39 m. ago Dare you enter the splash zone? Wet and wild selkie steals the show at Glasgow’s startling arts festival

Take Me Somewhere tucks audiences up in bed, takes them to a last supper and delights with a paddling-pool comedy-tragedy A nurse puts a steadying hand on my back and guides me to bed. She takes off my shoes, dresses me in soft pyjamas and hands me a VR headset. Mum will be along soon to read a bedtime story, she says. ZU-UK’s tender encounter Within Touching Distance is part of Take Me Somewhere, Glasgow’s biennial festival of wild-hearted international performance. With a teddy bear pressed into my hands, this is a deceptively gentle start to my day, which ends with a queering of the Apostles and a greased-up naked man being hand-fed fish.Within Touching Distance is a slow act of care-taking, walking one audience member at a time through the course of a life, from being read a story as a child to clutching a walking frame in old age. Blending the physical with the digital, this smartly choreographed piece fights against technology’s lack of intimacy; when I’m watching “Mum” squeez...

Events

39 m. ago Beasts of the Sea: the tragic story of how the ‘gentle, lovable’ sea cow became the perfect victim

Iida Turpeinen’s novel has been a sensation in her native Finland. On the eve of its UK publication, she talks about her compulsion to tell of the sociable giant’s plightIida Turpeinen is the author of Beasts of the Sea, a Finnish novel tracing the fate of a now-extinct species: the sea cow. Similar to dugongs and manatees, the sea cow was only discovered in 1741 by the shipwrecked German-born naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller but by 1768 it had already become the first marine species to be eradicated by humans.Translated into 28 languages and shortlisted for the country’s most prestigious literary award, the Finlandia Prize, Beasts of the Sea was described by the Helsinki Literacy Agency as the most internationally successful Finnish debut novel ever. Turpeinen, 38, a PhD student of comparative literature, is now a resident novelist at Finland’s Natural History Museum. Her book will be published in the UK on 23 October. Continue reading...

Events

76 m. ago Man killed by falling tree branch, pedestrian blown into traffic as storm lashes parts of New Zealand

A man was struck and killed by a tree branch in Wellington as dangerous winds and heavy rain buffeted parts of the country

Events

98 m. ago Stanley Flip Straw Tumbler 1.0 now massively discounted on Amazon

Amazon has a rare discount on the Stanley Flip Straw Tumbler 1.0, keeping drinks hot or cold for 12 hours - and there’s a range of colours available

Politics

99 m. ago Britain is suddenly pining for closer ties with the EU. It’s more likely to get the cold shoulder | Anand Menon

Labour now wants to use the damage from Brexit to combat the threat of Nigel Farage, but the union has bigger fish to fryA palpable sense of urgency has emerged in the UK’s approach to relations with the European Union. Ministers are beginning to sound enthusiastic, impatient even. The chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has even pointed to Brexit as a major cause of the country’s economic travails. You might think that this bodes well for prospects of improved UK-EU relations. But – and here’s the rub – enthusiasm on one side is not enough to drive substantive progress.In opposition, Labour shadow ministers and spokespeople were understandably reluctant to add flesh to the bones of their intention to “reset” relations with the EU. More detail was provided at the summit in May this year, as the two sides not only signed off a long-term deal on fisheries but declared their intention to negotiate further agreements covering agrifoods, energy and defence.Anand Menon is director...

Politics

99 m. ago I fell at the top of a mountain – and trekked for five days with a broken spine in a snowstorm

While navigating a steep trail, Jean Muenchrath lost her grip. She was horrifically injured, with a shattered tailbone, pubic bone and hip fractures, internal bleeding, a head wound and one on her buttock that turned gangrenous. There was no choice but to get home ...As Jean Muenchrath stood at the summit of Mount Whitney, a storm thundered in. It was May 1982, and here, at the highest point of the contiguous US, she and her boyfriend Ken were coming to the end of a month-long ski and hike, 223 miles along the John Muir Trail, through the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.The trip had been gruelling at times – equipment had broken and they had been threatened by bears and avalanches. But it had also been exhilarating. At 22, Muenchrath was fit, strong and an experienced hiker. She had skied since she was a child and worked as a ranger for the US national park service in Montana; she and Ken, who she had met at university, had been on many smaller adventures while preparing ...

Events

99 m. ago Scientists charged too much to immigrate to UK, says Royal Society

Combined upfront cost of the five-year Global Talent Visa and the Immigration Health Surcharge stands at £5,941

Politics

2 h. ago Be honest about choices ahead as Starmer claims Swinney 'insulting intelligence' of Scots

Record View says if the SNP are to be trusted with another term at Holyrood, they need to be honest about the challenges the country faces

Politics

2 h. ago Shoppers have found an 'ingenius' way to stay warm at night without the heating on

Looking for a way to rejuvenate an old mattress? These luxurious toppers might help - and they're all on sale.

Events

2 h. ago Man killed by tree branch, pedestrian blown into road as storm buffets Wellington, New Zealand

A man was struck and killed by a tree branch in Wellington, New Zealand, as dangerous winds and heavy rain buffeted parts of the country

Events

3 h. ago Belize signs 'safe third country' agreement as part of Trump's immigration crackdown

The small Central American nation of Belize has signed a “safe third country” agreement with the United States

Politics

3 h. ago Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and the scandal that won’t go away – podcast

Zoe Williams describes the scandals that have engulfed Andrew, leading to him giving up his titlesOn Friday evening, Buckingham Palace released a statement from Prince Andrew. ‘I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first,’ it read. ‘I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.’It seemed that Prince Andrew was voluntarily giving up his titles such as the Duke of York, the Knight of the Garter, or calling himself the Earl of Inverness – but perhaps his hand had been forced by the palace, or by his older brother King Charles. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Thousands detained as Myanmar military raids notorious KK park scam compound

Myanmar's military moved in to tackle a major online scam operation near the Thailand border, state media reportedMyanmar’s military has raided a major online scam operation near the border with Thailand, detaining more than 2,000 people and seizing dozens of Starlink satellite internet terminals, state media has reported.According to a report in Monday’s Myanma Alinn newspaper, Myanmar’s army raided KK Park, a well-documented cybercrime centre, as part of operations starting in early September to suppress online fraud, illegal gambling, and cross-border cybercrime. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Putting UK boots on the ground in Ukraine would cost 'over £100million', says Defence Secretary

Speaking in London, John Healey (pictured) revealed Britain has been planning in detail along with its Coalition of the Willing over the last six months.

Economics

6 h. ago Furious Kenny Loggins demands Trump REMOVE 'unauthorized' Top Gun hit Danger Zone from wild AI clip

No Kings demonstrations were attended by millions across the country on October 18, to voice their opposition to Trump and his administration.

Politics

6 h. ago Four million people forced into debt to pay for heating and food, new report finds

Around 860,000 children are living in households who can’t afford the essentials

Economics

6 h. ago Man who planned to shoot up Atlanta's airport is arrested in a terminal following a tip, police say

Police have arrested a man accused of threatening to open fire at the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta

Events

7 h. ago Sean Dyche, 54, set to be appointed Nottingham Forest manager in next 24 hours with two club legends joining staff

SEAN DYCHE is set to be confirmed as Nottingham Forest manager in the next 24 hours. The former Burnley and Everton boss has verbally agreed to become the THIRD man in the City Ground hotseat this season. Dyche, 54, was yesterday completing a deal to replace Ange Postecoglou. But the club’s main concern on Monday...

Society

7 h. ago Area evacuated after 'suspicious package' found at freight firm near Heathrow Airport

Police rushed to the Goldstar lorry depot (pictured, file photo) in the village of Colnbrook, Berkshire, on Monday evening amid reports of a 'suspicious package'.

Society

7 h. ago What to know about the warehouses in Virginia that power a lot of the internet

An internet outage on Monday morning highlights the reliance on Amazon's cloud services

Events