90 m. ago Can’t pay, won’t pay: impoverished streaming services are driving viewers back to piracy

As subscription costs rise and choice diminishes on legal sites, film and TV fans are turning to VPNs and illicit streamers, with Sweden – home of both Spotify and The Pirate Bay – leading the wayWith a trip to Florence booked, all I want is to rewatch Medici. The 2016 historical drama series tells of the rise of the powerful Florentine banking dynasty, and with it, the story of the Renaissance. Until recently, I could simply have gone to Netflix and found it there, alongside a wide array of award-winning and obscure titles. But when I Google the show in 2025, the Netflix link only takes me to a blank page. I don’t see it on HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, or any of the smaller streaming platforms. On Amazon Prime I am required to buy each of the three seasons or 24 episodes separately, whereupon they would be stored in a library subject to overnight deletion. Raised in the land of The Pirate Bay, the Swedish torrent index, I feel, for the first time in a decade, a nostalgia for the hi...

Politics

90 m. ago ‘I have to believe I deserve to be here’: ‘Tesco TikToker’ Hannah Lowther on her path to West End stardom

The up-and-coming musical theatre star’s online audience of 1.2 million has been crucial in scoring her major roles. Her career is part of a shift in the industry towards performers with social media clout – but not everyone is happyIf you’re on TikTok, you’ll probably recognise Hannah Lowther. Known affectionately as the “Tesco TikToker”, she found viral fame during lockdown by filming herself singing and dancing in the aisles of the supermarket during her shifts there.“I got 10,000 views on a video and I thought: OK, that’s it, I’m famous, and I just never let it go,” the 27-year-old laughs. Since then, Lowther has built an audience of 1.2 million followers and leveraged her social media presence into a starry stage career, landing roles in West End musicals including Heathers and Six. “At the back of my mind, I was thinking: You know what? Maybe this could help me one day.” Continue reading...

Politics

90 m. ago Triumph and disaster for you, soft power for the Premier League: fantasy football is back | Jonathan Liew

Celebrities play it. Footballers play it. Gradually, insidiously, fantasy football has seeped into the way we consume the gamePerhaps you’re a template kind of guy. Perhaps, by contrast, you’re spurning the triple Liverpool consensus and stacking your team with handy differentials like Jarrod Bowen and Donyell Malen. Perhaps even Erling Haaland could be considered a differential given his historically low current ownership stats. Perhaps you’re feeling a cheeky BB GW1, followed by a FH GW2. Perhaps, by contrast, you’re furiously stabbing at the “close tab” button on your browser in the hope of purging these words from your eyes as expeditiously as possible.In which case, relax. This is actually a column about sport: what it is, what it isn’t, how we watch it, where it’s going. Most important, you can rest assured I shall not be relating any details of my Fantasy Premier League exploits, for the same reason I will not be sharing my dreams, my Wordle stats or the contents of my belly ...

Sport

90 m. ago Indian Super League in turmoil with domestic game on brink of collapse

Dispute between governing body and commercial partner has forced top-flight clubs to suspend player salariesCrystal Palace may be disappointed the court of arbitration for sport ruled against them on Monday but at least they now know their fate. Imagine if all Premier League clubs were waiting for a court decision that would, in effect, determine whether the season would go ahead at all. That is the situation the 14 Indian Super League (ISL) teams find themselves in. The whole of football there has been waiting for a ruling from the supreme court. It was expected in mid-July but has still not arrived. The season is due to start in September. Or at least, it was.The ISL, formed in 2013, has grown from eight teams to 14, becoming the top tier along the way. Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL) runs the competition but put the 2025-26 season on hold on 11 July. At the time, despite the shock, most stakeholders felt it would go ahead but confidence, trust and bank balances have taken ...

Sport

91 m. ago Putin prepares for nuclear war on eve of Trump summit: Russia readys new cruise missile nuke for tests in satellite images after Donald warned of 'severe consequences' if Ukraine conflict continues

Experts say recent satellite images show intense preparations at the Pankovo test site on Novaya Zemlya, a remote archipelago in the Barents Sea.

Events

96 m. ago Man Utd transfers news: Wantaway star offered reunion as deal 'agreed' ahead of new season

Manchester United are still looking to complete several signings this summer ahead of the new season as the transfer window starts to come to a close

Economics

1 hour ago Billy Joel to close beloved New York motorcycle shop after diagnosis

20th Century Cycles on Long Island, New York, will close down after nearly 15 years

Economics

1 hour ago Paul Merson says Liverpool have major title problem after 'something he'd never seen before'

Liverpool get the defence of their Premier League crown underway this weekend but former Arsenal star Paul Merson has concerns over the Reds this term that could end up costing them

Politics

1 hour ago Ibiza Final Boss slapped with dire warning as he 'must make important decision'

'Ibiza Final Boss' Jack Kay is enjoying the summer of a lifetime, seizing every opportunity his newfound fame has brought him. However, an expert has warned that he now has three major pitfalls to avoid

Events

2 h. ago Couple who used their savings to buy campsite told they have to demolish part of it

They say it could cause the award-winning business to close but hope to stave off that outcome

Economics

2 h. ago Police issue statement as travellers take over popular walking spot

The site appeared overnight on Tuesday

Events

2 h. ago Premier League supercomputer paints worrying picture for Man Utd with three

A Premier League supercomputer has cast its eye over the upcoming season with Liverpool aiming to retain their crown and the likes of Manchester United hoping for major improvements

Politics

3 h. ago Japan and China commemorate World War II anniversary on different dates

Japan and China are marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with major events on different dates

Events

3 h. ago Quirky Manchester city centre ice cream spot has just been named among the UK's best

The quirky ice cream bar has a permanent home in Affleck's palace as well as a mobile ice cream van

Politics

4 h. ago ‘We popped the baby in a flowerpot!’ Anne Geddes on the beloved photos that made her famous

Her whimsical, instantly recognisable pictures swept the globe in the 1990s. Yet she has rarely been treated with reverence. As she prepares for her first big retrospective, she discusses the secrets of her 40-year careerWhen Anne Geddes began shooting her famous photographs, she soon learned she would need a backup baby – or 20. “Connecting with a child who considers you a stranger is high stress,” she says. “I remember trying to shoot one baby sitting in a tank of water, surrounded by waterlilies. It took five babies to make it work. One of them was even called Lily, but she was not having a bar of it. She looked at me as if to say: ‘You think I’m getting in that water?’”She describes the practicalities of one of her best-known shots, 1991’s Cabbage Kids. It shows twin brothers Rhys and Grant with cabbage-leaf hats on their heads, each sitting in an upturned cabbage, turning to one another with mild alarm. Geddes’ assistant had tied a balloon to a piece of string, lowering it...

Culture

4 h. ago Spanish people know deadly heatwaves are now an annual event. So why are our politicians in denial? | María Ramírez

We need everyday solutions like ‘cool banks’ and shaded areas, as well as serious policies on emissions. The government must step upGrowing up in Madrid, intense summer heat was nothing unusual. I quickly learned always to cross the street in search of shade, and never to be caught out in the sun at 3pm. But as a child in the early 1980s, I never felt dizzy after spending more than a few minutes outdoors, nor did I struggle to study or sleep at home because of the heat. Back then, air conditioning was a rarity, something only Americans had. But we were fine: the stuttering fan in my mother’s Ford Fiesta was enough to keep us comfortable on holiday escapes from the capital.What is happening in Spain now goes far beyond discomfort. More than 1,500 deaths have already been linked to heatwaves this summer alone. Public-sector workers are collapsing from heatstroke on our city streets. Entire communities in the Madrid suburbs have been devastated by wildfires. On Monday, 198 weather stat...

Politics

4 h. ago French borrowing costs close in on Italy’s as investors fret over debts

Anxiety grows over France’s public finances just as Rome improves its standing with bondholders

Economics

6 h. ago Taylor Swift shares emotional health update on dad Scott after major heart surgery

Taylor Swift has shared a major health update on her dad Scott, after he underwent a quintuple bypass procedure earlier this Summer

Politics

6 h. ago Taylor Swift gives update on dad Scott after health scare and major surgery

Taylor Swift has given an update on her dad Scott after he underwent life saving surgery earlier this year

Politics

6 h. ago Taylor Swift shares update on father's recovery post triple bypass surgery

Taylor Swift shared a major update on her father Scotts health during a heartfelt podcast appearance, as she opened up about his recent quintuple bypass surgery

Politics