59 h. ago The week Europe realised it stands alone against Russian expansionism

Washington’s Putin-appeasing plan for peace in Ukraine has failed, but many heard death knell sounded for European reliance on US protectionKaja Kallas, the European Union foreign policy chief, asked her officials this week to dig up the number of times Russia had – in its various guises – invaded other states in the 20th and 21st centuries. The answer that came back was 19 states, on 33 occasions. Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister, was not just indulging in some form of historical mathematics. She was seeking to make a point that lies at the heart of the dispute between the US and Europe over Ukraine’s future, a dispute that has again revealed the chasm across the Atlantic about the true nature of the Russian regime.Kallas reads history books as a leisure activity and – drawing on her own country’s history of Soviet occupation – has long maintained that the Soviet Union fell, but its imperialism never did. “Russia has never truly had to come to terms with its brutal past o...

Politics

3 d. ago Sally Rooney says she will be unable to publish books in UK while Palestine Action banned

Author tells high court her public support for group means her books could disappear from UK stores altogetherThe Irish author Sally Rooney has told the high court she is highly unlikely to be able to publish new work in the UK while the ban on Palestine Action remains in effect because of her public support for the group.On the second day of the legal challenge to Palestine Action’s proscription, the effect on Rooney, who said her books could disappear from UK stores altogether, was held up as an example of its impact on freedom of expression. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Female prison officer, 29, faces jail after admitting having an 'inappropriate relationship' with an inmate

Zoe Oldham, 29, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court to plead guilty to charges of misconduct in a public office during her service at HMP Risley in Warrington.

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1 week ago Prison guard mum, 29, 'had 1,100 message inappropriate relationship' with inmate

Mum Zoe Oldham pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office while working as a prison guard, with the court told around 1,100 messages were exchanged with a lag

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1 week ago Nudist claims judges in the North may have ‘unconscious biases against his lifestyle’

Neil Cox is challenging Chester Crown Court’s dismissal of his appeal against a public order offence conviction, but wants the case to be heard in London

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1 week ago Lil Nas X beams in court as lawyers tease 'positive' outcome in case over naked public breakdown that stunned Hollywood

Lil Nas X was all smiles as he made a brief appearance in a Los Angeles courthouse months after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting cops while only wearing his underware.

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2 w. ago Apple Cider Vinegar review – a kidney stone leads into whimsical geology doc

Sofie Benoot’s film opens out from the film-maker’s medical problem to a diverting reflection on humankind’s deep roots in ancient mineralsThe elegant, humorous, susurrating Welsh voice of Siân Phillips sets the keynote for this whimsical essay documentary from Belgian film-maker Sofie Benoot about the nature of rock and stone, and the mysterious interrelation between our bodies and the landmass of Earth.Benoot’s starting point is the kidney stone that has just been removed from her body, an intriguingly smooth and worn pebble; it’s a personal event she assigns to her offscreen alter ego, voiced by Phillips. This quasi-fictional narrator musingly notes that once upon a time she provided the voice for nature documentaries; quite true, Phillips has indeed narrated some nature documentaries, which appears to be the reason why Benoot cast her. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Wicked fan who grabbed Ariana Grande faces police charge and huge fine

The man who jumped over a barricade and grabbed Ariana Grande at the Asian premiere of "Wicked: For Good" in Singapore has been charged in court for being a public nuisance

Events

2 w. ago Laurence Fox and Narinder Kaur arrive at court as he appeals upskirting offence

Narinder Kaur has arrived at Woolwich Crown Court, where she will sit in the public gallery as Laurence Fox attempts to have his Section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act dismissed

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3 w. ago Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is released from prison

Sarkozy, who told court his three weeks in jail had been a ‘nightmare’, will serve rest of sentence at home pending appealEurope live – latest updatesThe former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from prison after a judge ruled he could serve the rest of his sentence at home.Sarkozy was driven by car from La Santé prison in Paris accompanied by his wife, the singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and arrived at his home in the west of the city without making a public comment. Earlier, he had told a Paris appeals court by video link that his three weeks in jail had been “gruelling” and a “nightmare”. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Former police chief appears in court accused of fraud and misconduct in public office after allegedly lying about his military service

Former Northamptonshire Police chief constable Nick Adderley, pictured in 2024, has been accused on lying on his CV, including about his military career.

Events

3 w. ago I watched Joey Barton try to bask in the publicity of his court case but it only showed his true nature: Violent, foul

The manager of one of Joey Barton's clubs warned a new member of the backroom team to beware his surface charm. 'You might be fooled when you first meet him,' the manager said. 'Don't be.'

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last month Mary Earps: ‘I don’t look back with bad blood. It worked out well for everybody’

Former England goalkeeper reveals full story behind her international retirement, her problems with eating and alcohol, and why she’d struggle on The TraitorsRead an exclusive extract from Mary Earps’ book“I’ve learned a lot about what truly matters in life,” Mary Earps says on a quiet and cloudy afternoon as, at Paris Saint-Germain’s training centre on the outskirts of the French capital, the former England goalkeeper reflects on the achievements and drama of her last five years. “My life has accidentally come into the court of public opinion. People talking about your performance comes with the territory but when it starts to become about your character, and assumptions people make about you, that can be really, really challenging.”Between 2020 and 2023 Earps overcame depression, a drinking problem, eating issues, won the Euros with England, forced Nike to change their attitude to female goalkeepers, saved a penalty in a World Cup final and won the BBC’s Sports...

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