2 h. ago ‘The love child of Mick Hucknall and Crazy Frog’: is Eurovision’s Lumo the worst mascot ever?

Meet the song contest’s first ever mascot – a sentient heart with a bizarrely sexy mouth that looks like the result of the ChatGPT prompt ‘please ruin my day’. Why oh why has this happened?The miracle of Eurovision is how much it has legitimised itself over the last decade and a half. For years, the song contest was the laughing stock of Europe, a toe-curling night on which all the continent’s fifth-rate novelty acts would gather and bing-bam-boom themselves to death while the rest of Europe looked on and jeered.But look at it now. By carefully repositioning itself, and by encouraging countries to submit relevant, modish entries, Eurovision has transformed into the party of the year. People love Eurovision – and not ironically, either. At a time of growing international strife – the sort of strife that it was designed to combat – Eurovision represents a moment of unity. It is, in short, in the shape of its life. It would take something spectacular to mess it up. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago 'Many people love him... others love to hate him': Keir Starmer jokingly compares Peter Mandelson to Donald Trump as he arrives in Washington

Prime Minister Keir Starmer jokingly likened Peter Mandelson to Donald Trump last night at the British ambassador's residence in Washington.

Politics

6 h. ago Moment Keir Starmer arrives in Washington for crunch talks with Donald Trump

Prime Minister Keir Starmer jokingly likened Peter Mandelson to Donald Trump last night at the British ambassador's residence in Washington.

Politics

8 h. ago US 'backstop' needed to stop Putin reinvading Ukraine after the war, Starmer to tell Trump as PM arrives in Washington

The Prime Minister has arrived in Washington for talks with the US President with the future of Ukraine on a knife edge

Politics

16 h. ago Russia could reinvade Ukraine without US security guarantees, Starmer warns

UK prime minister faces major diplomatic effort to get president on board after he said no plans for US ‘backstop’Keir Starmer has warned that Vladimir Putin could invade Ukraine again unless the US provides security guarantees as he arrived for critical talks with Donald Trump at the most precarious moment for European stability in decades.With the future of Ukrainian security hanging in the balance, he urged the president to commit a US backstop to a British and French-led peacekeeping force, saying it was the only way to avoid Russia plunging Europe back into war. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Macron arrives at White House as Europeans scramble to convince Trump to stand up to Putin

President Emmanuel Macron of France became the first European leader to meet Trump at the White House Monday, as the continent rallies its arguments in defense of Ukraine.

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Now is the time of monsters’: young Berliners despair at far

Alternative für Deutschland projected to finish second in federal election with about 20% of the voteFor more than 150 years, the symbolism of the Siegessäule, or Victory Column, in Berlin’s Tiergarten, has shifted alongside German identity: from emblem of the empire to strategic relocation by the Nazis and, finally, its adoption as an icon of Berlin’s legendary love parade.On Sunday, as throngs of people gathered in its shadow, the golden statue bore witness to yet another shift – an election that had yielded an emboldened far right in a result that was unprecedented in Germany’s postwar history. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Brits most misunderstood insults revealed – including 'git', 'pleb' and 'numpty'

British people love a good insult, but it looks like some of the more 'classic' jibes are getting lost in translation - we take a look at some of the most 'misunderstood' words

Politics

7 d. ago UK ambassador to the US gives awkward response to Trump’s attack on Zelensky

UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson appeared somewhat awkward when asked about Donald Trump’s false claims Volodymyr Zelensky is a “dictator”.

Politics

7 d. ago From 'missing billions' and 'millions killed' to Zelensky's 'low opinion ratings'

Since Donald Trump arrived in the White House for his second term as President, US-Ukraine relations have been on a pretty steep downward trajectory.

Events

8 d. ago Seven 'famous whisky lovers' and their favourite Scottish drams

A new list of "famous whisky lovers" who have been known to enjoy a dram has been shared. Whisky is one of the most iconic symbols of Scotland. While there are distilleries all over the globe that produce world-class whiskies, nothing can compare to a Scottish dram.Experts at Master of Malt have published a list of "famous whisky lovers", and even their whisky of choice. The varied roundup includes celebrities both past and present, and even one fictional character. Master of Malt wrote: "You probably know lots of people who love whisky. We certainly do. Fine folks, all of them. Some of them are quite well known in our circles, familiar faces on the ‘gram or published authors even."But they’re not celebrities. Proper A-listers. And that makes them RUBBISH in the eyes of the baying public. "The pitchfork populace, who demand only superstars and bloody royalty if you don’t mind too. We live to please, so if you want to hear about legitimately big nam...

Politics

1 week ago Bridget Jones: Director hopes people 'fall in love' with London

Bridget Jones: Director hopes people 'fall in love' with London  BBC.com

Politics