14 h. ago I installed a Ring doorbell to keep my house safe... and then caught two middle

Parading sheep, singing handymen, drunken blunders in bushes the Ring doorbell app may have started out as a security measure, but viral clips captured by its cameras are comedy gold.

Events

3 d. ago ‘Even if we stop drinking we will be exposed’: A French region has banned tap water. Is it a warning for the rest of Europe?

Forever chemicals have polluted the water supply of 60,000 people, threatening human health, wildlife and the wider ecosystem. But activists say this is just the tip of the Pfas icebergOne quiet Saturday night, Sandra Wiedemann was curled up on the sofa when a story broke on TV news: the water coming from her tap could be poisoning her. The 36-year-old, who is breastfeeding her six-month-old son Côme, lives in the quiet French commune of Buschwiller in Saint-Louis, near the Swiss city of Basel. Perched on a hill not far from the Swiss and German borders, it feels like a safe place to raise a child – spacious houses are surrounded by manicured gardens, framed by the wild Jura mountains.But as she watched the news, this safety felt threatened: Wiedemann and her family use tap water every day, for drinking, brushing her teeth, showering, cooking and washing vegetables. Now, she learned that chemicals she had never heard of were lurking in her body, on her skin, potentially harming her ...

Events

5 d. ago Kate Middleton's awkward Wimbledon moment with sister Pippa caught on camera

The Princess of Wales is known as a huge tennis fan and took Princess Charlotte and her sister Pippa to Wimbledon's mens singles final last year - but there was an awkward moment after the match with champion Carlos Alcaraz

Events

1 week ago Caught in the crossfire, Qatar again finds itself Middle East peace broker

The US has turned to Qatar to mediate between Iran and Israel, despite one of the parties firing missiles at the tiny but staggeringly rich nationMiddle East crisis – live updatesCaught in the crossfire, Qatar on Monday night found itself in the unusual position of being asked by the US to mediate to end a war where one of the two parties was firing missiles at it. But then there are few countries as multifaceted as Qatar, or few conflicts quite as tangled as the Iran-Israel war.It seems Monday’s heavily signalled Iranian attack on Qatar’s 60-acre Al Udeid airbase, the largest US military facility in the Middle East, may even have become the opening to resume diplomacy. The attack, which caused no casualties, cleared the ground for Donald Trump and Qatar to work together to secure the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran. It once again highlights Qatar’s role as professional mediator – a bespoke service this tiny but massively wealthy country makes available from the Democratic...

Events

2 w. ago Angela Rayner praises ‘amazing’ Independent Brick by Brick campaign as family fleeing abuse get safe haven

Exclusive: The deputy prime minister and housing secretary said helping vulnerable families and children into safe and secure housing ‘is a matter that I hold close to my heart’

Events

2 w. ago First family fleeing abuse get keys to The Independent’s safe haven

Survivor of abuse handed keys to new safe house

Events

3 w. ago Oil surges after Israel’s attack on Iran, as markets slide – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsIsrael launches strikes on ‘dozens’ of targets in Iran, targeting nuclear programmeEuropean stock markets have joined the global selloff, as the overnight escalation in the Middle East has triggered a wave of risk-off sentiment.Here’s now the main indices have fallen:Germany’s DAX: -1.35%France’s CAC: -1.2%Italy’s FTSE MIB: -1.45%Spain’s IBEX: -1.55%This alarming escalation in the Middle East has likely caught many investors off guard. Those who have been looking for an opportunity to sell stocks and take profits are now becoming active. It seems the DAX has seen its yearly high from just over a week ago for the time being.Oil prices are skyrocketing as fears grow not only regarding the disruption of Iran’s recent strengthened oil exports but also the potential targeting of other oil production facilities in the region, should this conflict escalate further. Additionally, the transportation of oil through the Strait of Hormuz...

Politics

3 w. ago Public employees in Iraq’s Kurdish region caught in the middle of Baghdad

Tensions have escalated between Iraq’s central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the country’s north in a long-running dispute over the the sharing of oil revenues

Events