60 m. ago Perfume Genius: Glory review – full of energy and biting nuance

(Matador)Consummate chronicler of 21st-century sensuality Mike Hadreas returns to his indie roots on a convivial seventh album stalked by death and desireDeath stalks the seventh studio album by feted US singer-songwriter Perfume Genius, nom de plume of Mike Hadreas – but stealthily, not so you’d recognise its presence at first. Here are 11 tracks that sound very much alive – songs that hum with universal emotion and queer carnality, everyday anxieties and high drama, from an artist whose struggles have formed the basis of a compelling body of work. Glory adds heft to it.Vivid with guitars, the album’s twin opening tracks bring the peripatetic Hadreas crashing back to indie rock after long spells in art pop, and orchestral and electronic environs. His last album, the dub-inflected Ugly Season (2022), originally accompanied a 2019 dance piece. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago ‘Canary in the coalmine of totalitarianism’: how Columbia went from a home for Edward Said to a punching bag for Trump

The university had a history of being a home for cutting-edge discourse on Palestine – until it capitulated to the administration’s demands Last week, Columbia University announced that it would cave to demands by the Trump administration and adopt sweeping measures against pro-Palestinian activity on campus, including new restrictions on protest and the takeover of an academic department from faculty control.The news sent shock waves across higher education institutions nationwide for what appeared a stunning capitulation to attacks on academic freedom and the independence of the department of Middle Eastern, south Asian and African studies, or Mesaas, which became a scapegoat for what the administration viewed as a pro-Palestinian climate on campus. It was also a remarkable turn of events for a university that had for years been a home for cutting-edge academic discourse on Palestine, beginning with the scholarship of Edward Said, a leading Palestinian intellectual. Continue readi...

Politics

2 h. ago 'I was given terrifying cancer diagnosis at 36 after waking up to horrifying sound'

George Dudnik was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in November 2024, and to add to the devastating news, he was also told that chemotherapy was not an option for him which he said made the diagnosis feel more like a "death sentence"

Events

3 h. ago Tesla Takedown protests LIVE: Demonstrators rally outside London Tesla dealership in global anti

Events are taking place in cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, New York, San Francisco and Berlin

Economics

3 h. ago Pure unadulterated luxury, wondrous sightseeing and relaxation on the Caribbean island of Grenada

It's a balmy 27 degrees and I'm walking to the restaurant, the rhythmic sound of my footsteps accompanied by the evening's undulating chorus of the whistling frogs. With an audaciously casual gait, an iguana crosses my path just a few feet away, pauses to eyeball me, and then scurries into the bushes.

Politics

3 h. ago Gold leaf and Gatsby: Brussels lays claim to birth of art deco with year of celebrations

Throughout 2025, the Belgian capital is marking 100 years of the movement with events, exhibitions and film screeningsThe gold leaf around the window and door frames ripples, reflected in the water of the swimming pool. Elegant, spare, pristine, the Villa Empain in south Brussels seems little changed since it was built over 90 years ago.Yet this art deco masterpiece reopened only in 2010 after falling into ruin. Illegal ravers had scrawled on its marble walls and stolen its treasures, from radiator grills to a decorative fish that was the centrepiece of a fountain in the bar. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago High street store closures including WHSmith and Poundland – is your local closing?

It is feared more than 17,000 stores will shut this year as brands face higher costs from this April going forward, after 13,479 retail stores closed in the UK in 2024

Politics

5 h. ago Rangers warn fans over 'illegal singing and pyro' for Dundee trip as club continue crusade against rogue supporters

The Ibrox club are trying to stamp out unruly behaviour among an element of their support

Events

5 h. ago Notting Hill Carnival sound system team banned after man seriously injured and left in street

Kensington and Chelsea Council said it had no other choice but to revoke Volcano Sound System’s licence

Events

6 h. ago The thousands of Brits falling victim to stowaways: How more than 5,000 migrants were caught trying to sneak into Britain last year by hiding in cars or lorries from Europe

Drivers can be fined up to £10,000 if an illegal migrant is found hiding in their vehicle on their way to the UK, even if they had no knowledge of their existence.

Events

6 h. ago Anger as Satanists hold ‘Black Mass’ to call for separation of church and state in Kansas

The Satanic Grotto's rally attracted hundreds of Christian counter-protesters

Politics

7 h. ago Major high street clothing retailer with over 300 stores to shut another site next week

The high street clothing retailer put up yellow "closing down" signs last month reading "everything must go" and slashed prices across its ranges by up to 60%

Politics

7 h. ago Tesla Takedown protests LIVE: London rally to join global wave of anti

Events are taking place in cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, New York, San Francisco and Berlin

Events

16 h. ago Trump admin offers Voice of America employees buyouts as judge blocks it from being shut down

Just as a federal judge issued an order blocking the administration’s efforts to dismantle the broadcaster, U.S. Agency for Global Media staffers received an email offering them a renewed opportunity to sign up for the ‘Fork in the Road’ deferred resignation program

Politics

20 h. ago High street store closures mapped including WHSmith and Poundland

13,479 retail stores closed in the UK in 2024, up 28% increase from 2023 - and it is feared more than 17,000 stores will shut this year as retailers face higher costs from this April

Politics

21 h. ago Live updates as Oldham park shut by police following serious incident

Police descended on the park this afternoon

Events

23 h. ago Two killed in Kathmandu rally demanding return of Nepal monarchy

Dozens of royalists injured in clashes with police fuelled by political instability and economic discontentTwo people have been killed and dozens injured after protests in Kathmandu calling for the restoration of Nepal’s monarchy ended in clashes with police.Thousands of protesters rallied in Nepal’s capital on Friday to demand a return to the Hindu monarchy, which was abolished in 2008, and the re-establishment of the country as a Hindu rather than secular state. Pro-democracy and republican groups held a counter-protest that passed peacefully. Continue reading...

Events

23 h. ago Army papers with sensitive information found strewn across Newcastle street

The Ministry of Defence is investigating after a passerby found piles of papers containing information that included soldier ranks, emails, shift patterns and weapon-issue details

Politics

23 h. ago Amazon's wireless earbuds with 'crisp clear sound quality' nearly half price in spring sale

There's a big saving on the soundcore by Anker P20i True Wireless Earbuds in Amazon's Spring Deal Days sale

Economics

23 h. ago IRS crime fighting arm announces modernization program as financial crimes use more tech

With technology and AI increasingly used to perpetrate illegal acts, the IRS’ crime fighting arm is announcing a new program intended to improve how it interacts with financial institutions

Events