31 h. ago My unexpected Pride icon: Free Willy helped me see the radical power of coming out

An oppressed orca breaking free to find its true family? It may not be obviously queer, but I’ve found much comfort in Willy and Jesse’s story in this filmI don’t know precisely when I first watched Free Willy. But I do remember that the film was central to a childhood obsession with whales – orcas, specifically – that followed me well into adulthood. (I still remember a lot of random facts, such as “killer whales can live up to 90 years old!” and “their pregnancies are 17 months long!”)Released in 1993, just a few months after I was born, the film follows Jesse – a moody 12-year-old foster kid with abandonment issues – and his unlikely friendship with Willy, an orca confined in a far-too-small pool at a local marine park. Jesse and Willy have a lot in common. Both are antisocial, stubborn and mistrustful, but form a close bond – one that sees Jesse determined to free Willy from the park where he is being exploited for profit by an evil businessman. It’s a classic good v evil tale –...

Politics

3 d. ago Grandmother left to die after getting trapped under a car in a hospital parking garage, family alleges

Theresa M Phillips, 79, was driving her husband, Walter, to a doctor’s appointment in a Pittsburgh hospital when the tragic accident occurred

Events

5 d. ago Ikea announces closure of UK stores this month in another blow to high street

Ikea has announced it will be closing down some of its UK stores with one shutting in just a few weeks time, the stores are smaller outlets than its usual out-of-town locations

Politics

7 d. ago Harrowing plight of world's loneliest killer whales and dolphins: Tragic stories behind majestic sea creatures neglected and abused in marine parks

Some of the most disturbing cases of animal abuse in recent memory have unfolded at marine parks.

Events

9 d. ago Dolphins left for dead in abandoned Florida marine park finally saved after public backlash

Four dolphins from Gulf World Marine Park, which is under investigation after five dolphins previously died in an eight-month period, have now been freed at last

Events

1 week ago Marina Tabassum unveils segmented Serpentine Pavilion that "allows the park to flow in"

Marina Tabassum unveils segmented Serpentine Pavilion that "allows the park to flow in"  Dezeen

Politics

2 w. ago M62 drivers left 'trapped and starving' after serious crash shuts motorway for ten hours

The M62 was closed for hours

Events

2 w. ago Travel in Monklands set to be disrupted by series of road closures over next few months

Diversions will be available to motorists on all-but-one of the closures.

Transport

2 w. ago Six months of full closures and lane closures on M4 announced

The work involves refurbishment to five bridges and is set to bring disruption for motorists for half the year

Politics

2 w. ago The Titan submersible was DOOMED from its first dive: Revealed in forensic and horrifying detail, the shocking catalogue of neglect and criminal oversight that left victims trapped in a 'death tube'

In June 2023, four men and a teenager climbed into the Titan submersible, a mini submarine, to descend thousands of feet through the North Atlantic until they reached the wreck of the Titanic.

Events

3 w. ago Terrifying moment dolphin dies in front of children at bankrupt marine park

Dolphins are still trapped in filthy tanks at a bankrupt marine park where one died in front of children during a show, sparking urgent calls for rescue amid claims of neglect

Events

3 w. ago 'World's loneliest dolphin' dies alone in tiny tank in abandoned theme park

Honey, a female bottlenose dolphin, spent the last two years of her life in a small pool at the Marine Park Aquarium in Choshi, Japan, before she heartbreakingly died alone

Events

3 w. ago Fury as residents left 'trapped' in iconic London tower block after the lifts break for nearly a week

Those living on the top floor of the Grade II listed Balfron Tower have had to trek 84 metres up and down stairs - the height of 17 double-decker London buses - every time they need to leave their homes.

Politics

3 w. ago Dolphins trapped in bankrupt marine park 'going blind with eyes jammed shut'

A rotting zoo, where a number of dolphins have already died in mysterious circumstances, remains open despite recent raids by authorities

Politics

3 w. ago The French bureaucrats who may have doomed abandoned aquarium orcas to die... and why red tape leaves them trapped in a hellish existence

France's last two captive killer whales are stranded in the algae-infested Marineland, near Cannes, neglected with the exception of a skeleton staff that comes in intermittently to feed them.

Events

4 w. ago Poundland is shutting three stores this month as it announces new closure

Discount chain Poundland said the store in Copdock Mill Interchange in Ipswich was closing after it was unable to agree new terms with the site owner

Politics

4 w. ago Killer whales left trapped in abandoned French marine park four months after closure

Disturbing footage shows orcas Wikie, 23, and her 11-year-old son Keijo swimming aimlessly in the deserted Marineland Antibes near Cannes

Events

last month Time running out for abandoned orcas left to rot in 'zombie' marine park

The two killer whales, Wikie and her son Keijo, have been left abandoned in a rotting marine zoo after it closed permanently in January and now face an uncertain future

Politics

last month Orcas left trapped in abandoned French marine park four months after closure

Disturbing footage shows orcas Wikie, 23, and her 11-year-old son Keijo swimming aimlessly in the deserted Marineland Antibes near Cannes

Politics

last month Misery of the abandoned orcas: Killer whales and dolphins are left trapped in shut

The majestic creatures remain confined in Marineland Antibes, a French marine park near Cannes that shut its doors four months ago.

Events