67 m. ago BBC star unrecognisable 24 years after playing iconic Lazy Town role

A BBC child star, who is known by many for her distinctive pink hairstyle now looks unrecognisable after dramatic hair change

Politics

81 m. ago My cultural awakening: Jackie Chan films inspired me to become a kung fu instructor

Since I saw a VHS of Rush Hour at a sleepover as a kid, the martial art has given me increased body positivity and helped me find a community When I was 12, following my parents’ divorce, I moved with my mum and sister from London to Australia, leaving behind my dad and a large extended family. It was destabilising and demoralising. Throughout high school I was bullied for my accent, clothes and looks. While Australian girls seemed like flowers thriving under the brutal sun, I felt like a sweaty, acne-prone gremlin who craved the dark and cold of home.Shortly after moving, I befriended a girl who had lost her mum. Suffering in our own ways, we found release in watching the 1998 action comedy Rush Hour, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as detectives trying to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Chinese diplomat. My friend had the film on VHS, and we put it on one night when I was sleeping over. This became a regular activity, and we would fling ourse...

Culture

82 m. ago ITV child star looks unrecognisable 23 years on from finding fame on Lazy Town

A BBC child star, who is known by many for her distinctive pink hairstyle now looks unrecognisable after dramatic hair change

Politics

82 m. ago 'Reform is creating hatred again after racist election was held where I live'

As Nigel Farage takes to the stage in Birmingham, we visit a town 10 miles away where multicultural Britain is thriving – but voters fear a return to the past

Politics

2 h. ago The hidden gem an hour from Manchester named the most affordable market town to buy a first home

The town also boasts plenty of shops, pubs and events even if you do not want to move there

Economics

2 h. ago 'I was a child carer for my mute parents and lacked confidence

Miira, 26, an only child, grew up caring for her deaf and mute Sri Lankan parents from the age of six. She arrived in London at 11 speaking little English and life in a silent household made her quiet and shy, and she struggled to make friends at school. Still, despite these obstacles — and the weight of being a young carer — Miira got herself into university, where she studied Accounting and Financial Information Systems, and then landed a job as a financial assistant.

Society

3 h. ago Ingredient red flags: how to spot the chemicals to avoid in food, kitchenware and cosmetics

Should your makeup be fragrance-free? Is it time to purge your kitchen of plastic? Are all food dyes dangerous? These are the everyday ingredients that could be harming your health‘Far from being a rock or island it turns out that the best metaphor to describe the human body is ‘sponge’. We’re permeable,” write Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie in their book Slow Death By Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things. While the permeability of our cells is key to being alive, it also means we absorb more potentially harmful substances than we realise.Studies have found a number of chemical residues in human breast milk, urine and water systems. Many of them are endocrine disruptors, which can interfere with the body’s natural hormones. “They can mimic, block or otherwise disrupt normal hormone function, leading to adverse health effects,” says Dr Shanna Swan, professor of environmental medicine and reproductive health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. We (often...

Events

3 h. ago Deutsche Bank in talks to become Revolut’s Canary Wharf neighbour

German lender may take space in prominent YY building on South Colonnade that now displays the fintech’s logo

Politics

3 h. ago Incredible UK seaside town that's perfect for an autumn getaway

The town has a lot to offer visitors, including a museum, tropical zoo, a weekly market and the only pier in the world to have a full-season show at the end of it

Politics

4 h. ago 'I visited hidden gem that's like the Amalfi Coast but most Brits don't know about it'

Costa Brava has become a popular holiday destination for tourists wanting to explore more of the Catalonian territory, and a hidden town called Cadaqués will leave you daydreaming

Politics

7 h. ago Steve review – Cillian Murphy is outstanding in ferocious reform school drama

Toronto film festival: adapted by Max Porter from his novella Shy and co-starring Little Simz, Emily Watson and Tracey Ullman this brutal but ultimately hopeful story is fiercely affectingProducer-star Cillian Murphy and director Tim Mielants last collaborated on a superlative adaptation of Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These, and their new project together could hardly be more different: a drama suffused with gonzo energy and the death-metal chaos of emotional pain, cut with slashes of bizarre black humour. Max Porter has adapted his own 2023 novella Shy for the screen and Murphy himself gives one of his most uninhibited and demonstrative performances.Murphy is Steve, a stressed, troubled but passionately committed headteacher with a secret alcohol and substance abuse problem, in charge of a residential reform school for delinquent teenage boys some time in the mid-90s. With his staff – deputy (Tracey Ullman), therapist-counsellor (Emily Watson) and a new teacher (Little Simz) ...

Events

7 h. ago Judge temporarily blocks Alabama rule saying voucher students can't play sports for a year

A judge has sided with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey in a dispute over where school voucher recipients can play sports this year

Events

8 h. ago I went to retro Scots seaside town with famous ice cream shop — it's a brilliant day out

Many of us may have grown up visiting this pretty Scottish coastal town - and it's just as charming even when the weather turns.

Politics

9 h. ago Uncouth, haughty and entitled, Angela Rayner was an insult to working class women like me. She's let us all down: KATIE HIND

Her story is certainly impressive. Having grown up on a council estate in Stockport, and left school as a pregnant 16-year-old, Angela Rayner rose to become deputy prime minister.

Politics

10 h. ago Warning new West Lothian banking hub in 'challenging' location for the elderly

Both Linlithgow and Bathgate will get new hubs to help residents - but there is disappointment in Bathgate that a campaign to retain the new hub in the town centre has failed.

Events

12 h. ago Slow Horses author to release latest book in series next week

The critically acclaimed TV show returns on 24 September

Culture

12 h. ago Scottish entertainer marking 40 years in showbiz with Airdrie Town Hall event

Colin Scougall will perform at the town hall on Friday, October 10, promising an unforgettable evening of music, memories, and showbiz sparkle.

Politics

13 h. ago Grimsby Town boss responds to Man United Carabao Cup replay calls

Grimsby Town were fined - by the EFL - for fielding an ineligible player during their astonishing penalty shootout win over Manchester United.

Politics

13 h. ago Sylvia Young's funeral: Alexandra Burke, Denise Van Outen and Nicole Appleton lead mourners paying tribute to stage school pioneer who launched Amy Winehouse's career

The world of TV and music united at Sylvia Young's funeral at St.Marylebone Church on Friday morning.

Politics

14 h. ago Crowds gather outside Giorgio Armani’s Milan HQ to pay respects before funeral

Funeral chamber to be set up at Teatro Armani where people can view casket before a private service on MondayGiorgio Armani obituaryElegant, determined, a little unknowable: Giorgio Armani is gone but will never be forgottenA life in picturesTwice a year, the usually calm Via Bergognone in Milan shuts down due to excited fashion week crowds descending on Teatro Armani. Home to the Giorgio Armani headquarters since 2000, the sprawling space includes a purpose-built theatre where each show season a catwalk is constructed.On Friday, crowds again began to gather outside, but this time the mood was much more sombre. They had come to pay their final respects to the visionary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died on Thursday at the age of 91. Continue reading...

Politics