8 h. ago ‘The prison system is insanely broken’: a climate activist on his experience in jail

George Simonson says you learn about society by seeing how it treats its prisoners – and jail has strengthened his belief that change is crucialGeorge Simonson, 24, from London, had recently graduated in mechanical engineering from the University of Edinburgh when he was given a 24-month custodial sentence for climbing a gantry over the M25 in 2022. He was also found guilty of criminal damage and sentenced to a further six-week custodial sentence for spraying paint on a wall of Exeter University in 2023. He sent this letter from prison before he was released in January.I remember the day I was sentenced like it was yesterday. I was filled with anxiety the entire time. It’s a strange situation to be in, not knowing whether or not you’d have your liberty at the end of the day, or for how long it might be taken away. My mind was racing and I had no idea how to operate. Continue reading...

Events

21 h. ago Russia using criminal networks to drive increase in sabotage acts, says Europol

Proxies deploying tactics including migrant smuggling in destabilisation efforts across EU, enforcement agency findsEurope live – latest updatesRussia and other state actors are driving an increase in politically motivated cyber-attacks and sabotage of infrastructure and public institutions in the EU, the bloc’s police enforcement agency has found.Europol’s 80-page serious and organised crime threat assessment for 2025 also describes in detail how “hybrid threat” actors have established a “shadow alliance” with organised criminal gangs in Europe to try to destabilise the functioning of the EU and its member states. Continue reading...

Events

22 h. ago The incredible shrinking airlines: can anyone actually be comfortable in a 17

There are many good reasons to quit flying – primarily, of course, the climate crisis. And the lack of legroom suggests airlines are actually trying to squeeze us out ...Name: Tiny seats.Age: If you look at pictures of the Wright brothers’ first flights in 1903, it looks as if they had plenty of legroom. It’s been downhill ever since. Continue reading...

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23 h. ago Charli xcx announces party girl festival special guests as she headlines major event

Five-time BRIT award and three-time GRAMMY winner Charli xcx has announced the special guests performing at her one-day-only festival, party girl at the brand new LIDO Festival in June

Politics

26 h. ago Canadian actor detained at US border in ‘inhumane conditions’ for nearly two weeks

Entrepreneur and actor Jasmine Mooney, who had a role in an American Pie sequel, says she was arrested at southern border and held in detention over an incomplete work visaA Canadian entrepreneur and actor in the American Pie movie franchise said she was detained for almost two weeks in “inhumane” conditions by US border authorities over an incomplete visa.Jasmine Mooney, an actor who is also co-founder of the beverage brand Holy! Water, was detained on 3 March in San Diego, California. Continue reading...

Politics

45 h. ago Lido Festival 2025: more acts join Charli XCX’s headliner day as Victoria Park becomes ‘Party Girl Festival’

No need to ‘Guess’ who is set to open for Charli XCX as Party Girl Festival reveals it’s line-up 🎶🎤🎪

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46 h. ago Netflix viewers say 'they need to build a statue' of Adolescence star Stephen Graham

The actor has appeared in two of the most popular shows of 2025

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4 d. ago Actor Michael Sheen on paying off £1m of his neighbours’ debts; Marina Hyde on ‘grotesque’ JD Vance; and ‘how the Beatles helped my autistic son find his voice’ – podcast

Marina Hyde on 1,000 grotesque memes of JD Vance – they’re all more likable than the real thing. The actor Michael Sheen grew up poor, got rich, then lost everything backing the 2019 Homeless World Cup. Now he’s giving away more of his money to help 900 total strangers. When John Harris first started noticing that his baby had some unusual quirks, he wasn’t too worried. Then came an autism diagnosis – and a fear of the future. Could a shared passion for music give James a way to shine? Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago UK rocked by two more major earthquakes as pub epicentre of 42nd to strike this year

The earthquakes which hit this week took the count to 42 for 2025, with an increase in seismic activity detected across the United Kingdom by the British Geological Society

Events

5 d. ago Cheltenham Festival races and tips LIVE as blockbuster Day Four headlined by Gold Cup

Follow every moment of Cheltenham Day Four with all the best tips, instant results and insider info

Politics

5 d. ago Eurovision 2025 UK act 'revealed as country trio who appeared on The Voice'

The UK appear to have gone in bold new direction from its recent entries

Politics

6 d. ago An Australian politician called Trump’s tariffs a ‘dog act’ – but what does it mean and how offensive is it?

A ‘dog act’ isn’t simply ruffling someone’s feathers – it’s an act of betrayal. Caitlin Cassidy explains the meaning of the Australian phrase to Julia Hollingsworth.Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCaitlin, this week Australia’s industry minister, Ed Husic, called US president Donald Trump’s tariffs on aluminium and steel a “dog act”. I grew up in New Zealand, a country so close to Australia and yet so free from the phrase “dog act”. Please tell me – what does it mean, and does it have anything to do with dogs?Your nation has missed out on a truly scathing critique. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Cheltenham Festival LIVE: Results as Marine Nationale claims emotional win after Jonbon stumbles

Favourite Jonbon hit a fence in the Champion Chase as Marine Nationale won to headline Style Wednesday, formerly known as Ladies Day

Politics

6 d. ago Who is Mahmoud Khalil? The detained Columbia graduate praised as steady negotiator

Key figure in pro-Palestinian campus protests arrested by Ice known for kindness and skill for de-escalationMahmoud Khalil, the recent Columbia University graduate who was detained by Ice on Saturday night, was linked by Donald Trump, without evidence, to “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity”. But for those who know him, Khalil was a student, a steady negotiator and a leader whose activism placed him at the center of a national movement for Palestinian solidarity.Khalil, a Palestinian green card holder who is currently in immigration detention in Louisiana, was a lead negotiator for Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a role that thrust him into the spotlight during the pro-Palestinian encampment protests last spring – long before his high-profile arrest. He gained a reputation among fellow protesters as a principled and strategic organizer, earning praise for his ability to de-escalate tense situations. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Cheltenham Festival LIVE: Results, tips, odds and latest updates from Day 2

Champion Chase headlines Style Wednesday, formerly known as Ladies Day, after morning snow dusts racecourse

Politics

7 d. ago Cheltenham Festival LIVE: Day 2 results, updates, tips and latest odds

Queen Mother Champion Chase headlines Style Wednesday, formerly known as Ladies Day, after morning snow dusts racecourse

Politics

7 d. ago ‘Painting was my final act of defiance’: how a chef from war

Ficre Ghebreyesus, who died in 2012, made vertiginous paintings celebrating family, the diaspora and his own turbulent story. His first European solo exhibition charts this remarkable journeyWhat is home? What does it mean to belong? For Eritrea-born artist, activist and chef Ficre Ghebreyesus, who fled war in his homeland at the age of 16 and landed on US shores in 1981, these were vital questions that played out in his vibrant, often dreamlike canvases. “Painting was the miracle, the final act of defiance through which I exorcised the pain and reclaimed my sense of place, my moral compass, and my love for life,” the artist wrote in 2000, in his application for a masters in fine art at Yale School of Art.Ghebreyesus, who died suddenly of a heart attack aged 50 in 2012, left behind more than 800 paintings. These were barely exhibited in his lifetime but have garnered acclaim posthumously, presented at the 2022 Venice Biennale and in a handful of US shows. Now Ghebreyesus will have h...

Events

7 d. ago BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2025: Flo and Jade Thirlwall latest acts to join line

The annual music festival will take place in Sefton Park in Liverpool from May 23-25 and welcome around 100 acts across four stages

Politics

7 d. ago Cheltenham Festival 2025: Race card, results, winners, schedule, weather and latest odds today

Constitution Hill the headline act on opening day

Politics

8 d. ago Cheltenham festival 2025: action begins on day one with Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – live

Live updates from day one of the Cheltenham festivalGreg Wood’s day one tips | And you can email Niall1.20 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle: Oddspedia market moversKopek Des Bordes (1/1 into 4/5)Romeo Coolio (8/1 into 11/2)Karniquet (66/1 into 40/1) Continue reading...

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