5 d. ago Iain Ballamy: Riversphere Vol 1 review | John Fordham's jazz album of the month

(Babel Label)The 80s sax star leads an A-list quartet, plus a shared trumpet role for Laura Jurd and Ballamy’s son CharlieOpening 2026’s jazz reviews with a story from the mid-1980s might be risking audience restiveness, but that was the decade in which a far-sighted young saxophonist on the UK jazz scene called Iain Ballamy first appeared on this writer’s radar. The cross-generational lineup and captivating ideas of Riversphere, his first solo release in years, testify to exactly why he has stayed there for 40 years.In their 20s, Ballamy and pianist/composer Django Bates frequently joined forces as two mavericks, skilfully respectful of the classic jazz tradition while adventurously and often mischievously transforming it. They were key figures in a gifted UK generation that created some of the sparkiest European jazz of the 1980s and 90s, most influentially in the revolutionary orchestra Loose Tubes, which brought together genres from old-school swing to vaudeville, improv and ava...

Politics

5 d. ago Israeli hostage released from 2 years of captivity in Gaza struggles to rebuild his life

Israeli Segev Kalfon spent two years in captivity in a Hamas tunnel in Gaza after being taken hostage at a music festival on Oct. 7, 2023

Politics

6 d. ago The last hostage: After over 800 days, elite Israeli police officer who ran towards danger in October 7 attack is the last remaining in Gaza as his mother clings to fragile hope he is still alive

It is in many ways a remarkable testament to the will of the Israeli people that of the 251 taken captive by Hamas on October 7, 2023, only one now remains.

Events

8 d. ago Hamas will have ‘hell to pay’ if it fails to disarm, Trump warns after Netanyahu meeting

Israeli prime minister said he will award Trump with Israel prize, highest civilian honor, while visiting Mar-a-LagoUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has warned that Hamas will have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm while offering full-throated support to Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting with the Israeli prime minister in Florida.In a bravura display of mutual admiration, Netanyahu announced that the US president would be awarded the Israel prize, the country’s highest civilian honour, which since its inception in the 1950s has never before been given to a non-Israeli person. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Trump says ‘there’ll be hell to pay’ if Hamas does not disarm as he meets Netanyahu at Mar

US president says group will have ‘very short period’ to disarm and that he and Israeli prime minister ‘don’t agree on the West Bank 100%’ as pair meetBenjamin Netanyahu is expected to tell Donald Trump on Monday that Hamas must return the remains of the last Israeli hostage left in Gaza before the next stages of the stalled ceasefire can be implemented, Israeli officials and analysts say.The trip comes amid a new push by officials in Washington to force concessions from Israel to allow progress towards a second stage of the ceasefire in Gaza, which began in October after two years of devastating war.He feels he has a number of cards to play yet and the remains of Gvili is the easiest one to play now but there are others.Netanyahu knows exactly what he wants for Christmas – more of the same. Israeli troops stay in 51% of Gaza, periodically striking Hamas without the shadow of withdrawal looming over him. None of this requires a denunciation of the [Trump] plan itself and Trump can v...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump says reconstruction of Gaza will begin ‘soon’ as he meets Netanyahu at Mar

US president says he and Israeli prime minister will discuss ‘five major subjects’ and Gaza will be among themBenjamin Netanyahu is expected to tell Donald Trump on Monday that Hamas must return the remains of the last Israeli hostage left in Gaza before the next stages of the stalled ceasefire can be implemented, Israeli officials and analysts say.The trip comes amid a new push by officials in Washington to force concessions from Israel to allow progress towards a second stage of the ceasefire in Gaza, which began in October after two years of devastating war.He feels he has a number of cards to play yet and the remains of Gvili is the easiest one to play now but there are others.Netanyahu knows exactly what he wants for Christmas – more of the same. Israeli troops stay in 51% of Gaza, periodically striking Hamas without the shadow of withdrawal looming over him. None of this requires a denunciation of the [Trump] plan itself and Trump can very easily justify Israel’s extended stay...

Politics

2 w. ago Mother of last Hamas hostage calls on Israel not to move to phase two of ceasefire

Israel and Hamas have been trading accusations of ceasefire breaches since the US-brokered ceasefire began in October

Events

2 w. ago Charity says bereaved children and carers forgotten in new strategy to tackle violence against women

‘Nothing prepares you for the pain, the fear, or the overwhelming responsibility of trying to rebuild a child's life after such violence,’ devastated grandmother says

Events

3 w. ago Gaza families struggle to recover from days of torrential rains that killed 12 people

Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to recover from torrential rains that have battered the enclave for days, flooding camps for the displaced, collapsing buildings already badly damaged in the two-year war and leaving at least 12 dead, including a two-week-old baby

Events

3 w. ago Photos of amputees in Gaza, struggling to survive after losing limbs to Israeli airstrikes

Haneen al-Mabhouh, 34, sits in a wheelchair in her family home in Nuseirat, central Gaza, mourning the loss of her four daughters, including her 5-month-old baby, who were killed in an Israeli strike on her home last year. Al-Mabhouh also lost her leg in the attack and awaits permission to travel abroad for further treatment that could restore her mobility.

Events

3 w. ago Gaza amputees struggle to rebuild lives as the enclave faces shortages of prosthetic limbs

The World Health Organization says Israel’s bombardment in Gaza for the past two years has left tens of thousands of Palestinians with life-changing injuries, including at least 6,000 people with amputations

Politics

3 w. ago Haunting new video shows six Israeli hostages walking through Hamas terror tunnels months before they were all executed

Harrowing footage showing the final months of six Israeli hostages murdered by Hamas has been released by their families, offering a chilling glimpse into life inside captivity.

Events

3 w. ago New footage shows six Israeli hostages celebrating Jewish holiday, months before they were killed

New footage shows six Israeli hostages celebrating Hanukkah while held captive in a Gaza tunnel months before they were killed

Events

3 w. ago 'Gaza doctor murdered Israeli hostage by injecting air into her veins... before her father received video of her dying and begging for her life' 

In the footage, Avi Marciano said the medical worker can be seen injecting air into his 19-year-old daughter's veins as she lies on a bed inside Gaza's Shifa Hospital, begging for her life.

Events

3 w. ago 'Gaza doctor murdered Israeli hostage by injecting air into her veins... then sent a video of her dying and begging for her life to her father'

In the footage, Avi Marciano said the medical worker can be seen injecting air into his 19-year-old daughter's veins as she lies on a bed inside Gaza's Shifa Hospital, begging for her life.

Events

4 w. ago Inside the Hamas tunnels where Israeli hostages were held and tortured for months

Hamas still needs to release the body of one hostage as Israel prepares for next steps in the ceasefire with Donald Trump

Politics

4 w. ago Inside Gaza's terror tunnels: NATALIE LISBONA enters Hamas labyrinth and witnesses unbearable hell Israeli hostages were subjected to during two years of rape, torture and execution

Crawling on all fours into the tunnel's entrance, I hesitate for a minute before I shuffle deeper into the darkness that leads to one of Hamas's largest underground networks.

Events