40 m. ago 17 awful performances by great actors, from Robert De Niro to Leonardo DiCaprio

Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Tom Hardy feature on this list by Louis Chilton, of brilliant acting talents who at one point in their careers bit off more than they could chew...

Politics

65 m. ago Love Groundhog Day and Russian Doll? These are the novels for you

High-concept fiction is having a moment. Funny, inventive and crackling with big ideas, these ambitious stories will have you instantly hookedFlorence Knapp’s first novel The Names, publishing this month, tells not one story but three. As it opens, a mother is preparing to take her newborn boy to formally register his name. Will it be Bear, as his older sister would like, her own choice of Julian, or Gordon, named after his controlling father? The universe pivots on the decision she makes. Knapp plaits together the three stories that follow to trace the three different worlds in which the boy grows to manhood. Think of it as Sliding Doors for nominative determinism.In this universe, at least, it is going like gangbusters. Described as “the book of the fair” at Frankfurt two years ago, Knapp’s publisher secured the rights in a 13-way auction and it’s already due to appear in 20 languages. It is a prime example of a renewed interest in what might be called “high-concept fict...

Politics

74 m. ago Full list of May Day bank holiday opening hours for major supermarkets: Tesco, ASDA, Aldi and more

Those wanting to stock up on nibbles and drink will need to be aware that most supermarkets will be reducing their hours with it being the bank holiday.

Economics

2 h. ago Woman, 24, issues warning after hidden symptom she developed while swimming in sea on holiday turned out to be rare cancer

Megan Carr, 24, was on a family holiday in Spain in July when her father noticed she had a lump growing in her neck.

Events

3 h. ago Home Bargains is selling £5.99 gardening tool that is perfect for sunny windowsills

With spring in full swing and the sun finally making an appearance, Home Bargains has a great selection of gardening gear to help you get growing - but shoppers need to be quick

Economics

4 h. ago Millie Mackintosh's travel pillow that 'doesn't hurt my neck' is one of her travel essentials

Millie Mackintosh recently shared her list of wellbeing travel essentials, and her must-have travel neck pillow is guaranteed to make sleeping on a plane much more enjoyable

Politics

4 h. ago UK leading retailer to close at least 9 stores and over 126 jobs may be cut – see list

Hobbycraft, the UK's leading retailer for arts and crafts, has announced plans to close at least nine stores across the country after private equity firm owner Modella Capital launched an overhaul

Politics

5 h. ago Finn Russell solid if unspectacular ahead of Lions announcement

Stand-off helps Bath to victory over Edinburgh as they chase glory on two fronts

Politics

6 h. ago Why Liverpool guard of honour could help inspire Chelsea bid to become Premier League contenders again

Young Chelsea squad will hope paying tribute to Premier League champions is not an experience they have to repeat

Politics

11 h. ago Arne Slot praises 'underrated' Liverpool star for role in Premier League title win

The Reds confirmed themselves as champions with their 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, as World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister added another trophy to his fast-growing collection

Politics

11 h. ago Growing calls for Lucy Letby case to be referred back to the Court of Appeal as leading barrister claims her convictions are 'almost certainly' unsafe

Adam King is the latest respected figure to raise questions about the case against Letby, who was convicted over two trials of killing seven babies and attempting to murder seven more.

Events

12 h. ago Australian federal election 2025 live: Coalition licks wounds after Peter Dutton loses seat in Labor election thrashing – latest Australia news and updates

Labor is set to govern with a huge majority after the Coalition vote collapsed and Peter Dutton lost his seat of Dickson. Follow today’s news and the latest resultsElection 2025 results LIVE: Australia votes tracker and federal seat countsAnthony Albanese secures ‘win for the ages’ for Labor at federal electionGlum and glummer: Liberal faithful reel as Peter Dutton loses seat of Dickson after 24 yearsFull coverage of the Australian electionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLittleproud on Labor: ‘They’re a slick machine’Finally, David Littleproud is asked about what impact Donald Trump had on the outcome after Labor sought to tie Peter Dutton to the US president throughout the campaign.What Anthony Albanese and the Labor team were able to was to really tap into these sorts of issues and then paint a bigger picture and destroy his character.I think there’s a lesson in how they (Labor) did politics. They did it a lot better than us, and you’ve got to acknowledg...

Politics

13 h. ago Most Brits say strip Harry and Meghan of their HRH titles after bombshell interview as backlash grows

The Duke of Sussex caused widespread disbelief when he complained in a BBC interview that his father 'won't speak to me'.

Events

14 h. ago Post office worker seen on camera beating young girl while in full uniform

Disturbing video shows grown woman hurl child to the ground and grappling with her outside an elementary school in Cleveland, Ohio

Politics

15 h. ago Tiny Welsh restaurant in a former jail where you can't choose what you eat and it's just won a place on a prestigious list

Husband and wife-run Chapters in Hay on Wye already had a Michelin Green Star now it's achieved another accolade

Events

15 h. ago Oscar Piastri remains dominant McLaren teammate despite Lando Norris’ sprint win in Miami

McLaren faces the challenge of having two championship contenders at the Miami Grand Prix

Politics

15 h. ago Henry Pollock revels in ‘special win’ over Leinster in hardest game of his life

Saints beat Irish province to make Champions Cup finalPhil Dowson says his players enhanced Lions prospectsNorthampton hope their extraordinary semi-final win over Leinster will be a springboard to further personal and collective success in the coming weeks. The Saints director of rugby, Phil Dowson, also believes several of his players have “undoubtably” enhanced their British & Irish Lions selection chances before Thursday’s tour squad announcement.Henry Pollock and Fin Smith, along with hat-trick try-scorer Tommy Freeman, could not have made a better impression on a high-pressure stage and Dowson believes Pollock’s exuberance is beneficial to any team. “It’s infectious and spreads throughout the team,” said Dowson. “Leinster are one of the best sides in Europe and the world. For our players to perform on that stage and execute under that pressure speaks volumes for them.” Continue reading...

Politics

16 h. ago Brilliant Northampton hand Leinster more Champions Cup heartbreak in semi

Leinster 34-37 Northampton Saints: A sublime Saints performance saw the tournament favourites once again fall short of European glory to pose serious questions

Politics

16 h. ago Anger grows towards Prince Harry for saying ‘I don’t know how much longer’ King Charles has to live

Harry spoke out following the failure of his multimillion-pound legal battle to reinstate publicly funded security protection in the UK

Politics

17 h. ago Northampton stun Leinster with heroic victory to reach Champions Cup final

Leinster 34-37 NorthamptonSaints cling on for win following first-half blitzThis competition has seen a few remarkable results over the years but few to match this sweetest of Saints days. Maybe Leinster thought that a fourth successive Investec Champions Cup final appearance was a formality against supposedly outgunned English opposition. If so they were made to pay a heavy price as a triple whammy of tries from Tommy Freeman helped Northampton pull off one of the all-time great knockout heists.The Irish province, beaten in the final in the last three consecutive seasons, were stunned at the final whistle. But the Saints had led 27-15 at half-time and, even after Leinster had charged back to within three points the visitors came knocking again via a 62nd minute score from James Ramm. The final quarter was frantically tense, settled in contentious fashion after an aghast Leinster had a possible 79th-minute score disallowed. Continue reading...

Sport