9 m. ago Australian teenager who fatally stabbed British woman wins appeal to reduce sentence

His sentence has been reduced by almost 18 months

Events

34 m. ago Netflix viewers rave about 'quirky' drama series and watch all seasons in 2 days

Netflix subscribers have been 'smashing' through episodes of a period drama that has been described as 'quirky' and 'interesting' - and people wish they'd have watched it sooner

Events

38 m. ago ‘The idea was for a Black James Bond’: the making of 50 Cent: Bulletproof

The game’s launch 20 years ago coincided with the rapper’s meteoric success with his album The Massacre. Here, the team that made the shooter reflect on how it all happened The rapper 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson) was inescapable back in 2005. There wasn’t a British classroom without a teenager wearing Jackson’s G-Unit clothing, while his catchy hits Candy Shop and In Da Club dominated the radio. The backstory of this Queens-born New Yorker – how he survived being shot nine times only to become one of the world’s biggest rappers – also made for compelling lore.That year, 50 Cent sold more than a million copies in one week with his sophomore studio album, The Massacre. In a bid to cash in on this superstardom, his label Interscope Records planned a twin strategy: a Hollywood biopic (Get Rich or Die Tryin’) and a licensed video game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof – both to be released by November 2005. “I think the general public are going to be blown away by my game,” 50 Cent told the we...

Politics

38 m. ago China and Britain shared a mission to fight aggression and fascism. And we can work together today | Zheng Zeguang

As we remember VJ Day, let us also recall a spirit that can help us combat regional instability and climate changeZheng Zeguang is Chinese ambassador to the UKThis year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war. On Friday, there will be a two-minute silence at noon in the UK to honour the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. This is a moment not only for solemn remembrance, but also for reflection on the enduring bonds forged in the crucible of history – bonds that continue to resonate in our world today.At the darkest hour of the second world war, China and the UK fought on different fronts but shared a common mission: to defend humanity against fascism and aggression. Millions of lives were lost, cities razed, and families torn apart. Yet in that darkness, courage and solidarity illuminated the way forward. The Chinese and British peoples stood shoulder to shoulder, united by sacrifice and ...

Events

39 m. ago AD FEATURE: Six live shows coming up in the north west that are selling fast

Don't miss out on tickets for Tom Grennan, The Lathums, JLS and more

Politics

50 m. ago Rescuers search for missing flash flood victims in remote Kashmir village

Authorities are searching for missing people in a remote village in India-controlled Kashmir after flash floods caused by torrential rains

Events

51 m. ago Strictly Come Dancing's Tom Skinner responds to backlash after joining BBC show

Strictly Come Dancing fans have criticised the BBC for signing up Tom Skinner for the upcoming series of the BBC One show

Culture

51 m. ago BA pilot suspended after leaving cockpit door open on flight so family could watch him work

The pilot of a British Airways flight wanted his family - who were travelling as passengers - to see him operating the controls while flying from Heathrow to New York JFK

Economics

69 m. ago Iceland boss will pay customers to sniff out shoplifters after thieves cost supermarket £20million in the past year

Iceland's CEO Richard Walker hoped that the incentive would encourage shoppers to act if they spotted a shoplifter and hit back at claims it was a 'victimless crime '.

Economics

74 m. ago British artist hails importance of paint practice pioneered by Constable

Emily Powell is undertaking a residency on the Isles of Scilly this summer.

Politics

79 m. ago Chinese economy slows as Trump tariffs bite; FTSE 100 on track to hit new record

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsThe owner of Kingsmill has agreed to buy its rival bakery business Hovis, in a deal that could make the biggest bread brand in the country if it gets the green light from regulators.Associated British Foods, a FTSE 100 company which also owns the retailer Primark, has agreed to buy Hovis from the private equity firm Endless.This transaction will create a UK bakeries business that is both profitable and sustainable over the long term. Supporting the Hovis and Kingsmill brands with well-invested and efficient operations will also enable innovation and growth. This solution will create value for shareholders, provide greater choice for consumers and increase efficiencies for customers.Firms may be running on existing capacity rather than building new plants The July industrial value-add breakdown tells a more nuanced story than the weak fixed asset investment headline. Continue reading...

Politics

87 m. ago Several Palestinian people reported injured in overnight attack by Israeli settlers in West Bank – Middle East crisis live

Settlers attacked Palestinian people in village of Susya, south of Hebron, while separately settlers reportedly attacked village of Atara and set fire to vehiclesHere is some more detail on the controversial plan to significantly expand a settlement near occupied East Jerusalem.The decision from the Supreme Planning Council, which meets next week, is expected to support the plan after rejecting objections by Israeli NGOs.The expected decision in favour will come after Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich – who backs both the plan and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty through the occupied West Bank – gloated that he believed construction on E1 would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”. Continue reading...

Events

90 m. ago Strictly Come Dancing's Tom Skinner responds to backlash over announcement

Tom Skinner was announced as one of the contestants on this year's Strictly Come Dancing but the decision appeared to be controversial with fans

Politics

99 m. ago Exact date and time you should book this weekend for huge holiday savings

It's never too late to book that dream break and according to one travel expert there's a sweet spot this weekend where you can make huge savings - but you'll need to set your alarm

Politics

1 hour ago King hails heroes’ courage on VJ Day and reflects on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The monarch released an audio message on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day in which he vowed those who fought for the allies will never be forgotten.

Politics

2 h. ago How a marine heatwave is threatening Australia’s spectacular coral reefs

One of the longest and most intense heat stress events ever recorded is raising alarm – and a warning about the future of reefs worldwide• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up here to get the newsletter in fullWhen it comes to coral, the Great Barrier Reef steals the global limelight. It’s a bucket-list place for many and, when it gets hit by coral bleaching, it makes news around the world.But Australia has another group of spectacular reefs on the west of the continent. Many of them had managed to escape the worst of global heating, until the worst marine heatwave ever recorded for this region. Even a “hope spot” for coral reefs has been decimated by the most severe heatwave on record for that part of the world.WA’s ‘longest and most intense’ marine heatwave killed coral across 1,500km stretch‘If the reef had a voice, it would sing’: could legal personhood help the Great Barrier Reef?Fears for South Australia’s annual cuttlefish gathering amid deadly algal bloom...

Events

2 h. ago In the Green Heart by Richard Lloyd Parry review – neocolonial jungle fever

An intensely political story of a new father’s escape with his baby through a rainforest during wartimeRichard Lloyd Parry, a longtime foreign correspondent whose experiences of war and regime change are recorded in his remarkable 2005 memoir In the Time of Madness, can be said to know whereof he speaks. Many of that book’s issues, including the psychic damage he incurred from events he witnessed in Indonesia, East Timor and Afghanistan in the 1990s and early 2000s, are reinflected in this, his first novel.Kit and Lara live in a remote village in the deep rainforest. She works for a small, undependably financed NGO. He’s a stay-at-home husband, living for their baby daughter Helen. While Lara presents as impulsive yet practical and barely able to contain her own energy, Kit is dreamy, internalised, exhibiting a calmness that falls easily into dissociation. “This is your life,” she shouts at him shortly before they leave the UK, “a day of your life, and it requires your presence.” He...

Politics

2 h. ago ‘I’ve visited 40 European countries and this one is the most underrated’

An avid traveller who has visited up to 40 European destinations has revealed one of their favourite 'underrated' spots – and it's one of the cheapest to explore

Politics

2 h. ago 'Disney ghost village' stands frozen in time with hundreds of 'mini castle' homes

Burj Al Babas was once meant to be a Disney-like haven that would be built with hundreds of mini castles. It offered the glam lifestyle of Europe's royal for those tired of Monaco and France

Politics

2 h. ago Tom Kerridge shares rare family insight and admits 'he's got a red mist'

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has shared a rare insight into his home life with his wife Beth Cullen and their nine-year-old son Acey, with the TV star admitting he and Acey are 'massively similar'

Politics