10 m. ago Starmer hikes defence spending to 2.5% ahead of crunch meeting with Trump

Labour PM cuts foreign aid funding as he prepares to fly to Washington to meet the US President who has piled pressure on Britain to bolster its armed forces

Politics

14 m. ago UK defence spending to rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 with aid budget slashed to help fund move

Keir Starmer says now is the time to deepen European security, as he announces move in the CommonsThe rightwing historian Niall Ferguson is in the audience for Badenoch’s speech, according to James Heale from the Spectator.Niall Ferguson spotted at Kemi Badenoch’s big speech on foreign affairs hearing we might get some policy tooTractors’ horns interrupt Badenoch’s speech shortly after she begins speaking. Attendant spinner heard swearing furiously Continue reading...

Economics

14 m. ago Expat British wife, 49, and her lover are 'shot dead by her estranged French police officer husband' in sleepy village

Alison Erb, 49, and Loreto Di Salvatore, 51, were found dead at their flat in Roppentzwiller. Her estranged husband was formally charged last year but details have only emerged now

Events

16 m. ago 'I just went for it': David Beckham, 49, reveals his major sacrifice to ensure he was in the best shape possible for Boss underwear campaign

David Beckham has a well-known penchant for fine wine, but when it came to stripping down for his new Boss underwear campaign, he had to make a sacrifice.

Politics

17 m. ago The £55million hunt for MH370: British firm sends the 'most technically advanced ship of its kind' to 'underlooked' Indian Ocean region after Malaysia offered huge reward for discovering missing jet

Ocean Infinity was reportedly offered a £55million fee by the Malaysian government to locate the aircraft, which vanished in March 2014 with 239 people on board.

Economics

18 m. ago 90s Britpop band announce comeback tour 29 years after hit single

An iconic 90s band, who had five top 10 albums on the charts, are heading on tour around the country later this year

Events

21 m. ago The play that changed my life: Sing Sing’s Clarence Maclin on lessons from Sophocles in prison

Staging Shakespeare and Twelve Angry Men with fellow prisoners was a revelation but Oedipus Rex proved particularly poignantWhen I came to the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) theatre at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in 1995, I’d been sentenced to 17 years for robbery. It was not my intention to watch a play. They were doing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I saw my brother Dino who was playing Big Chief, the Native American guy. I knew Dino from elsewhere in the jail, but not for this.I got involved. I found a fascination for Shakespeare that I really didn’t expect. I didn’t think I’d understand the language. And I didn’t at first. But it fascinated me enough to research and study it: I loved becoming able to translate that so that others could feel the intensity of it. Continue reading...

Events

22 m. ago Kremlin disputes Trump claim Russia would accept Nato peacekeeping troops in Ukraine – live

Kremlin says it has nothing to add to the foreign ministry’s position on the unacceptability of Nato peacekeepers in UkraineUkraine’s presidential press service has issued a photograph showing president Volodymyr Zelenskyy introducing the world leaders visiting Kyiv some new developments in Ukraine’s defence industry.British prime minister Keir Starmer is set to announce a cut to the country’s aid budget to immediately hike defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, ahead of his visit to the White House on Thursday, according to The Sun. Continue reading...

Politics

22 m. ago ‘It makes you feel like the hero of your own quest’: the dark, delightful magic of the dungeon synth scene

Amid dinosaurs, swords and leather armour, we visit the UK’s first festival for dungeon synth – a fast-growing black metal spinoff dedicated to fantasy and escapeA flurry of inflatable caveman clubs have erupted into the air, a crowd of ecstatic metallers swinging them merrily as they watch a hooded dinosaur peering over a synthesiser. The masked musician, Diplodocus, has transformed this crowded pub in soggy south London into a mystical underworld, one entrancing chord at a time.This is Albion Dungeon fest, a sellout, weekend-long event, and the first of its kind in the UK. Emerging in the 90s as an offshoot of black metal, dungeon synth replaced guitars with keyboards to make it less moshing, more magic. Its mystical sound has aesthetics to match, channelling the atmosphere of JRR Tolkien books, the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and a darkly quaint reimagining of the medieval era. Continue reading...

Politics

23 m. ago BGT 'fake' row as Simon Cowell acts like he 'doesn't know' performers who appeared on US version two years ago

Britain's Got Talent returned to our screens this weekend, but the show was hit with a 'fake' row as fans claimed Simon Cowell was acting like he didn't know an act.

Politics

25 m. ago White Lotus Ratliff family inspired by major reality show as star told to watch

The White Lotus season three is underway, and the Ratliff family are causing a stir just two episodes in thanks to their rather questionable behaviour and morals

Events

26 m. ago Apple leak suggests new iPhone 17 will copy major mobile phone rival in radical design change

On X, Apple tipster Majin Bu posted digital renders of four handsets in the upcoming iPhone 17 family including the rumoured 'iPhone Air'.

Politics

33 m. ago How much Spanish holidays will cost this year revealed by experts – Benidorm to Tenerife

From Majorca to Benidorm, Spain is home to some of the UK's favourite holiday destinations – but how much will a trip actually set you back in 2025? Experts take a look at the costs

Science

35 m. ago Jamie Oliver recipe lets the oven 'do the work' for delicious chicken traybake

Jamie Oliver's chicken traybake recipe is a quick and easy dish to prepare, as it takes very little effort and leaves you with more time to relax or catch up on other tasks

Society

39 m. ago British defence experts fear US has 'changed sides' to give Putin a victory that will destroy Nato and trigger the start of a Russian

Senior academics have claimed America has simply 'changed sides' as Donald Trump seeks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as rapidly as possible.

Politics

40 m. ago There’s a reason Hugh Grant is the best thing in middling movies: he writes his own lines

The actor’s insistence on scripting his own scenes in Paddington 3 and Bridget Jones 4 are proof of his talents. So why on earth hasn’t he written his own film yet?We can all agree that Paddington in Peru was, well, fine. Compared to the previous Paddington films it was a bit of a damp squib, but Olivia Colman got a few chances to be decently silly and it was leagues better than any of the recent live-action Disney remakes.However, there was one moment where Paddington in Peru touched greatness. And this was the mid-credit sequence. For those who haven’t seen it, it’s a nod to the Paddington 2 scene in which a huge amount of prisoners introduce themselves, only this time it’s a huge amount of bears. And the person they’re introducing themselves to is Phoenix Buchanan, played by Hugh Grant. Continue reading...

Politics

49 m. ago Two arrested over murder of British businessman ‘kidnapped, tortured and dumped in sack’ in Kenya

Police believe Campbell Scott was held in Nairobi slum while captors attempted to steal money from his bank account

Events

49 m. ago Man Utd treble winner urges club to sign Paul Pogba for THIRD time after drug ban

Paul Pogba is looking for a new club after serving a ban for failing a doping test and Manchester United have been encouraged to move for the French international once again

Events

51 m. ago Warning as antidepressant taken by millions has a disturbing effect on brain function in major new study

Swedish scientists examining 19,000 patients taking antidepressants experienced changes in their brain function compared to those not given the drugs.

Events

52 m. ago 'I have quality that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can't match – they're not like me'

Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan has compared a particular part of his game to all-time greats Lionel Messi and his ex-team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo

Politics