13 h. ago Labour plots political oversight of Sentencing Council after 'two

Shabana Mahmood is proposing that she, and all future Justice Secretaries, will be able to veto Sentencing Council proposals

Politics

26 h. ago 'Eyesore' £18,000 mural Labour council painted without permission sparks war with locals who have branded it 'hideous'

Enfield Council, in north London, commissioned the brightly coloured To Autumn artwork on the side of Enfield Town Library, claiming it celebrates local culture.

Economics

3 d. ago Never mind the flag bans, where are the policies? Assessing 100 days of Reform

Some are happy to see new faces in the chambers but many are frustrated with a lack of improvements on the ground since party’s sweeping victories“This motion is bizarre to say the least,” said a bemused Doncaster Labour councillor as Reform proposed that the council fly no flags apart from the union flag from its buildings.It would not just mean no Pride flag on Pride Day, a debate heard. It would mean no white rose flag on Yorkshire Day, no Rovers flag celebrating the football team winning the league, no St George’s flag marking England’s Lionesses’ Euros triumph, and no green flags celebrating municipal park management achievements in the city’s green spaces. The motion was “a waste of time and a waste of resources”, one councillor said. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Amal Clooney had a 'non surgical facelift' before walking on the red carpet at Venice Film Festival and upstaging husband George

Amal Clooney walked the red carpet at Venice Film festival last night to support her husband George Clooney.

Culture

4 d. ago George Clooney admits 'he can't speak' after sinus infection as he returns to red carpet

Hollywood legend George Clooney had to pull out of events at the Venice Film Festival due to "a bad sinus infection" but it didn't keep him away from the red carpet last night

Politics

5 d. ago The Mary Wallopers Glasgow: Everything you need to know about tickets for Irish band's Barrowland residency

The Mary Wallopers will play five nights at their “favourite venue” the Barrowland Ballroom in December.

Culture

6 d. ago Labour council axes funding for morris dancers in 'blackface' row

Sandbach Town Council voted to remove £6,000 of funding to the local group for the next two years, which goes towards the hosting of an annual Day of Dance event.

Politics

6 d. ago Tiny Scottish village with just five residents where cars and bikes are banned

The coastal village is only accessible on foot and the few remaining residents transport groceries using wheelbarrows

Events

1 week ago Richard Osman's famous wife turns heads at Thursday Murder Club premiere

The writer's actress wife, Ingrid Oliver, was among the film's star-studded cast attending the premiere in London last night - and she walked the red carpet in a show-stopping dress

Politics

1 week ago England ready to confront USA and Ilona Maher’s stardust in World Cup opener

Red Roses have lost only once to Friday’s opponents but refuse to get caught up in the hype of a home tournamentThe talking will stop and the sport get under way on Friday night when the Red Roses raise the curtain on the most anticipated women’s rugby tournament of all time. The USA are first in line at the 2025 Rugby World Cup to try to upset the world No 1 team, but if recent history is anything to go by it will be England striding to a dominant win.The two sides have played 21 times and the US have won one – the 1991 World Cup final. In 2025, the USA have played six games and won one, 31-24 against Fiji. England have played seven matches in this calendar year and have won all of them, extending their unbeaten run to 27 matches. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Labour council bans residents from using fireworks on Bonfire Night after red pandas 'killed by stress' from the loud bangs

Last year Edinburgh Zoo vets blamed the death of three-month-old panda kit Roxie and its mother on her reaction to fireworks in the local area.

Events

1 week ago Bonfire Night 2025: Edinburgh doubles firework ban zones, including at Corstorphine zoo after red panda death

Edinburgh Zoo said it was “very grateful” for the move following the death of a baby panda in 2024

Events

1 week ago Manager at care home told staff there was no cash to buy residents new underwear... because she had rinsed bank accounts of £55,000

Keeley Coleman used bank cards that belonged to two vulnerable residents and a 'pooled' card from seven others to buy a car, caravan and hot tub, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

Economics

1 week ago Crystal Palace, take heart: Conference League offers story of English success

While Oliver Glasner’s side have a clear shot at glory, the health of the competition as a whole is up for debateIt is hard to imagine Uefa will be spared the wrath of Selhurst Park when Crystal Palace begin Conference League life there on Thursday night. A red-letter event in the club’s history has been soured by their demotion from the Europa League and the sight of Norway’s cup winners, Fredrikstad, mid-table in the Eliteserien, lining up against Oliver Glasner’s players will hardly lend itself to a sense of glamour.For all the burning sense of injustice, there is a clear upside for Palace. They will probably never have a better chance of European success if history and raw numbers are measures to go by. Any Premier League club should start as hot favourites to win the continent’s third-tier competition, such is their financial advantage over all of the contenders. That status has been justified in two of its four editions and there is inspiration to be taken from the scenes of j...

Politics

1 week ago Former Scottish Labour Fife councillor joins Reform where her values ‘are most aligned’

Two councillors in Fife have now switched to Nigel Farage’s Reform party.

Politics

1 week ago Red Roses ‘look forward to being hunted’ at Women’s Rugby World Cup, declares John Mitchell

England kick off against USA in Sunderland on Friday Hosts unchanged from warm-up win over FranceJohn Mitchell has said he and his England team know they will be “hunted” at this Women’s Rugby World Cup as the world No 1 side and the favourites to lift the trophy on 27 September.The Red Roses start their campaign against the USA on Friday night at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland and have named an unchanged XV from the 40-6 win over France in their final warmup game. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Edinburgh fireworks: The 9 Edinburgh areas where Bonfire Night fireworks will be banned in 2025

One of the bans is being introduced to protect animals at Edinburgh Zoo

Events

2 w. ago ‘It’s a robot war’: eastern Ukraine faces onslaught of Russian glide bombs, rockets and kamikaze drones

Putin has escalated strikes on Donetsk region and is likely to demand Ukraine hands it over in talks with TrumpNataliya Petrovna pointed to a crater on the edge of a football field. Around it lay bits of twisted metal. From nearby came loud banging as residents fixed plywood to their damaged five-storey apartment block. Many of its windows were broken. “The last few days have been terrible. We could hear the drones buzzing over us. The one that exploded near the school opposite was a Russian Shahed. Maybe some kind of new type,” she said.Petrovna lives in the eastern garrison city of Kramatorsk, in Donetsk province, about 15 miles from the frontline. The distance is just beyond the range of Russian first-person view (FPV) drones, at least for now. But it is easily reachable by other kinds of enemy objects. They include air-dropped glide bombs, Grad rockets and unmanned kamikaze drones – now cruising Ukraine’s skies in overwhelming numbers. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Oasis at Murrayfield 2025: Here are 15 amazing pictures of the band's 'biblical' Edinburgh gigs

Oasis fans were in heaven over the weekend as the band played the first two nights of a three-gig residency at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stdium,

Politics

3 w. ago KEMI BADENOCH: Labour's council tax rises are a cynical raid on the very people who keep this country going

Rachel Reeves 's business-squeezing budget has led to rising unemployment, lower growth and a stagnant economy. As ever, Labour's answer is even more tax rises.

Politics