morning, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the faith and communities minister, was on the air on behalf of the government. They were both asked about the latest development in the flag phenomenon – the former footballer turned property developer Gary Neville saying that he took down a union flag flying at one of his building sites because he felt it was being used in a “negative fashion”.Asked if Neville (a Labour supporter) had a point, Fahnbulleh told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:I think he’s really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment I spent a lot of time going around our communities, talking to people. People are ground down. We’ve had a decade-and-a-half in which living standards haven’t budged and people have seen their communities held down. And you will get people trying to stoke ...

Politics

2 w. ago 'He has a bomb, go away': Moment police push crowds outside synagogue back before shooting 'knifeman wearing suspected explosive vest'

Gruesome video footage, leaked on social media, showed has shown how police armed with assault rifles gunned down the male suspect.

Events

2 w. ago Moment rocks come crashing down on Ibiza hotel in front of screaming British tourists, injuring three people and trapping others as party island is hit by intense storm

Four people were trapped following the landslide at the four-star Vibra Tropical Garden Apartments, a short walk from Figueretas beach.

Events

3 w. ago Kamala Harris’s election memoir shows just how deluded the Democrats still are | Nesrine Malik

This unapologetic trawl through a doomed campaign reveals a celebrity-obsessed party high on its own supply. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragicWatching the Kamala Harris presidential campaign unfold last year, I remember thinking, and writing, about how striking it was that she had been rehabilitated almost overnight into a political titan. Authoritative accounts of her before that moment portrayed a lo-fi vice-president, who, even according to people who had worked to get her there, had “not risen to the challenge of proving herself as a future leader of the party, much less the country”. Another striking feature of her campaign was how it leaned into vibes and spectacle rather than substance, or building faith in Harris as a clean break from an unpopular and visibly deteriorating Joe Biden. Her new book, 107 Days, a memoir of the exact number of days she had to win the presidency, goes a long way in explaining why that was. In short, Harris – and those around her, includ...

Politics

3 w. ago Tech bros want women to have more babies. But they’re going about it the wrong way | Emma Beddington

Dropping birthrates are worrying Elon Musk, JD Vance and the like. But their proposed remedies are risible. Here are some surefire winnersTo the surprise of no one with internet access, surely, we’re still in a birthrate crisis. What with ecological collapse, incipient fascism, geopolitical instability, the lack of support for new parents, childcare costs and more, bringing new life into the world requires a radical act of hope. And who’s feeling that these days?Plus, even if you do want children, pregnancy feels kind of risky at the moment. In parts of the US and beyond, pregnant people are being viewed, and treated, as functional vessels, valued only as a sort of Le Creuset for precious life delivery. Even popping a paracetamol when you’re pregnant is out now; just “tough it out” or you’ll make your kid autistic, Trump claims. Continue reading...

Politics