13 m. ago Pair admit horror sex attack on woman as they took turns to keep watch

Luis Dos Martins Mariano and Alcino Soares walked their victim to an empty underground carpark and "watched and laughed" as they took it turns to rape the woman

Events

30 m. ago ‘Absolutely divine!’ How Jilly Cooper changed the world – one bonkbuster at a time

Her romances were so intelligent, raunchy and outrageously readable that she created her own category, bewitching generations of readersJilly Cooper, who has died unexpectedly at the age of 88, sold 11m copies of her various epic books over her half-century of writing. Beloved of anyone with any sense over a certain age (45), she was introduced to a new generation last year with the Disney+ adaptation of Rivals.Cooper purists would have preferred to watch the Rutshire chronicles in order: starting with Riders, first published in 1985, in which Rupert Campbell-Black, cad, heartbreaker, rider, is first introduced. But that’s a sidebar – what was striking about seeing Rivals as a box set was how well Cooper’s universe had aged. The chronicles distilled the 80s: the shoulder pads and puffball skirts; the obsession with class, aristocrats sneering at the Technicolored nouveau riche, both ignoring everyone else while they snipped about how warm their champagne was; the sexual politics, wi...

Politics

47 m. ago Conservatives pledge to rewrite London’s planning strategy if Tory mayor elected

Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said the Conservatives will ‘get a grip’ on building in London.

Politics

51 m. ago Attorneys say reopening of Stardust Racers is preventing further investigation of man's death

The family of a 32-year-old man who died of blunt force injuries on a theme park roller coaster is accusing Universal Orlando Resort of endangering lives by reopening the ride

Events

80 m. ago It starts with Palestine protests. But where will the crackdown on Britain’s democratic freedoms end? | Owen Jones

In making dissent a privilege, not a right, Labour is crafting a repressive toolkit. Imagine it in the hands of a Farage governmentIn Britain, protest is no longer a right. Instead, it is a privilege that is granted – or withheld – at the whim of those in power. This is the implication of new rules that the Labour government is proposing, which would dictate the time and place that protests are permitted to occur, and carry the risk of prison time for those who defy orders. Successive governments had already chipped away at this right: the last Conservative administration granted the police sweeping new powers, which the United Nations’ human rights chief condemned as “serious and undue restrictions” on democratic freedoms. Taken together, these incremental assaults on freedom have effectively abolished the hard-won right to freedom of protest.The latest assault is justified by last week’s heinous antisemitic attack on a mosque in Manchester. There should be universal agreement that...

Politics

82 m. ago Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana lined up for permanent transfer just weeks after shock loan to Trabzonspor

TRABZONSPOR have told Andre Onana’s camp they would love to sign him permanently, despite his loan deal being without an option or obligation to buy, SunSport understands. The Manchester United goalkeeper has impressed in his first four games, keeping two clean sheets so far. What has impressed head coach Fatih Tekke is not just Onana’s...

Events

1 hour ago Healing through discomfort at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

Reflecting this year’s theme of “Comfort & Disturb”, the films in this year’s Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival show how embracing discomfort can lead to understanding, empathy and healing, writes Rob Dickie

Politics

1 hour ago Strictly power struggle as one pro dancer secretly 'not happy' with partner

Signs of an early power struggle have emerged between one Strictly Come Dancing couple as the show gets underway with first elimination

Politics

1 hour ago Half of Tory members think Badenoch should not lead party into next election

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick would be the favourite to succeed her if she stepped down in the next few months.

Politics

1 hour ago Phone snatching network behind one in four thefts in London targeted in police crackdown

An organised crime gang was behind ‘industrial scale’ theft of phones being shipped to China, Met Police say

Events

2 h. ago Is China already taking over the UK car market as it claims three of the best

Chinese car makers have taken over September's bestseller charts with three models from three brands in the top 10. Chinese models have also broken through the 10 per cent sales threshold.

Politics

2 h. ago Canadian marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if government does not provide funding

Marineland’s warning comes after Canadian official blocked the transfer of the beluga whales to a theme park in ChinaMarineland has threatened to euthanize 30 beluga whales if Canada’s federal government does not provide financial support for the embattled Niagara Falls amusement park. The warning comes after the country’s fisheries minister blocked the transfer of the captive whales to a theme park in China.Marineland, an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and forest occupying nearly 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land in Ontario, has endured mounting scrutiny over allegations the animals are living in poor conditions. The park, which once saw millions of visitors, did not open for the summer season and is winding down its operations in anticipation of a sale. In February, a lawyer for the park said it was planning to “expeditiously” remove the remaining animals still on the grounds. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if Canada does not provide funding

Marineland’s warning comes after Canadian official blocked the transfer of the beluga whales to a theme park in ChinaMarineland has threatened to euthanize 30 beluga whales if Canada’s federal government does not provide financial support for the embattled Niagara Falls amusement park. The warning comes after the country’s fisheries minister blocked the transfer of the captive whales to a theme park in China.Marineland, an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and forest occupying nearly 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land in Ontario, has endured mounting scrutiny over allegations the animals are living in poor conditions. The park, which once saw millions of visitors, did not open for the summer season and is winding down its operations in anticipation of a sale. In February, a lawyer for the park said it was planning to “expeditiously” remove the remaining animals still on the grounds. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago The mysterious death of Amy Johnson: As medal of hero who died trying to save pioneering pilot emerges, could she have been killed by vessel sent to RESCUE her after plane ditched in freezing Thames?

Lieutenant Commander Walter Fletcher dived into the freezing water fully clothed after Johnson's aircraft ditched in the Thames Estuary in a snowstorm in January 1941.

Events

2 h. ago Ukraine's ex PM accuses China of being an 'accomplice' to Putin's invasion and is 'financing Russia's war chest' by buying oil from Moscow

Arseniy Yatsenyuk lashed out at Beijing , dismissing claims the Asian superpower was 'neutral' in Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin 's murderous effort to overrun Ukraine.

Events

2 h. ago I’m a neuroscientist. Here’s how to maintain good cognitive health at any age

The secret to remaining mentally sharp could be as simple as cultivating habits that are beneficial to brain function

Science

3 h. ago Finance Secretary Shona Robison confirms date for the 2026/27 Scottish Budget

The Budget will be published later due to the delayed UK Autumn Statement

Economics

3 h. 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

3 h. ago Secret to finding love over 50 and it's all to do with getting some sun

As many as one in 10 of Brits over a certain age say they wouldn’t even consider matching with someone who doesn’t actively mention ‘travel’ in their dating bio

Politics

3 h. ago Enjoying the implosion of the Tories? That’s understandable – but completely wrong | Zoe Williams

The world’s most successful democratic party is in a death spiral of its own making – leaving no bulwark between the moderate and truly far rightThere have been times in living memory that Conservative leaders have sounded almost sensible on the surface – and times where they have sounded animal crackers, yet were still adored by their party. This is not either of those times. Kemi Badenoch left the crowd unmoved when she addressed her conference, even as she threw out the red meat of migrant-baiting she thought they wanted. It’s not so much that they’d all woken up with a renewed sense of humanity; more that they didn’t believe she’d ever be in a position to deliver it. It was, in effect, fake vegan meat. Tories hate that. One senior Conservative apparently called it a “New Orleans funeral”: noisy, energetic, but still a goodbye.What next for the group with a decent case to make for itself as the most historically successful democratic party in the world? Some are having another sq...

Politics