9 h. ago ‘Intense’ novel about robot abused by her boyfriend/owner wins Arthur C Clarke science fiction award

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer wins £2,025 for ‘compelling tale that, like all good stories about robots, is ultimately about the human condition’A novel told from the perspective of a robot girlfriend has been named winner of the Arthur C Clarke award for science fiction.Annie Bot by Sierra Greer is “a tightly focused first-person account of a robot designed to be the perfect companion, who struggles to become free,” said chair of judges, the academic Andrew M Butler. The speculative novel follows Annie, the narrator, programmed to cater to the needs of her boyfriend/owner Doug, who treats her in a way that would be abusive if she were human. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Royal Ascot favourite’s defeat ‘brings the pain back’ for social media star turned owner

The social media influencer, owner of controversially demoted Classic ‘winner Shes Perfect’, claimed performance of filly awarded the prize at Ascot proved stewards made wrong decision

Politics

6 d. ago Unions mull over Liberty Steel as two electric arc furnaces in Rotherham stand 'idle' for nearly a year

Liberty's subsidiary Specialty Steel UK faces a winding-up petition, and trade unionists want owner Sanjeev Gupta to step aside.

Politics

6 d. ago EuroMillions £208m jackpot is claimed as holder of winning ticket comes forward in Ireland

The £208 million Euromillions jackpot has been claimed after the winning ticket owner came forward in Ireland.

Economics

7 d. ago Milan Mandaric, 86, to fly to UK and launch rescue bid for crisis

Sheffield Wednesday are in turmoil under owner Dejphon Chansiri after being banned from spending for the next three windows and former owner Milan Mandaric wants to buy the club back before it is "destroyed"

Events

8 d. ago Will Smith reveals he turned down HUGE role in one of the greatest films of all time for box office flop Wild Wild West

Fans were left in shock after Will Smith revealed he turned down a role in one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time for a 1990s Western sci-fi movie. 

Politics

1 week ago The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup

Awakened by Laura Elliott; Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab; Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang; Esperance by Adam Oyebanji; The Quiet by Barnaby MartinAwakened by Laura Elliott (Angry Robot, £9.99)A debut novel set in an apocalyptic 2055, following the development of a neural chip dispensing with the need for sleep. At first it seemed a blessing: it ramped up people’s metabolisms, made them stronger and more productive workers, but when they ignored the advice to turn it off and sleep for at least a few hours a week, they turned into ravenous monsters. Thea is one of a group of scientists who developed the chip and are now barricaded in the Tower of London, struggling to reverse the damage they have caused, when two survivors turn up seeking shelter: a silent, traumatised woman and her protector, a nameless man who shows signs of having once been Sleepless himself. Thea comes to question her own values and past actions in a dark and gripping gothic tale with e...

Events

3 w. ago Woman whose entire lip was bitten off by her violent ex boyfriend reveals what she looks like seven years after brutal attack

In 2017, Kayla Hayes, who was just 17 at the time, was viciously attacked in Simpsonville, South Carolina, by her abusive ex-boyfriend, Seth Aaron Fleury, then 21.

Events

3 w. ago Shocking moment 'controlling' boyfriend hurls abuse at sobbing girlfriend in doorbell footage as brute who monitored victim's TikTok is recalled to prison

'Controlling' Matthew Kowal, 34, was released early from prison under a government scheme to ease overcrowding, but was recalled within two months for breaching a no-contact order.

Events

3 w. ago Model 'pinned down, punched and bitten by abusive ex' in 'attack' at his £1.5m home

Model Chloe Othen, 34, claimed her whiskey merchant boyfriend Ricky Lawrence, 33, had physically and verbally abused her after inviting her over to his swanky Knightsbridge flat

Events

3 w. ago Florida sandwich shop staffer helps free kidnapped domestic violence victim

Jersey Mike’s employee reportedly called county sheriff’s office after finding note in store bathroom that read ‘HELP’A Navarre, Florida, sandwich shop employee reportedly helped authorities save a domestic violence victim who had allegedly been kidnapped by her abusive, pro-wrestler boyfriend after the worker recently found a note in a store bathroom that read “HELP!”At the center of the incident is Eleanor Coffee, who was at her job making sandwiches for a shop belonging to the Jersey Mike’s chain when she noticed a “little piece of crumpled up paper” that had been discarded next to one of the business’s toilet paper dispensers, as she put it to the local news station WEAR-TV. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Model was pinned down, punched and repeatedly bitten by her abusive boyfriend who warned 'I will f*** you up', court hears

Whisky merchant Ricky Lawrence, 33, is accused of assaulting Chloe Othen, 34, at his £1.5m apartment in Knightsbridge on 15 October 2022 after inviting her over by text.

Events

3 w. ago How the far right seeks to spread its ideology through the publishing world

Efforts raise questions about the far right’s place in the broader culture wars waged by the Trump administration The far right US publisher Passage Press is now part of Foundation Publishing Group and it is connected via a Foundation director, Daniel Lisi, to Network Press, whose only title to date is an “effective accelerationist” manifesto by tech-right venture capitalist Marc Andreessen.Another rightwing publisher, science fiction publisher Ark Press, appears connected to Chapter House which Lisi, a literary scenester in Los Angeles, originally co-founded as an independent publisher of poetry, sci-fi and esoterica, but which now presents itself as a homeschooling resource. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Ncuti Gatwa breaks silence after becoming the second shortest ever Doctor Who lasting just two seasons before being replaced following controversial Israel Eurovision storm and falling ratings

The actor's time on the long-running science fiction programme came to an end as The Reality War episode brought this season to a close on Saturday.

Politics

3 w. ago Doctor WHO? Billie Piper makes sensational return to BBC sci

Billie Piper has replaced Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, with the character regenerating during the finale of science-fiction series Doctor Who, the BBC has revealed.

Science

3 w. ago Doctor Who finale sees Ncuti Gatwa depart in surprise regeneration

Twist ending to this year’s series sees star leaving role and return of Billie PiperNcuti Gatwa is leaving Doctor Who, with the character regenerating as Billie Piper during the finale of the science-fiction series.The Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T Davies, said: “What a Doctor! Thank you, Ncuti! As his final words say, this has been an absolute joy, and the team in Cardiff and everyone who has worked on this show for the past few years, are so lucky to have been part of Ncuti’s great adventure as he shoots off to stratospheric new heights.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Owner of £1.4m home enrages neighbours by winning right to 'squeeze' new four

The approval came despite complaints from locals in Winchester, Hampshire, who said the new property would spoil the 'harmonious nature' of their affluent road.

Economics

4 w. ago Waitrose owner wins go ahead for hundreds of new homes in west London despite local opposition

Local campaigners objected to the scheme’s “outrageously oversized” towers

Politics

4 w. ago Waitrose owner wins go ahead for new west London store despite local opposition

Local campaigners objected to the scheme’s “outrageously oversized” towers

Politics