50 m. ago Cooper rejects claims Reeves has been sidelined on economic policy by No 10 mini

‘Quite the reverse’, says home secretary, amid reports Starmer’s reorganisation is aimed at freezing chancellor out ahead of autumn budgetIn an interview with Sky News this morning Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, declined to guarantee that migrants will definitely be sent back across the channel this month as part of a returns agreement with France.Asked for the exact date of the first returns, Cooper replied: “It will be later this month.”We expect the first returns to take place this month. But I’ve always said from the very beginning on this, it’s a pilot scheme and it needs to build up over time.If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused.Any request for asylum support will be assessed against destitution criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive support.If nothing has changed in their country, people should not be claiming asylum at the end of a student course. We need to clamp down on that and that’s why we’r...

Economics

65 m. ago Little Problems – a cute detective game with no violence or victims

Shanghai-based developer Posh Cat Studio focused on the satisfying thrill of solving life’s small mysteries in this cosy crime caperAs the latest generation of 18-year-olds is about to find out, starting university is an experience fraught with minor as well as major problems. Oversleeping and missing lectures, forgetting where your study group is meeting, mislaying your books – a lot of your time is spent looking for things.It is these small mysteries that concern Little Problems, a cute detective game, in which the protagonist, Mary, must use her sleuthing abilities to make it through each day as a new student . Created by Indonesian designer Melisa, who has chosen to go by her first name only, the idea comes from her love of detective stories, but also her wish to take violence out of the genre. Continue reading...

Events

67 m. ago Beauty queen, 21, arrested after 'hiding dead newborn baby in a closet'

University of Kentucky student Laken Snelling was taken into police custody after a disturbing discovery of a newborn baby in a state where abortion has been prohibited since 2022

Events

80 m. ago Samsung laptop that's 'perfect for students' reduced to under £200

"Beautiful to look at, fast. Picture quality is good"

Economics

83 m. ago How to clean your air fryer: Experts reveal how to clean an air fryer: The do's and don'ts plus £7 air fryer cleaning hack that actually works

Regular cleaning is a necessary evil, as a build up of grease and crumbs can cause horrible smells, uneven cooking and in some cases, smoking, which can be a serious fire hazard.

Economics

1 hour ago Sanatorium review – Ukraine health resort guests seek sanctuary amid shelling

Poignant documentary by Irish director Gar O’Rourke peers into a faded Soviet-era institution where visitors search for relief while war grinds on outsideThere is something ever so slightly Martin Parr-like about this documentary, filmed inside a shabby rundown health resort near Odesa, in Ukraine. It’s not the colour palette, which is Soviet-era pale beige, but the images of holidaymakers: elderly men strutting about in thongs and playing ping pong in their vests; retirees of both sexes glad-ragged at the disco. Like Parr’s photos, the images are funny but not unkind; everyone retains their dignity. The director is Irish film-maker Gar O’Rourke, who planned Sanatorium before the war, but filmed it after Russia invaded Ukraine, which adds a layer of melancholy to the guests’ search for health and happiness.The huge Kuyalnik sanatorium is a time warp with its brutalist architecture and institutional interiors. Back in its glory days, people must have come here in their thousands. Now...

Politics

1 hour ago A Short History of Stupidity by Stuart Jeffries review – comfortably dumb?

From Shakespeare’s fools to Donald Trump, this exhilarating read considers stupidity in its many formsStupidity, no question, can be just as rich and subtle as its opposite. Three and a half decades on, I still sometimes meditate on what a school friend of mine said in a here’s-a-profound-thought tone of voice: “I’d rather be stupid than happy”.In this clever book, Stuart Jeffries starts out at a double disadvantage, though. First: he has an excellently snappy title but it’s open to question whether stupidity can be said to have a history in any meaningful sense. The quality of stupidity is just, sort of, there; and there’s lots of it. Could you write a history of happiness, or bad luck, or knees? You’d be on firmer ground, as he recognises, historicising the concept of stupidity: a short history, in other words, of “stupidity” – how successive societies and thinkers have defined and responded to reason’s derr-brained secret sharer. As an intellectual historian w...

Politics

2 h. ago Mother who flew Union Jack from council building at Epping protest hits out at 'disgusting' arrest

Sarah White, who is a Reform UK member, has been released after spending 24 hours in police custody

Events

2 h. ago Arsenal transfer news: Eight new signings and 14 exits confirmed as summer window ends

Arsenal were one of the busiest clubs in the summer transfer window as they looked to build a squad capable of winning the Premier League title

Sport

2 h. ago Why Netflix’s new documentary on the Dallas Cowboys is better than The Last Dance | Sean Ingle

The Gambler and his Cowboys is a gritty portrayal of the rise and fall of a sports dynasty that shows all the glory, grubbiness and leaves the viewer wanting moreOf all the unflinching moments in the new Netflix blockbuster, America’s Team: the Gambler and his Cowboys, one stands out more than most. It comes after the Dallas Cowboys’ former star receiver Michael Irvin is asked about the White House, the secret mansion where some players would unwind while winning three Super Bowls during the 1990s. “I was the president of the White House,” Irvin says with a cackle, his eyes lighting up. “It was a safe place for camaraderie.”But this, it turns out, was a very different style of team building than going down the pub. Continue reading...

Culture

3 h. ago Woodhead Pass live updates as traffic held and long queues build up after crash

Emergency services are in attendance

Events

3 h. ago Woodhead Pass traffic held and long queues build up after crash

Emergency services were in attendance

Events

3 h. ago M60 live updates as incident causes long traffic delays on three Greater Manchester motorways

Queues are also building on the M61 and M62

Politics

3 h. ago M60 live updates as two incidents cause long traffic delays on three Greater Manchester motorways

Queues are also building on the M61 and M62

Politics

3 h. ago The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith review – a terrific, tightly plotted romp

With four murder inquiries in play, JK Rowling’s eighth Cormoran Strike novel avoids the page-padding longeurs of previous volumes – but will he finally tell Robin how he feels about her?In his popular BBC series Just One Thing, the late Michael Mosley made the case for resistance training. Lifting weights, he explained, not only builds stronger muscles, it also boosts the immune system, maintains a healthy heart and improves brain function. Best of all, it can be done in your kitchen, using ordinary domestic items: pints of milk in place of dumbbells, say, or squats wearing a backpack full of books.Anyone intending to use Robert Galbraith’s Strike novels for this purpose would be advised to seek the advice of a GP. The Hallmarked Man may not be the heftiest of the eight so far – it does not even make it into the top three – but it still clocks in at a cool 912 pages. Galbraith’s tendency to whopperdom has in the past elicited a fair amount of griping from critics, me among them, wh...

Events

3 h. ago 'I visited Welsh town with cobbled streets, cosy pubs and a castle and made huge mistake'

If you're looking for a UK break packed full of history, ancient buildings, quirky attractions, stunning views, amazing food and very comfortable beds, you need look no further than Conwy in North Wales

Politics

4 h. ago ‘Artefacts were just sitting in suitcases in people’s homes’: the London museum preserving Somali culture

The UK’s first dedicated space for Somali heritage has built its collection from 15 years of donations. Culture House’s founders explain the power of giving a permanent home to a community’s heritage and hopesYou could probably walk right past Culture House without noticing it. Tucked away, just off the bustle of London’s Uxbridge Road, the building’s muted colours, simple sign and arched doorway give little away. Step inside, though, and you’ll soon be enticed by what is the UK’s first permanent exhibition and cultural space dedicated to Somali heritage.Officially opened last May, Culture House features a collection of over 150 artefacts, a rotating exhibition, poetry workshops and a digital archive. It has quickly developed a reputation as a hub for the UK’s Somali community, while drawing in curious visitors from outside the diaspora too. Non-profit group the Anti-Tribalism Movement, who lead the project, say the aim is to “celebrate, preserve and connect” Somali culture and comm...

Culture

6 h. ago Indonesia protests explained: why did they start and how has the government responded?

Anger at perks for politicians spilled over into wider protests after the death of a 21-year-old delivery driver in JakartaAt least seven people have died, hundreds have been injured and public buildings have been burnt and looted after thousands of people took to the streets in anti-government protests across Indonesia over the past week.The clashes between riot police and rock-throwing protesters that began in the capital and quickly spread beyond Jakarta have been seen as a major test for President Prabowo Subianto, a former general who has been in office for less than a year. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Police uniforms "not fit for purpose" as cops forced to buy own

The quality of police uniforms has been criticised in a new report which reveals that frontline officers are being forced to buy their own kit including trousers because the official issue does not fit properly.

Events

9 h. ago The families who were given a £10,000 discount on their new homes... as long as they help BUILD them

Thrilled new home owners have been given a £10,000 discount on the price of their properties in return for helping building them.

Society