78 m. ago Spainish regional leader steps down over his handling of last year's Valencia flash floods

Carlos Mazón, the leader of Spain's Valencia region, has announced his resignation over his government's handling of last year's devastating flash floods

Events

82 m. ago Queen Esther by John Irving review – a disappointing companion to The Cider House Rules

The once-great author revisits St Cloud’s orphanage all too briefly, in a novel that begins with an adopted girl but wanders all over the placeIf some writers have an imperial phase, where they hit the heights time after time, then American novelist John Irving’s ran through a series of four fat, satisfying novels, from his 1978 breakthrough The World According to Garp to 1989’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. Those were generous, funny, big-hearted books, tying characters he calls “outliers” to social issues from feminism to abortion.Since Owen Meany, it’s been diminishing returns, except in page length. His last novel, 2022’s The Last Chairlift, was 900 pages of subjects Irving had explored better in earlier books (mutism, dwarfism, transgenderism), with a 200-page screenplay in the middle to pad it out – as if padding were needed. Continue reading...

Politics

95 m. ago Coronation Street star in excruciating injury after horror skiing accident

A beloved Coronation Street star was left with a painful injury after a skiing accident - and bosses were forced to make a change

Events

95 m. ago Dramatic scenes as woman rescued after falling in Welsh canyon

The woman had to be airlifted out of the forest on a stretcher after suffering an accident while canyoning

Events

1 hour ago Shirley Ballas' message to Ellie Goldstein after devastating Strictly exit

The Strictly family had nothing but praised for Ellie Goldstein as they shared emotional messages on social media after she became the latest star to be booted from the BBC contest

Politics

1 hour ago BBC Breakfast presenter issues devastating update minutes into show

Jon Kay returned to our TV screens alongside co-host Sally Nugent on Monday morning (November 3) as they covered the day's biggest news stories on BBC Breakfast

Politics

2 h. ago Afghanistan earthquake kills 20 and leaves 300 injured as devastating tremor strikes

A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake has killed at least 20 people and injured more than 300 in northern Afghanistan, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue workers scramble to reach remote towns

Events

2 h. ago Metal detectors at train stations would ‘make life impossible’, says transport secretary

Heidi Alexander says security review after Cambridgeshire train stabbings will consider all other optionsMetal-detector scanners at train stations would “make life impossible” for passengers, the transport secretary has said, adding that a review into security after a mass stabbing on a high-speed train would examine all other options.A member of train staff who intervened to protect passengers as the service approached Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire remained critically ill in hospital but his condition was now stable, Heidi Alexander also told Sky News. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago TV devastated 'masterpiece' crime thriller won't get another season

This series was a huge hit when it first launched on Netflix but the streaming service has since confirmed that the show has been cancelled before a third season

Events

2 h. ago Afghanistan earthquake: At least 20 die and 300 more injured as devastating tremor hits

At least 20 people have died and around 300 have been injured as the US Geological Survey warned 'significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread'

Events

3 h. ago Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood review – the great novelist reveals her hidden side

A sharp, funny and engaging autobiography from one of the towering literary figures of our ageMargaret Atwood didn’t want to write a literary memoir. She worried it would be boring – “I wrote a book, I wrote a second book, I wrote another book ” Alcoholic excess, debauched parties and sexual transgressions would have perked things up, but she hasn’t lived that way.In the end what she has written is less a memoir than an autobiography, not a slice of life but the whole works, 85 years. Where most such backward looks are cosily triumphalist or anxiously self-justifying, hers is sharp, funny and engaging, a book you can warm to even if you’re not fully au fait (and few people are) with her astonishing output, which in the “also by” contents list here fills two pages. Continue reading...

Culture

3 h. ago Big trouble in ‘Little Berlin’: the tiny hamlet split in two by the cold war

A new museum in Mödlareuth tells the story of how a settlement of only 50 people straddled Bavaria in West Germany and Thuringia in the eastA creek so shallow you barely got your ankles wet divided a community for more than four decades. By an accident of topography, the 50 inhabitants of Mödlareuth, a hamlet surrounded by pine forests, meadows and spectacular vistas, found themselves at the heart of the cold war. They had the misfortune to straddle Bavaria, in West Germany, and Thuringia in the East, a border that was demarcated first by a fence and then by a wall. American soldiers called it Little Berlin.Months after their own wall was breached, and even before their country had reunified in 1990, a group of local people set about memorialising their history. The work is about to come to fruition: on 9 November, the 36th anniversary of the fall of the (big) Berlin Wall, the German-German Museum Mödlareuth will open. It was officially inaugurated by the federal president, Frank-Wa...

Events

3 h. ago Oakley Meta Vanguard review: fantastic AI running glasses linked to Garmin

Camera-equipped sports shades have secure fit, open-ear speakers, mics and advanced Garmin and Strava integrationThe Oakley Meta Vanguard are new displayless AI glasses designed for running, cycling and action sports with deep Garmin and Strava integration, which may make them the first smart glasses for sport that actually work.They are a replacement for running glasses, open-ear headphones and a head-mounted action cam all in one, and are the latest product of Meta’s partnership with the sunglasses conglomerate EssilorLuxottica, the owner of Ray-Ban, Oakley and many other top brands. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago High Court battle against Gatwick Airport new second runway launched by local campaigners

The Government is facing a judicial review challenge after backing expansion of the Sussex airport

Events

3 h. ago Trump reveals devastating plan for NYC if 'communist' Mamdani gets elected while rejecting comparisons: 'I'm a much better looking person'

The president's declaration came during an appearance on CBS' 60 Minutes after host Norah O'Donnell said Mamdani had been described as a left-wing version of Trump.

Politics

4 h. ago Anthony Hopkins: We Did Ok, Kid review – A memoir that falls short of capturing the depth his career deserves

Poignant at times, but with surprisingly little insight into the Welshman’s storied career

Politics

10 h. ago Five climbers including dad & daughter, 17, killed during avalanche in Italian Dolomites

A FATHER and his teen daughter are among five mountaineers killed by an avalanche in Italy's Dolomite mountains. The victims - all German - were climbing Cima Vertana when the devastating snow slide wiped them out on Saturday afternoon. A group of three was "fully swept away by the avalanche" and all died, with their...

Events

11 h. ago Witnesses describe horror after two young girls are thrown from Ferris wheel at Louisiana festival: ‘I heard a loud boom’

Two young girls were taken to hospital after the accident, officials said

Events

11 h. ago Mississippi woman kills escaped monkey fearing for her children's safety

A homeowner in Mississippi has shot and killed one of the monkeys that escaped after a truck accident last week

Events

12 h. ago William donating to relief efforts to help people affected by Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica was left devastated this week by Melissa, one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the island in its history.

Politics