43 m. ago Royal children's favourite Jellycat sparks fury by culling 100 loyal independent retailers as part of 'brand elevation strategy'

Prince William has described Jellycat's sought-after soft toys are his children's 'currency' , while rare designs can sell for thousands of pounds online.

Economics

5 h. ago Neighbours' veterans Annie Jones and Stefan Dennis support fellow cast as they share an emotional final day on set after 40 years on air

The final episode of Neighbours is set to air on December 11, after fans have witnessed the continuing drama be axed three times.

Sport

7 h. ago Justin Bieber: Swag review – inane lyrics undermine a gorgeously produced R&B passion project

(Def Jam) The surprise seventh album from the former tween idol is musically expansive, abetted by a host of star producers. If only he’d thought about the words a bitIn the mid-2010s, pop music changed. Instead of hounding the listening public with focus-grouped, machine-tooled crowd-pleasers, the biggest stars began releasing expansive, experimental albums that played to their own tastes and interests. These were records that were artistically self-indulgent, mostly in a good way: Rihanna’s sleazy, sultry Anti, Beyoncé’s densely referential Lemonade, Lady Gaga’s soft-rock-heavy Joanne, Miley Cyrus’s psychedelic Wayne Coyne collaboration Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (I may be the only person who holds that example in such high regard.)With his fourth album Purpose, Justin Bieber was adjacent to this shift. Leaning into the ascendant tropical house genre, collaborating with Skrillex and pursuing a sound you sensed a 21-year-old might actually like, it spelled the end of Bieber’s ...

Politics

8 h. ago We’ve become inured to Trump’s outbursts – but when he goes quiet, we need to be worried | Jonathan Freedland

Across the US, without soundbites or stunts, the president is building a police state and eroding democracyIn the global attention economy, one titan looms over all others. Donald Trump can command the gaze of the world at a click of those famously short fingers. When he stages a spectacular made-for-TV moment – say, that Oval Office showdown with Volodymyr Zelenskyy – the entire planet sits up and takes notice.But that dominance has a curious side-effect. When Trump does something awful and eye-catching, nations tremble and markets move. But when he does something awful but unflashy, it scarcely registers. So long as there’s no jaw-dropping video, no expletive-ridden soundbite, no gimmick or stunt, it can slip by as if it hadn’t happened. Especially now that our senses are dulled through over-stimulation. These days it requires ever more shocking behaviour by the US president to prompt a reaction; we are becoming inured to him. Yet the danger he poses is as sharp as ever.Jonathan F...

Politics

8 h. ago We’re becoming inured to Trump’s outbursts – but when he goes quiet, we need to be worried | Jonathan Freedland

Across the US, without soundbites or stunts, the president is building a police state and eroding democracyIn the global attention economy, one titan looms over all others. Donald Trump can command the gaze of the world at a click of those famously short fingers. When he stages a spectacular made-for-TV moment – say, that Oval Office showdown with Volodymyr Zelenskyy – the entire planet sits up and takes notice.But that dominance has a curious side-effect. When Trump does something awful and eye-catching, nations tremble and markets move. But when he does something awful but unflashy, it scarcely registers. So long as there’s no jaw-dropping video, no expletive-ridden soundbite, no gimmick or stunt, it can slip by as if it hadn’t happened. Especially now that our senses are dulled through over-stimulation. These days it requires ever more shocking behaviour by the US president to prompt a reaction; we are becoming inured to him. Yet the danger he poses is as sharp as ever.Jonathan F...

Politics

8 h. ago Armed police swoop on quiet Newport neighbourhood as gunshots heard

The disturbance in Newport at around 11.40pm on Thurday night saw officers, including specially trained firearms officers, attending the area along with the National Police Air Service

Events

8 h. ago Bomb squad search area as major road is closed after police shot gas masked chainsaw

Sean O'Meara, 36, was shot outside his parents' home in Hollingbourne, near Maidstone, Kent, at around 7.15pm on Monday after police were called to the property over an outstanding warrant.

Events

8 h. ago Neighbour's fury over substation that 'sounds like bomb going off'

'The ground moves,' complained one neighbour who has been struggling to sleep because of the noise

Events

9 h. ago Bangladesh caretaker government overturns use of ‘sir’ to address female officials

Protocol was ‘clearly odd’ relic of regime of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina, administration says in revision of directivesBangladesh’s caretaker government has overturned a longstanding protocol requiring female officials to be addressed as “sir”, calling it an “odd” relic of the regime of the ousted leader, Sheikh Hasina.The interim administration, headed by the Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus, took office last year after the former prime minister was overthrown by a student-led uprising, forcing her to flee to neighbouring India. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago At least 23 killed in airstrike on Buddhist monastery in Myanmar

A jet fighter is believed to have dropped a bomb on a building in the village’s monastery

Events

11 h. ago Playboy cover model's Kensington neighbour is cleared of assault after furious bust

Anna-Maria Galojan (left and inset), 43, claimed she was punched and pushed by her upstairs neighbour Silva Odette (right), 52, outside their Kensington homes.

Events

11 h. ago Police warn 'do not snitch' as hosepipe bans come into force for 34C heatwave

Hosepipe bans have come into force in parts of the country today after several months of dry weather - but people are being told not to call the police if neighbours break the rules

Events

13 h. ago Charity shop worker's furious rant to people dropping items off for 'wrong' reason

An annoyed charity shop worker, who shares her top tips online for what to donate, shared her fury about people using the second hand outlets as a 'dumping ground'

Economics

13 h. ago Brit tourist found dead by cleaner in Italy B&B as companion 'unaccounted for'

A British man, who has not been named, was staying at a guesthouse in Genoa's Pra neighbourhood and his body was reportedly discovered by a cleaner at the property

Events

14 h. ago ‘It fully altered my taste in music’: bands reflect on the awesome power of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtracks

The games’ runaway success introduced a whole generation to hopped up US punk and metal. Bands including Less Than Jake, the Ataris and AFI pay tribute to a gaming megastar who loves them backWhen millions of parents bought their kids a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game in the late 90s and early 00s, they couldn’t have understood the profound effect it would have on their children’s music taste. With bands from Bad Religion to Papa Roach and Millencolin accompanying every failed spin and grind, these trick-tastic games slyly doubled up as the ultimate compilation CD.While the Fifa games have an equally storied history with licensed music, those soundtracks feel impersonal – a who’s who of whichever artists EA’s associated record labels wanted to push at the time. Pro Skater’s soundtrack, by contrast, felt like being handed a grubby and slightly dog-eared handmade mixtape, still battered from its last tumble at the local skate park. Continue reading...

Culture

14 h. ago Mystery as British holidaymaker is found dead in an Italian B&B with his companion 'unaccounted for'

The unnamed man was discovered by a cleaner at the inn in the Genoa Pera neighbourhood, who raised the alarm.

Events

14 h. ago Neighbours’ Prime Video revival ends filming with chance for ‘a future chapter’

The soap has followed the lives of those living and working in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough since 1985.

Culture

14 h. ago Mystery of the demolished cottage baffles village: Neighbours tell how gang of 'rough' workers tore down 300

Locals in Nursling, near Southampton in Hampshire, said the 17th century property was regarded as the 'hallmark' of their parish.

Events

15 h. ago Putin's cruellest attack: Heartbreaking moment terminally ill orphans have to be evacuated to bomb shelter as Russian drones target Ukraine

Nurses could be seen carrying the children in their arms after they were forced to flee a hospice in Chernivtsi due to Vladimir Putin 's relentless strikes targeting civilians.

Events

15 h. ago Neighbours star says 'it's been a wild ride' as soap comes to another end

The Australian show was cancelled in 2022 before being saved but is now set to end again as filming finishes

Politics