2 h. 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

4 h. ago Man City are in a transfer mess with Ederson and Gianluigi Donnarumma

Manchester City were determined to be emphatic in the transfer market this summer but there are huge doubts in a key position

Politics

12 h. ago Christian Pulisic, his father and Tim Weah rail against ‘evil’ US soccer critics

Trio made comments in new docuseries episodePulisic: Critics ‘disrespected me in a lot of ways’Tim Weah, Christian Pulisic, and Mark Pulisic (Christian’s father) all delivered searing takes on ex-US men’s national team players who criticized the team during their recent run of bad form, with Weah deeming the pundits to be “evil.”The trio made the comments in the latest epsiode of the Pulsic docuseries on Paramount+, the final episodes of which were released this week. The new episodes cover the national team from the 2024 Copa América, in which the US underperformed by exiting at the group stage, up through the 2025 Nations League final, where the US lost against Panama and Canada en route to a disappointing fourth-place finish in a competition they had won in each of the previous three editions. Following that tournament, Pulisic kicked off a media firestorm when he announced that he would skip the 2025 Gold Cup, the team’s last competitive tournament before next year’s World Cup o...

Politics

13 h. ago Lil Wayne fans upset after rapper cancels concert at last minute due to ‘unforeseen illness’

The New Orleans-born artist had been scheduled to appear at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage

Politics

14 h. ago Man Utd discover their first Carabao Cup second round opponents for 11 years

Manchester United last played in the second round of the Carabao Cup in 2014, but they are back at the earliest possible stage of the competition that Premier League sides can play in

Politics

15 h. ago France acknowledges role in repression of Cameroon independence movements

Emmanuel Macron writes to Cameroonian president with findings of joint commission on country’s colonial pastFrance has acknowledged its role in decades of violent repression of independence movements in Cameroon, the latest stage in a slow process of reckoning with its brutal colonial past.In a letter to the Cameroonian president, Paul Biya, dated 30 July, Emmanuel Macron said it was “up to me today to assume the role and responsibility of France in these events”. Continue reading...

Politics

16 h. ago Pensioner, 77, died during heart surgery when hospital suffered a ten

Jean Dye, 77, was at the crucial stage of the procedure when the electricity went down - meaning doctors had to delay the process as they couldn't see vital X rays.

Events

16 h. ago Merz’s manoeuvres on world stage fail to quell doubts about his leadership

The German chancellor’s high-wire statesmanship on Ukraine has done little to alleviate his domestic woesEurope live – latest updatesFriedrich Merz hosted the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Wednesday as a weakened leader 100 days into his term, with his attempts to rally western support for Kyiv and wrangle Donald Trump failing to silence his domestic critics.The German chancellor took the initiative for Wednesday’s lightning round of telephone conferences bringing in EU leaders, Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance. Zelenskyy’s surprise arrival in Berlin to sit in on the calls underlined Merz’s starring role in the diplomatic efforts. Continue reading...

Politics

17 h. ago Dundee University ‘fell well short’, says interim boss in response to report

Professor Nigel Seaton said there were ‘clear failings in financial monitoring, leadership, and governance’.

Politics

18 h. ago Mayor of DC pushes back on Trump’s incursion as national guard troops patrol the streets

Around 800 troops expected to be deployed and an unknown number of arrests have been made as Trump makes claims about ‘crime crisis’US politics live – latest updatesNational guard and federal law enforcement agents were spotted on the streets of Washington DC overnight Wednesday, as part of Donald Trump’s campaign to quell a “crime crisis” in the capital that local officials say does not exist.National guard troops were spotted arriving on the National Mall late Tuesday as agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI and Department of Homeland Security fanned out across neighborhoods in the capital, sometimes accompanied by local police officers. Video circulating on local media showed police and federal agents arresting at least one person that evening in Columbia Heights, home to the city’s largest Hispanic population. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Russia and Belarus to practice joint nuclear drills during tests with 'up to 150,000 troops' in Europe next month

Russia and its ally Belraus are set to stage nuclear missile drills next month close in Europe next month. 

Events

19 h. ago Four Marketing Agency records best ever first half and appoints top industry talent

New leadership team brings national agency and government experience as Four expands client base across the UK

Politics

19 h. ago Scots comedian Suzie McCabe to perform headline set at Airdrie Town Hall

Joining Susie on stage will be the hilarious Iain Hume and Mick Murphy, and master of ceremonies for the evening is none other than Billy Kirkwood.

Politics

19 h. ago Trump suffers another geography fail after calling Alaska ‘Russia’ as he rants ahead of Putin meeting: ‘Leningrad free’

Russian president Vladimir Putin was once mayor of the city Trump misidentified

Politics

19 h. ago Creeps, legends, witches and wonders: Edinburgh fringe 2025 – in pictures

From a Polish prince of Denmark to pickled vegetables and tributes to Billy Connolly and Marilyn Monroe, our photographer explores the many worlds of the festival Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Monstering the Rocketman review – Elton aims for the Sun in skewering of 80s tabloids

Pleasance Dome, EdinburghHeadlines punctuate Henry Naylor’s play about the newspaper’s campaign against Elton John and the multiple lawsuits launched by the singerHenry Naylor started out in comedy but the lines that get the biggest laughs in Monstering the Rocketman are not his. That credit goes to the subeditors on the Sun whose talent for writing headlines, as crass as they were inspired, was second to none. In their 1980s heyday, when the tabloid’s circulation soared close to 4m, they could sum up their readers’ belligerent mood with a “Gotcha” or just make them laugh.You might wince at a bottom-related soap-opera story headlined “Rear Enders” or, in the 1990s, George Michael being stung with “Zip Me Up Before You Go Go”, but you can only admire their panache. Continue reading...

Events

21 h. ago Robbie Williams fans gobsmacked as singer faces unlikely 'stage invader' on tour

Robbie Williams is currently on the European leg of his Britpop tour, and fans were left gobsmacked when he bravely faced an unlikely 'stage invader' at a recent show

Events

21 h. ago The Celtic chief will remain in hiding as the boss tries to deal with tight

The club’s sequestered leadership will discover that there is no hiding place if Celtic are knocked out of the Champions League

Economics

21 h. ago Voices: Is Keir Starmer just one crisis away from a Labour coup?

Party strategists are busy working out how to escape the chancellor’s doom loop of tax rises – and to crush damaging speculation about her boss’s ability to lead his party into the next general election. But the race to replace the PM may already have begun, says Andrew Grice

Events

22 h. ago ‘Incredible’ $200,000 gift allows US actor to stage twin Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows

“It’s an astonishing act of generosity that made the dream of sharing my work on a global stage in a magical city like Edinburgh a reality” – Jason Woods

Culture