98 m. ago 'I visited Natural History Museum after dark for special reason and it blew my mind'

The Natural History Museum in London holds a special place in the heart of everyone who has visited.

Culture

1 hour ago ‘In this ’til the end’: Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner on refusing to quit amid furor over ‘Nazi’ tattoo

Platner’s populist campaign faces backlash over past comments and a contentious tattooOn a recent Monday night, Graham Platner – oysterman, army veteran and Democratic hopeful for US Senate – took the stage in a small Maine town known for its oyster farming to assure voters that he was still in the game to win the Democratic primary, and ultimately unseat five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins.He addressed a crowd of 700, the most that could fit into the school gymnasium in Damariscotta, Maine before organizers had to start turning people away. As is typical for his campaign events, the gruff, plain-talking, flannel-clad, local business owner and former marine dissected the “establishment political system that serves the interests of the ultra wealthy” in front of a captivated audience. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Star who 'agreed' Arsenal transfer is now retired aged 26 – 'I blame myself'

Former Czech Republic under-21s star Martin Graiciar spent time training with Arsenal and was poised to join them permanently before his dream transfer fell apart

Sport

4 h. ago One way to redefine the first lady role: demolish Melania’s office to build a folly

The president’s wife is reported to have ‘privately raised concerns about’ the destruction of the White House East Wing. If so, they were ignored From Eleanor Roosevelt to Melania Trump, the East Wing of the White House served as a base for first ladies. It was where Michelle Obama spearheaded her Let’s Move public health campaign and where Nancy Reagan and her staff worked on the Just Say No drug awareness initiative.“It was a place where first ladies could carry out the important work that they do,” said Katherine AS Sibley, a professor of history at St Joseph’s University. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Trump ramps up filibuster pressure on Republicans as shutdown threatens to become longest ever: Live updates

President Donald Trump reiterates demand for solution to government shutdown ahead of crucial Tuesday elections in many states that will provide telling early verdict on his policy agenda

Events

4 h. ago Football's best ever striker verdict reached as Erling Haaland sent clear message

THE BIG DEBATE: Erling Haaland's current form has propelled him into the conversation as one of the best striker's in the world but he still has some way to go to match some of the standout centre-forwards in football history

Events

4 h. ago Why are European champions England in pot 2 for Women’s World Cup qualifying?

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will look to qualify for the 2027 World Cup

Politics

5 h. ago US government shutdown nearing record for longest in history as Trump delays food benefits to millions – US politics live

Republicans claim US president ‘desperate’ to end shutdown, which has now entered 33rd dayDonald Trump has said he feels bad for the British royal family after King Charles stripped his brother Andrew of his title as prince amid the continuing fallout over Andrew’s connections with the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday evening, Trump was asked about King Charles’s decision to strip his brother of his peerages and the title of prince. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Forgotten Scotland keeper summoned to solve crisis as Steve Clarke recalls in

National team head coach reveals group tasked with reaching World Cup

Events

5 h. ago Pregnant Bella Culley unrecognisable in first photo after drug mule prison hell

Brit, Bella Culley, 19 has finally been released from an ex-Soviet 'hellhole' prison where she was locked up for nearly six months for smuggling drugs into Georgia

Events

6 h. ago Top jockey makes history with magnificent SEVEN wins on single card

Frenchman Flavien Prat scored on seven of his ten rides at Aqueduct racecourse in New York, 24 hours after two successes at the Breeders’ Cup

Politics

6 h. ago Luke Littler passes driving test at first time of asking after SIX failed theory exams

World darts champion Luke Littler has shared a photo in which he celebrates passing his driving test but the teenager needed to put multiple failures behind him first

Events

6 h. ago Google removes AI model after it accuses US Senator of sexual misconduct

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn tells Google boss Sundar Pichai that Gemma produced fake links to non-existent news articles

Politics

7 h. ago ‘I can’t go on anymore’: Mazón resigns as Valencia leader and acknowledges mistakes during deadly 2024 floods – Europe live

Mazón faced daily calls for his resignation after flooding in October 2024 killed 229 peopleFor more on the anger towards Mazón and the calls for consequences after Spain’s worst natural disaster this century, it’s worth reading this report from our Spain correspondent, Sam Jones.Resigning his post, Mazón said “I can’t go on anymore” as he lamented “brutal” criticism he faced, while “acknowledging” mistakes made in an “unprecedented” situation. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago Tess Daly shares photo of daughter from Strictly Come Dancing set 'such a treat'

Tess Daly and her husband Vernon Kay's eldest daughter Phoebe Kay joined her mum for the Halloween special on the BBC dance show

Culture

8 h. ago Queen Esther by John Irving review – a disappointing companion to The Cider House Rules

The once-great author revisits St Cloud’s orphanage all too briefly, in a novel that begins with an adopted girl but wanders all over the placeIf some writers have an imperial phase, where they hit the heights time after time, then American novelist John Irving’s ran through a series of four fat, satisfying novels, from his 1978 breakthrough The World According to Garp to 1989’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. Those were generous, funny, big-hearted books, tying characters he calls “outliers” to social issues from feminism to abortion.Since Owen Meany, it’s been diminishing returns, except in page length. His last novel, 2022’s The Last Chairlift, was 900 pages of subjects Irving had explored better in earlier books (mutism, dwarfism, transgenderism), with a 200-page screenplay in the middle to pad it out – as if padding were needed. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Cruise through Cajun Country on this unforgettable Louisiana road trip

Discover heartbreaking history, wondrous wildlife and charming culture in one incredible journey

Politics

10 h. ago Orphans of history: the forgotten republic of Transnistria – photo essay

Photographer Didier Bizet has spent time documenting life in the self-proclaimed autonomous republic, which is not recognised by the international community. Its status raises complex questions about the identity of its inhabitants – Ukrainians, Russians, Moldovans and Bulgarians – in a land searching for direction and lacking a clearly defined national identityAmid the ongoing war in Ukraine and between the fragile borders that crisscross the former Soviet Union, the self-proclaimed Republic of Transnistria, which broke away from Moldova more than 30 years ago after a brief but bloody conflict, remains locked in deep political and diplomatic isolation.Home to about 450,000 people, Transnistria is a narrow strip of land wedged between Moldova and Ukraine, along the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Its de facto capital, Tiraspol, lies less than 60 miles from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa. Though small in size – about 125 miles long – the region holds outsized strategic importan...

Culture

10 h. ago Big trouble in ‘Little Berlin’: the tiny hamlet split in two by the cold war

A new museum in Mödlareuth tells the story of how a settlement of only 50 people straddled Bavaria in West Germany and Thuringia in the eastA creek so shallow you barely got your ankles wet divided a community for more than four decades. By an accident of topography, the 50 inhabitants of Mödlareuth, a hamlet surrounded by pine forests, meadows and spectacular vistas, found themselves at the heart of the cold war. They had the misfortune to straddle Bavaria, in West Germany, and Thuringia in the East, a border that was demarcated first by a fence and then by a wall. American soldiers called it Little Berlin.Months after their own wall was breached, and even before their country had reunified in 1990, a group of local people set about memorialising their history. The work is about to come to fruition: on 9 November, the 36th anniversary of the fall of the (big) Berlin Wall, the German-German Museum Mödlareuth will open. It was officially inaugurated by the federal president, Frank-Wa...

Events

11 h. ago Move over Brighton, this northern city is ready to snatch England’s queer crown

London may have the largest LGBT+ community and Brighton tends to get more attention, but in Manchester Rory Buccheri discovers a history that goes back beyond the clubs of Canal Street and a passion for an inclusive future

Politics