2 h. ago Starmer delays tackling child poverty leaving tens of thousands on the brink

Labour prime minister facing calls to scrap the controversial two-child limit, brought in as part of former Conservative chancellor George Osborne’s ‘austerity’ policies

Politics

5 h. ago Spain pushes ahead with plan to hit Brits with 100% holiday home tax

Spain's government is going ahead with a controversial plan to slam Brits with a 100% tax on holiday homes in order to tackle a growing housing crisis. 

Events

5 h. ago Cat expert says there's sweet reason they lick you and it's not because you're dirty

If your cat licks you, it's not because you're dirty, a feline expert has explained. In fact, there's actually quite a sweet reason your feline friend will do this

Politics

5 h. ago What is bitcoin mining? Controversial activity under scrutiny amid cryptocurrency record high

Bitcoin mining has reached a record high – but the “dirty secret” of the cryptocurrency continues to rumble underneath.

Politics

5 h. ago Robert Forster: ‘You improve as a person as you get older. I think that’s a fact’

The lauded singer-songwriter takes a wander along the Brisbane streets that formed him and the Go-BetweensWhen I meet former Go-Between Robert Forster at a cafe in the centre of Brisbane for a walk around his home town, it’s no surprise to see a book on the table in front of him. It is The Café With No Name, by Austrian novelist Robert Seethaler – a gift for his wife, Karin Bäumler.Forster picked it up, somewhat reluctantly, from a chain store. A great indie bookshop, he says, is “the one thing that I really miss in Brisbane – the thing that makes me go, this is not a world-class city”. He remembers a time when it was, but it’s not when you might think. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Alison Hammond defends Peter Andre's controversial movie Jafaican in 'love' admission

The film has received backlash online for Andre pretending to be Jamaican

Events

6 h. ago Richard Ashcroft's spats and controversies – from Mick Jagger lawsuit to Soccer AM drama

Richard Ashcroft is back with a new single after a seven year hiatus of making music. He's set to headline a festival this weekend before his supporting set to Oasis - let's take a trip down memory lane

Events

6 h. ago Boutique city centre gym shuts suddenly in dispute with landlord

A notice of forfeiture has been issued

Politics

6 h. ago No 10 delays child poverty strategy with tens of thousands more facing hardship

Exclusive: Flagship policy put back until at least autumn amid fears cost of scrapping two-child limit will outweigh political benefitLabour’s flagship child poverty strategy has been delayed until at least the autumn amid concerns at the top of government that the financial cost of key proposals outweighs the political benefit, even though tens of thousands more children will fall into poverty as a result.The strategy, which is being led jointly by Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, and Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, was due to be published in the spring and had been expected to include a recommendation to scrap the controversial two-child limit. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago ‘I had the audacity not to peg it!’ Timothy Spall on cancer, cosy crime and being heckled on the red carpet

From Auf Wiedersehen, Pet to Hollywood star – and nearly dying en route – his career has been a wild ride. He talks about how he’s ended up sparkling as the BBC’s new Sunday night crime-solver – and why he just wants to be brilliantSome like it hot, and Timothy Spall is among them. “Can I have an extra-large skinny cappuccino, absolutely boiling?” he asks the server from his seat at a pavement cafe. “The largest and hottest you’ve got. Illegally hot.”Once we are alone again, Spall returns to what he was in the middle of discussing: 18th-century coffee-houses. “What they served didn’t taste like coffee. It was repulsive. I looked it up.” His curiosity is innate and all-consuming. When he was 16 and starring in a school production of My Fair Lady, he took it upon himself to visit the tenements on Tottenham Court Road in London where his character would have lived. At an even younger age, he secretly imitated the stooped walk of a stranger he spotted in the street. Not to be cruel...

Events

8 h. ago Your favourite podcast is now a video – but are vodcasts the future, or just ‘crap telly’?

Successful podcasters are filming their shows, putting traditional platforms under pressure. Does it add value or reflect YouTube’s increasing might?It is four in the afternoon at Pellicci’s, a family-run cafe on Bethnal Green Road in London that has been an East End institution for 125 years. Its famously loudmouthed owners, British-Italian siblings Nevio and Anna, have been serving fry-ups, soups, pasta and jam roly-polies since eight this morning. The cafe is now closed, but Anna and Nevio are just getting started on their second job as hosts of the podcast series Down the Caff, in which they interview people about food and life over a meal of the guest’s choosing. The conversations are sweary, chaotic and an absolute hoot.Their guests so far include actor and Pellicci’s regular Ray Winstone, Dexys’ Kevin Rowland, rapper Hak Baker and 86-year-old YouTuber Marge Keefe, AKA Grime Gran. Today’s interviewees are TikTok star John Fisher, AKA Big John, and his son, the boxer Johnny Fis...

Politics

9 h. ago Peter Andre breaks silence on his role in 'controversial' movie Jafaican

The singer received some backlash after the trailer was released on social media

Politics

9 h. ago Man City make major new season ticket announcement after fan protests

Manchester City fans have protested the club's season ticket policy in recent weeks, with the club now confirming more of the controversial Flexi-Gold tickets will be made available for the 2025/26 season.

Sport

9 h. ago Peter Andre planning sequel to controversial movie Jafaican but with major change

Peter Andre has revealed he and the film's director Fredi Nwaka are already working on a sequel to their controversial movie Jafaican, as they defended the movie against allegations of cultural appropriation

Politics

10 h. ago TRNSMT announce new main stage act amid calls for Kneecap to be axed from festival

TRNSMT bosses have announced a new major act that will take to the stage in Glasgow Green on Friday, July 11 which is the same day controversial Irish rap trio Kneecap are currently set to perform.

Politics

10 h. ago The little known Scottish beach that is 'jewel in the crown of secret coast'

There is also a hidden gem café near the bay that serves up a range of tasty treats.

Society

12 h. ago WRU scrap programme that has discovered hidden Wales stars in controversial move

The WRU's exiles programme has come to an end

Politics

12 h. ago Damon Hill's tragic admission about dad's death, net worth, private Michael Schumacher chat

Damon Hill's crash with Michael Schumacher at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix will go down as one of the biggest controversies in Formula One history

Events

13 h. ago Scots woman who dedicated life to helping others dies suddenly after heart attack

Tallat Haq had been feeling unwell with suspected food poisoning for three days before she was rushed to hospital by her concerned younger brother, Niaz, last week.

Events

13 h. ago Lando Norris admitted 'it’s for the money' after controversial Monaco announcement

Among the favourites to claim a maiden victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, F1 star Lando Norris became a permanent resident of the principality partly in fact for one major reason

Politics